Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas Glossary

3-Ds

holograms

aboriginals

a native or indigenous group of people associated with a specific territory or country.

AdVs

advertisements

aero

airplane

aqua

water

ascension

the act of ascending to a higher level of intelligence and enlightenment by fabricants.

Aurora House

dubious nursing home in Hull, England that Timothy Cavendish escapes from.

Beloved Chairman

unnamed leader of Neo So Corpos.

Big I

Island near modern Hawaii that encompasses the Nine Folded Valleys.

blissweed

a drug

Bruges

a city in Belgium, northwest of Zeebrugge.

Buenas Yerbas

fictitious city in California, location of the Luisa Rey Mystery.

cannibal

a person who eats human flesh

Cape Nazareth

Religious mission in Polynesia visited by Adam Ewing during his voyage aboard the Prophetess.

Catechisms

list of rules or creeds masked as spiritual incentives for all fabricants.

chateau

a country estate in imitation of French architecture, specifically castles.

Chatham Islands

group of islands in the South Pacific off the coast of New Zealand.

Chongmyo Plaza

shopping center and location of Sonmi-451’s former home, Papa Song’s.

Cloud Atlas Sextet

Robert Frobisher’s masterpiece.

colt

gun

Corpocracy

commerce based government run by corporations. Example: Neo So Corpos.

Darwin

God of intelligence and father of Sonmi.

deadlands

lands that can no longer support life or commerce.

Declarations

Sonmi-451’s philosophical message to her potential successors.

disney

film

downstrata

middle class of Neo So Corpos

Dreamin’ Night

a rite of passage for adolescent Valleymen who sleep at the Icon’ry and wait for Sonmi to visit their dreams.

fabricants

genetically programmed clones born into slavery with the sole purpose of serving pureblood citizens of Neo So Corpos without compensation.

Facescape

total reconstruction of the face.

Fall, the

the end of the civilized world.

ford

car

freakbirth

child born with unnatural traits

Genomed

genetically engineered

Hawi

Hawaii

Honokaa Barter

biggest open market in the Nine Valleys. Sacked by the Kona.

horrorsome

horrible

Hwa-Soon(s)

type of Papa Song fabricant

Hydra Nursery Corp

Fabricant womb tank facility

HYDRA-Zero Reactor

faulty nuclear energy reactor created by Seaboard Inc. Rufus Sixsmith reported that the HYDRA-Zero reactor was unsafe and if used it could have catastrophic results.

Icon'ry

home to the icons of the Valleymen. Adolescents spend the night in the Icon’ry on Dreamin’ Night.

Juche

judge

Knuckle Sandwich

novel written by Dermot Hoggins and published by Cavendish Publishing.

kodak

photograph

Kona

tribe of wild men who take over northern Big I. They act as a barbaric foil to the peaceful Valleymen.

Kyelim(s)

new stemtype of Papa Song fabricants

Lite house

site of Sonmi-451’s execution

Logoman

mascots and spiritual leaders of major corporations of Neo So Corpos. Ex: Papa Song’s.

Luger

a German 9 millimeter pistol.

Ma-Leo Da(s)

type of Papa Song fabricant

malboro

cigarette

Maori

cannibalistic tribe of the Chatham Islands. They conquered the Moriori tribe.

Mauna Kea

the highest mountain in the Nine Valleys. Zachry and Meronym climb to the top despite warnings against the evils that lurk there.

Moriori

a peaceful tribe of the Chatham Islands who were defeated and enslaved by the Maori.

mulatto

a person of mixed race, having Black and Caucasian ancestry.

Neo So Corpos

country run by corporations in the far future, located in or near Korea.

New South Wales

populous state in South East Australia.

nikes

sneakers or tennis shoes

Nine Folded Valleys

located on Big I, the Valleys are located in the northern section of the Island.

Notary

or notary public who is licensed to prepare legal documents

Old Un's

Those whose greed led to the end of civilization. Ancestors of the Valleymen, Prescients, etc.

orison

a silver egg-shaped recording device which can access the memory of any other orison in use or ever used.

Papa Song's

restaurant corporation in Neo So Corpos similar to contemporary McDonald’s complete with a clownish mascot called Papa Song. Home of Sonmi-451 before her ascension.

parasite

an organism which lives in or on a host from whom it absorbs sustenance

pox

short for smallpox, a deadly skin disease.

Prescients

the last advanced race of people in the world after the Fall.

Prophetess, the

the mid-nineteenth century cargo vessel that transported Adam Ewing from New South Wales to Hawaii.

pureblood

citizens of Neo So Corpos with Soulrings; of the upstarta or downstrata social class

random conceptions

natural conception or births

rebirth

reincarnation

redscab

disease of the skin that plagues the Valleymen.

scorpion fish

poisonous fish that almost killed Catkin.

Seaboard Inc.

Corrupt corporation located on Swannekke Island in California that develops nuclear energy sources. It is brought down by Luisa Rey and Rufus Sixsmith.

sextet

musical composition composed of a set of six vocals or instruments.

Sloosha’s Crossin’

site of Zachry’s father’s murder and his brother’s kidnapping. Located in the Nine Folded Valleys.

Soap

fabricant food source, genetically engineered to suppress fabricant intelligence and promote docility. It is made from the liquefied remains of fabricants.

Sonmi

Deity of the Valleymen who help souls be reborn. Her name and likeness was influenced by Sonmi-451

Sonmi(s)

type of Papa Song fabricant

sony

a type of hand-held computer tablet

Soulrings

identification chips implanted in pureblood citizens of Neo So Corpos.

spiker

a spear

Spyglass

local Buenas Yerbas magazine and employer of Luisa Rey.

starbuck

coffee

steel trees

skyscrapers

stemtype

refers to a specific subgroup of fabricants. Ex: The Yoona’s.

stowaway

a person who does not pay passage onboard a ship.

Swannekke Island

located off the coast of fictional Buenas Yerbas, California. The island houses Seaboard Inc., maker of nuclear energy. The Island is partially owned by environmentalist and activist, Margo Roker.

tone poem

a musical composition, usually instrumental that conveys a particular story, theme, or mood.

Union

the underground abolitionist group determined to bring down Neo So Corpos with the help of a fabricant army.

upstrata

upper class of Neo So Corpos

valise

a small suitcase

Valleymen

the Valleymen are peaceful and community-based. Led by the Abbess, they govern their lives according to the teachings of Sonmi, their God, and avoid the temptation of evil.

vermicide

medicine to kill parasitic intestinal worms.

wideway

airport runway

Yonna(s)

type of Papa Song fabricant

Zedelghem

Belgium municipality in the providence of West Flanders, severely impacted by World War I.

Zizzi Hikaru Doll

a genetically engineered tiny fabricant or living doll