TJ Klune, the New York Times-bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, is trading fairytale whimsy for something a lot darker in his new novel, Murmuration.
The book lands on Tuesday, November 17, in hardcover, ebook and audio.
The story so far
Murmuration opens on what looks like small-town perfection.
Set in 1954, the novel follows Mike, a bookseller in the “idyllic” town of Amorea who runs literature discussions for the local women’s club.
His relationship with Sean, a waiter at the town diner, is finally ready to move forward, according to the book’s official synopsis.
Then the town starts to fray. There are no children or parents in Amorea, no one who has left for the mountains has ever come back, and the beaming photos on the diner walls show faces that only a few residents seem to remember.
One night, a storm cloud of starlings blackens the sky, and Mike starts to question whether his own name is really his, as violent memories of another life begin to interfere with everything good about Amorea.
The title is a nod to the real phenomenon of starling murmurations, the swirling, synchronised flight patterns the birds form in huge flocks, which becomes a recurring, ominous image once it starts happening over the town.
The pitch: Severance meets Stephen King
Early billing for Murmuration is pitching it at fans of Severance and Stephen King, a sharp tonal left turn for an author best known for warmth and whimsy.
The official synopsis backs that up, closing on a line that doubles as fair warning: “Nothing here is perfect, but there is someone worth saving.”
The buzz that got it here
Murmuration has already landed a spot on Polygon’s list of the most anticipated sci-fi and fantasy books for November, ahead of its release.
Worth noting
Murmuration is not the only new Klune title on the way. The Stars Look Like Home, a funny and moving adventure about finding one’s place in the universe, told from a dog’s perspective, is due out on Tuesday, January 12, 2027.
For readers new to Klune, or working through his back catalogue, there is plenty to be getting on with in the meantime: the Cerulean Chronicles (The House in the Cerulean Sea and its sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea), the YA superhero trilogy The Extraordinaries, the werewolf family saga Green Creek, and the At First Sight series.
Murmuration is available in paperback, e-book and audiobook from November 17.
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