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The Starless Sea

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The Starless Sea

By: Erin Morgenstern
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman, Dion Graham, Bahni Turpin, Allan Corduner, Fiona Hardingham, Jorjeana Marie
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About this listen

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 Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Magical Realism Heartfelt Carnival

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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)
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beautifully told. the story takes the reader on a wonderful adventure, didn't want it to end.

A magical journey

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A magical story, so beautifully interwoven. I’m having a little weep of joy now that I’ve finished it.
Echos of Alice in Wonderland & the Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe but for grown ups.
A great cast of characters.
I loved the Night Circus but I would find it hard to choose between them.
I would love to see them both made in to films - although I would fear a film of either would be a disappointing snippet on fast forward, the visions described are so beautiful I just long to see them in front of me.

Beautiful

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Amazing story. I've listened to this twice now! Great storyline and storytelling. Will definitely be listening again soon.

Amazing

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A intricate story that keeps you on your toes. The multipel story lines, never knowing if the characters are the good or the bad guys.
The voices are nice to listen to.

A brilliant story

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I've just finished listening to this book, read by several narrators. it was good as you knew who was involved in the next bit of the story by the voices.

I know that this book isn't for everyone, but I loved it. It was good trying to work out where the people in the interludes fitted into the main story and it all came together in the end.

I'm off to listen again, I can't believe that this is the last I will hear of Zachary Ezra Rawlins.

Oh my goodness, what a story!

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it was really hard to follow, and i didnt find the story compelling enough. also it is very very long, but nothing really happens.

confusing

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Starless Sea is such a wonderful, moving and magical story. The audible narration fits seamlessly with the words.

Beautiful storytelling for a beautiful book

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Beautiful start, but ended up totally confusing and I ended up giving up with 4 hours left tp go! Such a shame, as I thought The Night Circus was incredible.

Disappointing

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A beautiful story with so many twists and turns. Fantastically written and so very immersive, the many story lines were a little confusing at times but they come together so perfectly. This audiobook is a must listen for anyone that truly loves books and the spaces dedicated to them.

Beautiful story

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I adored the night circus, but I found that this book was generally way too long for the core story and rather disappointing after the heavenly night circus; Erin Morgenstern has a wonderful way of cunjoring imaginative images to mind but the storyline just wasn’t strung together enough for me to remain gripped solely by the imaginitive descriptions, which were delightful. I would love to spend time delving into the authors imagination but I think she got a bit carried away and lost track of the storyline wandering off into wild imaginative descriptions. I felt it was a bit frustrating and had a rather unsatisfactory ending. I was also irritated by one of the male narrators who was so monotone in contrast to the images being conjured by the words, it’s testament to the writer that the images endured over the narrator. I did keep going to the end but I really only managed because of the original imaginative description rather than the story.

A bit of a wild imaginative meander

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