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The Starless Sea

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The Starless Sea

Written by: Erin Morgenstern
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman, Dion Graham, Bahni Turpin, Allan Corduner, Fiona Hardingham, Jorjeana Marie
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The magical new novel from the best-selling author of The Night Circus.

Are you lost or are you exploring?

When Zachary Rawlins stumbles across a strange book hidden in his university library it leads him on a quest unlike any other. Its pages entrance him with their tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities and nameless acolytes, but they also contain something impossible: a recollection from his own childhood.

Determined to solve the puzzle of the book, Zachary follows the clues he finds on the cover - a bee, a key and a sword. They guide him to a masquerade ball, to a dangerous secret club, and finally through a magical doorway created by the fierce and mysterious Mirabel. This door leads to a subterranean labyrinth filled with stories, hidden far beneath the surface of the earth.

When the labyrinth is threatened, Zachary must race with Mirabel, and Dorian, a handsome barefoot man with shifting alliances, through its twisting tunnels and crowded ballrooms, searching for the end of his story.
You are invited to join Zachary on the starless sea: the home of storytellers, story-lovers and those who will protect our stories at all costs.

© Erin Morgenstern 2018 (P) Penguin Audio 2018

 Epic Fairy Tales Fantasy Genre Fiction Magical Realism

Critic Reviews

The Starless Sea rejects older stories: it makes its own... Rather than a traditional fantasy novel, this is an artificial myth in its own right... the novel's scope and ambition are undeniable (Natasha Pulley)
Erin Morgenstern’s fiction radiates with the excitement of someone discovering a magical world within the pages of a book. The Starless Sea…[is an] enchanting read… an ode to stories and storytelling itself, and the joy of reading (Martin Chilton)
A unique, mind-boggling fantasy (Kate Saunders)
A magical mix of quests and fables, it's set in a secret world full of bees, keys, swords and secrets... beautifully written (Deborah Hughes)
Enchanting...Myths and fairytales entwine with Zachary's quest to discover his life's purpose. Spellbinding.
[Mogenstern's] second novel is just as enchanting, a lovely, lush voyage through vividly detailed worlds where lost libraries, elegant ballrooms, subterranean seas and covert cities are all beautifully described... The writing is whimsically gorgeous. On every page there’s an image to savour...as Erin Morgenstern celebrates the wonders of imagination and the lure of stories in this spellbinding book. ***** (Charlotte Heathcote)
A book to get lost in…Morgenstern’s second novel boasts winding tunnels lined with packed bookshelves and cosy alcoves containing just enough light to read by… funny and…thought-provoking… [The Starless Sea] an intricate exploration of the stories we tell ourselves and others (Paloma Van Tol)
A mystical adventure in an enchanted universe
A lovely, lush voyage through vividly detailed worlds… an amazing literary adventure
Erin Morgenstern’s done it again: she creates a magnificent, imaginative world around a story of love and magic. This love letter to bibliophiles is dreamlike and uncanny, grounded in deeply felt emotion, and absolutely thrilling.
All stars
Most relevant
Loved Erin's lyrical and atmospheric writing. It was a little confusing to be honest and I had to re-hear some parts. But the writing was so beautiful that I couldn't stop 😍

Absolutely loved it ❤

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This book is written and told so beautifully that I hated that it ended. AMAZING!

Beautiful writing!

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A very good book. It tickles our intellect and drops puzzles here and there to keep us engaged. The writing is good and enjoyable. The characters are well rounded but most of all, it gave the sense of wandering around in a dusty huge library browsing through a story here and a snippet there. Only problem was the narrative could have been more cohesive. character threads are dropped abruptly only to be picked up a few chapters later. It gets murky with so many stories within stories all meandering towards conclusion at the same time.

A Remarkable Story of Stories

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well I found the entire story quite confusing and hard to keep up with. but may be that's just me. however in certain parts the story just excelled the best of the best. its overall vibe is a saddish reality kinda stuff. ofc the story is completely fictional and can be visualised very easily. but I personally feel that all the multiple parts of the story had symbolic meaning in the real world too. and bcuz it had many parts which occasionally interlinked, it was kinda confusing. there were many fables and small stories which is like a bonus. its many stories within one story and it's great! I like the story when I view it in parts. but when I view the story as a whole....... i can't really get any general meaning out if it. so it was a balanced read. not amazing, not bad. but the narration was beyond amazing!!

A balanced book with equal amount if pros and cons

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the insta love was out of nowhere
I didn't like this book mostly because of
nothing happens

Meh

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