The Starless Sea

A Novel

De: Erin Morgenstern

Narrado por: Dominic Hoffman, Various

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world—a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

Read by Dominic Hoffman, with a full cast:
Dominic Hoffman reading the Zachary Ezra Rawlins storyline
Dion Graham reading the Sweet Sorrows storyline
Bahni Turpin reading excerpts from the Secret Diary of Katrina Hawkins
Fiona Hardingham reading The Ballad of Simon and Eleanor
Allan Corduner reading Fortunes and Fables
Jorjeana Marie reading Another place, another time

Best story I've listened to since Strange and Norrell

Does fanciful story is a masterpiece of story weaving pulling the disparate threads together like the neck of a purse in the final Chapter.

soooooo damn good!

i loved this entire story. it reads the way the whimsical music sounds in the beginning of Tim Burton movies. i loved everything about it. i may have wanted a little more from the ending but ya know anything good always leaves you wanting more. sucha treasure. just as good as Night Circus for sure.

Great listen!

Loved this story but had to back up multiple times to make sure I was following correctly. You have to stay 100% present or you can quickly get lost from the storyline!

Great story for book lovers!

This book is a love letter to literature, RPGs, and the art of story. It is beautiful and lovely and fun, poignant and exciting. Excellent production quality. Highly recommend.

Beautiful

I feel in love with Nigh Circus but now I truly believe Starless Sea is my new love. Stunning prose from an expert storyteller.

I enjoyed it better the second time

I listened to the book the first time and felt extremely confused until the end. Once things were explained, it made more sense but I knew I had forgotten or missed a lot along the way. The story is layer upon layer of metaphors, which I found a bit exhausting on the first read, as well as many smaller stories tucked into the larger narrative. Conversations are frustratingly vague and near impossible to understand and harder to remember when things finally get tied together at the end. That being said, I listened a second time and understanding how things tie together made it MUCH more enjoyable. Also, one of the readers has a strange style, with lots of unnatural pauses. I'm definitely glad I read it a second time and would suggest if you're willing to do that, you'll probably enjoy the book.

If a painting was a story

What can I say? Its a beautiful feast for the ears and imagination. It’s missed doors and what ifs. It’s a book about stories and keys and bees. It’s beautiful and confusing and full of “oh, okay, I get it” moments. I think the next time I listen to it, it will make more since. I loved it, but I can see why others wouldn’t.

Pure magic!

Erin Morgenstern has done it again. I was hooked with The Night Circus, and The Starless Sea was no less magnetic and immersive. This book held my attention even when I wasn’t listening to it. An absolute must read for anyone who likes fantasy, mystery, or books in general!

Just gorgeous

What a wonderful journey that both takes you away and delivers you home to yourself.

Read this, now.

Erin Morgenstern has done it again. “The Night Circus” has been a favourite of mine since it came out, and now “The Starless Sea” makes a deep impression on my heart. I literally took up knitting in order to sit down and listen to this book within the span of three days. Left me speechless and in satisfied tears.