NewlyaddedtotheModernLibrary,thiseditionmakesCloudAtlasavailableinhardcoverfortheveryfirsttime.Apostmodernvisionaryandoneoftheleadingvoicesintwenty-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.
PraisefortheNewYorkTimesbestsellerCloudAtlas
“[David]Mitchellis,clearly,agenius.Hewritesasthoughatthehelmofsomeperpetualdreammachine,canevidentlydoanything,andhisambitioniswritteninmagmaacrossthisnovel’severypage.”—TheNewYorkTimesBookReview
“Oneofthosehow-the-holy-hell-did-he-do-it?modernclassicsthatnodoubtis—andshouldbe—readbyanystudentofcontemporaryliterature.”—DaveEggers
“Wildlyentertaining...aheadrush,bothaction-packedandchillinglyruminative.”—People
“ThenovelasseriesofnesteddollsorChineseboxes,apuzzle-book,andyet—notjustdazzling,amusing,orcleverbutheartbreakingandpassionate,too.I’veneverreadanythingquitelikeit,andI’mgratefultohavelived,forawhile,inallitsmanyworlds.”—MichaelChabon
“CloudAtlasoughttomake[Mitchell]famousonbothsidesoftheAtlanticasawriterwhosefearlessnessismatchedbyhistalent.”—TheWashingtonPostBookWorld
“Thrilling...OneofthebiggestjoysinCloudAtlasiswatchingMitchellsashayfromgenretogenrewithoutahitchinhisdancestep.”—BostonSundayGlobe
“Grandandelaborate...[Mitchell]createsaworldandlanguageatonceforeignandstrange,yetstrikinglyfamiliarandintimate.”—LosAngelesTimes,