I enjoyed this book, but I believe that I'll end up enjoying the movie more. That does not happen very often, but we shall see. The main reason that I think this might be an exception has to do with the various "voices" throughout the book. Cloud Atlas is basically six separate and independent stories that are loosely tied together through a reincarnation theme. Six protagonists that are essentially the same person in a different body over time. The aspect of "voice" that was annoying to me was the author's tendency to change the voice of the narration in order to make the passage of time more plausible. The first story takes place in 1850 and it's thick with period English to reiterate that time period. The second story jumps to 1930 or so, then on to the late '70s. The fourth is close to a "present day" and the last two are set in the future; the 5th being a technologically advanced society and the sixth being a post-apocalyptic world. What bothered me is that the switch in voice felt cumbersome and forced, difficult to read at the two extremes. That sort of period language does not bother me as much on the silver screen, though. The book was worth a read, but I have higher hopes for the movie.