The Starless Sea
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Genre: Fantasy/ adventure
Buy Links: Amazon book, Kindle
This is my copy of the Starless Sea from the library, however, the Amazon’s book cover is pretty amazing too! The gold gild and the archway are elegant. Both covers feature an important part of the story.
Story
The Starless Sea is a mythical place, with a harbor and pirate ships. The book starts with a story of a girl and a pirate, then it moves onto many others. Perhaps the most important one is about Zachary Ezra Rawlins and his stumbling upon an authorless book.
I do like David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, which uses nested stories, all interconnected. I think the book tries to do something similar, but it fails in addressing some key issues. Mainly is the plot of the entire book.
Then the stories try to connect, but struggles to link Zachary Rawlins into it. It is like he is some third party who stumbles across a book, then suddenly he falls into a rabbit hole with people trying to hurt him.
A normal person will probably go stir crazy, or a normal person will just enjoy the book and not wonder about it. But something (usually a person) eggs his quests on.
Progression
There are a few interesting characters in the book that make the reading worthwhile. I struggle to find a plot, a reason why Zachary Ezra Rawlins is chosen to make the journey into a mythical place.
Then the stories within stories is hinting at a much larger picture. All fail to entice, as I almost gave up reading. By the end, I can say that I was a little disappointed by how it ends.
I know that there’s a bee, a sword and a key, but let’s not take everything literally.
Verdict
If you have read the Night Circus, then you will wonder what is she doing writing this one. A writer who weaves magic into every page with a purpose, now seem to have trouble giving us a good reason to read The Starless Sea.
It is a beautiful journey, but it is also a confusing and at times, exasperating. I love the descriptions, and it is a beautiful read. but a journey without a goal is still a waste of time, I think.
Read it or not, it may be your choice.
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