Rating: 
Summary: Great Book (And refutation to some reviws)
Review: Let me first tell you that this is by far one of Vonnegut's best. The social commentary that is diguised in the form of satire is rather tremendous and poignant. It has definitely an anti-war flavor to it, but it never overshadows the real substance of the author's witticism. It's a funny book, but not "hillarious" as the back cover of this volume attests. From a different point of view, it's a rather sad book if you understand the implications of the subject matter. A very good book and would recommend to any one interested in modern and post-modern American prose.Refutations: * Vonnegut is a post-modernist, which implies that the book (or any work of art) can and more likely be free of classical rigidity. So, complaining that he jumps back and forth through time and places is not a good criterion to undermine this work. * Repudiating this work because of Vonnegut's anti-war passages is as unfair as doing the same for say, Hemingway, O'Brian, Dalai Lama. * This is a quinteseential post-moder work, and as said above, it should and does not need to conform to the cannonical rules of plot flow, time flow, and characater development. You could even call this book a Cubist work due to its subdivisions within chapters. * This book goes much more than just war. It goes into love, sex, selling of American enterprises (and hence America) to foreign investors, race, class consciousness, and the attempt to keep the status quo by those who are ver well-off. * This book is completely well structured. Your could easily read just one chapter and be as happy as reading the whole book. The chapters are self-sufficient and self-contained. The further chapters are elaborations of thing, characters and bits from preceding chapters. * This is a GOOD book!
Rating:
Summary: Americanism, or not?
Review: Perhaps Vonnegut's best novel. This novel follows the satirical and humorous tradition we have come to expect from Vonnegut. If you are expecting the profanity which gets Vonnegut in trouble so much you will not find it here! Instead he ingeniously creates humerous references to events and other instantces, which is both profound and thought provoking. The novel dwells upon the invasion of foreign nations into the US culture. Whether it be Japanese running our prisions, to using the yen as currancy. The narrator notices this and realizes that no one really cares. Working at a rich school for stupid kids he sees the desire in the upper classes to become European. It was a slap in my face to ponder what it really meant to be an american, and if I am living that way? Is the pursuit of wealth, of any amount, the desire to be European? I am left with that question in my mind. Vonnegut is right, and anyone wanting to become aware of americanism, or lack there of should read this book. Although the novel deals with some heavy issues, it is hard to get really concerned with them because of Vonnegut's light hearted style. It is filled with dark humor that keeps this book right up there with Cat's Cradle, and Slaughterhouse-5. ON a side track, the novel seems to return again and again to the main characters sexual conquests, which are numerous indeed. In fact they are equal to the number of people he killed in Vietnam (when the excretement hit the air conditioning). If anyone took the time to figure out the number of this, please let me know
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Pure Vonnegut at his best. It's impossible not to be clichéd in the modern "try-everything" society. The best we can do is to get the least used, more informed ones, which Vonnegut does perfectly for me. As with most Vonnegut, absolutely no drivel on love, and feelings, or other mushy subjects, although I may be contested on this point: basically, it's abou as far from Titanic as possible. The most effective aspect, which is seen in so few literary works of today, is the frequent lapse in time: althoug based in one time zone, Vonnegut skips nimbly between various occurance of the past, never losing the focus of the audience, and retaining, even strengthening, his glorious pensive approach.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks Kurt
Review: Slaughterhouse-5 was excellent - moving, meaningful, striking, powerfully written... This was better. Hats off, Mr. Vonnegut; I took the time, and read 'em all. They were all wonderful -- this is the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Brave stab, but doesn't stand up to other works.
Review: The best part of Hocus Pocus is the beginning; It creates such a lure that the reader creates immense hope for the rest of the novel and for the most part, the novel does a good job of lving up to those hopes. Vonnegut's style is once again back in full flair, but I found myself bored by some chapters, whereas in another work, Slaughterhouse-5, every page kept me entertained. Not to say this is a bad book, but there are better Vonneguts out there.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone misses it.
Review: The reviewers of ALL modern satire on these Amazon pages (Pynchon, Vonnegut, Robbins, etc.) just aren't able to "put it together." Every single writer of this vein is drawing inspiration from the same well. No one seems interested in going down to the well, so I will. In Hocus Pocus, Vonnegut constructs the image of the disgruntled professor who produces a work of art entitled "The Complicated Futility of Ignorance." This pessimistic display upsets the optimistic outlook of the average American who examines it. Naturally. What do we make of this? Vonnegut is trying to poke fun at the READER. That is what every single one of the modern satirists is doing, folks. They provide good mental candy that stimultes a quick rush, and then they are disposed. Seeing as the relationship between author and reader is akin to the "one-night stand," the author has decided he is going to have the upper hand in the relationship. The second la! w of thermodynamics is REAL. Entropy is a REAL principle. Every cotton-picking thing is going to fall apart and lead to ultimate catastrophe regardless of whether men and women think this is wrong. It just doesn't matter what we think. This is an established FACT. In the light of this inevitability, the modern satirist, such as Vonnegut in this work, pokes fun at the ignorant dupe who is busy reading pulp literature when the Apocalypse is a verifiable reality. "Hocus Pocus," the joke's on you. The end IS going to happen. "And castles made of sand, fall in the sea, eventually......" Get it? I hope someone does.
Rating:
Summary: An excerpt
Review: They didn't rage against the convicts. They were mad at the Government for not making sure that escapes from prison were impossible. The more they ran on like that, the clearer it became that it was their Government, not mine or the convicts' or the Towniers'. Its first duty, moreover, was to protect them from the lower classes, not only in this country but everywhere. Were people on Easy Street ever any different?
Rating:
Summary: Pure Vonnegut
Review: This book is Vonnegut at his best. The story is narrated by the main character, Eugene Dabbs Hartke, discussing the twists and turns that his life has taken and goes on to answer the all important question of how many woman he has slept with in his life. Coming with a large dose of irony, a big dose of satire and a helping of humor, it is close to perfection for Vonnegut. I would not recommend that as an introduction to Vonnegut for I think it takes his style to an extreme that newcomers might not be used to. But anyone who is familiar with the Vonnegut way, this book is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Vonnegut
Review: This book is Vonnegut at his best. The story is narrated by the main character, Eugene Dabbs Hartke, discussing the twists and turns that his life has taken and goes on to answer the all important question of how many woman he has slept with in his life. Coming with a large dose of irony, a big dose of satire and a helping of humor, it is close to perfection for Vonnegut. I would not recommend that as an introduction to Vonnegut for I think it takes his style to an extreme that newcomers might not be used to. But anyone who is familiar with the Vonnegut way, this book is highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish I could give it 4 1/2 stars
Review: This book isn't Vonnegut's best, but it, along with "Bluebeard" and to a lesser extent "Timequake", shows that he is one of the few writers that after a long career still has something original to write about. I especially liked the part about the story by an un-named author in the magazine. Of course, we all know who it is.
| 
