# Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell



## SFF Chronicles News (Oct 20, 2013)

*Review:  Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell*

*9th July 2013 09:32 PM*

Victoria Silverwolf







_Cloud Atlas_ by David Mitchell (2004)

 Authors who are considered to be part of the literary mainstream have often produced works which are clearly science fiction.  Well known examples include Margaret Atwood’s _The Handmaid’s Tale_ (winner of the first Arthur C. Clarke Award) and Kazuo Ishiguro’s _Never Let Me Go_ (nominated for the Clarke Award as well as the mainstream Man Booker Prize.)  Both of these novels have also been adapted into feature films.  To this distinguished list we can add David Mitchell’s _Cloud Atlas_ — or at least one third of it.

_Cloud Atlas_ is really six short novels in one.  “The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing” is a historical adventure set in the South Seas in the 1850′s.  “Letters From Zedelghem” is a social drama set in Belgium in the 1930′s.  “Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery” is a violent thriller set in California in the 1970′s.  “The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish” is a black comedy set in the United Kingdom in modern times.  “An Orison of Sonmi-451″ is high-tech science fiction set in Korea in the near future.  “Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After” is post-apocalyptic science fiction set in Hawaii in the far future.

 Five of the narratives are divided into two parts, with one half preceding the uninterrupted far future section and one half following it.  The structure of the book thus resembles a mirror, or perhaps someone climbing a mountain and then descending the other side.  The “chapters” appear in this order:  1850′s, 1930′s, 1970′s, modern, near future, far future, near future, modern, 1970′s, 1930′s, 1850′s.

 Although the six novellas can be read independently, there are many connections among them.  The young man to whom “Letters From Zedelghem” is addressed appears, decades later, as a major character in “Half-Lives.”  The protagonist of “An Orison of Sonmi-451″ is worshipped as a goddess in the far future.  There are hints, particularly a comet-shaped birthmark shared by various persons, that many of the characters in later sections are reincarnations of characters from previous sections.

_Cloud Atlas_ is more than just a clever way for the author to show his ability to create six very different stories.  Each of the novellas, with the possible exception of “Letters From Zedelghem,” deals directly with the oppression of the weak by the strong.  At times this seems melodramatic, as in “Half-Lives,” which depicts a giant corporation resorting to multiple murders in order to preserve its profits.  Yet there can be no doubt that the author takes his theme seriously, even when he seems to be gently mocking genre fiction.

 Mitchell’s two futuristic stories will not seem terribly original to readers familiar with science fiction.  “An Orision of Sonmi-451″ deals with enslaved artificial humans (called “fabricants” here, with unmistakable echoes of the “replicants” found in *Blade Runner*, the film adaptation of _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?_ by Philip K. Dick.)  The plot of this section of the book would also seem to owe something to *Soylent Green*, the film version of _Make Room!  Make Room!_ by Harry Harrison.  The language used in this novella is only slightly different from modern English.  All words starting with “ex” have lost the first letter, resulting in words like “xit” and “xactly.”  This attempt at futuristic spelling may strike many readers as artificial and unconvincing.

 “Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After,” as its title implies, is told in a slurred future dialect with a few unfamiliar terms.  An infant is a “babbit” and a knife is a “spiker.”  This is similar to the dialect used in Russell Hoban’s novel _Riddley Walker_, also set in the far future after technological civilization has fallen.  This section of the book is the most difficult to read, which may diminish the emotional effect it has on the reader.

 Despite a slight lack of originality in some of its sections, and the fact that the author’s attempts at future language are not entirely successful, this is a good book, with vivid characters and fine descriptions, told in a variety of styles and moods.  Almost every reader will find some sections less to her taste than others, but the overall effect is compelling.


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## Vertigo (Oct 24, 2013)

4/5 stars

A book of six stories set in different periods; 1780s, 1930s, 1970s, approximately present day, distant future and far distant future. However the book is more than just a collection of stories; each has references to the earlier story or stories, though these are generally inconsequential. And there is one feature – a distinctive birthmark – that runs through all of them hinting at rebirth or reincarnation; a topic touched on several times in the stories. Also the first five are split around the sixth; the first half of each is read, followed by the sixth in its entirety, followed by the second half of each of the remainder.

A clever literary technique or a gimmick? I’m not sure and probably not qualified to judge. However I do think on occasion Mitchell failed to live up to his ambitions. Each story is told in a totally different style: eighteenth century diary, letters to a friend, cinematic short scenes, thriller, science fiction and far science fiction with modified, degenerated language. The narrative voice and the style are so different that they each could have been written by different authors, and that’s where I think he failed a little; some parts felt a little uneven as though he was still learning to write in that particular style. On the whole, though, he is really quite impressively successful with his adoption of these different styles. However by two thirds through I was beginning to wonder what the point of it all was.

There are strong hints in the final passages of the books. Each story has at its core mankind’s seemingly eternal lust for power and dominance over others through strength of arms or knowledge, deceit and exploitation, politics and money, imprisonment and slavery, propaganda and duplicity. It sounds like grim reading and in a way it is, though each story is counter balanced by, generally, the central (birthmarked) characters resisting the power seekers with naivety, loyalty, courage, honesty, compassion etc. And sadly, for me at least, that was about it for meaning. With all the clever techniques I somehow expected more than yet another exposition on how cruel we can be to each other. 
 
Maybe there is more to it and I just didn’t see it. Don’t get me wrong the stories are enjoyable (though I’m not sure how well some would have stood on their own) and the writing truly excellent in places and never less than very good. So it was a good read but I just expected to get more out of it. In the end it was like my old school reports; “could have done better!”


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## The Judge (Oct 24, 2013)

You did better than me, then, as I couldn't get on with it.  This is the note I wrote on my website in March: 





> The writing is highly accomplished, and his ability to write in different voices is masterful, but having started the third section I've decided it's not for me – the stories are too disjointed and unconnected, and I really don't give a toss about any of the characters.  Brilliant writing, particularly in the fictionalised Delius-Eric Fenby situation of the dying composer and his amanuensis, but to my mind it read as an extended exercise in writing technique, not a novel with a heart and soul.


(I think I may have pinched the writing exercise line from HB.)


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Oct 24, 2013)

An extraordinary book, one which can be more admired for the author's ability to write in six different styles and genres than anything else.  The 1970's section reads like a rather trashy best-selling thriller, and I have to think this was intentional.  The two futuristic sections aren't terribly original for SF readers.


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## Vertigo (Oct 24, 2013)

I think that was my problem it was a masterful demonstration of technical writing but I just didn't feel the 'message', or whatever, of the book justified it and it was in danger of becoming little more than an execution of skilled technical writing.

That said I felt much the same as yourself, TJ, and at about the same point and would have been very angry had that been it. However it did come together a lot more on the run through the last half of each story. I feel it would actually have worked better as six simple, sequential, linked stories. Splitting them like that achieved very little for me.


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## jastius (Oct 25, 2013)

i think he split the stories up like that as a nod towards the eventual screenplay. while it is an unnecessary form in a literary work, it is almost a necessity for continuity purposes within a visual medium.  and apropos to nothing, i think it would make for a spectacular graphic novel.


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## Nerds_feather (Oct 25, 2013)

One of the best novels I've read in the past five years.


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## vanwolf (Oct 25, 2013)

I liked Cloud Atlas but much preferred his earlier book Ghostwritten which also featured 'connecting' stories. I don't quite recall but I think the connections may have been more coherent in it. I think he's a big fan of Murakami


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## HareBrain (Oct 25, 2013)

jastius said:


> i think he split the stories up like that as a nod towards the eventual screenplay.



I doubt it. At the time of writing it, a film would have been a very remote prospect. I think he structured it like that because he's interested in experimenting with structure -- his first novel, Ghostwritten, was several shorter stories each of which linked in to the next.


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## biodroid (Oct 25, 2013)

I watched the movie and wasn't sure what the whole hype was about except the SFX was good and Tom Hanks with funny looking false teeth made for some quirkiness. I guess it's one of those movies you have to watch about 10 times before it makes sense.


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## Nerds_feather (Oct 25, 2013)

vanwolf said:


> I liked Cloud Atlas but much preferred his earlier book Ghostwritten which also featured 'connecting' stories. I don't quite recall but I think the connections may have been more coherent in it. I think he's a big fan of Murakami



That would make sense, given that Mitchell is/was a long-time resident in Japan and is apparently fluent in Japanese. 

But Cloud Atlas is much more coherent than the one Murakami book I've read (1Q84). Maybe the earlier ones are better?


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## HareBrain (Oct 25, 2013)

His second novel, Number9Dream, was quite influenced by Murakami and has been criticised by some as being a bit of a Murakami rip-off. (Not least because of the John Lennon connection between Mitchell's title and Murakami's Norwegian Wood.) It's probably my favourite of his books. Again, it's quite playful structurally.

He taught English in Hiroshima for several years, and his wife is Japanese.


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## vanwolf (Oct 26, 2013)

Nerds_feather said:


> That would make sense, given that Mitchell is/was a long-time resident in Japan and is apparently fluent in Japanese.
> 
> But Cloud Atlas is much more coherent than the one Murakami book I've read (1Q84). Maybe the earlier ones are better?



Well, I didn't mind IQ84 though, yeah, you wouldn't call it orthodox, but then why are we here. The windup bird chronicle is my favourite of his. Just outstanding and one I'd recommend.


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## Nerds_feather (Oct 27, 2013)

vanwolf said:


> Well, I didn't mind IQ84 though, yeah, you wouldn't call it orthodox, but then why are we here. The windup bird chronicle is my favourite of his. Just outstanding and one I'd recommend.



1Q84 had some brilliant sequences, but overall I felt it was bloated, directionless and was poorly edited. I guess I feel like there was a great novel in there somewhere, but what was published was not a great novel. Here's my review, if you're interested.


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## vanwolf (Oct 29, 2013)

Nerds_feather said:


> 1Q84 had some brilliant sequences, but overall I felt it was bloated, directionless and was poorly edited. I guess I feel like there was a great novel in there somewhere, but what was published was not a great novel. Here's  if you're interested.



thanks, nice blog you have there. good review and i agree 1Q84 is an overlong book, which would be less of a problem if it was sufficiently enthralling all the way through. i'm never going to remember it in a way that, say, a weighty tome like Dhalgren will remain with me.

you ought to try some of Murakami's others, although you'll find some similar frustrations. I quite like the way his characters will just go and do something everyday and normal, such as cooking "a simple lunch" with ingredients listed, almost aware that the story they're in will eventually catch up and so there's no need to rush. but i can understand how it could be annoying as well. anyway, i particularly liked the wind-up bird chronicle. 1Q84, whilst interesting, pales in comparison.

i've not read many of the other books you've reviewed but glad to see you liked the Player of games and of course UoW which I just love immensely. I also can't fault a choice of Alfred Bester's stars as your no 1 sci-fi masterwork. it probably wouldn't be my no.1 (no idea what would) but it's a great great book as is the demolished man. i'd probably have UBIK and flow my tears as my pk dick choices.

Anyway, cheers, I'll try to check you're blog out again sometime soon.


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## Brian G Turner (Nov 5, 2013)

I'm reading this at the moment - at first absolutely loved the use of voice.

Now I'm on the 5th story and - it's beginning to feel little more than a technical exercise in writing.

There's no real story so far - none of the short ones have any conclusion - and the connections between each so far seem as deep as an after thought.

Where there has been an attempt at a story (the reporter) it's been somewhat cliched and unbelievable. Mitchell invested a lot of stakes and tension in the power plant - but there's no reference to these stakes later, implying the reader wasted time considering them.

I'm fast losing interest now I'm reading the Fabricant tale, because much as I can appreciate technical writing, as a reader I wanted to read a story - not a series of half-stories written simply to show off different usage of voice and format, and have no other point of purpose.

Am I prejudging this too early?


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## HareBrain (Nov 5, 2013)

I said:


> Am I prejudging this too early?



Are you aware of the structure? The stories "nest" -- each of the half-stories has its second half later on, in reverse order. (Apart from the middle one, which is complete.)


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## Brian G Turner (Nov 5, 2013)

HareBrain said:


> Are you aware of the structure? The stories "nest" -- each of the half-stories has its second half later on, in reverse order. (Apart from the middle one, which is complete.)



Ah - now that makes sense - and sounds more promising.


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## Nerds_feather (Nov 5, 2013)

vanwolf said:


> thanks, nice blog you have there. good review and i agree 1Q84 is an overlong book, which would be less of a problem if it was sufficiently enthralling all the way through. i'm never going to remember it in a way that, say, a weighty tome like Dhalgren will remain with me.
> 
> you ought to try some of Murakami's others, although you'll find some similar frustrations. I quite like the way his characters will just go and do something everyday and normal, such as cooking "a simple lunch" with ingredients listed, almost aware that the story they're in will eventually catch up and so there's no need to rush. but i can understand how it could be annoying as well. anyway, i particularly liked the wind-up bird chronicle. 1Q84, whilst interesting, pales in comparison.
> 
> ...



Thanks! Glad you liked it. 

As far as Murakami goes, I have *The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle* and *Norwegian Wood* sitting on my shelf, but haven't gotten around to them yet. *1Q84* sort of put me off, though truth be told I've occasionally wanted to go back and read the bits about the cult again--my favorite part of the novel. 

Have you read any Roberto Bolano? *2666* may be my favorite novel of all-time, and it's very much in the Murakami/Mitchell vein.


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## Nerds_feather (Nov 5, 2013)

HareBrain said:


> Are you aware of the structure? The stories "nest" -- each of the half-stories has its second half later on, in reverse order. (Apart from the middle one, which is complete.)





I said:


> Ah - now that makes sense - and sounds more promising.



Seconded. Definitely worth carrying through to the end.


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## Vertigo (Nov 6, 2013)

Sorry I've not been participating in this discussion much as the OP but I'm horrendously busy and only getting onto the Chrons about once a week.

I,Brian; I know exactly how you feel and I felt the same way at about the same point. But, to be fair, all the stories do have their own conclusions and it all does start fitting together in the second half. However I was still left with a nagging feeling that I had just read such an 'exercise in writing'; I'm just not sure the overall book deserved all that, dare I say, gimmicky writing technique.

Though I did enjoy it and gave it 4/5 stars.


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## Brian G Turner (Nov 6, 2013)

I'm enjoying it a lot more now - the Fabricant story has come much more alive.


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## vanwolf (Nov 7, 2013)

Nerds_feather said:


> Thanks! Glad you liked it.
> 
> As far as Murakami goes, I have *The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle* and *Norwegian Wood* sitting on my shelf, but haven't gotten around to them yet. *1Q84* sort of put me off, though truth be told I've occasionally wanted to go back and read the bits about the cult again--my favorite part of the novel.
> 
> Have you read any Roberto Bolano? *2666* may be my favorite novel of all-time, and it's very much in the Murakami/Mitchell vein.



not read it, though i've seen it. Will definitely give it a try and let you know.


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## Brian G Turner (Nov 12, 2013)

Finally finished this and really enjoyed it. A triumph of a novel.

It did feel very slow at about the 1/3 mark, probably not least frustration in thinking the stories were going to be left incomplete. Also, it would have been nice to see more connections between the different characters. I'm not sure how the Frobisher character fits in with the general message of the book either.

Aside from that, excellent writing, a clever story, and though quite long, a real achievement. 

This is going to be one of those books I recommend.


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## Brian G Turner (Jan 26, 2014)

Watched the film last night and really enjoyed it.

It was interesting to see the way they re-used actors for each period - that created a whole ream of associations I hadn't noticed the in novel. Did I fail to pick up a whole load of subtle references, or was this an addition demanded by the film makers, to help everything look more connected?

Very enjoyable film with a real sense of pace - not least because of how they cut between the periods, sometimes very quickly. I noticed they changed the ending, though - the story was no longer about how we need to conquer our desire to hate to oppress, and instead it was all about ... love? Also noticed the last scene had them off world - whereas in the book I thought they were still on earth, waiting for the world to die?

In other words, the film seemed a little more upbeat!


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## Vertigo (Jan 26, 2014)

Fairly typical film makers twists, sounds like Brian. Not seen it myself yet but will probably watch it when it comes on the box.


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## medfair (Jan 27, 2014)

For me, it was a fabulous read. The above discussion is really around the eternal question: form or content. Obviously form +content win the day, but in visual arts and literature of the 20th-21st centuries there is a heavy emphasis on form as opposed to content. If one takes cubism, dada, abstract art, etc.-form is all and content is at best implied. In music, form predominates and Mitchell's prose to me reads like a Bach fugue -nested motifs, inversions, contrapunkt. I periodically re-read it every year (sometimes more often) and still find many of the passages beautiful and poetic.  Sorry for being so gushing, but it is one of the books that really touched me. From personal experience (I have proselytized Cloud Atlas among the unenlightened with little success) I may be in a small minority.


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## Perpetual Man (Jul 31, 2014)

*Review Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell*

How do you even begin to review a book like this?

An absolutely fantastic, well written, creative masterpiece? That will have to do!

For me I cannot talk about the book without first mentioning the film based on it. It was through the movie that I cam to the book. Cloud Atlas was not received that well, and despite looking superb and boasting a stellar cast was considered average by most people who saw it. In this day and age of spectacle and action it was not surprising really. It is a film that you have to sit and watch, to concentrate on and perhaps watch a couple of time to really appreciate the complexities it holds.

I loved it, it seemed to be suited to the way my brain works and it was enough to make me want to read the source material.

The author has likened the book to matryoshka or Russian nesting dolls, each time you remove an outer layer there is another beneath. I can see what he means. Each shell reveals another until you reach the middle then put the whole thing back together again. You could equally claim it is like climbing a step pyramid. Each step takes you to the summit, before descending the other side, ultimately ending where you began.

What seems like a series of individual stories slowly becomes something more as you make your way through the words. Starting with Adam Ewing, a notary sent out into the Pacific to deliver legal documents in the (I guess) 1800's, each story moves through time, to the 1930's, the 1970's, Modern day, the near(ish) future and the post apocalyptic Earth of a distant time.

Each part is told in a different style, be it letters, Journal Entries, a recorded interview. The language changes with the time and the character, to something that is readable but has evolved from our own.

Each character is just that a character, a personality that leaps off the page, while the different stories flit within different genres keeping the pages turning with a life of their own.

Not only is each individual story gripping in their own right, the more you read the more obvious it becomes that they are linked in a multitude of different ways. From a recurring birthmark, to the use of the words Cloud Atlas, to character quirks that might be related to previous stories, and the way each story is enfolded in the next. I could list them all, but to avoid spoilers I'll just mention the first. In the second story, main character Robert Frobisher discovers a batter book, torn in two. It is the Journal of Adam Ewing from the opening part of the book.

There are also little tells, I'm aware of picking up two, but there are countless more, I'm sure waiting to be seen on second, third or fourth readings. (One I spotted is Frobisher has a seeming irrational hatred of doctors, by the time you finish the book it makes sense.)

It is a remarkable achievement of style and the imagination, well written, inventive and not in a manner that might alienate a reader. It is a story of wonder, mundane, of adventure and life, a story of what was and what might be, of lives intersecting, moving apart and coming together again through the generations, it is a story of loss and redemption, over generations. It is a book that looks seriously at the subject of reincarnation, and never once drops the ball.

For me, at least, a modern masterpiece and one of the best books I have ever read.


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## VALIS13 (Jul 31, 2014)

*Re: Review Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell*

Sounds like I need to pick up a copy of this...


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## The Judge (Jul 31, 2014)

*Re: Review Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell*

More thoughts about the book here Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell


[mod note: threads subsequently merged]


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## Abernovo (Jul 31, 2014)

*Re: Review Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell*

Presently reading it. It's not easy in places, to my mind, but thoroughly enjoyable. Minor spoiler: **I found the writing style in the journal section grated, but was then rewarded by Frobisher (a later character) recounting reading it and questioning the language, so realised it was intentional on the part of the author.**

I'm about a third of the way through and a rich picture is beginning to emerge. I have to concur with Perp's assessment.
Have to say, I loved the film too.


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Jul 31, 2014)

*Re: Review Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell*



The Judge said:


> More thoughts about the book here
> 
> Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell




And even more thoughts here:

[mod note - posts merged into this one - _Brian_]


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## Brian G Turner (Jul 15, 2018)

Something that bugged me a little:

In the books, IIRC the lead character in each story has a birthmark shaped like a comet - which I presumed indicated that they were actually the same character, living in different times.

However, in the films they didn't suggest this at all - in fact, the way they used the same actors to reprise similar if different roles seemed to make a lot more sense.

However, did I misunderstand how the birthmark related to the characters?


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