78 pages 2 hours read

Salman Rushdie

Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1990

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 9 Summary: “The Dark Ship”

Shadowy beings drag them along in the web. Haroun sees that the dark poison completely covers the colors of the Ocean. It is like a thick acid that light cannot penetrate. Haroun worries that it might be melting Mali, the Floating Gardener.

Soon, they see the edge of Perpetual Darkness, which looks like a black wall made of night. Thirteen Chupwalas appear and surround them. Haroun realizes that the Wall of Night is a massive black ship. Onboard, the Chupwalas unscrew the top of Butt’s head and remove his brain, disconnecting him. Iff pushes something small into Haroun’s hand. It’s called a Bite-a-Lite. It will give Haroun two minutes of light when he needs it most.

The ship is lit by dark bulbs that create darkness. The deck is at least a mile long and is covered in cauldrons. Haroun feels that the ship is insubstantial and made of shadows.

Khattam-Shud arrives. He is scrawny and his outline is slightly fuzzy. Haroun thinks this version of him is his shadow-self, and the physical Cultmaster is still in the Citadel. He reminds Haroun of someone. Haroun accuses Khattam-Shud of being Mr. Sengupta, who stole his mother. Khattam-Shud changes forms, becoming 100 feet tall with 100 heads, before restoring himself to his normal form.

Related Titles

By Salman Rushdie

SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Salman Rushdie
Guide cover image