The Words
Wintertime comes swiftly and we stride boldly towards the chill – with bedsocks and books for armour, and candles and cups of tea, we are not daunted by nature’s stark beauty
THE STARLESS SEA
By Erin Morgenstern (Vintage, £16.99)
Erin Morgenstern is the author of the bewitching The Night Circus and her latest book is just as enchanting; a lovely, lush voyage through vividly detailed worlds – elegant ballrooms, subterranean seas and lost cities, it celebrates the wonders of imagination and the lure of stories.
This magical novel opens when shy student Zachary Ezra Rawlins discovers a strange book hidden on a college library shelf, a book in which he appears as a character with a mystery to solve. What follows is an amazing literary adventure, as myths, fairy tales, legends and fables entwine with Zachary’s quest to discover his purpose. Along for the ride are pink-haired Mirabel and handsome but devious Dorian, as well as lonesome pirates, heartsore lovers, angry adversaries and an owl king.