The Starless Sea

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is an amazing book! Go buy a copy today, it is that good. :-)

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a grad student in Vermont. He is studying stories, in the form of video games. Since the semester has not officially begun, he has been roaming the fiction section of the university library.

He stumbles across an old book, the spine warn to the point of being blank. Once he starts reading it, he is shocked to find himself, as a child, in one of the stories.

He starts a quest to find more information. Where did the book come from, are there others? He researches some of the symbols used in the other stories and finds a photo of a masquerade ball from the previous year. More searching reveals that this year's masquerade is next weekend.

I cannot say more without spoilers. Fans of The Night Circus, will not be disappointed. There are stories within stories in a magical way that will lead readers to long for a visit. While my favorite books at any given moment depends upon so much, I feel it is safe to say that whatever Erin Morgenstern writes will be at the top of the list!

Morgenstern, Erin. (2019). The Starless Sea. New York: Doubleday.

The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a wonderful, magical book and has joined the ranks of my favorite books.

Le Cirque des Reves arrives without warning. One morning when you awake it may be in a field of the edge of town. It posts no flyers or advertisement of any kind; it simply appears and draws a crowd.

All within the circus is black or white (or a shade of grey) but lack of color only adds to the magical feel. There are tents that will delight all of your senses, from the maze of clouds to the garden of ice. There are performers who will astound you, from the beautiful illusionist to the tattooed contortionist.

The circus is a stage - not just a stage for the performers - but at its heart it is a contest between two people who were placed there to compete within some vague rules with no clear idea of how to win. But the contest is not adversarial. Each side creates pieces that delight and amaze not only the patrons of the circus, but each other as well.

Morgenstern has created beautiful characters that readers will love, a unique and magical setting that will delight all who visit, and an overall novel that is to be treasured. Buy a copy and start reading it today. Allow yourself to be amazed by this book that I am sure will soon be considered a classic of modern literature.

Morgenstern, Erin. (2011). The Night Circus. New York: Doubleday.