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Deeplight

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Deeplight

By: Frances Hardinge
Narrated by: Joshua Akehurst
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About this listen

'One of our finest storytellers' Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent
'Pure magic' M.R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts

From Frances Hardinge, the Costa Award-winning author of The Lie Tree comes Deeplight - an underwater adventure as dangerous as the gods themselves . . .

The gods of the Myriad were as real as the coastlines and currents, and as merciless as the winds and whirlpools. Then one day they rose up and tore each other apart, killing many hundreds of islanders and changing the Myriad forever.

On the jumbled streets of the Island of Lady's Crave live Hark and his best friend Jelt. They are scavengers: living off their wits, diving for relics of the gods, desperate for anything they can sell. But now there is something stirring beneath the waves, calling to someone brave enough to retrieve it. Something valuable. Something dangerous.

Nothing is quite as it seems, and when the waves try to claim Jelt, Hark will do anything to save him. Even if it means compromising not just who Jelt is, but what he is . . .

 Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Friendship Fantasy Fiction Paranormal

Critic reviews

Hardinge creates an entire world and furnishes it with wonders. Pure magic. (M.R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts)
Everyone should read Frances Hardinge. Everyone. Right now (Patrick Ness)
In Deeplight, Hardinge's unparalleled, terrifying imagination illuminates an underwater world filled with the potent debris of departed gods, and the desperate ambitions of the humans who seek it. No one else writes quite like her - every new book is something extraordinary to be celebrated. (Imogen Russell Williams)
Electrifyingly good (Amanda Craig)
A novel by Hardinge is always an event
Frances Hardinge has joined the company of writers whose books I will always seek out and read (Garth Nix)
There is no mistaking the distinctive voice and vividly crafted prose of Frances Hardinge. She is a writer who delights in language, and whose stories fizz with ideas, allusions and eccentric detail
Costa award-winner Hardinge is on top form. (Sally Morris)
The high priestess of Gothic brings a whole world to meticulous and terrifying life, as two boys stumble upon a secret as frightening as it is wonderful. Deeply, marvellously haunting. (Marianne Levy)
A magical fantasy adventure from the award-winning author of The Lie Tree.
A feat of impressive world-building and imagination.
This is a dazzling deep-sea tale.
Hardinge’s surreal powers of world-building combine with her astute understanding of relationships to create a weird, wonderful, beguiling novel.
Frances Hardinge is among the most original writers working today and Deeplight (Macmilllan) one of her finest books yet. She's a writer who defies easy categorisation; this will entice older children and beyond. (Fiona Noble)

Frances Hardinge is among the most original writers working today and Deeplight (Macmillan) one of her finest books yet. Here, her dazzling imagination has conjured the Myriad archipelago, a strange world of undersea gods, lush mythology and Lovecraftian submersibles. Two very human boys, orphans turned scavengers, make a dangerous
discovery that drives a thrilling and unpredictable plot. She’s a writer who defies easy categorisation; this will entice older children and far beyond
The writing is exquisite and adults will enjoy it as much as teenagers
It’s a great adventure, you really believe in the world that Frances has created
All stars
Most relevant
This whole audiobook was utterly mesmerising. I was entranced throughout. I would love to hear more. Go listen to this, you won’t be disappointed!

A wonderful and alarming undersea adventure.

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Delve into the under sea and read one of the best Middle Grade fantasy books ever written.

Best of Middle Grade Fantasy

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Such a brilliant book, narrated beautifully. Exquisite description of a new underwater world and the monsters that delved there, tangled up in a coming of age adventure. Glorious.

Beautifully written, wonderfully told

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This book did not disappoint. Enveloped with all the imaginative detail I've come to expect from Hardinge. I adored the characters, the storyline and the highlighting of the importance of stories. A thoroughly good read. 😀

Imaginative

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Amazing story that creates a perfectly formed world in your head. The characters are believable and nuanced. My son is 11 and was fascinated, but he was surprised it was a children's story as some bits are fantastically scary!

great book, definitely for older kids

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