The House in the Cerulean Sea Audiobook By TJ Klune cover art

The House in the Cerulean Sea

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The House in the Cerulean Sea

By: TJ Klune
Narrated by: Daniel Henning
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"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 Classics Contemporary Fantasy Fantasy Essentials Fiction Humorous LGBTQIA+ Essentials Literature & Fiction Paranormal & Urban Science Fiction & Fantasy Magic Feel-Good Comedy Paranormal Heartfelt Funny Witty Thought-Provoking Suspenseful

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

Featured Article: The Best LGBTQIA+ Listens by Queer Authors


We scoured the big and beautiful LGBTQIA+ canon to present some of our favorite queer-focused listens of all time. Truly great literature can foster a sense of belonging and the feeling of truly being seen. However, listeners on the hunt for the best LGBTQIA+ books out there know that finding stories about gay characters isn’t always easy. So, we’ve put together a series of lists detailing some of the best LGBTQIA+ listens available.

Featured Article The Best LGBTQIA+ Listens by Queer Authors
Heartwarming Narrative • Magical Atmosphere • Emotional Depth • Whimsical Humor • Immersive Performance
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There is so much I love about this story. I loved Linus’ journey of self discovery throughout the whole book. The children are delightful and Arthur is absolutely wonderful!
Daniel Henning was a completely unknown narrator to me. He really brought this book to life. His voices for Arthur and Linus were perfect!

Beautiful story

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The House in the Cerulean Sea is a masterpiece that is a simply perfect read in these uncertain times. It’s themes revolve around acceptance, inclusivity, love and found family. It is a story for adults as much as it is for children twelve and above. There is much to learn here and much to be taught. I adored every beautifully written word and the narration was spectacular. The narrator’s choice of voices are perfection and delightfully highlighted each characters personality.
I can not recommend this novel and audiobook more highly.

A wonderfully story of hope and found family.

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I really enjoy TJ Klune's style and humor. If I were in a place these days to read a tangible novel I would certainly finish this story based on what I've heard so far. Three hours in I haven't yet been introduced to whatever the conflict may be - if any. That's unusual for Klune. All the same, I want to get there and learn more. I may pick up a paperback if I ever manage to have a shorter commute.

Unfortunately, narration is so much a part of my enjoyment and Daniel's performance here is not my cup of tea, Daniel reads the story to us as if he were reading a children's book to his 4 year old. Crystal clear annunciation but overly emphasized phrasing that does not make sense in context. For outer dialogue, I should hear a natural-sounding conversation between characters as if I were a fly on the wall listening in. I don't get that from this narrator.

Abandoning three hours in ...

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Words cannot express how much I love this book, but I’ll try! A wonderfully heart warming story about love, found family, and learning the power that an ordinary person has. TJ Klune writes the best books and this is another amazing one in his career! Also Daniel Henning does a great job with the performance!

The most perfect book ever!!

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A great story preformed wonderfully. A story about self discovery, acceptance, and prejudice among many other things. A #mustread for all. #YesiReads

Loved it!

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I love this book, in fact it is perhaps my favorite book that I have ever read/ listened to.

This book is a feel good that will leave you at times in tears, laughing hysterically in others and through it all you will root for the main characters wholeheartedly. I have listened to this four times all the way through and I’m going to begin again soon.
The performance was absolutely stunning and they could not have picked anyone more perfect. The voice actors rich inflections were perfect and truly made the book come to life.

I recommend this to anyone, young and old.

This book will change you

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This book would have been beautiful on its own, but the narrator brought each character to life with their own unique voice. I never got confused over who was saying what. Brilliantly preformed!

Beyond that this was a rich and uplifting book full of lessons to be learned.

Amazing

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I've already listened to this book twice! The story, narrator all of it is just wonderful!!

Twice

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I’ve got about 500 titles so far, and it has been awhile since I’ve been able to declare a book my new all-time favorite. This is one of those times. This book is utterly charming, and it is voiced to perfection by Daniel Henning. It carries some YA elements, except for the fact that the two leads are men in their 40s. I love the wonderful mix of time elements — a Victrola (but no digital music), pay phones (but no cell phones), marriage equality that has clearly been around so long that even old women are trying to fix up their grandsons (but racial prejudice against magical people, who must be registered), hippies, gnomes, a yeti, a couple of sprites — even one of the Devil’s kids. And even a love story, one that works as well as any I have ever listened to.

When this got near the end, I realized that I did not want it to end. I immediately acquired another. Sadly, there were no other books by TJ Klune narrated by Daniel Henning, but I have hopes for the future.

Absolutely fantastic, with zero negatives. I can give it my wholehearted recommendations.

My favorite book so far on every count

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This is a creative and funny story about finding your true self. The magical world is spellbinding and the children are enchanting. I loved every minute!!!

This is my new favorite book!!

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