Discussion: Hooked Right from the Start

[neonpossibilities]

I just started a book I had in my reading list for a while and this is the very first paragraph:

The monk heard that a ship had arrived carrying one of the dog-headed people whom travelers speak of when they tell tall tales of the one-eyed and the winged, and he went out to the docks to see if it was true. This is how he first laid eyes on the relic thief; this is how the voyage to steal the corpse of Saint Nicholas began.

The book is "Nicked" by M. T. Anderson and I was immediately sucked into the story!

Did you ever read a book that grabbed your interest right from the first few lines/chapter? Or, on the other hand, were there any books you found boring and uninteresting at the beginning that revealed their potential later on?

Comments

[neonpossibilities]

you HAVE to have strong beginnings in stories like that since you're trying to ease them into the anxiety filled atmosphere of death

That's a very good point, the setting and the mood are everything!

Hell the times I've tried to hold out often blew up in my face

Oof, me too /o\ I can confirm that there were so many boring books that stayed boring or took a dive for the worst. I find that for books, sticking to them in the hope they'll improve will only lead to disappointment!