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The Starless Sea  By  cover art

The Starless Sea

By: Erin Morgenstern
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman, Dion Graham, Bahni Turpin, Allan Corduner, Fiona Hardingham, Jorjeana Marie
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Publisher's summary

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

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)

What listeners say about The Starless Sea

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A Love Letter to Storytelling

This book is stunning. It is beautiful, lyrical and so atmospheric. It pulls you in and doesn’t let go. It makes you believe in fairytales again.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Imagery

Superb story of love, loss, mystery, fantasy and magic. wonderful. loved from start to finish and would love for it to have not ended 😉

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Into the world of the Starless Sea

Like The Night Circus, Erin once again paints and creates worlds with words, making it easy for readers to open the doors 😉 and step inside.

This novel is intricate, with several stories interwoven, developing throughout the book and progressively merging.
It is certainly one to read a second time.

Well done Erin. We hope you are working on your third book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Another triumph

Another excellent story by Erin Morgenstern. And a wonderful reading - this production really brought the story to life.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wow

The most beautiful book I've listened to in a long time. What a beautiful read.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Ruined by Dominic Hoffman

The story has moments of brilliance, but as an audio book is unfortunately by Dominic Hoffman's drawl, repeated miss pronunciations, clumsy rhythm, and painful, monotone drone.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Poor choice on my part

Some stories are meant for you and some are not. This book was not for me. I had to actively push through this narrative and it almost put me into a reading slump 3 times. I can appreciate this beauty and its honouring of stories. But I think I need to walk way from Morgenstern and keep walking.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great for sleeping

I have different reasons for listening to books. One is to go to sleep. The narration was good at 70%. The story isn’t very exciting so it was easy to fall asleep. The writing is poetic and beautiful. The storyline is not very interesting and could be improved upon. I was left with a definite feeling of “what was the point?” Overall it served its purpose so I’m content, but I wouldn’t pick another book by the same author.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

More than one story woven into one

The story is a multitude of separate stories, which also happens to be one story. These stories are woven into one and you are left at the shores of the Starless Sea and the habour to wonder what other adventures await the characters you were introduced to. This story reminds one to open new doors and to go exploring, wondering, meandering, and experience life to its fullest.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great book, but ending was convoluted

I really loved the first 3/4 of this book, it’s a dream like story that twists and turns and intertwines... but it gets almost too dream like at the end where it becomes a little confusing. How ever I still really enjoyed it.

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