The phrase "a startling variety" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a surprising or unexpected range of different things, often in contexts like art, nature, or experiences.
Example: "The exhibition showcased a startling variety of contemporary art styles, each more unique than the last."
Alternatives: "an astonishing range" or "a surprising assortment".
Another fascinating find: genomes are complex patchworks of genes from a startling variety of sources.
SINCE 1999, Macedonia has played host to a startling variety of guests for a small and struggling country.
He has compiled a record of repeated serious assaults on inmates and guards with a startling variety of deadly weapons.
The Journal later expanded its scope to encompass a startling variety of subjects; for some years, it was known as Loomis Musicall, Masonic, and Ladies Fashion JournalLadies Fashion Journal
Over 22 years, Kooser has discovered a startling variety of ways to invert and enliven the vocabulary of romance, finding tender implications in even the mustiest Valentine's symbols.
They followed a startling variety of professions, including both a great crop of artists and poets and a man who specialised in the forensic investigation of crime scenes.
Small it might be, but Stavanger is a city of startling variety, from its beautiful 19th-century Old Town of white wooden cottages, and vibrant, colourful waterside with its bars and glamorous shops, to a stateof- the-art concert hall, fine arts museum and breathtaking 12th-century cathedral – the oldest in Norway.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra brought together these musicians and others — a total of 104 amateurs of startling variety — last month for a weeklong fantasy camp of lessons, rehearsals, master classes and, finally, a concert at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.
Fresu's sublime muted sound, his glossily unhurried phrasing and startling variety within a narrow dynamic range contrasts beautifully with Sheppard's slow builds from wispy notes and soft multiphonics to anthemic crescendos.
