Come on, is the first sentence really that important? I can't remember picking up a book and putting it back down again because the first sentence wasn't up to scratch. Is the whole first sentence thing one of those strange marketing phenomena like the 99 cent pricing?
I guess paying more attention as a writer, I look at the first sentence of every book I read. Some are way better than others. One sentence does not a book make, but I think it's quite important for many reasons to have a strong first sentence.
I think the first sentence is more for publishers than readers. But who knows I'm a little weird, I pick up the book, I read the blurb and open it randomly and read something. I don't tend to read first sentences anymore ( unless we're talking the free samples on Amazon ) as I've gotten burned by hooky sentences. Cool openings masking rather ordinary stories. There's nothing worse than a beginning that doesn't match a story.
First impressions matter, whether your audience is the submissions editor or the end reader. A first impression CAN be overcome, but only if the person receiving the impression is willing to stick around to alter that initial perception.
