Image via HarperVoyager By David Caballero Published Jul 28, 2026, 11:26 PM EDT David is a Senior Editor at Collider focused primarily on Lists. His professional journey began in the mid-2010s as a Marketing specialist before embarking on his writing career in the 2020s. At Collider, David started as a Senior Writer in late 2022 and has been a Senior Editor since mid-2023. He is in charge of ideating compelling and engaging List articles by working closely with writers, both Senior and Junior, as well as other editors. Occasionally, David also reviews movies and TV shows and writes episode recaps. Currently, David is also writing his second novel, a psychological horror satire that will, hopefully, be picked up for publication sometime next year. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap The fantasy genre is among the most popular and enduring in literature. Few things amaze us more than fantastical worlds full of magic, danger, mysticism, and valerous characters on larger-than-life quests. Indeed, there's no shortage of great fantasy stories, going back to the early days of classical literature, all the way to today. However, a great book stands out from a mere good one from the very beginning — in fact, it does so from the opening line.
In the last decade, no fantasy book has a better opening line than Mark Lawrence's 2017 science-fantasy Red Sister . The first entry in the Book of the Ancestor trilogy, Red Sister is among the best entries in the genre of the last decade, yet it doesn't have nearly half the recognition it deserves. It's only a matter of time, though, as any reader will undoubtedly be hooked in the action from the first line , a pretty killer sentence that's as witty as it is striking. The rest of the book is equally impressive, but coming up with a great opening line for a book is an art in and of itself, and Red Sister is the prime example.
Red Sister is part of the larger Book of the Ancestor trilogy, and it has some of the best worldbuilding in fantasy . The action is set on the planet Abeth, home to four types of people: hunska, gifted with superspeed; gerant, gifted with superstrength; marjal, who can do elemental magic; and quantal, who can perform even more powerful magic. The planet is almost fully frozen , thanks to its dying red sun. The man-made moon reflects what little sunlight remains to the Corridor, a narrow strip of land that circles the entire globe. The Corridor is populated by several kingdoms, each one vying for control.
Our protagonist is Nona Grey, a peasant with hunska blood purchased as a slave by a trader. Following an incident where she attacks a nobleman, Nona escapes execution thanks to the intervention of Abbess Glass of the Sweet Mercy Convent, who recognizes her abilities and invites her to become a novice . At Sweet Mercy, Nona trains alongside other novices, stumbling upon a plot to steal a powerful item from the convent, all while the nobleman's family brews a revenge plot against her. A frame story set in the future follows an adult Nona and her companion, Sister Thorn, as they fight another threat.
Lawrence, perhaps best known for writing the acclaimed fantasy trilogy , The Broken Empire , cleverly subverts expectations and traditional tropes with Red Sister . The book opera…