Best first sentences: Terry Pratchett leaps over the fence and onto the track

Fine. I blame myself for being so distanced from delightful writing like this.

By way of background, I later railed (safely in absentia) against my high school and undergraduate literature teachers for never giving me a clue about the likes of Jane Austen -- although it's not like I gave even the very best of them anything that could reasonably be called a sporting chance or even a conversational opening.

Ahem.

Pressing ahead: I tip my pointy hat with a scorched brim and the iffily-spelled word "WIZZARD" embroidered around the crown to Lance Mannion et fili whose good judgment got me into the game. So far I've listened to the unabridged audiobooks of Interesting Times and The Last Hero. I prefer IT, partly because of the audiobook reader and partly because Rincewind is great fun,

But as far as opening sentences go, those stories are but neverwozzers next to Night Watch:

Sam Vimes sighed when he heard the scream, but he finished shaving before he did anything about it

Now seriously: Can a tee shot like that go anywhere but high and 375 yard down range?

And, not surprisingly once you get the hang of it all, Sam Vimes seems to be one of the good ones. Great fun.