A Letter to the Luminous Deep

By: Sylvie Cathrall

Narrated by: Claire Morgan, Joshua Riley, Justin Avoth, Kit Griffiths

A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light, Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.

“An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity.”—Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.'s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.'s sister Sophy, and Henerey's brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind—and learn what their siblings’ disappearance might mean for life as they know it.

Inspired, immersive, and full of heart, this charming epistolary tale is an adventure into the depths of a magical sea and the limits of the imagination from a marvelous debut voice.

Praise for A Letter to the Luminous Deep

“A shimmering, delicately crafted delight.”—H.G. Parry, author of The Magician's Daughter

“A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice.”—Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches

“Both the setting and the story are exquisite.”—Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

©2024 Sylvie Cathrall (P)2024 Orbit

Critic reviews

"This book is not shaped like a book, and I mean that as a compliment. It is instead an underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity. Take a deep breath and dive in."—Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light

"Cathrall's debut caught me up on a wave of whimsy and swept me away with its charm. A story to be cherished."—Lyra Selene, author of A Feather So Black

"A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice. A watery wonder of a novel! I loved it."—Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches

Mind Blowing

Whoa. I can't even believe what I just listened to. It's amazing and I'm already excited for a book 2. Everyone who loves fantasy should listen to this book.

Deep Dive Fantasy Adventure

I loved this story and all the narrators did a fantastic job. With new worlds it can sometimes be difficult to wrap your head around what’s going on. For me, this is particularly true in audio format. However, if you push through it will be absolutely rewarding and a lot of fun. I cannot wait for book 2!

Absolutely AMAZING!

Do not hesitate! If you love fantasy, you'll love this story. Excellent narration as well!

Fascinating!

Picture a world, maybe Earth after global warming has turned it into a water planet, maybe just another planet altogether. The society has suffered a calamity and is now approximately 1890s in culture while being much more advanced technologically. Two people who have lost a sibling in a tragic accident together decide to share the letters that each sibling saved from the other, thus creating a cohesive narrative in the past of their love story and the events that led to that fateful day. In the process you meet their siblings and watch that friendship grow while they explore the mystery in the “present” day. It’s a bit Jane Austin meets 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with a dash of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. And I found it mesmerizing.

Fantasy/ Cozy Mystery with a touch of Romance and Academia

I enjoyed the quirky personalities of the characters. The book looks at love with a multifaceted lens that reminds me of When Harry Met Sally. The characters are perfect for their respective mates, but no one is perfect.
The scholarly voices that take their academic work so earnestly are endearing. It isn’t dark academia or romantacy. It is adjacent to those current fads, but better. This is fantasy / cozy mystery with a touch of romance and thankfully characters making age appropriate choices while using their brains.

Mesmerizing story and wonderful language

Compelling characters, a strange world of mostly ocean, a unique love story and an uncanny mystery make this a book I couldn’t stop listening to and yet didn’t want to finish. Reminiscent of A.S. Byatt’s Possession.

What a wonderful read!

I loved the way this was presented and written. I honestly cannot say anything was anything less then wonderful.
I love the way the viewpoint shifts from letter to letter. It was such a great listen

beautiful

the characters and story were lovely and likable. Voice acting on point. Just a lot of care and love throughout the whole thing, with a bit of mystery to boot.

Creative storytelling/world

Loved the unique perspective of the story. Really feels like you are unraveling something! The world is also mysterious and special.

Heavy handed and boring

This book was recommended because I read The Ministry of Time which was a wonderful book, well written, moving, and well performed also. I’m not sure if it’s the narrators or the writing but I couldn’t finish this one…