Emily St. John Mandel Collection 3 Books Set

by Emily St. John Mandel

This Emily St. John Mandel Bestselling 3 Books Collection 1. Station Eleven 9780804172448 2. The Glass Hotel 9780525562948 3. Sea of Tranquility 9780593466735

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy

Paperback

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

Emily St. John Mandel was born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. She studied contemporary dance at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and lived briefly in Montreal before relocating to New York.

She is the author of five novels, including The Glass Hotel (spring 2020) and Station Eleven (2014.) Station Eleven was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, won the Morning News Tournament of Books, and has been translated into 34 languages. She lives in NYC with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Michael Rieman · Rating 4 out of 5]

One challenge for readers of Sea of Tranquility is to actually identify the subject of this novel, which spans a period from the twentieth to the twenty-fifth centuries, and involves multiple characters and themes. There is a link among the sections, though, involving people who have either experienced or have a connection to a mysterious event beyond natural time and space. There is a sudden darkness, a feeling of being in a cavernous space, a haunting violin music, and a "whooshing" sound, in what seems like a few seconds before natural order returns. In a sense, the subject of the novel involves the search for an understanding of, and possibly the cause of this "anomaly." Emily St. John Mandel, the novel's author, has constructed the work in such a way that the reader must allow the work to follow its own course before opening up its wealth of meaning and speculation.
Edwin sees the disturbing moment in a British Columbia forest, in the same spot in which, decades later,Vincent Smith will record it unintentionally on a video camera years before her death. Paul Smith,Vincent's brother, uses the video clip in his own experimental music clip performed in Brooklyn. Olive Llewellyn will use a description of the moment centuries later in her own novel dealing with a pandemic. Gaspery Roberts will ultimately take a position with the 25th century Time Institute to track down and interview people associated with the possible "glitch" in the time line as an inquiry into an understanding of the possibility of life as a "simulation."
From these threads, certain themes and "correspondences" arise. Edwin's comment on British Columbia, that it is a "far distant simulation of England, a watercolor superimposed unconvincingly on the landscape," is echoed in the moon colonies which simulate neighborhoods on Earth with filtered air, lush greenery, simulated skies and programmed weather. That simulation has its own glitch, though, in the technological failures in Colony Two which allow the Night Sky of space to be visible. It is possibly a comment on the vulnerability of our technological world and the drive which pushes us to abandon parts of our world for the pleasures of "newer" societies. It is preparation, too, for the secretive concerns of the Time Institute about more extensive simulations. Edwin's thoughts about being "exiled" from England because his comments have angered his father, will later be reflected in the Time Institute's use of "exile" in time for those who may violate its rules.
Olive's use of the weird moment, which she includes in her best-selling novel about a deadly plague, will be echoed in the deadly plague in the "real world" of her life, and the revelation of her presence in the airport as a part of the "glitch." Several of these characters are in need of a place where they "fit,' and can live lives which are peaceful and meaningful to them. How different are Olive's demanding, multi-location book tours from Gaspery's trips in space and time? Both are exciting yet also disarming; both question the nature of our idea of reality, both violate a "rule" of their missions, and both result in a need for tranquility in the face of death .
The tension between fiction and reality also comes into play. One of Olive's drivers during the book tour muses that perhaps a universe exists in which what we consider "fiction" is "real" (an oblique acknowledgement that the plague in her celebrated novel can become the "real" plague endangering life in the 23rd Century). Olive muses that any time may be seen as "the end of the world' whether from disease (as might have been true of the indigenous people in the Canadian Northwest), the end of British rule in India, or any destructive force which significantly changes our lives. Olive considers this view to be a possible reason for the popularity of "post-apocalyptic fiction," she muses, but it may also be a wish for what comes after, perhaps a less technological society ( which was part of Station Eleven), but potentially also an "opportunity for heroism."
Perhaps Gaspery's actions which break the rules of the Time Institute in service of human impulses are examples of an enduring quality of our lives, whether or not we are living in a simulation.
To be sure, many fascinating themes seem to emerge from this novel, but at times they did feel like holograms, recognizable but seeming to vanish just as they are about to be grasped.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in an excellent trilogy. Not my favoured genre but engrossed by the weaving of stories.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

IF sci fi and time travel interest you, this book is worth the read. I was drawn to the major characters and the intersections of them throughout the time travels of the main character were well done. The descriptions of the worlds were solid, and I can see this being made into a movie—which would be great if done by a competent movie maker. There were definitely flaws, but I often have a problem with following the threads of a time travel book so that could just be me. This was the most interesting time travel book I’ve read.

[Miriam Khanan]

mourning what you will lose in the future
technology and disconnection
"because survival is insufficient"
stories getting people through
Shakespear was more like the future world bc he lived in an era of no technology and plagues
disability and being left behind
"it happens for a reason" and religions fundamentalism
piercing the veil- how are we preparing our communities for crumble? how are we preparing to reorganize society as institutions lose power?

[Drazzof · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite line from the book:

"We want to believe that we're uniquely important, that we're living at the end of history, that now, after all these millenia of false alarms, now is finally the worst that it's ever been, that finally we have reached the end of the world."

I'm glad I finished reading this story.

[Atomic Blondy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Море спокою ✨

Думаю, що всі знають де воно знаходиться і не треба пояснювати відсилку від авторки.

Шо по сюжету?
Дуже все не погано, як на мене. Декілька людей, що живуть в різні часи, якимось чином повʼязані між собою. Вони бачать одне і те саме видіння та чують гру на скрипці.
Сюжет цікавий, але в деякі моменти було трошки нудно бо виглядало начебто води треба було підлити в сюжет, а то 200 сторінок занадто мало.
Фінал для мене не став несподіванкою, в якийсь момент я просто все зрозуміла і в голові вже розплутала клубок.

Для мене це досить проста книга, але не погана. Принаймні її легко читати, не нудна бо йде постійна зміна локації та героїв.
Можливо, десь в душі я очікувала трохи більшого, тому ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

📕Хтось може сказати: «якого дідька, ти ставила стільки ж зірок Ґудзикам? Невже вони на одному рівні?!».

Ні, не на одному. Але я вважаю, що якщо вже хочеш закрутити прям класно сюжет - треба трохи попрацювати над цим, щоб читач не зрозумів про те що відбувається вже десь в середині книги.

[FerellAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! The multiple timelines and characters over time didn’t quite reach me at the very beginning but it eventually pulled me in. The futuristic themes, strange events, and pandemic plot was intriguing and unique. I didn’t expect the ending whatsoever. Major kudos to the author for this beautiful piece.

[Ollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, could see the ending coming. Wish we had had more time with the characters. Great at getting you in the action immediately.

[Gris · Rating 4 out of 5]

No acostumo a llegir ciència ficció però aquest llibre em va cridar l'atenció i la veritat és que m'ho he passat molt bé.

[Karen Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. An interesting plot line especially when you get to the chapter called anomaly. A quick read.

[Joshua Kimble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story. A bit abstract at first, but the ending pulls together. Jumps over a lot of time.

[Emily Cebrowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caught in the time space continuum. I loved this and could read more stories from this earth parallel world.

[Morgan Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bits about the pandemic kinda hit me hard

[Robert Gleeson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewing Sea of Tranquility. This is wonderful. Very clever and engaging. A little confusing as you go through it, but then comes together as only the best Sci-fi does. Read it!

[Alexandria Fanjoy Silver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta come up with a second avenue to track all of my compulsive rereading of Station Eleven!

[Vittoria Ecclesia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.
It took me a bit to jump on board but when I did I was stunned.
I was mildly curious in the first two sections, rather interested in the third, and when the actual focus comes out in the fourth section I was totally intrigued.
It's full of relevant topics but remains human, without turning everything into a lecture. A great read.