"'And the tale I have to tell is so ludicrous, so incredible, that you'll never believe a word of it, and yet' -- she taps the end of his nose -- 'it's true.'"
Somehow managing to traverse the Middle Ages, mid-20th century, present day, and the future while visiting Constantinople, Idaho, and outer edges of the galaxy, "Cloud Cuckoo Land" is a bonafide feat.
Anthony Doerr brings a high level of intensity and suspense as he explores magical realism, ecoterrorism, and government plots. The pace can be a bit dizzying and justifications can seem slightly flimsy at times, but the novel is emotional, revealing, and timely (one character's name is Omicron).
"In a life you accumulate so many memories, your brain constantly winnowing through them, weighing consequences, burying pain, but somehow by the time you're this age you still end up dragging a monumental sack of memories behind you, a burden as heavy as a continent, and eventually it becomes time to take them out of this world."
The author's meticulously researched explorations of Greek folios, Italian architecture, and abandoned castles lend a fantastical element to interweaving plotlines.
Seeing so many threads come together so elegantly toward the end of "Cloud Cuckoo Land" made you want to applaud Doerr. His ability to translate his imagination into execution makes this book a must read for anyone who has a silent appreciation for writers of uncanny talent.
"One bad-tempered abbot, the tall scribe said, one clumsy friar, one invading barbarian, an overturned candle, a hungry worm -- and all those centuries are undone. You can cling to this world for a thousand years and still be plucked out of it in a breath."
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