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The Starless Sea

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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 Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Magic Magical Realism 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)
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
I don’t know if it was just me but I just couldn’t follow this story. Lovely pros and writing but the plot and direction bewildered me

Confusing!

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This is a disappointing fantasy novel, although beautifully written in parts it is let down by its plot which Is overly complicated, tiresome and laboured.
There is heavy symbolism and metaphor with underground libraries guarded by a priesthood and secret doors painted on walls.
The main plot follows Zachary Ezra Rawlins a postgraduate student in Vermont, who finds a book called Sweet Sorrows in which he appears, specifically a childhood incident when he opens a painted door and discovers a magic library on a Starless Sea.
The story then follows him trying to track down the author, the library and the mysterious society behind it.
The first stop is attending a masquerade ball in Manhattan where he meets Dorian, a storyteller and Mirabel, who is senior in the secret society. Dorian is looking for his own book and steals Zachary's to force him to help find his own.
There are a number of sub-plots, but the main plot is tedious, overwritten and completely contrived. The best parts are the self-contained fairytales which break up the chapters. Most of the plot chapters begin, annoyingly, with the words 'Zachary Ezra Rawlins', whilst the best chapters stand outside of the plot and begin; Sweet Sorrows, Another Place Another Time, Fortunes and Fables, The Ballad of Simon and Eleanor, A Paper Star, etc. This is where Morgenstern demostrates what a great descriptive writer of fantasy she can be but the book would benefit from effective editing and from being 200 pages shorter.

The novel compares hugely unfavourable with Morgenstern’s previous novel, The Night Circus.
Dion Graham is brilliantly evocative in his readings.

Disappointing plot which Is overwritten and contri

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What a great story. Magical, different and completely original. Narration was excellent. I don't know where Erin gets her ideas from. This and the Night Circus are two of my favourite books of all time.

Wow. Just Wow.

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Probably one of the most beautifully crafted stories I've ever read. I was utterly captivated and Morgenstern's style is perfectly dream-like. This was even better than Night Circus which is really saying a lot! If you want to go and get lost in a book, this is the one. Narration was lovely, too.

beautiful

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wonderfully narrated, I cant tell you how much I fell in love with this world each time I heard sweet sorrows. well worth a read, especially a listen.

wonderful

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