The House in the Cerulean Sea

By: TJ Klune

Narrated by: Daniel Henning

Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

"Daniel Henning is a great narrator for this quirky and theatrical audiobook.... Henning revels in a cornucopia of characters, diving into nuanced voices and colorful moments with accents and growls, tone shifts and whispers.... This is definitely a title for those who enjoy fantasy stories replete with gnomes and witches and all in between." (AudioFile Magazine)

Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune's breakout contemporary fantasy

Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.

Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place - and realizing that family is yours.

Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year - 2020

Amazon.com Best Books of the Year - 2020

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

"1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." (Gail Carriger, New York Times best-selling author of Soulless)

©2020 TJ Klune (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

ALA Alex Awards Winner (Adult for Young Adults), 2021

Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year, 2020

Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2020

I could not put this book down

Klune paints a beautiful story about family, love and how perseverance in unity can not just change hearts and minds, but also worlds. Anyone would be a fool to not want to escape to The House in the Cerulean Sea. I'm not crying, you're crying 😭

Somewhat predictable

There is something to be said about a hopeful story. But I felt right from the get-go I more or less knew the trajectory and ending to this book. Beautifully written, hopelessly predictable. A good book for someone in need of a bright tale.

This made me feel for the first time in a week

This story so perfectly captured how it feels to be a minimum wage worker taken for granted by the entire world craving something you aren't even sure is real. It's been a bad mental health week for me and honestly I don't think I could have found this at a better time. Thank you.

The best book read so far!

Loved it sooooo much!!!! The story, the narration, everything!!! The best book I've read so far!

Unbelievably amazing.....

I am at a complete loss when it comes to putting words down to accurately describe how this book made me feel. To be honest, I read all kinds of genres (with the exception of non fiction) and I really do not have a favorite. Looking at the cover, I realized that this was going to be a unique story and I wasn't sure if I was in the right frame of mind, after coming out of a 5 book mystery/thriller marathon. But then I thought, "Why the heck NOT now?" and jumped right in.

From the start, it becomes apparent that this is going to be a "different" type of story. I have only read one book in the past by TJ Klune, and I enjoyed it, yet this one was completely different. He begins by creating a world so completely descriptive that you can immediately see the greyness of the landscape, the monotony of Linus' world - while at the same time already giving the reader a sense of the hopelessness of Linus' life. The world is an amalgamation of our current world, yet not. Of course, there are magical people in this world, but that is not what stands out. Everything is so bleak and he somehow paints a picture so clearly that you can almost taste the feelings of impotence while at the same time wanting to scream at Linus to get a backbone. Linus is a rule follower. He has a way of doing things, and has done them the same way his entire life and does not have any reason to think he could ever have more. Okay, so the stage is set.

Then, Linus is given an assignment that sends him to the Island to complete a investigation on the orphanage there. This is where the book begins to shine. Talk about character development. Oh. My. Gosh. What a joy and pleasure it is to get to meet the children (supposedly unwanted magical problem children) who are living on the Island and being cared for by Arthur - the Master of the "orphanage". Linus is completely thrown out of his comfort zone. We are thrown into this crazy mix along with Linus as everything he thought he has ever known is slowly being challenged.

And the children...oh, the children. I fell in love with each of them. They are so completely crazy - and I mean that in the purest sense - because along with their craziness is pure unadulterated innocence. The story is one of purity, while at the same time not shying away from extremely important issues such as prejudices and even hatred. But, you are not preached to. Somehow, we get to ride along this journey with Linus as he slowly begins to realize that what he has been taught by the current society, could not be more wrong. He begins to realize that the beliefs that he has held might not be the right views. Yet, change does not occur overnight, and Linus is not a daring man. So, he tends to move slowly and deliberately, but he is moving.

Where else can you fall in love with a girl gnome, a sprite, a shy teenager that transforms into a Pomeranian when scared, a bloby creature that has been told he is a monster his whole life but has dreams of one day being a bellhop, a child wyvern and who can forget, the six year old anti-Christ?
These children have been hated and hurt their entire lives and are now becoming a part of a family under the wonderful guidance of Arthur Parnicus, who has secrets himself.

Man, I cannot truly explain how wonderful this journey is and how much these words make the reader feel. The writing is descriptive and moving, the story is honest - and sometimes heartbreaking. There is not an easy fix to anything and that makes the story even that better - the fact that change will not occur overnight.

All I can say is to read this book. Read this to take a break from the crazy world wide situation that we are all experiencing in Spring 2020 and escape to a place were adventures happen on Saturdays, wyverns collect buttons and Chauncy (who does have tentacles but no one can decide what he actually is) but practices welcoming guests in front of a mirror everyday because he has a dream.

It is a great story, and an even better life lesson. If it does not make you take a breath and take a moment to REALLY think, I would be surprised. It makes you want to re-examine your efforts to make the world a better place - and in todays world, I cannot think of a better praise.

Such a beautiful story!!

I absolutely love this audiobook! It is such a wonderfully heartwarming story about discovering one's self and finding your true family and home. The characters are great and Daniel Henning is a great narrator. I've never heard of him before this book but damn if he didn't do such a good job. This is also my first book by TJ Klune who I did not know before this and I'm excited to say that I will definitely check out more of what he has to offer. The same goes for Daniel. Honestly, this book brought tears to my eyes I loved it so much. Now excuse me while I go listen to this book again.

Imaginative

Every character description made me want to pull out my sketch book. Definitely going to listen to it again.

AMAZING

I laughed
I cried
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Love the narrator's take on the kid's voices

Heartwarming story...

The message of love is so powerful, I Ioved the characters and the variety of voices done by narrator, Daniel Henning was superb! This was a well written delightful and whimsical story I thoroughly enjoyed.

Gobsmacked

I will file this away to listen to again and again. The most wonderful storyline, gauzy metaphors of living in the rain and finding a technicolor world unlike anything you’ve ever seen; Patience for change in our humanity and the love for it that allows our inner truth to blossom. I love this book. This narrator, the voices, the characters. I’m absolutely smitten.