What introductory sentence or paragraph had you hooked?

Thinking back to books I've enjoyed reading, a memorable opening paragraphs in literature for me has to be this:

As Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed into some kind of monstrous vermin. He lay on his hard, armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little, he could see his curved brown abdomen, divided by arch-shaped ridges, and domed so high that the bedspread, on the brink of slipping off, could hardly stay put. His many legs, miserably thin in comparison with his size otherwise, flickered helplessly before his eyes.

That’s such a wild way to begin a book. This, of course, is the opening paragraph (depending on the translation, the wording may differ, like vermin vs. bug vs. insect) of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. If that kind of intro doesn’t immediately hook you, I’m not sure what will.

That said, I also appreciate books that begin in much more ordinary ways. Take The Great Gatsby, which opens with:

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice

that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.

“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just

remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages

that you’ve had.”

Good intro in my opinion but nothing compared to Kafka's but the story was good enough that the book became a popular classic, so intro is not everything. Plenty of classics take their time and don’t begin with a bang.

I mean Moby Dick begins with “Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest meon shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world." Good, but nothing jaw-dropping. Didn't make me want to keep on reading (though I did eventually read the book and was glad I did).

Still, when you don’t yet know what kind of book you’re getting, a lackluster opening can make it harder to keep reading. A strange, powerful, or unsettling intro, on the other hand, pushes you to continue.

So when you think back on your favorite books, are there any unusual, confusing, or unforgettable opening lines or paragraphs that immediately pulled you in? Bonus points if the book kept you hooked the whole time. I remember once reading a book with a great opening but it was downhill from that….