The Starless Sea

 


The Starless Sea

By Erin Morgenstern

Published November 5, 2019

592 Pages




Summary

Zachary Ezra Rollins leads a quiet, unobtrusive life, working through a graduate program in Vermont. He spends his free time scouring the library, preferring to live vicariously through fiction, immersing himself in the lives and worlds created by others. Until one day, when he comes across an unusual book, with no author and the title appearing only on an otherwise blank page inside: Sweet Sorrows. Intrigued, he begins to read, interested in the seemingly unconnected series of short stories until he comes across one about him, in a book printed far before he was born. It tells of a memory he keeps tucked away, that pulls on the edges of his mind, a memory of a door painted on a wall, a door he knew wasn’t a door but that he wanted to walk through anyway. A door that would have led him to the Starless Sea.

Zachary’s investigations into the origin of the book attract attention and he soon finds himself caught up in a story he was always meant to a part of; a story about Time and Fate and the Harbor by the Starless Sea. Unsure who to trust, he must rely on his instincts and the pull of the Sea as he makes new friends, engages in rescues, explores the hidden depths, and goes on a mission given to him by the invisible forces lurking in the Harbor.

Find a book, find a sword, find a man.

Each is lost in time and each must be found and returned for the story to finally come to an end. But will Zachary’s story end with it, or is his just beginning?

This beautifully written fairy tale of a world beneath our own, a secret library holding every story ever told, or not told, combines folklore, romance, and adventure to create something magical.  


Fantasy Genre Elements

World-Building: Morgenstern creates a expansive world, hiding just below our own and only accessible to those called to it, with guardians, magical doorways, caverns that seem to go on for eternity, and a deep, rich sea of honey

Good v. Evil: Zachary finds himself unsure who the good and bad guys are in his story, ultimately trusting his instincts. Granted, when someone poisons you, it’s a pretty clear sign that you should be on the other side

Melancholy Tone: The prose is beautiful and while there are moments of joy and victory, and even humor, the tone is one of longing and bittersweet acceptance.

Slow Start: The first quarter of the book sets up Zachary’s background and serves as an introduction to his character. The real action doesn’t begin until almost halfway through the novel.

Magical Gifts: Many characters find themselves on the receiving end of magical gifts, including a special compass locket that guides the wearer back to the Heart of the Harbor, pieces of candy that tell you a story as they are eaten, an ancient sword destined to kill a king, and an intricately designed puzzle box containing the heart of Fate.

Read-Alike Books

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan

The Binding by Bridget Collins

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin Craig

Read-Alike Authors

Alice Hoffman

Neil Gaiman

Susanna Clarke

Deborah Harkness

Lev Grossman

Comments

  1. WilsonIMMarch 26, 2021 at 5:09 PM

    This is a sure bet for my TBR list! It has lots of things that are appealing to me - books, libraries, magic... And your description makes it sound so interesting! I am very fond of books that have a melancholy tone; I feel that they are able to take you fully inside the story, all emotions attached. The title itself ('Starless Sea') also carries some of that melancholy in my opinion. Don't you think?

    ReplyDelete
  2. jennifer humphreyMarch 27, 2021 at 1:53 PM

    I really do! The idea of a starless sea is melancholy but also somewhat ethereal and intriguing. And those are the exact reasons I couldn't wait to read it-who wouldn't love a book about books and a secret library and magic? I mean, the reviews are pretty mixed so I guess some people, but most of the negative reviews describe the book as either confusing or pretentious. Confusing, not at all. It's very clear which part of the story you are in. Pretentious, maybe, but I still loved every page. I think it's one that if you want it to sound pretentious, it will, but if you just want to enjoy it, it's beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Erin CataldiApril 7, 2021 at 9:14 AM

    I loved her other book and I NEED to read this one as well. Very engaging and well written annotation. Full points!

    ReplyDelete

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