Helpful Score: 2
I thought nothing could beat "Mother Night," but "Sirens of Titan" is my new favorite. Probably my favorite book in general. Vonnegut is (was?) genius.
Helpful Score: 1
Another good Vonnegut book. Actually, a long time ago, this is the first one that I started reading at a friend's house. It was quite bizarre, but it definitely made me want to read the whole book, and other Vonnegut. A very odd story, certainly nothing I would ever imagine on my own, and poignant in its own way. What is earth's history all about? Why are we here? How does time really work?
Helpful Score: 1
An actual, linear story by Vonnegut. I'd call it light SF/fantasy, with some dark humor thrown in. A bit dated, but quite readable. Not as good as Cat's Cradle, but definitely better than Breakfast of Champions in my opinion. Worth reading.
Helpful Score: 1
I have to say this book is like nothing I've ever read. It is entertaining, weird, outlandish and fun. It moves fast and I looked forward to reading each evening. However, I was a little disappointed in the ending but it was only because I wanted a little more insight and the author obviously wants you to make up your own mind. I would definitely read this author again though.
This is actually my favorite book by Vonnegut. I cant say why, there was something challanging in the plot for me. The critcs on the cover say the same thing...I wonder why. It's a good book, but if you have never read Vonnegut before, find a copy of "Slaughterhouse-5" first, for a full exposure to him. And enjoy! He is about like a modern Mark Twain I suppose.
August 1972 printing.
I became curious about Kurt Vonnegut after reading the urban legend about a commencement speech he supposedly gave at MIT. It turned out that he never gave such a speech. The speech was not actually given to anyone, but rather a column writer's envision of a speech she would give, if someone were to ask her to give a speech.
After reading the speech I began to wonder why would someone think the speech came from Kurt Vonnegut? Who is the Kurt Vonnegut anyway? I searched a bit and found that he is a science fiction author who doesn't like to be classified as a science fiction author. My next objective was to read something he wrote an see if it's as amusing as the commencement speech that was mistakenly credited to him. A trip to Barnes and Nobel produced many possible titles. I chose the one that a critic said was "his first landmark work".
In this story, a man is caught in a strange time continuum that makes him exist in an orbit of the sun which causes him to materialize on different planets at regular intervals. He can also see the future, but is powerless to change it. After many years, he causes a small piece of metal to be delivered to an extra-terrestrial robot with a greeting message to the unknown sections of the universe. The small piece of metal is a replacement part for his crippled space ship.
The book was good enough to finish. At the end I asked myself, so what is all this fuss about Vonnegut about? I still don't get it. I was disappointed because if it had turned out good, this Vonnegut guy has plenty of other books and I could read them all. Now I don't plan to get another.
After reading the speech I began to wonder why would someone think the speech came from Kurt Vonnegut? Who is the Kurt Vonnegut anyway? I searched a bit and found that he is a science fiction author who doesn't like to be classified as a science fiction author. My next objective was to read something he wrote an see if it's as amusing as the commencement speech that was mistakenly credited to him. A trip to Barnes and Nobel produced many possible titles. I chose the one that a critic said was "his first landmark work".
In this story, a man is caught in a strange time continuum that makes him exist in an orbit of the sun which causes him to materialize on different planets at regular intervals. He can also see the future, but is powerless to change it. After many years, he causes a small piece of metal to be delivered to an extra-terrestrial robot with a greeting message to the unknown sections of the universe. The small piece of metal is a replacement part for his crippled space ship.
The book was good enough to finish. At the end I asked myself, so what is all this fuss about Vonnegut about? I still don't get it. I was disappointed because if it had turned out good, this Vonnegut guy has plenty of other books and I could read them all. Now I don't plan to get another.
Not what I was expecting. Not sure what I expected though. Something more grounded in life like Cat's Cradle or Slaughterhouse Five, I guess. I understand why it's classified as science fiction now. I think science fiction is a misunderstood genre. It's about the human experience more than fantastical technology. At it's great this is about the meaning of life. Enjoyable book.
Probably his most famous work
When Winston Niles Rumfoord flies his spaceship into a chrono-synclastic infundibulum he is converted into pure energy and only materializes when his waveforms intercept Earth or some other planet. As a result, he only gets home to Newport, Rhode Island, once every fifty-nine days and then only for an hour. But at least, as a consolation, he now knows everything that has ever happened and everything that ever will be. He knows, for instance, that his wife is going to Mars to mate with Malachi Constant, the richest man in the world. He also knows that on Titan -- one of Saturn's moons -- is an alien from the planet Tralfamadore, who has been waiting 200,000 years for a spare part for his grounded spacecraft...
my fav vonnegut!
