Clouds End

By Sean Stewart

Book Overview

"Stewart's beautifully lucid, poetic prose makes for a narrative of commanding power and enchantment that echoes the best of Le Guin and Tolkien." -- Booklist
"An astonishing, wise, beautiful work, full of the terror and wonder and love and power of life and legend intertwined." -- Locus
The island people of Clouds End are united by their history, an abundance of tales relating heroic struggles and the emergence of their land from the dreaded Mist. The preservation of their traditions is entrusted to a tribal Witness, who foretells the future and enshrines the past with stories of memorable lives. Young Brook longs for adventures that will culminate in her role as a Witness, and her journey begins when Jo, a shapeshifting "haunt" who sometimes assumes the guise of a seagull, forms her exact double. "Twinning" is a fearful fate since only one of the two can survive and both usually come to untimely ends.
The end seems very near at hand with the sudden pressure of an imminent attack by the forces of a mad emperor from beyond the sea. The threat forces Jo and Brook into an uneasy alliance to defend Clouds End. Together with other young islanders, they set sail to confront the forces of evil and fulfill their destiny.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486816834
• ISBN13: 9780486816838
• Release Date: January 2018
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Um, I finished it in a day?

Which might speak for itself, but Cloud's End is a piece of work that would probably need a discerning reader. In other words, it doesn't seem to be just for anyone. Sean Stewart explores a new world very similar to Le Guin's Earthsea this time around, with islanders for people. The concept, although I've seen before, is still refreshing in many ways, and again the writer manages to show character and emotion better than most I've seen. The story is about a girl, Brook, who was 'twinned' by a creature called Jo. It gets somewhat more complicated as she tries to find a way out of it by going on a journey with her friends, and her lover, Rope. Again, as it seems to be Stewart's style, there can be a bit more sexual stuff here than normal, and a lot of humor that never fails to make me laugh aloud for one second. Nothing that'll split your sides, but that's why you're not reading fantasy anyway, right? It just doesn't seem enough, that's all...this story, I mean. As much as I like the characters there seems to be a lot of things that aren't resolved in the end. Plus, it's not plot driven. Like most of Stewart's stuff, it's character driven. But the problem with this story is there's so many characters, and he uses so many points of views, that it becomes confusing at some points. Plus, because two of the views happen at such different places, the action gets suspended somewhat and you just feel like skipping the whole section on said characters at the time. It's still a good book, but don't expect to be wowed or have a good, fuzzy feeling at the end. In fact, I wanted to throw it against the wall after reading it, but not because I HATED it, there was just something about it (hint: ROPE) that I wanted to peel apart. But that's a personal thing. It's still a gem among the rest of the fantasy out there. If you're sick of all the cookie-cutter books you've been reading so far, drop them all and pick this one up, and several by Sean Stewart as well. You won't regret it.

A Fine Myth

This is an unusual book, with a delightfully different take on a fantasy story. While the author claims on his website that the story outline is based on Tolkein, the characters and action are vastly different from the "elf-opera" that usually results from following Tolkein's lead. This is a refreshing change. The Cloud mythology and the characters, both human and inhuman are fascinating, and the adventure tale is intriguing without being obvious, unbelievable, or overbearing. I've never seen a similar scheme shown in a fantasy book. This is a truly original work.That being said, I notice that some reviewers didn't like it at all. It's not a book for action fans. The plot is slow, and the story minimalist. This is one to be read more comtemplatively, looking for small jewels. It gets four stars because:1) I almost never give 5 unless it's a classic2) It was a little TOO slow in spots

A wonderful, haunting tale

A wonderful, haunting story that ultimately gets to the heart of what fantasy--and stories--are all about.

Sean Stewart creates a haunting fable

Clouds End succeeds where few have in revisiting the "There And Back Again" fable perfected by J.R.R. Tolkien. This story resonates with history and magic, yet its true power lies in the connection we feel with the emotions and conflicts in the characters Stewart has created. This world is as textured and believable as Middle Earth, but manages to remain unique on its own terms. Stewart is fearless in probing the psyche and nightmares of his creations, and the reader constantly has the feeling that he is peering into a true, fully-realized world through the eyes of the author. A rare treat in the SF/Fantasy genre. Highly recommended!

Stewart braids this story together with his magical language

Laced with the dappling beauty of language, Clouds End is a Stewart masterpiece, glittering in metaphor and ripe with adventure. In a world evocative of Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea, Stewart weaves the lives of islanders together like the braids of a rope... and draws the reader into the weave with his tender writing style. He's the best there is at setting the intracacies of mood, and in Clouds End he's at his best doing it. A marvel you wish you could touch, and a fable you wish were true