The first lines in Stephen King books set the stage for the stories that follow. Over his long career, King has written opening sentences that are funny, informative, scary, and downright odd. But which one is the best?
Is it the simple statement about the gunslinger following the man in black through the desert in The Gunslinger, the novel that begins his epic eight-novel fantasy cycle? Is it the more in-depth breakdown of the Boston Globe reporter's surroundings in The Colorado Kid? Is it the random gurgles and moans that kick off Misery? Or is it something else entirely?
There's certainly not a shortage to chose from. Check out the list below to view every first sentence from King's novels and vote up your favorite ones!
All the Opening Sentences from Stephen King Books, Ranked,
The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years - if it ever did end - began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain.
It
Right here and now, as an old friend used to say, we are in the fluid present, where clear-sightedness never guarantees perfect vision.
Black House
The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
People's lives - their real lives, as opposed to their simple physical existences - begin at different times.
The Dark Half
I have never been what you’d call a crying man.
11/22/63
"ASK ME A RIDDLE," Blaine invited.
The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass
SSDD, it became their motto, and Jonesy couldn't for the life of him remember which of them started saying it first.
Dreamcatcher
Once upon a time, not so long ago, a monster came to the small town of Castle Rock, Maine.
Cujo
This happened in 1932, when the state penitentiary was still at Cold Mountain.
The Green Mile
Jack Torrance thought: Officious little pr*ck.
The Shining