Mitchell's Worlds After watching the impressive film adaptation of Cloud Atlas, created by Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, I decided to read the original novel by David Mitchell in order to dive into the depth of the stories that so captured me on screen. However, unfortunately, the book did not meet my expectations and left me feeling disappointed. At first glance, Cloud Atlas is an ambitious project combining six different storylines taking place in different eras, with different characters who are connected by thin, almost invisible threads. But this multi-layered structure, which looked dynamic and fascinating in the film, turns into a cumbersome and tedious construction in the book. Yes. I couldn't get rid of comparing the original source with the film adaptation. Perhaps this is the wrong approach to reviewing a book, but still, for me, this work exists simultaneously on the screen and on the pages of the book. Therefore, they seem to complement each other. The main drawback of the novel is its excessive length and abundance of unnecessary details. For almost 800 pages, the author immerses us in worlds filled with long descriptions, slow dialogues and scenes that are not always important to the overall plot. It often seems that Mitchell became too involved in creating a complex mosaic, sacrificing the pace and engagement of the reader. As a result, the book seems overloaded and drawn out, and instead of captivating, it rather tires. In addition, boring and sometimes dispassionate narration is another serious disadvantage. Unlike the film, which deftly balances between different storylines, maintaining tension and interest, the book suffers from a lack of dynamics and emotional tension. Some of the stories that could have been exciting and dramatic turn into long and sluggish episodes that don't elicit the right response. Another disappointment was that the book, despite its complexity, does not create the same level of emotional connection with the characters that was achieved in the film. In the film adaptation, you instantly immerse yourself in each of the stories, feeling the pain, joy and fear of the characters. In the book, this effect is lost due to the protracted and sometimes unnecessarily detached narrative. Stories do not capture with the same force, and sometimes there is a desire to skip a few pages ahead in order to find at least something really fascinating. Speaking of the film adaptation, it can be noted that it is a concise but powerful version of the novel, highlighting the most important and interesting. The scriptwriters skillfully reduced the excess by focusing on the key points that keep the viewer in suspense and allow them to fully immerse themselves in the story. The film thus becomes something like the "quintessence" of the book, which contains all its best elements, without lengthy descriptions and unnecessary details. The book acts like a TV series, which is well filled with useless actions and unnecessary descriptions. "Cloud Atlas" is a novel with great ambitions and an interesting concept, but its execution leaves much to be desired. If you are delighted with the film, the book may disappoint you with its overload and lack of emotional tension. That's exactly what happened to me. However, this is my personal opinion. I fully admit that reading the book without looking back at the film will find its admirers of Mitchell's work. But I made a conclusion for myself after reading it — perhaps it is better to leave the book aside and enjoy how the directors were able to convey the most important and fascinating of this complex work. 4 out of 10