The castaway would have been dead before sundown but for the sharp eyes of an Italian seaman called Mario. By the time he was spotted he had lapsed into unconsciousness, the exposed parts of his near-naked body grilled to second-degree burns by the relentless sun, and those parts submerged in seawater soft and white between the salt sores like the limbs of a rotting goose.
Forsyth, Frederick - The Devil's Alternative
I started this series of cataloging the first lines I read because there seems to be so much importance attached to those first few words (the last lines and morning series were offshoots, but not created due to some perceived importance). I think we've fairly well established that although alot of import is attached, its no fundamentally the reason that a reader continues to read. I've kept on reading some books following horrific first lines, and quit on others that had pretty good firsters.
Conclusions? It's good to have a great first line or passage, but it's better to have engaging characters, a driven and well thought out plot, and a story that readers want to read. Great first, last and morning lines are all just icing on the cake.
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