''Cloud Atlas'', published in 2004, is the third novel by British author David Mitchell. The book combines

metafiction Metafiction is a form of fiction that emphasizes its own narrative structure in a way that inherently reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and story ...

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

, contemporary fiction and

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

, with interconnected nested stories in different writing styles that take the reader from the remote South Pacific in the 19th century to the island of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

in a distant

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronom ...

future. Its title references a piece of music by

Toshi Ichiyanagi was a Japanese avant-garde composer and pianist. One of the leading composers in Japan during the postwar era, Ichiyanagi worked in a range of genres, composing Western-style operas and orchestral and chamber works, as well as compositions usi ...

. It received awards from both the general literary community and the

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...

community, including the

British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the Na ...

Literary Fiction award and the Richard & Judy Book of the Year award, it was also short-listed for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

Nebula Award for Best Novel The Nebula Award for Best Novel is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novels. A work of fiction is considered a novel by the organization if it is 40,000 words or longer; ...

, and Arthur C. Clarke Award. A film adaptation directed by

the Wachowskis Lana Wachowski (born Larry Wachowski, June 21, 1965) and Lilly Wachowski (born Andy Wachowski, December 29, 1967) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans women. Together known as the Wacho ...

and

Tom Tykwer Tom Tykwer (; born 23 May 1965) is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing the thriller films ''Run Lola Run'' (1998), ''Heaven (2002 film), Heaven'' (2002), ''Perfume: The Sto ...

, and featuring an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

, was released in 2012.

Plot summary

The book consists of six nested stories; each is read or observed by the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

of the next, progressing in time through the central sixth story. The first five stories are each interrupted at a pivotal moment. After the sixth story, the others are resolved in reverse chronological order.

The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing (Part 1)

In the mid-19th century

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...

, American lawyer Adam Ewing keeps a journal while his ship is repaired. He witnesses a Māori overseer flog enslaved

Moriori The Moriori are the first settlers of the Chatham Islands ( in Moriori language, Moriori; in Māori language, Māori). Moriori are Polynesians who came from the New Zealand mainland around 1500 AD, which was close to the time of the ...

Autua. Aboard the ship, Ewing’s only friend, Dr. Henry Goose, diagnoses him with a fatal parasite. Meanwhile, Autua stows away in Ewing’s cabin. After Ewing informs the Captain, Autua proves himself a skilled seaman and is allowed to work for passage to

Letters from Zedelghem (Part 1)

In 1931 Zedelghem, near Bruges, disowned and penniless English musician Robert Frobisher writes to his lover, Rufus Sixsmith. He becomes

amanuensis An amanuensis ( ) ( ) or scribe is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. It may also be a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In some aca ...

to aging composer Vyvyan Ayrs, expanding Ayrs’s melody into Der Todtenvogel, which earns critical praise. Encouraged, Frobisher begins composing his own music. He has an affair with Ayrs’ wife, Jocasta, while her daughter Eva remains wary. He secretly sells Ayrs’ rare books, discovers the first half of The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing, and asks Sixsmith to find the rest. As summer ends, Jocasta thanks him for reviving Ayrs’s creativity, and Frobisher agrees to stay until the following year.

Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery (Part 1)

In 1975 Buenas Yerbas, California, journalist Luisa Rey meets elderly Rufus Sixsmith in a stalled elevator and tells him about her late father, a war correspondent. Sixsmith warns her that the Seaboard HYDRA nuclear plant is unsafe, then is later found dead in an apparent suicide. Suspecting foul play, Luisa believes the plant’s executives are eliminating whistleblowers. From Sixsmith’s hotel room, she retrieves Frobisher’s letters. Plant employee Isaac Sachs gives her a copy of Sixsmith’s report, but before she can go public, assassin Bill Smoke rams her car—containing the report—off a bridge.

The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish (Part 1)

In early 21st-century London, 65-year-old vanity publisher Timothy Cavendish sees a sales boom after his client kills a critic. Threatened by the client’s brothers, he seeks refuge, but his brother Denholme tricks him into entering an abusive nursing home, which Cavendish initially mistakes for a hotel. A failed escape attempt leads to public punishment. He mentions reading Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery. As he settles in and begins plotting an escape, he suffers a stroke.

An Orison of Sonmi-451 (Part 1)

In 22nd-century Nea So Copros, a Korean state rooted in corporate culture, an Archivist records Sonmi-451’s testimony via an orison, a holographic recording device. Sonmi-451 is a clone, or "fabricant," working as a waitress at Papa Song's, part of a society where vat-grown clones serve as cheap labor. Their awareness is suppressed through a chemical-laced food called "Soap," and after twelve years, they are promised retirement in Honolulu. Sonmi is rescued by Professor Mephi and student Hae-Joo Im, who help her gain self-awareness and attend university. She watches The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish, but the session is interrupted when a student announces Mephi's arrest. Authorities are ordered to interrogate Hae-Joo and kill Sonmi on sight.

Sloosha's Crossin' an' Evrythin' After

On post-apocalyptic Big Island, the peaceful Valley Folk worship the goddess Sonmi. Zachry Bailey blames himself for his father's death and brother’s enslavement by the cannibalistic Kona tribe. Members of a technologically advanced society called Prescients occasionally visit, and Zachry is wary of one named Meronym, who asks him to guide her up Mauna Kea. After she saves his poisoned sister, he agrees. At the ruins of the

Mauna Kea Observatories The Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) are a group of independent astronomical research facilities and large telescope observatories that are located at the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii (island), Hawaiʻi, United States. The facilities are located i ...

, Meronym explains the orison Zachry found and reveals Sonmi’s true story. On their return, the Kona ambush the Valley Folk. Zachry and Meronym escape, and she takes him to a safer island. Years later, Zachry’s son recalls this tale, suggesting it may be true—he now possesses Sonmi’s orison.

An Orison of Sonmi-451 (Part 2)

Hae-Joo Im reveals that he and Mephi are part of Union, a rebel group opposing the corporate government. Disguised, Hae-Joo takes Sonmi to a ship where she witnesses how retired fabricants are slaughtered and turned into Soap, with leftovers used in the food served at such establishments as Papa Song's. Union aims to awaken all fabricants and thus depose the country's corpocracy. They ask Sonmi to write abolitionist Declarations, which she does. She is later arrested in an elaborately filmed government raid. Sonmi tells the Archivist she believes the government orchestrated her journey to stoke fear of fabricants. Her final wish is to finish watching Cavendish’s story.

The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish (Part 2)

Having mostly recovered from his mild stroke, Cavendish teams up with fellow nursing home residents—Ernie, Veronica, and senile Mr. Meeks—to escape. They seize a resident's son's car and celebrate at a pub, where staff nearly recapture them. In a rare lucid moment, Mr. Meeks rallies the drinkers, sparking a brawl that secures their escape. Cavendish later reveals his secretary blackmailed the gangsters. Back home, he reads the second half of Luisa Rey’s story and plans to publish it, whilst also writing a screenplay about his experience.

Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery (Part 2)

Rey escapes her sinking car but loses the report, and Sachs dies in a plane explosion orchestrated by Smoke. After Seaboard acquires her newspaper, Rey is fired. Smoke booby-traps a copy of the report at a bank, but Joe Napier—head of plant security and an old friend of her father—rescues Rey. Rey finds another copy aboard Sixsmith’s yacht, Starfish. Smoke and Napier kill each other in a shootout. Rey exposes the corrupt corporate leaders, and Sixsmith’s niece later gives her the final eight letters from Frobisher to Sixsmith.

Letters from Zedelghem (Part 2)

Frobisher continues assisting Ayrs while composing his ''Cloud Atlas Sextet''. He falls for Eva, believing she shares his feelings, despite his affair with her mother. Jocasta, suspicious, threatens him. Ayrs increasingly plagiarizes Frobisher’s work and threatens to accuse him of raping Jocasta if he resists. Despondent, Frobisher rents a hotel room to finish his sextet and dreams of reuniting with Eva, only to learn of her engagement to a Swiss man. Ill and disillusioned, he completes his sextet and writes one final letter to Sixsmith with the sextet and ''The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing'' enclosed. Frobisher then sits in a bathtub and ends his life.

The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing (Part 2)

The ship makes port at Raiatea, where he observes missionaries oppressing the indigenous peoples. On the ship, Ewing falls further ill and realizes that Dr. Goose is poisoning him to steal his possessions. Autua saves Ewing after he is thrown overboard, and Ewing resolves to join the abolitionist movement.

Background and writing

In an interview with ''

The Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published new works by Jack Kerouac, ...

'', Mitchell said that the book's title was inspired by the music of the same name by Japanese composer

: "I bought the CD just because of that track's beautiful title." Mitchell's previous novel, '' number9dream'', was inspired by music by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

. Both Ichiyanagi and Lennon were husbands of

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

, and Mitchell has said this fact "pleases me ... though I couldn't duplicate the pattern indefinitely." He has stated that the title and the book address

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

and the universality of

human nature Human nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of Thought, thinking, feeling, and agency (philosophy), acting—that humans are said to have nature (philosophy), naturally. The term is often used to denote ...

, with the title referring to both changing elements (a "cloud") and constants (the "atlas"). Mitchell said that Vyvyan Ayrs and Robert Frobisher were inspired by English composer

Frederick Delius file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (born Fritz Theodor Albert Delius; ; 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prospero ...

and his

Eric Fenby. He has also noted the influence of Russell Hoban's novel '' Riddley Walker'' on the Sloosha's Crossin' story.

Reception

''Cloud Atlas'' received positive reviews from most critics, who felt that it managed to successfully interweave its six stories. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the book received an 82 out of 100 based on 24 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' reported on reviews from several publications with a rating scale for the novel out of "Love It", "Pretty Good", "Ok", and "Rubbish": '' Times'', ''

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

'', ''

Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Fiction * ''Observer'' (novel), a 2023 science fiction novel by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress * ''Observer'' (video game), a cyberpunk horr ...

'', '' Independent On Sunday'', '' Spectator'', and '' TLS'' reviews under "Love It" and ''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'' and ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' reviews under "Pretty Good" and '' Literary Review'' review under "Ok". According to

Book Marks ''Literary Hub'' or ''LitHub'' is a daily literary website that was launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and '' Electric Literatur ...

, from American press, the book received a "positive" consensus, based on eleven critics: six "rave", one "positive", and four "mixed". ''The BookScore'' gave it an aggregated critic score of 9.0 based on British and American press. In the November/December 2004 issue of '' Bookmarks'', the book was scored four out of five. The magazine's critical summary reads: "Critics on both sides of the Atlantic rave over ''Cloud Atlas'', British novelist Mitchell’s third novel". Globally, the work was received generally well with Complete Review saying on the review consensus, "Not quite a consensus, but most very impressed". The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's Keily Oakes said that although the book's structure could be challenging, "David Mitchell has taken six wildly different stories ... and melded them into one fantastic and complex work." ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called it "sheer storytelling brilliance." Laura Miller of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' compared it to the "perfect crossword puzzle," in that it was challenging to read but still fun. ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

''s Hephzibah Anderson called it "exhilarating" and commented positively on the links between the stories. In a review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

,''

winner A. S. Byatt wrote that it gave "a complete narrative pleasure that is rare." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''s Jeff Turrentine called it "a highly satisfying, and unusually thoughtful, addition to the expanding 'puzzle book' genre." In its "Books Briefly Noted" section, ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' called it "virtuosic." Marxist literary critic

Fredric Jameson Fredric Ruff Jameson (April 14, 1934 – September 22, 2024) was an American literary critic, philosopher and Marxist political theorist. He was best known for his analysis of contemporary cultural trends, particularly his analysis of postmode ...

found its new, science fiction-inflected variation on the

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

now "defined by its relation to future fully as much as to past." Richard Murphy said in the ''Review of Contemporary Fiction'' that Mitchell had taken core values from his previous novels and built upon them. Criticism focused on the book's failure to meet its lofty goals. '' F&SF'' reviewer Robert K. J. Killheffer praised Mitchell's "talent and inventiveness and willingness to adopt any mode or voice that furthers his ends," but noted that "for all its pleasures, ''Cloud Atlas'' falls short of revolutionary." Theo Tait of ''

'' gave the novel a mixed review, focusing on its clashing themes, saying "it spends half its time wanting to be ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' and the other half the Bible." In 2019, ''Cloud Atlas'' was ranked 9th on ''The Guardians list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. In 2020,

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend ...

recommended it as part of his Summer Reading List.

Awards and nominations

The book won the Literary Fiction Award at the 2005

and the Richard & Judy Book of the Year Award. It was shortlisted for the

. It was nominated for the

in 2004, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2005.

Structure and style

The book has been described as incorporating elements of

, contemporary fiction, (post)apocalyptic writing and

into its narrative. The book's style was inspired by

Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, ; ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian novelist and short story writer. His best-known works include the ''Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the '' Cosm ...

's ''

If on a winter's night a traveler ''If on a winter's night a traveler'' () is a 1979 novel by the Italian writer Italo Calvino. The Postmodern literature, postmodernist narrative, in the form of a frame story, is about the reader trying to read a book called ''If on a winter's n ...

'', which contains several incomplete, interrupted narratives. Mitchell's innovation was to add a '

mirror A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera ...

' in the centre of his book so that each story could be brought to a conclusion. Mitchell has said of the book:

Textual variations

Academic Martin Paul Eve noticed significant differences in the American and British editions of the book while writing a paper on the book. He noted "an astonishing degree" of variance and that "one of the chapters was almost entirely rewritten". According to Mitchell, who authorized both editions, the differences emerged because the editor assigned to the book at its US publisher left their job, leaving the US version un-edited for a considerable period. Meanwhile, Mitchell and his editor and copy editor in the UK continued to make changes to the manuscript. However, those changes were not passed on to the US publisher, and similarly, when a new editor was assigned to the book at the US publisher and made his own changes, Mitchell did not ask for those to be applied to the British edition, which was very close to being sent to press. Mitchell said: "Due to my inexperience at that stage in my three-book 'career', it hadn't occurred to me that having two versions of the same novel appearing on either side of the Atlantic raises thorny questions over which is definitive, so I didn't go to the trouble of making sure that the American changes were applied to the British version (which was entering production by that point probably) and vice versa."

Film adaptation

The novel was adapted to film by directors

and

. With an ensemble cast to cover the multiple storylines, production began in September 2011 at Studio Babelsberg in Germany. The film was released in North America on 26 October 2012. In October 2012, Mitchell wrote an article in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' called "Translating 'Cloud Atlas' Into the Language of Film" in which he compared the adapters' work to translating a work into another language.

References

External links

David Mitchell discusses ''Cloud Atlas''
on the BBC's The Culture Show
''Cloud Atlas''
at '' complete review'' (summary of reviews)
''Cloud Atlas'' by David Mitchell
, review by Ted Gioia (Conceptual Fiction) {{David Mitchell 2004 British novels British Book Award–winning works 2004 science fiction novels 2004 fantasy novels 2000s LGBTQ novels Fiction set in 1850 Fiction set in 1931 Fiction set in 1975 Fiction set in 2004 Novels set in the 1850s Novels set in the 1930s Novels set in the 1970s Novels set in the 2000s Novels set in the 19th century Novels set in the 20th century Novels set in the 21st century Novels set in the 22nd century Novels set in the 24th century British science fiction novels British fantasy novels British LGBTQ novels British novels adapted into films Novels about cannibalism Novels about cloning Dystopian novels Epistolary novels Frame stories British post-apocalyptic novels Books written in fictional dialects Male bisexuality in fiction Novels by David Mitchell Metafictional novels Chatham Islands Novels set in New Zealand Novels set in Belgium Novels set in Bruges Novels set in California Novels set in England Novels set in Korea Novels set in Hawaii Novels set on islands Novels about reincarnation Sceptre (imprint) books Science fantasy novels Science fiction novels adapted into films Fantasy novels adapted into films Nonlinear narrative novels Novels about bisexual topics LGBTQ speculative fiction novels 2004 LGBTQ-related literary works