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- Book written by David Mitchell
- Published in 2004
- Stand Alone
Cloud Atlas is a collection of six intertwined short stories spanning across different times, settings, genres and styles, sharing themes and references, forming a single tale told through six beginnings and six ends: a pacific explorer, a novice composer, an intrepid journalist, a struggling editor, a factory clone and a survivor of the apocalypse share a single stage in their struggle against the systems of power in their respective times.
![Passepartout_Review Passepartout_Review](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Passepartout_Review-pdypizdglwjvd6x8h1wn438pzt92kq2cspn453bx5s.png)
Cloud Atlas is one of those books that I think truly deserves to be called a masterpiece. The six storylines are all written in such different styles and voices that it is almost hard to believe they were written by the same author. And yet, different as they are, they do speak to each other.
All stories share a theme of rebelling against oppression, and through the repetition of this theme throughout different ages and contexts the stories seem to amplify one another. Together with the original settings, complex characters and beautiful language, I found Cloud Atlas to be an extraordinary reading experience.
While each story has its merits, I found the first one not the easiest to get through. Set in 1850, it is written in an older writing style that can be a little dense. Don’t let this deter you from persevering through to the next stories, because it is absolutely worth the effort you will put in.
The way I see it, instead of writing several potentially good books, Mitchell wrote one mediocre book. I hesitate to call it a novel.
For me, this entire book was leading up to a climax that just… did not come. From the very first switch of characters and setting, I assumed that at a certain point we would see a clear connection between the stories – a eureka moment that ties it all together with a neat little bow. Imagine my disappointment when such a moment never came.
This book is very popular, so clearly this format does work for a lot of other people, but I Just Don’t Get It. If you enjoy books with a beginning, a middle, and an end – this may not be for you. If you love short stories, this might well be your vibe. I don’t really enjoy short stories, unless they end in a way that’s really smart (as far as I’m concerned, Cloud Atlas does not). Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the book for me, is that it would have been relatively easy to connect the stories in a way that makes sense and feels satisfying. Mitchell just chose not to. Why??
- Book written by Christopher Paolini
- Published in 2005
- Part 1 of the Inheritance Cycle
When poor farm boy Eragon finds a mysterious stone in the forest, he initially takes it home to sell. However, he soon realises that his find is in fact a dragon egg – and when it hatches, everything changes. Forced to flee from the agents of the King that are after his dragon Saphira, Eragon embarks on a series of dangerous adventures that will take him and Saphira and all over the Empire, all the while growing their strength and strengthening their bond.
![Passepartout 2 Passepartout 2](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Passepartout-2-p5ssnlqrmtl9k9ybe0i19qzk1syb4ianofludwfg68.png)
Ok so I know Christopher Paolini was like 15 when he wrote Eragon, but that doesn’t mean it has to be bad. Unfortunately it is. I truly have rarely felt rage the way I felt it while reading this book. It reads like it hasn’t been edited. It reads as if no one bothered to point out many awkward sentences that really have no business being in a final draft. Not to mention the bland characters and cookie-cutter fantasy plot.
I’m sure the sequels must be much better but I really wasn’t interested after having fought my way through Eragon. I suppose it was well written for a 15 year old? I just don’t get why it is so famous.
I would like to stress that when a book that has been published is this bad, it is much more the fault of the publisher than it is the fault of the author, especially in the case of a book written by a literal child. It is the publisher’s responsibility that a work that they put their name on be well edited, and that an author (especially a young author and/or first-time author) gets the guidance they need to edit their book. Writing a novel is a huge undertaking and to put the blame for a bad book on the author alone would be both naive and disrespectful to the work they undoubtedly put into it.
Also the cover art for these books fills me with rage. How could you draw such an ugly dragon?
I (relatively) recently reread Eragon, because I started the Inheritance Cycle way back when I was in middle school, and never finished it – I think I may have finished Brisingr, but never started Inheritance – and I was curious how the whole thing would end.
When I first read Eragon as a ten year old kid coming fresh off watching (and reading) The Lord of the Rings, I liked it as a cool adventure story with cool dragons, a cool mentor-character, cool enemies, a mysterious-sounding prophecy and a cool big battle at the end. It worked for me then.
Rereading it now, after having read a lot more in the genre (and generally having grown up somewhat), I am a lot more critical. Eragon is not exactly poorly written, but it follows the established tropes of the fantasy genre so closely – the chosen youth with the mysterious parentage, the old mentor figure with an equally mysterious past, the evil empire with an ancient emperor, undead lieutenants and a horde of baby slaying not-orcs, the woodland elves, the mountain dwarves, the elven maiden love interest – that it becomes rather predictable to the more seasoned reader. Paolini seems to have come up with rather little worldbuilding himself – he has a functional fantasy world, but his relatively hard magic system is the only element that deviates slightly from the trope-ical medieval fantasy setting.
Thinking back, the element I liked most was the bonding story between Eragon and his dragon (though really, a little conflict between the two might have spiced that up). Beyond that and the accessibility to younger readers, there are few compelling reasons to read Eragon over the plethora of other fantasy books out there.
Having said that, I wish I could recommend Eragon to younger readers because I feel that it worked well for me when I was their age, but having finished the series, I find that difficult. It feels like the mystery of the prophecy was wasted in the later installments, very little worldbuilding of interest was added, and the ending of the fourth part was flat-out disappointing.
Overall, whilst Eragon, the first book in the series, is a decent introduction to the genre (if entirely unoriginal), the other three parts do not make for a satisfying read, especially for more veteran readers. It is therefore perhaps a bit of a pity that Eragon has become somewhat of a modern classic of the genre.
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- Book written by Ransom Riggs
- Published in 2011
- Part 1 of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children
Using spooky vintage photographs, Ransom Riggs tells the story of a teenage boy, Jacob, who travels to a small island off the coast of Wales to learn about his grandfather’s childhood. Here, he finds the ruins of an orphanage, Miss Peregrine’s home for Peculiar Children. Who were the children who lived in the home? What was so peculiar about them? And why were they hidden away on the island?
![Passepartout 1 Passepartout 1](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Passepartout-1-p5srz0assvx5rloh0drh0yfcgu6jpmniap2gb8wazk.png)
This book series has a wonderful premise and especially the first half of the first book truly delivers. However, as with any mystery book, eventually some of the mystery is gone. Riggs still manages to tell a compelling story with interesting characters and a setting that is pretty haunting, but it doesn’t quite live up to the eerie cover.
I still thoroughly enjoyed these books and would recommend them to both young and older readers. It’s not typical fantasy but blends elements of (mild) horror and urban fantasy in a way that works rather well.
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- Book written by Robin Hobb
- Published in 2011
- Part 3 of The Rain Wild Chronicles
In part three of The Rain Wild Chronicles, the Dragons, their keepers, and the rest of the crew of the Tarman have finally found the legendary city of Kelsingra. Captain Leftrin has returned to the city of Cassarick to collect their rewards. Meanwhile, Elderlings Malta and Reyn Khuprus are expecting a child, but Cassarick isn’t as safe for those with scales as it once was.
![Passepartout Passepartout](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Passepartout-p5pekdcwiiuj989vgnesnddawyhvniixq1ta07a940.png)
After two installments where little of note happens, I was glad to see that City of Dragons brings back both some plot as well as beloved characters from the Liveship Traders trilogy.
I found this book significantly easier to get through, and I listened to the audiobook, so that’s saying something (not sure what though, perhaps just how much of a drag Dragon Haven was, or else that I’m glad that this book was much shorter).
Malta is one of my favourite Robin Hobb characters of all time, so I was absolutely delighted to see her return to star in this book.
This book features significantly less of the dragons, as the story is spread out over more characters, both because the characters are in different places, but also because Hobb brings back characters from previous books (in particular Malta and Reyn, and Alise’s husband Hest). It also means we spend less time with individual characters, which was quite a relief after the last book, which at times felt more like a reality TV show than a novel.
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- Book written by Robin Hobb
- Published in 2010
- Part 2 of The Rain Wild Chronicles
In the second installment of the Rain Wild Chronicles, we follow the dragon keepers, their dragons, and the rest of the expedition on their search for the ancient City of Kelsingra, where Dragons and Elderlings once lived in harmony. As they journey on, romances develop and plots thicken as the Chalcedeans need Dragon parts to cure their dying Duke.
![Passepartout 3 Passepartout 3](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Passepartout-3-p5supvxlqha12w1wmmfmti5y30tkfe7083m8q4aeg0.png)
This is the second part of the Rain Wild Chronicles, and honesty: not a lot happens. That is not to say that I did not enjoy the book, however. Sometimes a book can be more of a companion than something you get drawn into completely – I suppose it helped that I listened to the audiobook of Dragon Haven, meaning that the time I spent on it felt less precious than it might have had I read the physical book.
This book is very clearly a leadup to the following two books in the series. Very little of consequence happens.
Standout characters were Carson the hunter and Sedric. I find that Hobb writes very good redemption arcs, giving obnoxious characters growth that turns them into my favourites (like Malta in the Liveship Traders). However, her main characters in this series bore me. Alise in particular has little to nothing going on in this book, and Thymara’s entire story focuses on how all the Dragon Keeper boys want her so, so badly. Everyone in this book just wants to get it on, and I honestly feel like this novel could have been a lot shorter, and better, if this had been largely condensed.
I still enjoyed it! Hobb’s style flows nicely and I am intrigued by what the rest of the series will bring.
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Tagged:
- Book written by Robin Hobb
- Published in 2009
- Part 1 of The Rain Wild Chronicles
Dragons have hatched in the Rain Wilds, and they are nothing like the elegant creatures the Rain Wilders expected to crawl from the cocoons they had tended for so long. The Rain Wilds Council decides that they have to be escorted somewhere they can thrive. The destination is the legendary City of Kelsingra, where Dragons once lived in harmony with the Elderlings, who groomed and praised them.
Among the travelers we find Thymara, a young girl who is recruited to care for the Dragon Sintara, as well as Alise Finbok, a wealthy woman stuck in an unhappy marriage to a cruel man. Their journey is just beginning, and many hardships lie on the road ahead.
![Passepartout 4 Passepartout 4](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Passepartout-4-p5susloth8zumc3wrsou0thvv3fqnwz39jgqmw9ggw.png)
I am a big fan of Robin Hobb’s characters and style of storytelling. This book, however, is a little slower than her previous trilogies. I’ll admit I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters. Alise is a little annoying, and the Dragon Keepers are all basically children so that gets a little exhausting after a while. However, Hobb’s style of writing is pleasant, and the investment I have already made in her world by reading the last nine books made me more willing to invest my time in this series.
I would absolutely recommend starting The Rain Wilds Chronicles if you are a big fan of Robin Hobb’s books and have read the previous trilogies. In this book we get another glimpse of parts of Hobb’s world that we have not seen before, and the series will likely shed some light on its history, which I find really exciting.
However, if you have never read a book by Robin Hobb, I’d strongly recommend you start by reading Assassin’s Apprentice.
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![](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Passepartout_Review-300x300.png)
Review: Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
Cloud Atlas is a collection of six intertwined short stories spanning across different times, settings, genres and styles, sharing themes and references, forming a single tale told through six beginnings and six ends.
![](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Passepartout-2-300x300.png)
Review: Eragon – Christopher Paolini
Book one of the Inheritance Cycle – when Eragon finds a mysterious stone in the forest, he initially takes it home to sell. However, he realises that it is in fact a dragon egg – and Eragon is thrust into a dangerous adventure.
![](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Passepartout-1-300x300.png)
Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs
Book 1 of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children – In this spooky urban fairytale told with the use of peculiar vintage photographs, a young boy travels to Wales to discover his family history.
![](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Passepartout-300x300.png)
Review: City of Dragons – Robin Hobb
Book 3 of The Rain Wild Chronicles – The legendary city of Kelsingra has been found, and captain Leftrin has returned to the Rain wilds to claim their reward. Meanwhile, Malta and Reyn Khuprus are expecting a child…
![](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Passepartout-3-300x300.png)
Review: Dragon Haven – Robin Hobb
Book 2 of The Rain Wild Chronicles – A group of travellers must guide a band of malformed, newly-hatched dragons to a mythical city. As they travel, we see companionships develop, and the dragons keep growing…
![](https://escapevelocitycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Passepartout-4-300x300.png)
Review: The Dragon Keeper – Robin Hobb
Book 1 of The Rain Wild Chronicles – A group of travellers must guide a band of malformed, newly-hatched dragons to a mythical city. Will the Dragon Keepers be able to provide for their charges, or will they become the prey?