The Starless Sea

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What to expect

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

Critics Review

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
Guardian
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
Independent
A unique, mind-boggling fantasy
The Times
A magical mix of quests and fables, it's set in a secret world full of bees, keys, swords and secrets... beautifully written
Heat
Enchanting...Myths and fairytales entwine with Zachary's quest to discover his life's purpose. Spellbinding.
Daily Mirror
[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. *****
Sunday Express
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
Literary Review
A mystical adventure in an enchanted universe
Time
A lovely, lush voyage through vividly detailed worlds… an amazing literary adventure
Psychologies, *Book of the Month*
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.
Publishers Weekly

User Reviews

Book 3.8
Narration 3.8
4.0
2.0
Hendo 23/06/2025
2.0
4.0
Glazael 28/08/2024
5.0
5.0
naomi joyce rivers 28/09/2023
4.0
4.0
Great storyline and well read and divided among the different narrators.
jeffers_98 09/04/2023

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