This week, I continue my exploration of first words in fiction with a look at popular science fiction.
Compared to last week's look at current Young Adult bestsellers, I found this selection much more intriguing and/or thought provoking. What do you think?
Here they are, in no particular order:
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury):
“It was a pleasure to Burn”
“It was a pleasure to Burn”
Foundation (Isaac Asimov):
“Hari Seldon - ...born in the 11,988th year of the Galactic Era; died 12,069.”
Dune (Frank Herbert):
“A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct.”
Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card):
“I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one.”
The Stars My Destination (Alfred Bester):
“This was a Golden Age, a time of high adventure, rich living, and hard dying...but nobody thought so.”
2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke):
“The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended.”
1984 (George Orwell):
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams):
“Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.”
Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson):
“The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory.”
Starship Troopers (Robert Heinlein):
“I always get the shakes before I drop.”
Next week, I'll take a look at the first words of some classic novels.
