David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

I recently watched the highly complex 2012 Tom Hanks sci-fi movie 'Cloud Atlas' and was so impressed that I just had to check out the book. What I found was a 2004 novel, the third book by British author David Mitchell. It consists of six nested stories that take the reader from the remote South Pacific in the nineteenth century to a distant, post-apocalyptic future. It won the British Book Awards Literary Fiction Award and the Richard & Judy Book of the Year award, and was short-listed for the 2004 Booker Prize, Nebula Award, Arthur C. Clarke Award, and other awards.

I finished the read in mid August and must now ponder what to write. I must admit that since I had already seen the movie, the book was easier to understand but I can't say that I fully comprehend its full scope and storyline. It takes a lot of concentration to follow the interlinked stories and keep it all in perspective, especially if you are coming in cold and haven't seen the movie.

This does of course raise the perennial question - it is best to read the book first or see the movie first. I know everyone has their own ideas on this one but my own view is that the movie is normally just a tempter to read the book. The book is normally even better than the movie and has so much more depth than the movie.

In this case, I recommend you do both - and decide for yourself which to do first - see the movie or read the book!

I'm not saying any more as I don't wish to spoil what is a rip roaring and complex tale.

And in this case, I must admit that post-book-read, I had to go to the web and read the wiki entry and other discussions of the book to see what other people thought and to better understand what it all meant. I have never had to do this before for any book I have read. 

I must now re-watch the movie as a final act to finally put this entry to bed.