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.
What Is ‘Red Sister’ About?
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 operates on a structure of deception, with an unreliable narrator and multiple other characters acting out of self-interest and self-preservation. Without entering into spoiler territory, it’s safe to say Red Sister is not a traditional “Chosen One” story. It has all the classic elements of a great fantasy narrative — prophecies, magic, political stakes, and multiple factions operating at once — but the main action is defined by misdirections, false expectations, and a sense of perpetual danger that ultimately shapes the whole thing.
The Opening Line of ‘Red Sister’ Instantly Hooks You
Image by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme
“It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size.” Those are the opening words of Red Sister, and it’s hard to imagine a more effective, creative, or memorable way to start your story. In fewer than 20 words, Lawrence has already established the nuns of this world as formidable opponents capable of claiming victories against numerous enemies. There’s also a humorous quality to the sentence that makes it all the more engaging, a morbid irony that spells doom for both parties. Lastly, it sets up what will undoubtedly be a bloody conflict without the need for exposition or info dumps; it’s incredibly economical writing on Lawrence’s part, and the fact that he makes it seem so easy is nothing short of impressive.
All these ideas are perfectly conveyed by the next sentence: “For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy convent, Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.” Now, we have a clear protagonist, Sister Thorn, and a clear antagonist, Lano Tacsis. Of course, we don’t exactly know who these characters are — and we won’t know for quite a while longer — but the opening lines are no less effective. They have instantly hooked us in the action, immersing us in Sister Thorn’s plight from the get-go without doing an ounce of character work beyond offering us her name and her profession. From there, Red Sister throws us directly into Abeth’s chaos. It jumps back and forth in time via flashforwards and flashbacks, all while keeping the narrative drive going.
Collider Exclusive · Middle-earth Quiz Which Lord of the Rings Character Are You? One Quiz · Ten Questions · Your Fate Revealed
The road goes ever on. From the green hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Ten questions stand between you and the truth of who you are. Answer honestly — the One Ring has a way of revealing what we most want to hide.
💍Frodo
🌿Samwise
👑Aragorn
🔥Gandalf
🏹Legolas
⚒️Gimli
👁️Sauron
🪨Gollum
01
You are handed a responsibility that could destroy you. What do you do? The weight of the world falls on unlikely shoulders.
02
Your closest companion is heading into terrible danger. You: True loyalty is revealed not in comfort, but in crisis.
03
Enormous power is within your reach. Your instinct is: Power corrupts — but only those who reach for it.
04
What does “home” mean to you? Where we long to return reveals who we truly are.
05
When a battle is upon you, your approach is: War reveals what we are made of — whether we like it or not.
06
Someone comes to you for advice in their darkest hour. You: Wisdom is not knowing all the answers — it’s knowing which questions to ask.
07
How do you see yourself, honestly? Self-knowledge is the most dangerous kind.
08
Which of these best describes your relationship with the natural world? Middle-earth speaks to those who know how to listen.
09
You encounter a wretched, pitiable creature who has done terrible things. You: How we treat the fallen reveals the height of our character.
10
When the quest is over and the songs are sung, what do you hope they say about you? In the end, we are all just stories.
The Fellowship Has Spoken Your Place in Middle-earth
The scores below reveal your true character. Your highest number is your match. Even a tie tells a story — the Fellowship was never made of simple people.
💍 Frodo
🌿 Samwise
👑 Aragorn
🔥 Gandalf
🏹 Legolas
⚒️ Gimli
👁️ Sauron
🪨 Gollum
You carry something heavy — and you carry it alone, even when you don’t have to. You were not born for greatness, and that is precisely why greatness chose you. Your courage is not the roaring, sword-swinging kind; it is quiet, stubborn, and terrifying in its refusal to quit. The Ring weighs on you more than anyone can see, and still you walk toward the fire. That is not weakness. That is the rarest kind of strength there is.
You are, without question, the best of them. Not the most powerful, not the most celebrated — but the most essential. Your loyalty is not a trait; it is a force of nature. You would carry the person you love up the slopes of Mount Doom if it came to that, and we both know you’d do it without being asked. The world needs more people like you, and the world is lucky it has even one.
You were born to lead, and you have spent years running from it. The crown is yours by right, but you know better than anyone that right means nothing without the will and the worthiness to back it up. You are tempered by loss, shaped by long roads, and defined by a code of honour you hold to even when no one is watching. When you finally step forward, the world shifts. Because it was always waiting for you.
You have seen more than you let on, and you say less than you know — which is exactly as it should be. You are a catalyst: you do not fight the battles yourself, you ignite the people who can. Your wisdom comes not from books but from an age of watching what happens when it is ignored. You arrive precisely when you mean to, and your presence alone changes what is possible. A wizard is never late.
Graceful, perceptive, and almost preternaturally calm under pressure — you see things others miss and act before others react. You do not need to make a scene to be remarkable; your presence speaks for itself. You are loyal to those you choose to stand beside, and that choice is not made lightly. You have lived long enough to know that the most beautiful things in this world are also the most fragile, and that is why you fight to protect them.
You are loud, proud, and absolutely formidable — and beneath all of that is one of the most fiercely loyal hearts in Middle-earth. You don’t do anything by half measures. Your friendships are forged like iron, your grudges run as deep as mines, and your courage in battle is the kind that makes legends. You came into this fellowship suspicious of everyone and ended it willing to die for an elf. That is not a small thing. That is everything.
You think in centuries and act in absolutes. Order, dominion, control — not because you are cruel by nature, but because you have decided that the world left to itself always falls apart, and you are the only one with the vision and the will to hold it together. You were not always this. Something was lost, or taken, or betrayed, and the version of you that stands now is the answer to that wound. The tragedy is that you’re not entirely wrong — just entirely too far gone to course-correct.
You are a study in contradiction — pitiable and dangerous, cunning and broken, capable of both cruelty and something that once resembled love. You are defined by loss: of innocence, of self, of the one thing that gave your existence meaning. Two voices war inside you constantly, and the tragedy is that the better one sometimes wins, just not often enough, and never at the right moment. You are a warning, yes — but also a mirror. We are all a little Gollum, given the right ring and enough time.
‘Red Sister’ Is a Terrific Start to a Great Trilogy
Image via Harper Collins
Red Sister is a near-perfect fantasy story set in a grimdark world that stands out thanks to its all-female cast and fascinating exploration of familiar themes like corruption, maturing and self-discovering oneself, and the inevitability of fate. Lawrence’s writing is assured and ambitious, setting up plot points here that don’t get a proper payoff until the third book, Holy Sister. In that way, Red Sister rewards patience and commitment, which makes it a challenging but rewarding read. Lawrence’s writing is grim but filled with hope (which can, again, be felt from the opening line), crafting a tale that will undoubtedly resonate with many a fantasy lover.
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