Reviews
"[David] Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. He writes as though at the helm of some perpetual dream machine, can evidently do anything, and his ambition is written in magma across this novel's every page." -- The New York Times Book Review "One of those how-the-holy-hell-did-he-do-it? modern classics that no doubt is--and should be--read by any student of contemporary literature." --Dave Eggers "Wildly entertaining . . . a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative." -- People "The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yet--not just dazzling, amusing, or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I've never read anything quite like it, and I'm grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds." --Michael Chabon " Cloud Atlas ought to make [Mitchell] famous on both sides of the Atlantic as a writer whose fearlessness is matched by his talent." -- The Washington Post Book World "Thrilling . . . One of the biggest joys in Cloud Atlas is watching Mitchell sashay from genre to genre without a hitch in his dance step." -- Boston Sunday Globe "Grand and elaborate . . . [Mitchell] creates a world and language at once foreign and strange, yet strikingly familiar and intimate." -- Los Angeles Times From the Hardcover edition., "[David] Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. He writes as though at the helm of some perpetual dream machine, can evidently do anything, and his ambition is written in magma across this novel's every page."-- The New York Times Book Review "One of those how-the-holy-hell-did-he-do-it? modern classics that no doubt is--and should be--read by any student of contemporary literature."--Dave Eggers "Wildly entertaining . . . a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative."-- People "The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yet--not just dazzling, amusing, or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I've never read anything quite like it, and I'm grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds."--Michael Chabon, "[David] Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. He writes as though at the helm of some perpetual dream machine, can evidently do anything, and his ambition is written in magma across this novel's every page." -- The New York Times Book Review "One of those how-the-holy-hell-did-he-do-it? modern classics that no doubt is--and should be--read by any student of contemporary literature." --Dave Eggers "Wildly entertaining . . . a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative." -- People "The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yet--not just dazzling, amusing, or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I've never read anything quite like it, and I'm grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds." --Michael Chabon " Cloud Atlas ought to make [Mitchell] famous on both sides of the Atlantic as a writer whose fearlessness is matched by his talent." -- The Washington Post Book World "Thrilling . . . One of the biggest joys in Cloud Atlas is watching Mitchell sashay from genre to genre without a hitch in his dance step." -- Boston Sunday Globe "Grand and elaborate . . . [Mitchell] creates a world and language at once foreign and strange, yet strikingly familiar and intimate." -- Los Angeles Times From the Hardcover edition., "[David] Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. He writes as though at the helm of some perpetual dream machine, can evidently do anything, and his ambition is written in magma across this novel's every page."- The New York Times Book Review "One of those how-the-holy-hell-did-he-do-it? modern classics that no doubt is-and should be-read by any student of contemporary literature."-Dave Eggers "Wildly entertaining . . . a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative."- People "The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yet-not just dazzling, amusing, or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I've never read anything quite like it, and I'm grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds."-Michael Chabon, "[David] Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. He writes as though at the helm of some perpetual dream machine, can evidently do anything, and his ambition is written in magma across this novel's every page." -- The New York Times Book Review "One of those how-the-holy-hell-did-he-do-it? modern classics that no doubt is--and should be--read by any student of contemporary literature." --Dave Eggers "Wildly entertaining . . . a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative." -- People "The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yet--not just dazzling, amusing, or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I've never read anything quite like it, and I'm grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds." --Michael Chabon " Cloud Atlas ought to make [Mitchell] famous on both sides of the Atlantic as a writer whose fearlessness is matched by his talent." -- The Washington Post Book World "Thrilling . . . One of the biggest joys in Cloud Atlas is watching Mitchell sashay from genre to genre without a hitch in his dance step." -- Boston Sunday Globe "Grand and elaborate . . . [Mitchell] creates a world and language at once foreign and strange, yet strikingly familiar and intimate." -- Los Angeles Times, "Cloud Atlasis, obviously, a formidable creation. . . . Fellow novelists will find it hard not to heap . . . praise on David Mitchell, whose brilliance takes one's breath away in a manner not unlike a first experience of Chartres or the Duomo." -The Globe and Mail "Cloud Atlasis a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative." -People "Mitchell's range is astonishing, moving effortlessly from elegant genre fiction to satire to high-end literary pyrotechnics….to Mitchell - prodigiously skilled and gloriously ambitious - I can only say, bravo!" -Toronto Star "Cloud Atlasimposes a dizzying series of milieus, characters and conflicts upon us . . . [and] feels like a doggedly expert gloss on various writers and modes." -The New York Times "Audacious, dazzling…. Readers who enjoy the 'novel as puzzle' will find much to savor in this original and occasionally very entertaining work." -Publishers Weekly "The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yet - notjustdazzling, amusing or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I've never read anything quite like it, and I'm grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds, which are all one world, which is, in turn, enchanted by Mitchell's spell-caster prose, our own." -Michael Chabon Advance UK reviews forCloud Atlas: "the third novel from the genre-busting David Mitchell, author ofGhostwrittenand the Booker-shortlistedNumber9Dreamis a remarkable book, made up of six resonating strands; the narrative reaches back into the 19th century, to colonialism and savagery in the Pacific islands, and forwards into a dark future, beyond the collapse of civilisation. It knits together science fiction, political thriller and historical pastiche with musical virtuosity and linguistic exuberance: there won't be a bigger, bolder novel next year." -Justine Jordan,Guardian, Preview of 2004 "David Mitchell is by no means a complete unknown, but I shall be very surprised if his next book, the sprawling and ambitiousCloud Atlasdoesn't propel him into the front rank of novelists. I only wish it had been there for this year's Man Booker judges to consider." -D J Taylor,Independent, Preview of 2004 "A daunting talent, adept with the global canvas, and able to move from the technological to the spiritual with supernatural ease." -Suzi Feay,Independent on Sunday, Preview of 2004 "Watch out forCloud Atlasby David Mitchell, a work of free-wheeling fantasy by a cutting-edge writer." -David Robson,Sunday Telegraph, Preview of 2004 Praise for David Mitchell: "Mitchell possesses an amazingly copious and eclectic imagination." -William Boyd "[Ghostwrittenis] one of the best first novels I've read for a long time. . . . I couldn't put it down. . . . And it's even better the second time." -A. S. Byatt "Mitchell has a gift for fiction's natural pleasures -- intricate surprises, insidiously woven narratives, ingenious voices." -The New York Times Book Review, " Cloud Atlas is, obviously, a formidable creation. . . . Fellow novelists will find it hard not to heap . . . praise on David Mitchell, whose brilliance takes one's breath away in a manner not unlike a first experience of Chartres or the Duomo." - The Globe and Mail " Cloud Atlas is a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative." - People "Mitchell's range is astonishing, moving effortlessly from elegant genre fiction to satire to high-end literary pyrotechnics….to Mitchell - prodigiously skilled and gloriously ambitious - I can only say, bravo!" - Toronto Star " Cloud Atlas imposes a dizzying series of milieus, characters and conflicts upon us . . . [and] feels like a doggedly expert gloss on various writers and modes." - The New York Times "Audacious, dazzling…. Readers who enjoy the 'novel as puzzle' will find much to savor in this original and occasionally very entertaining work." - Publishers Weekly "The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yet - not just dazzling, amusing or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I've never read anything quite like it, and I'm grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds, which are all one world, which is, in turn, enchanted by Mitchell's spell-caster prose, our own." -Michael Chabon Advance UK reviews for Cloud Atlas : "the third novel from the genre-busting David Mitchell, author of Ghostwritten and the Booker-shortlisted Number9Dream is a remarkable book, made up of six resonating strands; the narrative reaches back into the 19th century, to colonialism and savagery in the Pacific islands, and forwards into a dark future, beyond the collapse of civilisation. It knits together science fiction, political thriller and historical pastiche with musical virtuosity and linguistic exuberance: there won't be a bigger, bolder novel next year." -Justine Jordan, Guardian , Preview of 2004 "David Mitchell is by no means a complete unknown, but I shall be very surprised if his next book, the sprawling and ambitious Cloud Atlas doesn't propel him into the front rank of novelists. I only wish it had been there for this year's Man Booker judges to consider." -D J Taylor, Independent , Preview of 2004 "A daunting talent, adept with the global canvas, and able to move from the technological to the spiritual with supernatural ease." -Suzi Feay, Independent on Sunday , Preview of 2004 "Watch out for Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, a work of free-wheeling fantasy by a cutting-edge writer." -David Robson, Sunday Telegraph , Preview of 2004 Praise for David Mitchell: "Mitchell possesses an amazingly copious and eclectic imagination." -William Boyd "[ Ghostwritten is] one of the best first novels I've read for a long time. . . . I couldn't put it down. . . . And it's even better the second time." -A. S. Byatt "Mitchell has a gift for fiction's natural pleasures -- intricate surprises, insidiously woven narratives, ingenious voices." - The New York Times Book Review