The Starless Sea: A Novel

Written by Erin Morgenstern

Narrated by Dominic Hoffman

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

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9780735207882

Reviews for The Starless Sea

[valebermudez18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the best books I ever read!

[Barbara Otey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don't know how to sum up this book... If you like linear timelines and clear-cut plots, then this book is NOT for you. If you like beautifully descriptive prose, stories within stories, multiple perspectives, being confused, and endings that don't wrap up everything perfectly, then you might enjoy this book. I found parts of it tedious, parts of it very gripping, and overall too many words. And that's coming from someone who loves words and tends to write wordy! I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It's a story that exists in the same time as other stories and the timeline (or lack thereof) is confusing and strange. The audiobook made it better because reading it I just kept skipping over parts with no action or dialogue, but it was still confusing to follow sometimes even with different voices. I liked the Night Circus, also by the same author, so start with that one and see what you think.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I always say that I don't really like fantasy but some authors are able to create a world that draws me in. I was charmed by Morgenstern's The Night Circus when I read it so I thought I'd take a chance on The Starless Sea. I'm so glad I did. I'm equally glad that I listened to the audiobook as the full cast of narrators did an excellent job of embodying the characters. (Narrators make such a difference to the success of an audiobook.)

Zachary Ezra Rawlins (always referred to by his full name) is a graduate student on a campus in the northeastern part of the US. His thesis involves reading many other books and while still on his Christmas break he finds a book called The Starless Sea in the library that the librarian can't find in their catalogue. Zachary takes it back to his room and reads the stories, one of which mirrors an experience he had as a child. He came upon a door in an alleyway that had just appeared there but, although he is intrigued, he decides not to open it. Now, as an adult he wonders what would have happened if he had as other stories in the book tell of a world hidden beneath the surface of Earth that is perhaps key to knowing what is going to happen in real life. Zachary follows clues to a party in a hotel in New York City where he meets a woman who perhaps comes from that hidden world. Although she disappears he finds more clues that lead him to a door which takes him to the Starless Sea. As he progresses through the underground world he meets others and uncovers more information but his way is thwarted by a mysterious woman who seems to want the underground world destroyed. It's a classic tale of good versus evil but nobody is entirely good or entirely evil. And, sooner or later, people have to leave the fantasy behind and emerge into the real world. But the journey is magical and for anyone who loves reading and books and libraries this journey is a dream come true.

This is also a romance for a number of characters meet their one true love while travelling through the underground world. Some of these loves are outside of the traditional male/female partnerships and that's lovely.

[nigellicus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Every bit as rich and sweet and dark and beautiful a The Night Circus, this is a gorgeous piece of uashamedly fantastical wish-fulfillment for adults who love books and reading and stories, a rich world of interlocking stories and quests and discoveries and explorations and things lost and found and loves seperated in time and space and the search for romance and fulfillment and endings and beginnings. I think swimming in a sea of honey would feel like this reads.

[davisfamily-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Delightful.. some book references I figured out; I am sure others flew right past me.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books I’ve read this year, hands down. Beautifully imagined and just as skillfully told. It felt like a Miyazaki reimagining of a Gaiman fantasy story. Highly, highly recommended.

[mikedowd_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's ok. Didn't live up to expectations from The Night Circus.

[norabelle414 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Zachary Ezra Rollins finds a mysterious, uncataloged book in the library at his university. He starts to read it and… it’s about him. A story he never told anyone about finding a painted door in an alley when he was a kid but chickening out of opening it. He promised himself he would open the door if he ever saw it again, and so he does some sleuthing to track down the origin of this mysterious book. He ends up in a story much larger than he could have imagined, involving libraries and books and secret societies and bees and keys and swords.

Like with The Night Circus, I did not always understand what was going on here even as I very much enjoyed reading it. The first third of the book is fairly grounded, as Zachary digs around in the real world and even as he’s exploring the library for the first time. But once he starts traveling to other places and through time inside the library I got pretty lost. We do get snippets of another grounded POV later on in the story, which I appreciated. A very enjoyable book to spend time in but too metaphorical to be a favorite.

[ladylast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book does not really have a firm plot, but to be honest that is what I like about it. This is not a book- it is a world you get to live in while reading, an underground library with stories come to life and friends to help you along the way, and that, to me, is what reading is all about Charlie Brown

[wvlibrarydude · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A modern fairy tale and exploration of stories. This book is soaked in the honey of symbolic metaphors. I can see where this book is not for everyone, but those that enjoy it will be very pleased.

[yggie-606508 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a lovely, amazing read. Will reread with coloured markers for symbolism deconstruction, and then with pen for quotes and sheer magic. I'll need a proper hardcover version, nothing else could do this justice.

[desertdruid · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another favorite of Morgenstern's. Always pulls me in and leaves me wanting more, so much more.

[kiaya40 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book wasn't what I expected and it took me a few days to digest and think about it before I could write a review on it even now I don't think I've finished thinking about it.
This story is like others have said, an ode to book lovers everywhere and it has nods to all sorts of magic and other stories like magic doors, parts reminiscent to Alice in Wonderland, possibly Peter Pan and others.
It's like a timeless tale of love, soulmates, journeys, finding yourself and figuring things out in life for yourself and with others. It has a lot of depth and layers to it with layers of stories within it.
This is a story about a guy who discovers a mysterious book that leads him to another place and on a journey following clues to figure out and make sense of himself and his life among other things. He meets and has this journey with Mirabel and Dorian through this magical place he discovers purpose and figures things out about the book, himself and his own life as well.
This story was like nothing I've really ever heard or read before, It was magical, whimsical, emotional and so many things that I'm not even sure how to put it into words.
The audio of this book is very well done with an all-star cast, some of my favorite narrators that add that much more to the tone, the messages, themes and everything in this book.
I recommend this audiobook especially if you are a book lover and are into stories then I would suggest checking it out.
Thank you to Libro.fm, Penguin Random House Audio & Doubleday Books for letting me listen and review this book.

[shushokan · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was excited to read this but it eventually became a chore. Wandering through the disjointed narrative with seemingly pointless “adventures” was wearying. The characters are very one dimensional, weak and twee. A book about books it is but not one to seek out.

[sriddell_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. Definitely will be on my Favorites shelf, and might end up as the favorite of the year for me.

I think of this book as a mobius strip of stories. There are stories within stories within stories, with themes repeating in different forms and allegories. Lot of libraries, cats, owls, bees, keys, doorways, romance, love lost and found and lost again. And overall the interplay of Time, Fate and Chance.

This is 100% magical realism, and from other reviewers I think people either love or hate this book with very little middle ground. I will say that this book required some attention to detail as you read or you'll be hopelessly lost (ironically just as some of the characters in the story end up hopelessly lost).

One nit-pick in an otherwise perfect book: About 80% of the way through the book, we learn this might be video game written by Kat, the gaming student we meet earlier in the book, or by Zachary himself. Admittedly, there were many, many clues and I even thought at one point "this seems like a video game". But I chalked that up to the narrator's (Zachary's) POV as a gamer himself. The checking of inventory, the various levels, the ability to always get back the Keeper and the limited number of questions that can be asked/answered at any point. Even the ubiquitous cats are now explained - stand-ins for the game author Kat.

But still, it felt too easy, too trite. I read magical realism to escape easy answers. I didn't want the whole story to be written by a video game creator. (And I realize this is somewhat ridiculous - the whole story WAS in fact written by a person, the author.)

Also at this same point, the dream-like aspect of the book turns darker and more like a nightmare. I was happy with how the book ended, but not really happy with how we ended up there.

[bexaplex · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A master's student in game development tips into a Wonderlandish place made of stories and protected by secret societies. Both of Morgenstern's books read like they were written by a theater major because... .they were. It takes me 40 pages or so to sink into the tone and suspend my disbelief, but the books are very entertaining.

[ktreads22 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

1.5/5

This book was the hardest one I've ever read in a long time. I had so much hope for it too, which is why I powered through, but the more I think about this book the more I realize I just plain didn't like it.

This was the most convoluted story that had so many differing threads of storyline I couldn't keep track of what was actually happening.

You're given MANY threads of stories throughout the whole book (that don't seem important and then end up being THE MOST IMPORTANT[TM]) but none of those threads start to weave together until 300 pages into the book. And even then, you feel like only a quarter of those strands are used at a time. Like the weirdest, longest French braid in modern literature. But when these seemingly hundreds of story threads DO weave together, you're so confused because you can't keep track of who's who and what role they actually play. And characters who have been established from the beginning as "side characters" who are BARELY mentioned for about 400 pages are suddenly the most important characters in the entire book and you end up being more confused.

In the overall arching story you've established that character x and character y are Important(TM). But character x is also character 1, 4, and 6, while character y is also character 3, 8, and 2. MAYBE 2. Could be also character 7, who knows? Do you know how annoying that is to try and figure out when the author has established that now every person who has a name is important but also simultaneously NOT RELEVANT to what's happening?

Another thing that annoyed me was that Zachary Ezra Rawlins (referred to ONLY as his full name or "son of the fortune teller") falls in love with a man that he spends only MAYBE 50 pages in his presence. And in HALF of those pages, one of them is unconscious. Maybe we can chalk it up to Fate(TM) because someone in this book is supposed to be the embodiment of fate...I don't know if it was Mirabel or the Keeper but I thought Mirabel was the moon? Was it Eleanor who also wasn't Eleanor? Was it Rhyme? I have NO idea what was going on. Don't even get me started on The Owl King. But the lack of "screen time" that the two guys had made it just EXTRA unbelievable/weird then they got their ending.

This book feels like it was supposed to be a love letter to storytelling, but it seemed to get in it's own way and the result just gives you a headache.

[hipney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, had heard mixed reviews.

It was a big read, but loved it.

[the_literary_jedi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Listened as an audiobook through my Libby app.

Highly recommend having the physical book and listening because the narrators were excellent!

You'll need the physical book to keep track of all the intertwining stories.

This follows Zachary who is a grad student. He finds a book that details spectacular stories, including his own. This sends him on a journey to a mysterious world protected by some and hunted by others.

There are many different stories going on in this book. It's crafted beautifully but I wish I'd had the physical book to keep track. The audio is wonderful but in some places, the narrator would forget what voice/accent they were using for a character and they'd sound like another character. Not often but enough that I noticed.

The story itself seems like it can follow a chose your own adventure narrative in some places and in others it's linear or circular but they're all connected in some way, somehow.

I did not see the ending coming at all and I will have to go back to read it again to see what I missed because I'm sure there were clues leading up to that point. I'd like to re-read it anyway.

Recommended for 16+ readers - reader responsibility for CW/TW.

**All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

[leslieholm-47788 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Now that libraries are online, I don't buy a book before I read it . . . and I will buy The Starless Sea, to read again and again as I do with my favorites.
The language is just beautiful. I know all the words Morgenstern used, but I could not put them together the way she did.
However, it is not a book for everyone. SPOILER AHEAD.









If you are looking for resolution, for an answer to the questions you have, for an ending - happy or otherwise, you will not find it.

[siok-76276 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You can be dazzled by all the swords, bees, keys, doors, owls, and honey. I read it at a slower pace to visualise the Starless Sea and the underground library. You also need to spend time to connect the myths and the Starless Sea. I still don't understand the book fully (or at all), and I don't know why Erin Morgenstern puts at the heart of the book a same-sex relationship (I have nothing against it). But an adventure awaits you. Be as brave as Zachary as he explores the unknown and writes his life story.

[gregg444 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bravo Erin. The vexed muggles can't grok it.

[monnibo · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Did not finish. It was well written but the third-person omniscient felt distanced from the characters, who were introduced by their job position. It felt a bit fatalistic, and didn’t grip me like The Night Circus intrigued me. It was a library loan so I couldn’t renew it, and honestly didn’t feel like I needed to borrow it again.

[bibliovermis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very clever, but every time I was interested and pulled along by the story it was interrupted by a little fairy tale. The fairy tales were good and everything, I got how they were necessary as part of the narrative, but the constant interstitial placement of them meant that every single time they pulled me out and disrupted my reading. It's no good to resent every second chapter in a book as if it's a commerical break.

[castlelass · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Graduate student Zachary Ezra Rawlins finds an old book in which he appears to be a character, though it was written before he was born. He goes on a quest to find the author to find out why part of his own past appears in the book. He soon discovers a series of magical doors that open into a world of fantasy and fairytales, a place below ground filled with books and storytellers.

Excerpts from different books are Interspersed into Zachary’s narrative. On the plus side, these stories within a story are creative, and the detailed descriptions of the fantasy world are intriguing. I liked the atmosphere of wonder. On the minus side, there is a lack of connection and continuity.

I had previously read and very much enjoyed The Night Circus, so I thought I would read Morgenstern’s latest. I found the individual stories in The Starless Sea to be pleasant reading. If you are a regular reader of fantasy, you may like it more than I did.

[juva_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A beautiful, lyrical, world being slowly unfolded in excerpts from books, diaries, and fables. At the center is Zachary, a student at University who discovers a book in the library that contains a story about him. The book is not in the library system and seems to have no origin. This will be the beginning of a tantalizing mystery that he will be drawn into. It involves any number of parallel worlds connected by scattered gates, and competing secret societies dedicated to preservation and protection.

It's clear that Zachary has a place here, he is being called, but to what purpose? And who is this mysterious figure, Dorian, who he keeps bumping into in unlikely places?

This story has an intense dreamlike quality. The narrative is not linear and the constant inclusions of other narratives will give you a dislocated sense of straying from one story to another. It was difficult sometimes to keep track of the action of the story or the significance of the different narratives interspersed throughout. This novel requires your full attention, and probably a second read to get the most out of it. Even if you have trouble focusing, it is still lovely to drift through this book awakening at odd moments to discover some strange sight.

[carolinejyoung · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Such a wonderful imagination and clever writing.

[kittycunningh-815148 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This did not start out as a love story. It eased into being one. Several, actually.

It is so convoluted that an an immediate reread is a good idea.

[renbedell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fantasy tale, celebrating the love of books, that mostly follows a young man's journey through a mysterious world. The story involves a lot of jumping around between characters in different timelines. All the stories are great and reads more like a connected series of short stories. There is very little plot, but this is made up with great writing. Overall it was a good book, it just would have been better if it was interconnected more.

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

99% into the book and i still had no clue what was going on but this book was full of books and cats and magic. What else do u need in a book? Love it.