The spellbinding new novel from the Top Ten bestselling author of The Night Circus.'Radiates with the excitement of someone discovering a magical world within the pages of a book. An enchanting read. an ode to stories and storytelling itself, and the joy of reading' IndependentAre 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.
Industry Reviews
The Starless Sea rejects older stories: it makes its own. Its magic is based in the New York Public Library, in glittering hotels, and the beautiful blatant kitsch of a professional fortune teller's house. Rather than a traditional fantasy novel, this is an artificial myth in its own right, soldered together from the girders of skyscrapers... the novel's scope and ambition are undeniable -- Natasha Pulley * 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 -- Martin Chilton * Independent *
A unique, mind-boggling fantasy -- Kate Saunders * The Times *
Enchanting... [The Starless Sea] vividly detailed worlds of lost libraries, elegant ballrooms and subterranean seas. Myths and fairytales entwine... The writing is whimsically gorgeous. On every page there's an image to savour... [a] spellbinding book -- Eithne Farry * Sunday Express *
Enchanting...Myths and fairytales entwine with Zachary's quest to discover his life's purpose. Spellbinding. * Daily Mirror *