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A Letter to the Luminous Deep
(2024)(The first book in the Sunken Archive series)
A novel by Sylvie Cathrall
★ An Amazon Best Book of the Month
★ An IndieNext Pick
‘An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore.’ —Freya Marske
A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.
E. is content with a solitary life in her extraordinary underwater home, until the discovery of a strange, beautiful creature outside her window prompts her to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.
But when a mysterious seaquake destroys E.'s home, she and Henerey vanish.
A year later, E.'s sister Sophy and Henerey's brother, Vyerin, must piece together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind and learn what their siblings’ disappearances might mean for life as they know it.
���A shimmering, delicately crafted delight.’ —H.G. Parry
‘A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice.’ —Louisa Morgan
‘Both the setting and the story are exquisite.’ —Megan Bannen
Genre: Fantasy
★ An IndieNext Pick
‘An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore.’ —Freya Marske
A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.
E. is content with a solitary life in her extraordinary underwater home, until the discovery of a strange, beautiful creature outside her window prompts her to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.
But when a mysterious seaquake destroys E.'s home, she and Henerey vanish.
A year later, E.'s sister Sophy and Henerey's brother, Vyerin, must piece together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind and learn what their siblings’ disappearances might mean for life as they know it.
���A shimmering, delicately crafted delight.’ —H.G. Parry
‘A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice.’ —Louisa Morgan
‘Both the setting and the story are exquisite.’ —Megan Bannen
Genre: Fantasy
Praise for this book
"A Letter to the Luminous Deep is like nothing I've read before. The heartfelt intimacy of the epistolary narrative, juxtaposed with the magnificent oceanic world-building, results in a novel that is at once deeply human and mind-bogglingly imaginative. Both the setting and the story are exquisite, but it was the lovingly crafted voices of the characters that kept me hooked from beginning to end." - Megan Bannen
"This book is not shaped like a book, and I mean that as a compliment. It is instead an underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity. Take a deep breath and dive in." - Freya Marske
"A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice. A watery wonder of a novel! I loved it." - Louisa Morgan
"A shimmering, delicately crafted delight of a book, steeped in love for the wonder of nature and the vagaries of archival research. Readers looking for heartwarming romance and scholarly mystery against the backdrop of a wildly imaginative world will be charmed." - H G Parry
"Cathrall's debut caught me up on a wave of whimsy and swept me away with its charm. A story to be cherished." - Lyra Selene
"This book is not shaped like a book, and I mean that as a compliment. It is instead an underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity. Take a deep breath and dive in." - Freya Marske
"A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice. A watery wonder of a novel! I loved it." - Louisa Morgan
"A shimmering, delicately crafted delight of a book, steeped in love for the wonder of nature and the vagaries of archival research. Readers looking for heartwarming romance and scholarly mystery against the backdrop of a wildly imaginative world will be charmed." - H G Parry
"Cathrall's debut caught me up on a wave of whimsy and swept me away with its charm. A story to be cherished." - Lyra Selene
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