0 of 2 copies available
Wait time: About 3 weeks
0 of 2 copies available
Wait time: About 3 weeks
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
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
November 5, 2019 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780735207905
- File size: 536527 KB
- Duration: 18:37:45
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from July 15, 2019
Built from fables, myths, and fairy tales, Morgenstern’s long-awaited second fantastical novel (following The Night Circus) delves into a vast subterranean library, the Harbor on the Starless Sea, a giant, maze-like, subterranean library where all languages are comprehensible to everyone, and time moves differently. Its wonders include moving statues, edible stories, and a sea made of honey. Narrative-obsessed grad student Zachary Rawlins happens upon an old, authorless collection in the campus library. Among the tales of an improbable land of books and their devotees is an anecdote from Zachary’s own childhood, a time when he found a magical door but chose to walk away, disbelieving. Desperate to understand and longing for a second chance at adventure, Zachary investigates and finds a literary party thrown by a secret society. He goes through a painted door in Central Park and into the Harbor itself, now long past its heyday and mostly deserted. Aboveground, the secret society is trying to close as many doors as possible, hoping to keep the Starless Sea hidden. Aided by otherworldly Mirabel, whose motives and history are obscure, and alluring Dorian, a former society member who opposes the closing of the doors, Zachary works to understand how the Harbor fell into disrepair and what he can do to protect it. He also learns what it means to be not just a reader but a part of the story, and what happens after that story ends. This love letter to bibliophiles is dreamlike and uncanny, grounded in deeply felt emotion, and absolutely thrilling. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management. -
Dion Graham's rich, velvety timbre guides listeners through the world of SWEET SORROWS, the volume of stories that opens author Erin Morgenstern's worlds within worlds. Zachary Ezra Rawlins, new media graduate student and son of a fortune-teller, finds himself at the center of events surrounding a mysterious library book that reflects his life within its pages. Dominic Hoffman's clear, assured performance leads Zachary through myriad doorways of alleged fantastical settings and perceived realities. Overlapping, interwoven tales, delivered by multiple performers, feature pirates, key collectors, story acolytes, and owl kings. Listeners and characters alike transform simultaneously into both observers and participants as Morgenstern's fantasy unfolds. The combined narrative talents of Bahni Turpin, Fiona Hardingham, Allan Corduner, and Jorjeana Marie are part of Zachary's journey through near-forgotten realms. J.R.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine -
The Starless Sea follows graduate student Zachary Ezra Rawlins as he investigates a strange library book that retells a story from his own childhood despite being published well before he was born. The book cover is inlaid with a bee, a sword and a key and, on his quest to follow these clues, Zachary attends a masquerade ball, goes through a door painted on a wall and travels downward into an expansive, crumbling library. Accompanying Zachary are Mirabel, a woman with pink hair who always discloses slightly less information than would be useful, and Dorian, a man who seems to be working for a shadowy society that attempting to steal the mysterious book from Zachary. The influence of RPGs (role playing games) on the novel is evident, and the result is a story that reads like the best version of a choose-your-own adventure. Fans of Morgenstern’s first novel, The Night Circus, will happily recognise her unique style. The playful manner with which time is manipulated allows characters to slip in and out of their roles and across into the fairytales that intersperse the action. The vivid imagery for which The Night Circus was praised is also prominent, such that the whole novel is golden. Morgenstern’s new novel is enchanting, leading the reader through a fantastical mystery across time and deep underground. I am a long-time fan of Morgenstern and The Starless Sea certainly lived up to my expectations. Reviewed by Emma Jackson -
As graduate student Zachary Ezra Rawlins contemplates which book to choose in his university library, he muses that reading a novel “is like playing a game where all the choices have been made for you ahead of time by someone who is much better at that particular game.” That’s certainly the case when the author in question is Erin Morgenstern, who mesmerized readers with her breakout debut, The Night Circus, and now returns with her highly anticipated second novel, The Starless Sea, a grand fantasy about books, the power of literature and storytelling. The mysterious book Zachary ends up choosing features him as a character and leads him on an epic quest, first to the Algonquin Hotel Annual Literary Masquerade in New York City and ultimately through a secret doorway to a subterranean realm where he finds pirates, an Owl King, fairy tales, a story sculptor and “an underground trove of books and stories beneath their feet.” Think Harry Potter for book lovers and grown-ups. (Zachary’s favorite drink is a sidecar, and he falls in love during his adventures.) There are literary references galore, as well as an undertone of video games. “Is that Zelda for Princess or Fitzgerald?” Zachary asks at one point. The response he receives: “Little bit of both.” Paralleling Susan Orlean’s The Library Book, a nonfiction ode to books, libraries and librarians, The Starless Sea is a fictional journey dedicated to stories and storytelling. Both are lively, inventive titles chock-full of book-centric quotes. This hefty novel requires imaginary leaps and careful attention to stories and characters that wind their way in many different directions, but Morgenstern—now proving not once, but twice, what an adept literary juggler she is—manages to weave a multitude of strands together into one mighty, magical tale. ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our interview with Erin Morgenstern for The Starless Sea.
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