BytheNewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorofTheBoneClocksShortlistedfortheManBookerPrizeApostmodernvisionaryandoneoftheleadingvoicesintwenty-first-centuryfiction,DavidMitchellcombinesflat-outadventure,aNabokovianloveofpuzzles,akeeneyeforcharacter,andatasteformind-bending,philosophicalandscientificspeculationinthetraditionofUmbertoEco,HarukiMurakami,andPhilipK.Dick.Theresultisbrilliantlyoriginalfictionasprofoundasitisplayful.Inthisgroundbreakingnovel,aninfluentialfavoriteamonganewgenerationofwriters,Mitchellexploreswithdaringartistryfundamentalquestionsofrealityandidentity.CloudAtlasbeginsin1850withAdamEwing,anAmericannotaryvoyagingfromtheChathamIslestohishomeinCalifornia.Alongtheway,Ewingisbefriendedbyaphysician,Dr.Goose,whobeginstotreathimforararespeciesofbrainparasite....Abruptly,theactionjumpstoBelgiumin1931,whereRobertFrobisher,adisinheritedbisexualcomposer,contriveshiswayintothehouseholdofaninfirmmaestrowhohasabeguilingwifeandanubiledaughter....FromtherewejumptotheWestCoastinthe1970sandatroubledreporternamedLuisaRey,whostumblesuponawebofcorporategreedandmurderthatthreatenstoclaimherlife....Andonward,withdazzlingvirtuosity,toaningloriouspresent-dayEngland;toaKoreansuperstateofthenearfuturewhereneocapitalismhasrunamok;and,finally,toapostapocalypticIronAgeHawaiiinthelastdaysofhistory.Butthestorydoesn’tendeventhere.Thenarrativethenboomerangsbackthroughcenturiesandspace,returningbythesameroute,inreverse,toitsstartingpoint.Alongtheway,Mitchellrevealshowhisdisparatecharactersconnect,howtheirfatesintertwine,andhowtheirsoulsdriftacrosstimelikecloudsacrossthesky.Aswildasavideogame,asmysteriousasaZenkoan,CloudAtlasisanunforgettabletourdeforcethat,likeitsincomparableauthor,hastranscendeditscultclassicstatustobecomeaworldwidephenomenon.
