The House in the Cerulean Sea
400Hardcover
24.29
In Stock
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781250217288 |
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| Publisher: | Tom Doherty Associates |
| Publication date: | 03/17/2020 |
| Pages: | 400 |
| Sales rank: | 10,896 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.80(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d) |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
The House in the Cerulean Sea
5 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
6 reviews.
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A really delightful book. Very sweet and innocent and gently funny, for all it sometimes feel dystopian like Brazil (they movie, but necessarily the country). I loved the children, especially. It's a bit slow moving at times, but really dragged me in.
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DICOMY or the Department in Charge of Magical Youth oversees the operation of schools and orphanages that are supposed to shelter and protect their charges. Linus is one of their caseworkers, and for the whole of his seventeen year career he has prided himself on following the rules and doing his job professionally. One day he is summoned to the offices of Extremely Upper Management and given a top secret assignment. He is to go to a remote island called Marsyas and assess the six children who reside there along with the master of the orphanage. He’s totally unprepared for what he finds there.
Such a heartwarming tale. The characters are for the most part charming and the six orphans are absolutely endearing. And, the story is utterly engaging. So much so that I could just picture Lucy with his head thrown back belting out a song at the top of his lungs, or Chauncey whose sole dream in life is to be a bellhop constantly practicing in front of a mirror. The book points out how some people are afraid of who or what they don’t know, and that sometimes that fear becomes unfounded hate. The ubiquitous posters urging citizens to “See Something, Say Something,” reminds one of Orwell’s “1984” where Big Brother exercised total control over society. It’s the story of an unconventional home and the extraordinary children who live there. It’s a book about love and hate, and standing up for what is right. It’s so good it was pure bliss to read!
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Linus Baker has a grumpy cat, a small house, and not much else. Well he has The Rules and Regulations. They are his life as a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). He has multiple copies of the 900 page book. He uses them as away to maintain distance from the children he interacts with. It is only proper that he do so, and Linus is proper. However, the Extremely Upper Management of DICOMY has an assignment for Linus. He is to go and observe the orphanage of Marsyas Island to see if the children are a danger. They don't give him much information and Linus is surprised by what he finds. The six children are not what he expects nor is the headmaster Arthur Parnassus.
I've never read T.J. Klune before and I was intrigued by the description for this book. After finishing I can honestly say I don't know why I haven't read any of T.J. Klune's books before, but I will be reading more now. This was one of those few books that when I finished it I was sad because I was going to be leaving the characters and the world. My immediate thought was that I could just start over at the beginning. I felt like I really got to know the characters. They were fully formed which isn't always the case. This story was a little sad but it was also very funny. I would hope so since one of the characters is a six year old Antichrist.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is book that gives the reader exactly what they want but isn't predictable. I love everything about it: the setting, characters, humor, relationships, and story. It had me laughing and crying, at different points. I will be recommending it to my friends, family, and maybe even strangers. It is just that good.
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I thought this book was delightful. It follows a man, Linus Baker, a caseworker for DICOMY (the Department in Charge of Magical Youth). He lives a pedantic life, following his Rules and Regulations guidebook to the letter, and returns everyday (usually soaking wet since he forgets his umbrella) to his home with his cat Calliope who only maybe likes him with a bossy cranky next-door-neighbor.
One day, he gets assigned an unusual Level 4 security clearance case for an orphanage on Marsyas Island by Extremely Upper Management. He receives a dossier containing scant information on the six magical children and the orphanage master who lives there, Arthur Parnassus. The children include a wyvern, a gelatinous blob of uncertain species, a garden gnome, a wood sprite, a shape shifting human/pomeranian, and notably, the Antichrist (though that word is verboten on the island). What follows is a charming and heartwarming story full of everything from old school music throwbacks to Kantian philosophy to childhood aspirations such as becoming a bellhop to make-believe adventures. Such a wonderful charming read.
Absolutely recommend! Good for people who like: charming stories about orphans, lgbtqiaap fiction, magic/fantasy, feel-good friendships, overcoming bigotry, quirky humor, and HAPPINESS.
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Linus does things by the book. He feels comfortable in the rules, in the way things are supposed to adhere to rigidity. That’s why he’s so good at his job! He is an inspector for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He travels around the country to make sure that the orphanages are running correctly, that the children are safe. Linus is able to detach himself from any of the feelings or emotional baggage that a lesser case worker may get caught up on.
Until he is called to a meeting with Extreme Upper Management. He’s worried and scared. What has he done wrong? His job is the only thing he has! But to his and his boss’s surprise, he is given a special assignment. He will travel to a classified location. A secret orphanage that houses the most unique cases. Even the people in the local village are paid hush money to keep the Marsyas Island Orphanage under wraps. Six children reside in the old house: a female gnome, a powerful sprite, a wyvern, a boy/ Pomeranian changeling, a blob whose dream is to be a bellhop, and the antichrist. Their lessons are headed up by Arthur Parnassus, a enigmatic man who Linus is drawn to. His long-held rules start to bend, and there may be some feeling about to be felt…
Klune’s pacing is impeccable. He doles out just enough of the background of the island in the form of reports sent with Linus from Upper Management. And these characters are certainly unforgettable. As readers we’ve been given plenty of stories about secret magical schools, but I’ll tell you that this one is different. Linus is different, and his development is magical itself.
I read through this one in just a couple days. It served as the greatest salve in a stressful week. The House is a hopeful narrative that breaks through the fear of the ‘other.’ I will happily recommend it to my students and all readers who love fantasy. It’s a special one!
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This book!!
This book was many things: an urban fantasy, a Big-Brotheriesque tale, a love story.
But what shone through those tropes was what the book was about: tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion.
Tolerance of others, in all their forms, despite their otherness.
Inclusion because to have someone in your life often leads to...
Acceptance...because tolerating and inclusion of what's right doesn't mean much without accepting that different is OK, that different is not scary, that different is what makes our world beautiful.
It seemed a book of our times. One in which we find our government actively decrying foreignness as undesirable. A time where not adhering to the master plan from on high may mean the wrath of those in power. A time where speaking up may have you ostracized and discredited.
This is the world that Klune paints for us in vivid color--yet the world he depicts is not dark. He shows us the multifaceted gleam that being "other" adds to our world in the way of some very unique children in a very special home.
These kids include the antichrist who works to resist damning the world, a gelatinous unknown creature who dreams of being a bellhop, a spirited bearded garden gnome who defends her brothers and sisters with a shovel, and others. Into this home comes an investigator to watch and record. Our investigator is not handsome, is not fit, is not the brightest man, nor the wittiest. He is one of many investigators of government orphanages for special children. One man who holds himself at a distances from those he works with. One who lives in the grey and the wet and the drab. He is one who slowly allows the color from the house and the children to paint his views and his life full of love and shine.
Klune's book certainly brought color and reflection into my world.
Who can read this book? Anyone.
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review **
Who should read this book? Everyone.
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