#OpeningSentence

The largest private collection of rare artifacts from other worlds could be found in central New Jersey at Princeton University, and if anyone knew Maya Hoshimoto was a thief, they wouldn’t have let her anywhere near there.

— Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

‘Humans are a necessary annoyance,’ my mother had said to me.

— Space Dragons: Luxorian's Crew by Veo Corva

We were waiting for things to converge.

— Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor

My father kept a dragon eye upon his desk.

— Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi

"The king wishes to be cooked alive," the royal secretary said, accepting the proffered saucer and cup and immediately setting both aside.

— Hexologists

“Your mother is going to be a star,” said the man in the gray uniform.

— Counterweight by Anton Hur, Djuna

Captain Darian Frey was accustomed to long odds; his whole life, he’d been an outside chance. Lacking the ability to win in a fair fight, he survived instead by guile and the illogical optimism favoured by gamblers and drunks, which made the riskiest of plans seem like a good idea at the time.

— The Ace of Skulls by Chris Wooding

‘On reflection,’ Crake said to Frey, as they huddled behind an upturned table, ‘this wasn’t one of your better plans.’

— The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding

Darian Frey was a man who understood the value of a tactical retreat.

— The Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding

The smuggler held the bullet between thumb and forefinger, studying it in the weak light of the store room.

— Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

Somewhere in Jal’s file was a note from an old crewmate that read, Jalsen Red will either be the reason you die, or the reason you live. Good fucking luck.

— Cascade Failure by L. M. Sagas

Standing next to his step box, Baxter hovers: immobile and elastic, ready to spring forward to lift a suitcase, dissect a timetable, point to the conductor, nod, lift more suitcases, now hat boxes, answer more questions, and nod, nod, nod.

— The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr

On activation each morning Charles’ first duty was to check his master’s travel arrangements for the day.

— Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

What do you do when you meet an alien in Central Park?

— Exordia by Seth Dickinson

A crack echoed through the boreal landscape, a momentary chaos in the still afternoon air.

— Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice