Scanning his university library's bookshelves, he chances upon Sweet Sorrows, an anonymous volume from a mysterious donor, that recounts an incident in his own life. Zachery is a graduate student in Emerging Media, who finds that all he really wants to do is read after a romance goes sour.

And well worthwhile, too, because that alternate world is where the various stories, some no more than a page or two, some newly-invented fairy tales, and some full-fledged adventures, all come together. The Harbor where Zachery Ezra Rawlins enters (via an elevator in New York's Central Park) is described with such precision and such a wealth of detail, that it is easy to suspend disbelief. But never doubt the power of a good storyteller. In the case of The Starless Sea, however, while the plot is effective and the protagonists, likable enough, what one is apt to remember is the creation of an alternate world, dominated by books and stories, far beneath our feet.Ĭlearly this world, without sun or visible means of ventilation or food production has many, many implausibilities, not to mention the sea of honey, the bees, the Owl King, the seemingly wise cats, and the immortal Keeper. We like to say that character and plot are absolute keys to success and normally they are. Distinguished by an intricate plot that mixes myth, fable, adventure, and mystery, its greatest strength turns out to be an incredibly detailed and imaginative setting.

For this reason, I am always interested in novels that combine genres or generally break the usual compositional rules.Įrin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea, a love letter to reading, books, and stories of all types, is a fine example. Although most of my writing has been mystery novels and short stories, I have also published a number of contemporary novels, as well as short stories in other genres.

The starless sea genre