Criticism focused on the book's failure to meet its lofty goals. "F&SF" reviewer Robert K. J. Killheffer praised Mitchell's "talent and inventiveness and willingness to adopt any mode or voice that furthers his ends," but noted that "for all its pleasures, "Cloud Atlas" falls short of revolutionary." "The Daily Telegraph" gave the novel a mixed review, focusing on its clashing themes, with Theo Tait noting: "In short, "Cloud Atlas" spends half its time wanting to be "The Simpsons" and the other half the Bible."