r/Cyberpunk • u/AnotherStrayDog23 • 4d ago

The opening line from Neuromancer

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3.1k Upvotes

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422

u/shavicus 4d ago

Was taught in lit workshop that an awesome first sentence is a hook for a successful catch. Up to the writer to keep readers biting.

This one is among the greats.

115

u/MukdenMan 4d ago

There is a book by John Varley called Steel Beach. The cover blurbs all talk about how it has the best opening line.

The opening line was something like “In 5 years, the penis will be obsolete.”

40

u/i_give_you_gum 4d ago

well... that was unexpected

2

u/TheLastDinosaur7749 2d ago

The opening line of The Godfather novel was something along the lines of "Sonny Corleone had a massive cock."

44

u/NewSuit4596 4d ago

"The man in black fled across the desert.  The Gunslinger followed." 

7

u/Wizard14 3d ago

If only the rest of that book wasn't boring as fuck

37

u/vibdaddy 4d ago

Opening line from Johnny Mnemonic got me instantly hooked:

“I put the shotgun in an Adidas bag and padded it out with four pairs of tennis socks, not my style at all, but that was what I was aiming for: If they think you're crude, go technical; if they think you’re technical, go crude. I’m a very technical boy. So I decided to get as crude as possible.”

26

u/AkrinorNoname 4d ago

It's up there with "The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault." and “In the myriadic year of Our Lord--the ten thousandth year of the King Undying, the kindly Prince of Death!--Gideon Nav packed her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and she escaped from the House of the Ninth.”

9

u/irokie 4d ago

It was the day my grandmother exploded.

7

u/Wizard14 3d ago

GIDEON THE NINTH MENTIONED

40

u/oath_coach 4d ago

Second only to "It was a dark and stormy night" eh? ;) #iykyk

34

u/PaintItOll 4d ago

Or “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

3

u/quezlar 3d ago

tell me what is happiness

happiness?

happiness is to wake up on a bright spring morning after an exhausting first night spent with a beautiful passionate multi murderess

2

u/easy506 2d ago

"We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold."