New MRBC The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Discussion)

JSWolf · 07-20-2021, 05:42 PM

By request, we are starting the discussion for The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (July 20201) early.

Quote:

He expected nothing. But they gave him everything . . .

Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages.

Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside, including the Antichrist. There, Linus must somehow determine if they could bring on the end of days. But their guardian, charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. As Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose between duty and his dreams.

hildea · 07-22-2021, 04:05 PM

I liked this a lot.

It's a warm and hopeful story from a dystopia, with a happy ending for the protagonists, and I can believe that things will (slowly) get better in the wider world.

In a way, it reminded me of Tove Jansson's Moomin books, with a storytelling that's childish in parts (like Extremely Upper Management), but describing serious topics.

I liked the foreshadowing in the first chapter, where the reader gets clear hints that something's very wrong, but Linus is (wilfully?) ignorant.

I loved the descriptions of the children and their evolving relationship to Linus. I'm not sure who's my favourite -- maybe Talia.

The changes among (most of) the people in the village was maybe the weakest part -- it didn't seem all that realistic -- but I was willing to believe it while reading.

I haven't read anything by Klune before, I'm planning to check out his backlist (after I've read a few more of the books I've bought recently

)

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07-22-2021, 04:05 PM	#2
hildea Wizard Posts: 1,221 Karma: 63835638 Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Norway Device: PocketBook Touch Lux (had Onyx Boox Poke 3 and BeBook Neo earlier)	I liked this a lot. It's a warm and hopeful story from a dystopia, with a happy ending for the protagonists, and I can believe that things will (slowly) get better in the wider world. In a way, it reminded me of Tove Jansson's Moomin books, with a storytelling that's childish in parts (like Extremely Upper Management), but describing serious topics. I liked the foreshadowing in the first chapter, where the reader gets clear hints that something's very wrong, but Linus is (wilfully?) ignorant. I loved the descriptions of the children and their evolving relationship to Linus. I'm not sure who's my favourite -- maybe Talia. The changes among (most of) the people in the village was maybe the weakest part -- it didn't seem all that realistic -- but I was willing to believe it while reading. I haven't read anything by Klune before, I'm planning to check out his backlist (after I've read a few more of the books I've bought recently )

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