Thought this'd be an interesting topic. The opening chapter can make or break a horror novel, and there have been some brilliant opening chapters.
My favourite?
Tengu, by Graham Masterton. Not just a cracking first chapter, but a fantastic opening paragraph. Check this:
"When Sherry Cantor's alarm clock woke her at 7:27 on the morning of August 9 she had twenty-three minutes to live.
That was the most overwhelming fact of her morning. Yet it was the one fact she didn't know."
Then we learn more of Sherry;her age, her financial situation and her career, all interspersed with reminders that her time is running out.
"But knowing all that was not enough. Knowing all that could not possibly save her from what was going to happen in twenty-three minutes' time."
And: "It was 7:39. There were eleven minutes of life left."
I won't spoil it for you by telling you how she meets her end, but suffice to say not only is it one of my favourite Masterton novels it's the best opening chapter I've ever come across. It was so powerful Masterton repeated the technique in
Black Angel.
So, chaps and chapesses - what's your favourite opening chapter and from which book? Or, what's the
worst opening you've ever come across?