This is not high on the list of most people's notions of "great literature," but it is typical of the genre of aviation literature, in which Ernest K. Gann in the USA and Antoine de St-Exupery in France are well-known names.

PM what you think the first line of this book is - the more fanciful, or the more literate the better!

Well, mine is neither...but it is on the way!

Mine too.

Did the rest of you forget how to play this? Send me a fanciful "first line," pleeeeease!

I'll send one later today.

Just four so far. Any more to come?

You should have mine now.

Where's CW--doesn't she usually play this game? And KHC is a librarian too and ought to spout book first lines without even trying, and Arnie and, Missann. I know, Asa: drop into the chat tomorrow and post an advertisement for this Entitled game. Who could resist?

Wordmatic

Who could resist? EVERYONE! ;-) Yeah, well, I'll try to drop in. I can't think and type at the same time, so I won't stay long! If I can't make it, would you drop a hint for me, purty pleeze with brown sugar on it, huh?

Well (I think) I did, but I arrived rather late, and by the time I mentioned it, several potential novelists had left. If you also were there, you left before I appeared.

WM

I didn't show up. I have a cold, and didn't get my sneezy, headachy, drippy self outa bed until it was over! Bleahhhhh!!!

Hope you feel better soon, Asa!

WM

I thought I already sent one. NO? Sending now.

Well - I went to my PMs and I do see one there, sent to ASA a while ago.

The entries, as well as the real first line:

1. The sky was blue that day, not some ordinary blue that you might see wandering around on clothing or cars, but an extraordinary, phenomenal color that transcended normal blue-ness, evoking feelings of freedom and heroism and causing people to stand looking at the sky in wonder.

2. Shit!

3. There's an axiom among those who fly that there are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.

4. Two weeks of rain had turned the road into a slow moving yellow river.

5. We had been trained for every imaginable eventuality, but this day the unimaginable was suddenly upon us.

6. For more than a century the principal and preferred lifting substance for both balloons and airships was hydrogen, the lightest of the elements, despite it being highly dangerous because of its extreme flammability.

7. The night is sinister.

8. All too often I have seen pity led astray.

Which is the real first line from Fate is The Hunter? And can you whistle the theme music from the movie version? Very catchy tune!

I'm inclined to go with #2, since my submission is not among the listed (though I admit mine was much worse than the rest of these.) 2 might be the real thing but is probably by our great one-word first-liner...

So I'll go with #4 since roads are like yellow rivers around here right now also.

Wordmatic

Jo and Rex will take #7.

Wordmatic, how could I have missed yours? I'm sorry!!! Ah, I see - I lost it beneath the other PM we exchanged about slow games.

Asa the IDIOT

This message has been edited. Last edited by: <Asa Lovejoy>,

Not an idiot, Asa! Not to worry. Actually, now that Iread the others' it was embarrassing!

Embarrassing!?!?!? What's embarrasing is that whereas you have "this space available" at the foot of your posts, I have it written on my hat.

I like 4,7 and 8.

I'll have 8

5 please.

I'll take #1.

It's purty.

I'll try 6.

I'll vote for #4

Here's who wrote what:

1. The sky was blue that day, not some ordinary blue that you might see wandering around on clothing or cars, but an extraordinary, phenomenal color that transcended normal blue-ness, evoking feelings of freedom and heroism and causing people to stand looking at the sky in wonder.

Caterwauller snared Sarnita during her "blue" period.

2. Shit!

Nobody wrote this - I just tossed it 'cause I stepped in some.

3. There's an axiom among those who fly that there are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.
I tossed this in as filler.

4. Two weeks of rain had turned the road into a slow moving yellow river.

Bob gave Wordmatic and Myth Jellies a dousing with his entry!

5. We had been trained for every imaginable eventuality, but this day the unimaginable was suddenly upon us.

Saranita snookered Kelleh, who wasn't prepared for THIS eventuality!

6. For more than a century the principal and preferred lifting substance for both balloons and airships was hydrogen, the lightest of the elements, despite it being highly dangerous because of its extreme flammability.

I hate to pop your balloon, CW, but Kalleh wrote this one!

7. The night is sinister.

As always, Jo is right.

8. All too often I have seen pity led astray.

Another one I threw in - from St-Exupery.

Jo and I chose that answer because we were reading some of the entries in the Bulwer-Lytton contest, and this seemed like a vastly superior version of "It was a dark and stormy night." We have not read the book. Isn't it about flying?