The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

November 12, 2019

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The son of a New Orleans fortuneteller, Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student majoring in Emerging Media studies, specifically gaming.  Shortly before the new term begins, Zachary is browsing in the university library when he comes across an old book called Sweet Sorrows which appears to be a collection of short stories.  He begins to read and is shocked to find a story from his own life in the book.  He sets out to discover the origin and meaning of the book, a quest that will take him to an underground fantasy world centering on a magical library.

There is definitely a gaming theme and references to role playing games (RPG).  The player is on a quest or journey, seeking something or someone, or trying to get to a particular place or time.  I play hidden object games sometimes, and it's common for the player's progress to be barred by a locked or blocked door (or gate, window, staircase, etc.).  In order to move forward, the player needs to search the area to find the key or objects that will assist in opening the door, sometimes having to follow instructions on how to use an object.  The player often collects items that may be useful later; unlocks and explores multiple levels; encounters other players or beings who may or may not be helpful, and decide if they are friend or foe; and is forced to choose the right way to proceed.  Players sometimes change identities or assume disguises.

I loved Morgenstern’s first book The Night Circus, also a fantasy, from the first page.  I don’t like circuses, but this was one circus that I would gladly have sought out.  I liked The Starless Sea, her second book, but I didn’t love it.  It’s basically a book-within-a-book (or three books within a book), which usually really appeals to me, and the plot reminds me of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere (the main character is an everyman thrust into an extraordinary and fantastical situation).  The cover art is beautiful and almost three dimensional.  The story is full of literary illusions, and beautiful and fantastic descriptions of magical places, and in order for the book to make any sense, you have to put it in the context of an elaborate video game.  The storyline is confusing because there are so many parts and so many things that are not fully explained.  For example, the reader is told repeatedly that the pirate, the first character introduced in the book, isn't really a pirate but is actually a metaphor, but the reader is never told what he is a metaphor for.  When you get to the end of the book, you almost need to go back to the beginning and start over.  When the audiobook is released, I may try listening to it.