Clouds End [Paperback]

Sean Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

From the author of the "New York Times" Notable Book "Resurrection Man" comesthe magical tale of two women, spawned from the same soul, caught between theunreachable sky and the unfathomable sea.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A story of divisions and unions, of opposites and identities, and a modern-minded homage to one of fantasy's best-loved authors. At the heart of this ambitious novel, the slow, though mortal, competition between Brook and her haunt-twin Jo reverberates through everyone around them and through the war that unbalances their world. Though at story's end equilibrium is attained, we have learned how fragile that is, and, setting the book down, the reader can guess at the characters' future and value their present peace in a way that they cannot. Stewart's mythically rich world of lives and stories is engrossing, and the cleanly lyric prose is at times breathtaking. Memorable characters, a world of wonders, and solid plot make the best fantasy, and Clouds End contains all. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Stewart, whose first two novels each won Canada's Aurora Award, crafts as his fourth (after Resurrection Man) an elemental tale as deceptively simple as a Mobius strip. Brook is a young island orphan of Clouds End, which lies dangerously near the fearful Mist. When she is "twinned" by the shapechanger Jo, a haunt who threatens to usurp Brook's place, her lover, indeed, her very soul, Brook must struggle to overcome the shapechanger, whom she loves against her will. Meanwhile, complementary plotlines mesh with this main story, as Brook, Jo, Rope, Foam and Shale set out to save their land from the evil forest emperor whose armies are island-hopping ever closer. Eventually, Brook and her companions arrive on the mainland Arbor, where human conflicts are engulfed in a clash of fire and water that threatens to destroy the world. Stewart's gentle, often poetic diction belies the noisome and gratuitous violence that Brook encounters during her journey, which incessantly recurves upon itself like the seamen's knots through which Stewart symbolizes his characters' actions and motives. In time, Brook and the others learn to restore their wholeness by slaying the Mist-creatures within that are tearing them apart. Sadly, Stewart never quite brings that wholeness into vibrant life in his well-written pages.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ace (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044100525X
• ISBN-13: 978-0441005253
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,245,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sean Stewart is the author of the innovative I Love Bees and Beast search operas, two short stories, and seven previous novels: Galveston, Mockingbird, The Night Watch, Clouds End, Resurrection Man, Nobody's Son, and Passion Play. His novels have received the Aurora, Arthur Ellis, Sunburst, Canadian Library, and World Fantasy awards. He presently writes lots of things that have Non Disclosure Agreements attached so he cannot talk about them. Stewart is tall, energetic, uses big words easily, coaches his daughter's soccer team, is a great reader, has taught writing, and lives in Davis, CA, with his wife and two daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Um, I finished it in a day?, April 23, 2005

By 

Weiss (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clouds End (Paperback)

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.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Myth, May 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Clouds End (Paperback)

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 classic

2) It was a little TOO slow in spots

4.0 out of 5 stars A delicate little book., January 3, 2004

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Clouds End (Paperback)

Think Le Guin meets Goblin Market meets Tolkein and you get a little bit of the effect of Cloud's End.

In the world of the book, the Mist hangs at the edge of all things and calls to people who live in the more solid world. The spirits of things can take human form, and while occasionally helpful are always dangerous. There are oracles and seeings and journeys and predictions and heroes who fight with living fire. One of the best things about this book is its emotional complexity. The characters may have the feel of myth, but they do not think like myths. I appreciated the psychological realism quite a bit. Real toads in imaginary gardens, and all that.

So why not five stars? This is the second Stewart novel that I have read, and while I enjoyed both of them I have also felt like they were missing something. In fact, despite liking it so much while reading it I find myself wondering if I even want to keep the book. The lightness of it is one of its main virtues, but it also keeps it from having real emotional weight. I also was not crazy about the ending, but that is more of a taste issue.

Do not let my minor quibbles dissuade you from reading the book-- it is still better than most of the fantasy out there. I will certainly keep reading Stewart and looking for his perfect book.