The Starless Sea
FAR BENEATH the surface of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain sight. But those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them. Zachary Ezra Rawlins is searching for his door, though he does not know it. He follows a silent siren song, an inexplicable certainty that he is meant for another place. When he discovers a mysterious book in the stacks of his campus library, he begins to read and is entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities, and nameless acolytes. Suddenly, a turn of the page brings Zachary to a story from his own childhood, impossibly written in this book that is older than he is. A bee, a key, and a sword emblazoned on the book lead Zachary to two people who will change the course of his life: Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired painter, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances. These strangers guide Zachary through masquerade-party dances and whispered backroom stories to the headquarters of a secret society, where doorknobs hang from ribbons, and finally through a door conjured from paint to the place he has always yearned for. Amid twisting tunnels filled with books, gilded ballrooms, and wine-dark shores, Zachary falls into an intoxicating world soaked in romance and mystery.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
4mentions
2people
2019–2025years
100% recommend
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- I really like magical realism, but mostly ones where everything isn't so depressing like the Night Circus and the Starless Sea books.
One Hundred Years of Solitude is just too depressing. The closest I got was playing through Kentucky Route Zero, which is kind of like a theatrical play in video game form with lots of references to Marquez. A phenomenal game.
- *I meant to say that Night Circus and Starless Sea are good examples of books that are not depressing.
- Erin Morgenstern's "the Night Circus" and "the Starless Sea", and Jim Butcher's latest two Dresden Files books (Peace Talks and Battleground).
- In no particular order the best ones I've read this year(so far) are:
Children of the Nameless by Brandon Sanderson - Probably one of the few very good magic the gathering books.
Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor by Anthony Everitt - excellent overview of the emperor
King Rat by James Clavell - fictional depiction of being a prisoner in a Japanese camp during WW2.
1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann - talks about the natives in the Americas after first contact. Follow up to 1491.
Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert C. Martin - Good book for people looking to write clearer, more understandable code
The Elric Saga Part 1 by Michael Moorcock - Interesting protagonist.
Currently enjoying and will finish by end of year:
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - It's about stories so far. If you liked the Night Circus, then you will like this. Great atmosphere.
