REVIEW - THE STARLESS SEA
This is a fantasy novel
that examines what stories are and what stories mean to us. It's been eight
years since Morgenstern's first novel - The Night Circus - and this -
The Starless Sea. That's a hell of a long time for fans of The Night
Circus, such as myself, to allow expectations to build up. But I am
pleased to say that The Starless Sea is beautiful, poignant and clever -
just as The Night Circus is. I would go so far as to say it's more
elegant and that you can see Morgenstern's growth as a writer.
It uses the ever-popular story-within-a-story technique wherein the same tale is told from many perspectives. But Morgenstern uses this technique more elegantly and intricately than anything else I've ever read. The layers are a thing of awe as you begin to glimpse their depth.
This is the type of book that as soon as I finished reading it, I felt compelled to read it again from the beginning. There are so many layers of meaning. But plenty of little delightful vignettes and characterful moments too.
As someone who works in videogames, I did feel a bit conflicted about Morgenstern's use of 'video game Masters Thesis' as protagonist Zachary's vocation. In some ways it framed things nicely - in others it felt a little forced. But perhaps this is simply because I'm not used to having video games mentioned so casually in novels - perhaps it's a sign of better things to come for the medium.
It uses the ever-popular story-within-a-story technique wherein the same tale is told from many perspectives. But Morgenstern uses this technique more elegantly and intricately than anything else I've ever read. The layers are a thing of awe as you begin to glimpse their depth.
This is the type of book that as soon as I finished reading it, I felt compelled to read it again from the beginning. There are so many layers of meaning. But plenty of little delightful vignettes and characterful moments too.
As someone who works in videogames, I did feel a bit conflicted about Morgenstern's use of 'video game Masters Thesis' as protagonist Zachary's vocation. In some ways it framed things nicely - in others it felt a little forced. But perhaps this is simply because I'm not used to having video games mentioned so casually in novels - perhaps it's a sign of better things to come for the medium.
This was a beautiful, intricate read. Despite
the hundreds of pages of novel, I felt like I was only glimpsing at a
much larger story, and I hunger for the day when Morgenstern releases
the first 900 page book of her fantasy trilogy 🗝️🗡️🐝
4/5
Comments
Post a Comment