The House in The Cerulean Sea by Tj Klune
A New York Times, USA Today, And Washington Post Bestseller. A 2021 Alex Award winner. The 2021 RUSA Reading List- Fantasy Winner. An Indie Next Pick. One of Publishers Weekly's "Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2020"One of Book Riot's "20 Must-Read Feel-Good Fantasies "Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune's bestselling, breakout contemporary fantasy that's "1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in. " (Gail Carriger)A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret. Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment- travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside- a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they're likely to bring about the end of days. But the children aren't the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic…
- Suggested age range- Adult
- Format- Paperback
- Dimensions- 5. 3" W x 8" H x 1. 2" D
- Genre- Science fiction and fantasy
- Publisher- Tor Publishing Group, Publication date- 12-29-2020
- Page count- 416
- ISBN- 9781250217318
Web ID: 12620992
Just reread it for the second time
This is my favorite book by T.J. Klune. I was ecstatic when a sequel was announced. I reread this so I could hop into Somewhere Beyond the Sea and I am on cloud 9. I love this island and its inhabitants so much. Can’t recommend this series enough. It is the definitely of cozy!!!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
cozy
Linus Baker leads a very quiet, very simple life with most of his time is spento n his job as a case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Until Extremely Upper Management assign Linus a new case to determin if six magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world--an unfortunately relevant concern as one of the children seems to be the Antichrist. Linus isn't sure how he feels about being in such proximity to potentially dangerous children. Especially when it means traveling far afield to Marsyas Island to examine the ad hoc orphanage. The house and its propeitor are not what Linus expects. Arthur Parnassus is gentle but fiercely protective of his young charges. He is also keeping more than a few secrets. As Linus and Arthur grow closer and the children cautiously welcome Linus into their small community, both men will have to figure out how to protect an unusual family from the dangers of bureacracy in a world that has more room for fear than for love in The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) by TJ Klune. Find it on Bookshop. Before saying anything else it's important to note that much of Klune's inspiration for The House in the Cerulean Sea is pulled from Canada's Sixties Scoop which "refers to the mass removal of Aboriginal children from their families into the child welfare system, in most cases without the consent of their families or bands" as detailed on indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca. You can also read an interview where Klune talks about his inspiration on John Scalzi's blog. I am not equipped to weigh in on this topic but do want to note that other reviewers have raised concerns about a white author drawing on this terrible situation for inspiration and also doing so in a book that centers a white main character. I recommend doing your own research and keeping this context in mind when reading as information is always power. The House in the Cerulean Sea follows Linus in close third person as he learns more about the house on Marsyas Island and its unique occupants. Released in March 2020 the overwhelming gentle narrative is a sharp contrast to the world at the time as many areas were still at the peak of Covid-19 deaths and lockdowns for that period. That is why, perhaps, this book captured so many hearts with its quiet story of finding family in the most unlikely of places. With a quiet narrative that blends humor and coziness, The House in the Cerulean Sea reads like a balm against some of the harshness of the real world. The story continues in Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Possible Pairings: Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, Sender Unknown by Sallie Lowenstein, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Well paced fantasy with strong doses of humor
This was an amazing book. Well written fantasy with enduring characters, told with wonderful sense humor and a well paced plot. I couldn't put it down and can't wait for the sequel in September 2024. Highly recommended
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Amazing fantasy - 1st in series
If you can’t handle the idea of magical creatures being characters, I give you permission to move on. But this is a humorous and heartwarming story about six magical children (including a gnome, a forest sprite, and a shy shape shifting boy who turns into a Pomeranian when he gets nervous) living in an orphanage. The orphanage is under the control of the Dept. in Charge of Magical Youth which is overseen by Extremely Upper Management. Linus Baker, who evaluates the various orphanages, has always been a rule follower and he doesn’t plan on doing anything differently when he’s sent for a month to evaluate this orphanage in the Cerulean Sea. As Linus lives on the island he begins to love the children as children and gain growing respect for Arthur who runs the orphanage and Zoe the sprite whose island it is. A lovely story about acceptance with humor thrown in. It seems the publisher was impressed with this book when it first came out in 2019 and they did a 50k print run. But it was such an amazing hit, that in Sept. 2024, they are rereleasing it with a 200k run. This will coincide with the sequel “Somewhere Beyond The Sea” being released with a 750k run. So if you don’t believe me about how wonderful this book, that might convince you.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The best book ever
“The House by the Cerulean Sea” is absolutely fantastic! The characters are so well-written and their development is amazing. The story is well paced and never boring. Genuinely my favorite book ever!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The ultimate Feel-Good-Fantasy
It is so hard to put my experience with this book into words. But now that I've read Klune's newest, I think I have to. Linus Baker works for what is basically CPS. He checks on homes, orphanages that house non-human and magical children. And Linus Baker follows the rules. Closely. It is this loyalty that gets him sent on a special mission into paradise. A home on an island in a cerulean sea. Full of a special kind of magical children. And the charming Arthur Parnassus. Linus is a refreshing protagonist. He's not perfect in any way. He's in his fourties, single, somewhat plump (just like his grumpy cat) and gay. He loves rules, follows them to the tiniest detail and has a copy of the rulebook on his bedside table. Seeing him thrown onto the somewhat chaotic island that is home to not only Arthur Parnassus, but also the Antichrist had me absolutely grinning ear to ear. It's more or less the usual. Magical beings aren't exactly accepted. People don't understand them, and they fear what they don't understand. So does Linus, in the beginning. But as he grows and learns the rules aren't always right, he finds the place where he belongs. This book had me so sucked in, I often found myself dizzy when I looked up, because the world I was tossed back into seemed so different. The amazing cover art is a literal feeling that you will come to know reading this book. This is, with no doubt, an amazing experience to read, that can even be something for non-fantasy readers. And all this coming from a person who generally doesn't like children. I can't wait to see what other miracles T.J. Klune brings into this world.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The House in the Cerulean Sea
I originally started this book 6 months ago and DNF'd at 33%, because it just wasn’t interesting enough to me at the time, when I had other, more exciting books to read. I recently picked it back up when I was ready to thoroughly enjoy its cozy slow pace. I am glad I gave it another chance. I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars where necessary. I listened to the audio version, and it was an excellent performance from the narrator. The House in the Cerulean Sea focuses on character development, with plot taking a more minor role. Sweet, loving found-family relationships are contrasted with impersonal, “objective” government regulation and oversight. The lesson is partly that city life and jobs are bad where rural life and work are good. Each of these children is endearing. I fell in love with all characters, and I wish I could go visit them at their beautiful house on the cerulean sea. The book is a little longer than it needs to be, especially at the end. Yet, in the middle, I wished the author had gone into more detail about the abilities of each magical character. At the end, I was left wondering, where is income for this grand home coming from? It’s important to note that this book has been criticized for being culturally insensitive, as the story is supposedly taken from true events that happened to indigenous peoples. While I don’t see where the book did a disservice, it is not my place to disagree with those who are part of that marginalized group and say it did. For this reason, my rating is not as high as it might otherwise have been.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Repetition
Well, I like his stories he’s writing can be somewhat annoying when he continues to repeatedly use the same phrase, or the same action in the books that I’ve read from him.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com