Cloud Atlas at 20: What makes a novel tattoo-worthy?

Every author wants to write a book like David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas. Two decades after it first hit the shelves, the author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow celebrates its daring, dazzling appealPity the writer who believes they have written the next Cloud Atlas! A literary agent once told me that when a fledgling writer compares their novel to David Mitchell’s, he invariably knows it will be awful. Once you have written a book like Cloud Atlas, you have not written Cloud Atlas because Cloud Atlas is not like anything.When the novel was published in 2004, critics compared it to everything. AS Byatt in the Guardian invokes Herman Melville, Raymond Chandler, Martin Amis, George Orwell and Ursula K Le Guin among others. Tom Bissell in the New York Times adds to the mix Cervantes, Defoe, Isherwood, William S Burroughs, and, in a last paragraph twist, James Joyce’s Ulysses. Theo Tait of the Telegraph writes in a rare negative review that “Cloud Atlas spends half its time wanting to be The Simpsons and the other half the Bible.” This line is funny more than apt, but had I read it at the time, it would have sold the book to me. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-04-06 10:00:31 UTC ]
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20 Must-Read Historical Fiction Books Set in China

From sweeping epics of ancient history to stories set in the 1990s, here are 20 beautiful Chinese historical fiction books to read now. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-16 10:31:00 UTC ]
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Netflix making live-action 'One Piece' from popular manga

Hit Japanese manga “One Piece” is coming to Netflix as a live-action series — a development that’s both exciting and worrisome for fans who have seen mixed success in a growing list of Hollywood adaptations Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-03-06 02:32:30 UTC ]
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How NASA pulled off the DART mission, making science fiction a reality

In a test of planetary defense capabilities, NASA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory crashed a spacecraft to alter an object’s orbit. NASA is No. 17 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2023. Explore the full list of companies that are reshaping... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-03-02 07:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Riot’s SFF Deals for February 20, 2023

The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-02-20 16:40:35 UTC ]
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PW Picks: Books of the Week, February 20, 2023

Our favorite books coming out this week include new titles from Rebecca Makkai, Veronica Roth, and Matt Ruff. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: February 20, 2023

Heather Gay, one of the 'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,' makes her debut with the memoir 'Bad Mormon,' the #1 book in the Mountain region of the U.S. Plus two February book club picks hit our lists: 'Someone Else’s Shoes' by Jojo Moyes and Sadeqa Johnson’s 'The House of Eve.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of February 20, 2023

Simon & Schuster buys a self-help guide from TikTok star Tinx, the chief diversity officer at Google sells a book to Holt, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Zibby Books Makes Its Debut

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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ChatGPT Plus will offer immediate AI access for $20 per month

OpenAI’s ChatGPT’s AI chatbot is so good, too many people are using it, crushing its servers. So the company is debuting a paid ChatGPT Plus service, which will launch in the coming weeks. ChatGPT will cost $20 per month, but don’t despair. OpenAI says that it still plans to offer a... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-02-01 21:57:26 UTC ]
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Adelaide Books Promises to Make Things Right with Authors

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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“Phenomenal” woman Meena Harris makes the leap from t-shirt branding to book publishing

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[ Fast Company | 2023-01-24 08:00:00 UTC ]
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The Week in Libraries: January 20, 2023

Among the week's headlines: eight states so far in 2023 have new bills seeking to expose librarians and educators to criminal prosecution for obscenity violations; why a bestselling author with a new kids’ book was barred from speaking at a Texas school; and the first new state e-book bill of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Making of ‘Tephlon Funk’: PW Talks with Stephane Metayer

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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12 Sci-Fi Stories to Help Make Sense of the Climate, Risk, and Our Digital Lives

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[ Slate | 2022-12-30 10:50:00 UTC ]
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Agate Publishing's 20-Year Commitment to Diversity

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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How Publishers Make Old Books New Again

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Can U.S. Printers Make a Comeback?

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Disney built an AI that can easily make actors look younger or older

Disney researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system that seemingly makes it far easier to make an actor appear younger or older in a scene. While artists will still be able to make manual adjustments to make sure the effect looks as realistic as possible, the AI tool could take... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-12-01 15:45:09 UTC ]
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Make Yourself at Home: Meet the U.S. Team at Nosy Crow Inc.

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-28 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Makes Cuts to Its Book Group

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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