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The Starless Sea

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The Starless Sea

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.

©2018 Erin Morgenstern (P)2018 Penguin Audio Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Magic Magical Realism Mind-Bending Heartfelt

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)
All stars
Most relevant
Although I loved "The Night Circus" a teeny bit more, I thoroughly enjoyed this latest offering from Erin Morgenstern. Beautifully written, with enchanting imagery, curiously interesting characters, and a storyline that kept me enthralled throughout.

Beautifully enchanting

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The Starless Sea moved me so completely that it went straight to my favourite reads list, and after several more re-listens/rereads it is now number 1.
So what's it's about? I can't properly convey what
it's about. I will attempt to, but it is a story that goes beyond stories. It's a story that's felt more than understood.
It's a story about stories and storytelling, it's about love and finding one another over and again, it's about courage and trust, about seeing the world and people through a lens of wonder, and it's about stories ending so that others can continue to unfold.... and many, many other things.

The Starless Sea follows a young man named Zachary as he discovers part of his own childhood story within a very unique book in his college library, and begins to retrace the book's path in an attempt to learn more.
Zachary finds himself in a world within our world, on a very Alice-in-Wonderland-esque adventure that is tangled up within several other adventures and adventurers.
Any Starless Sea fan will tell you though, that this book is
largely vibes and beautiful prose, atmosphere, more vibes, and feelings. Don't go into it expecting a plot-heavy book with lots of characterisation. The Starless Sea is magical realism with a dash of surrealism. Like looking at an abstract painting rather than a realistic landscape painting.

I’d tentatively recommend it for fans of Cloud Atlas, Cloud Cuckoo Land, The Pagemaster (movie), Piranesi, The Matrix, The Neverending Story, Alice in Wonderland, and possibly House of Leaves.

This is my number 1 favourite book

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Narration was fabulous. Story continued for slightly too long. The descriptions were beautiful. Thankyou.

strange

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A story about stories, their import, their fancy and allure. So many bits that resonated with me, touching my heart, making me smile, yearn, laugh and cry. Thank you for sharing, Miss Erin Morgenstern.
The narration takes its time and let's the characters live through the story rather than rushing them to the end.
Overall a wonderful experience that I wholeheartedly recommend.

Beautiful writing narrated with excellence

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Many of the themes introduced in The Night Circus are pursued further here: Time, Love, Magic and Mystery. If you enjoyed The Night Circus,, definitely worth the journey. The writing has matured to weave a more complex story handled as deftly. This is a more difficult book; perhaps you'll find it's a 'difficult pleasure'. True to her words, no stories really finish and the meaning of the tale won't only be found at the end. The reading is well done, and the overall experience is more than the sum of its parts.

Worthwhile successor to The Night Circus

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This was so far out of my normal genre so it did take a bit of effort to embrace. The story was intriguing & at times for me a bit bizarre but I think it was suppose to be. To make think beyond the norm. The writing was superb & really painted exquisite images for the reader.

Different but enjoyable

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A truly beautiful and transfixing tale! From start to (sadly) finish, this magical story engages you, holding your breath and wanting more. Thank you Erin :)

Excellent performances from all narrators!

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I'm a sucker for a bit of Magic and this was truly magical. The tale had me hooked from the get go, the incredible readers transported me backwards and forwards in time. The story unfurled Seamlessly.

Just beautiful

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An incredible story, so much imagination, superbly written. I never wanted it to end. Erin Morgenstern is a genius

Absolutely fantastic

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I highly recommend this wonderful story. All the threads get weaved together in the end. Such imagination to come up with a story like this

Amazing storyline, it's own magical universe

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