Rating: 
Summary: A Hilarious Satire
Review: Science fiction fans will appreciate this novel filled with Martians and spaceships; and yet readers of other genres will find themselves quickly enchanted by the mystery Vonnegut creates, eagerly devouring page after page. This novel starts out explaining how Winston Niles Rumfoord, obviously a wealthy man, has been caught in a "chronosynclastic infundibulum" while traveling in his private space ship with man's best friend, his dog Kazak. "Chronosynclastic infundibulum" is explained as "being those places...where all the different kinds of truths fit together." Not a very helpful definition, but the reader will develop his own sense of the meaning behind this phrase while reading about the lives of Malachi Constant and Beatrice Rumfoord, discovering the way Winston Rumfoord orchestrates their lives. Their future has been predicted by Winston Rumfoord and despite their own desires to thwart this prediction, they are warned that nothing they can do will stop it from happening. I'm not a fan of science fiction but this book was amazing! The ending caught me by surprise and I was pleasantly intrigued throughout by the interesting web of events Vonnegut created.
Rating:
Summary: The Sirens Of Vonnegut
Review: To me - This is the best novel I have ever read. It is a work about finding truth in the most unexpected and hurtful ways, about compromise and self teaching of reality, and of all - A true science fiction breakthrough. To a novel written in the 50's, this book is even original and ahead of its time to this day. The out of mind wacky but malanchlic story of Unk, Malachi Constant and a few more other space wanderers who can't really make up their minds or fates where they should end up, is a grasp on the reader's mind and heart. This is a book to keep to your children, when one day they'll grow up. Giving them this book to read would be a nice way to say - "Buckle up. Life's a bitching ride."
Rating:
Summary: To love and to be loved...
Review: This is Kurt Vonnegut's second novel, and a sign of things yet to come. Upon first reading, The Sirens of Titan appears as pure science fiction, a tale of Martian invasion and inter-planetary missions. But upon closer review and inspection, this piece reveals a deeper and very unique vision of human purpose, life, and thought. This story is told in the form of a flashback to the "Nightmare Ages...between the Second World War and the Third Great Depression", a time when people had yet to explore their own souls. We find the world's richest and most immoral person, Malachi Constant, visiting a man caught in a Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum. This man sends Malachi on a journey that will make of him an example of what human life should not be. Many points are made defining human significance; in fact, the first two pages summate the history of Earth, in terms of exploration for knowledge of a greater purpose, and our subsequent failure to find meaning outside ourselves. Winston Niles Rumfoord, stuck in Chrono-Synclastic Infidibula, has a great scheme, a plan to aide and enlighten humanity. As he says: "Any man who would change the World in a significant way must have showmanship, a genial willingness to shed other people's blood, and a plausible new religion to introduce during the brief period of repentance and horror that usually follows bloodshed". He trains an army of earthlings on Mars, shaving their heads and implanting radios in their skulls to make them a mindless mass of killers who simply follow orders. Sounds familiar, no? Their attack on Earth is futile, and is made meaningful to Earth's people because "Earth's glorious victory over Mars had been a tawdry butchery of virtually unarmed saints, saints who had waged feeble war on Earth in order to weld the peoples of that planet into a monolithic Brotherhood of Man". During this time of understanding, repentance, and horror, Winston Niles Rumfoord introduces The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent. A religion that can be accepted by anyone, it teaches that puny man can do nothing at all to help or please God Almighty, and Luck is not the hand of God. Finally, war, fear, hate, and envy in the name of religion shall die. Because there is truth in your soul, a meaning within yourself, rather than some phenomenal plan uncontrolled by people. There is no Great purpose for human life, and the only thing close to it is the delivery of a missing piece from a Tralfamadorian's ship. So, in light of our virtually meaningless existence, there is but one purpose a human can act upon singularly and individually: to love and to be loved. If Vonnegut's goal was to answer this question that many are afraid to ask, I feel sure that he achieved it. A philosophy few may agree with, it is plausible nonetheless. This is a powerful novel, pointing out the futility of war, the evil we do to create an army of "one", mankind's dependence upon finding meaning any way he can, be it in religion or space, and that "everything that ever has been always will be, and everything that ever will be always has been". Reading this will make you think, about purpose (or lack thereof), about love, about all the things that define our existence.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps his best book
Review: I've read many of Kurt Vonnegut's novels, and this is perhaps his best one of all (quite a high complement indeed, when considering the man is, in my opinion at least, one of the foremost writers of the 20th century.) Vonnegut's wit is acerbic and as on-target as ever; this time he expells on us about the meaning of life... or the meaninglessness of it. While this is perhaps not his most profound and meaningful novel (which would probably be Cat's Cradle), and not his most purposeful one (undoubtedly Slaughterhouse-Five), it is perhaps his wittiest and one of his funniest, and works the best as satire. It is astonishingly well-written. Quite a bit leap over his already very good first book, Player Piano. This has more of a plot than later novels would, without using much of the non-linear storytelling format that Vonnegut would later make famous use of. At this point, I also feel the need to comment on the review titled "whence..." The reviewer is taking the details of this book too seriously. The point of this book is not the plot or the details; it is the principle, the style. The reviewer goes to pains to point out scientific inaccuracies and plot holes in the book (yes, the escape maneuver from Mercury is implausible; yes, things happen in the book without any apparent logic or reason; but neither of these matter in the larger context of the book.) This book is not meant to be hard science fiction; nor should it be compared to scientifically stringent fiction by writers such as Arthur C. Clarke (whom the reviewer referenced.) In fact, I would say that this book is not science fiction at all. It is satire, pure and simple. The scientific ideas and elements in the plot are not meant to be taken seriously (as is often the case with actual hard science fiction; for example, the aformentioned Clarke's "The Fountains of Paradise", in which he propagates his vision for a space elevator.) Vonnegut uses these only as means to an end. This is seriously-intended satire (albeit highly enjoyable to read) put into a science fiction framework. This is actually, I would argue, what makes the book great. The genius of Vonnegut is that he takes highly serious subjects and puts them into a context in his books that puts them in a universal light where they can be examined: through satire, he places deathly serious subjects in improbable situations where we can all laugh at them, be entertained by them, but also examine their reality in depth. All books by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. work on two levels. The first is the "skin deep" level, on which the books appear to be merely rough-and-tumble, hilarious, little entertaining adventures. However, there is also the deeper element that is always there, the hard themes that resonate beneath the surface. Many writers treat such things entirely seriously, which is fine, but Vonnegut's style puts it in a format that everyone can relate to. This is why he is such a great and important writer, and why so many of us relate to him and have learned so much from him. Perhaps our most acute AND entertaining social critic, Kurt Vonnegut is an author that we are lucky to have, and this is one of the brightest shining gems in his canon.
Rating:
Summary: A quintessential Vonnegut work, one of his best
Review: I wish I didn't have to give a star rating to this novel. It just seems a bit presumptuous to put a subjective star rating on a novel that answers the question of the meaning of human existence! Seriously, this is a terrific book, and it was interesting to see that even this early in his career Vonnegut was already a master practitioner of the English language. Vonnegut's gift is the ability to take a novel that on its own, irregardless of the various ideas and deeper layers of meaning contained in the work, is extremely entertaining, contains many plot twists, suprises, interesting characters, and hilarious wit. Yet, the book also is a fascinating philosophical novel about a subject no less grand than the meaning of all human existence. Vonnegut is such an amazing writer in the sense that unlike some authors, he can write a novel of ideas that is still entertaining to those who don't have the patience for more "highbrow" literature, yet alternatively, he can write a entertaining, easy to read/follow novel that doesn't insult the intelligence of a more highbrow audience who are looking for something deeper that just a basic plot-focused book. I hate to sound like a blurb on the back of a novel, but if you were to read just one Vonnegut novel that epitomizes his writing style, this is the one I would recommend.
Rating:
Summary: I guess that someone up there likes me
Review: This was one of the better books that I have read. Vonnegut is one crazy cat. I loved the whole church of God the utterly indiferent concept, it rocked my world. This was the second Vonnegut book that I have read and it won't be my last
Rating:
Summary: More than corn in Indiana,
Review: Vonnegut's gift of visualization weaves us another reality. This book is absolutely addictive. In fact it left me jonesing so bad for more, that I read it in about four or five different servings. There is a mysterious element to the book that really makes it what it is. The story evolves as it goes along so well, that you could easily get lost. He adds these subtle little hints throughout the story that make you say, I know who that is or I bet this is going to happen. Malachi Constant whom is the main character in the story, ends up with about roles before it's over. I've read Vonnegut before, and this just proves once again that there is more than corn in Indiana. His writing is anything but ordinary. The detail he uses and it's relevance to the story make for great Science Fiction. What other Science Fiction can you make you laugh like Vonnegut's though? His views on the nature of man are more non-fiction. No one is spared in his interpretations. The ending, though sad, ends up pretty surprising. This book is a must read for all you Orwell fans.
Rating:
Summary: Title
Review: Kurt Vonnegut has always been a writer way beyond his time. When
"The Sirens Of Titan" was published in 1959, its blend of dark
humor, social satire, and science fiction was something
completely new. His unique writing style has inspired many
modern authors, such as Chuck Palachnuk, author of
"Fight Club." When I first began to read "The Sirens Of
Titan" I had no idea that it was written in the 50's.
The style of the book seemed so similar to modern literature, that
I mistook it for a 20th century novel. I had read Chuck Palachunk's
novels before "The Sirens Of Titan" and I noticed many striking
similarities. I thought Vonnegut as a rip-off of Palachnuk until
I learned that Vonnegut was about 40 years before Palachnuk's time.
One of the most amazing things about Kurt Vonnegut is how
revolutionary his writing was. His style brought way for the
contemporary/modern/experimental movement in literature, music, and film. The cult classic "Fight Club" could not of been written
without the influence of Vonnegut. I have noticed many similarities
between Vonnegut's style and the films of director Quentin Terentino.
Would we of seen "Pulp Fiction" without Vonnegut? No one can really
say, but the influence of Vonnegut on modern creativity is clearly
evident. "The Sirens Of Titan" tells the tale of Malachi Constant, the
richest man on earth. The Constant family has been one of luck
for many generations, being one of the most richest families in
history. Malachi's father, Noel Constant had gained his fortune
in the stock market. He used the Gideon Bible to do this by paring
up the letters in the first sentence of Genesis. So he had IN, TH,
EB, EG, and so forth. He then bought shares in corporations with
those initials. Noel became very rich, but never told anyone of his
secret. Malachi on the other hand was very foolish with the money
he inherited, often getting very intoxicated at parties and giving
away money, oil rigs, and corporations to ladies he met. The character of Winston Rumfoord is also introduced at the
beginning of the book. He encountered a anomaly in space called
a "chrono-synclastic infundibulum" while traveling in his
private spaceship with his dog Kazak and decided to fly into
it. After this Rumfoord and his dog exist stretched out over all
time and space, because of this they materialize on Earth for
about 1 day every 59 days. These materializations made Rumfoord
a celebrity, even though no one on earth had seen him materialize
except his wife, Beatrice . One day Malachi Constant is invited
to be the first man to witness a materialization. After Rumfoord
materializes he tells Malachi and Beatrice that they will one
day mate and have a son on Titan, one of the moons of Saturn.
Rumfoord claims that when he flew into the chrono-synclastic
infundibulum he saw, in a flash of light, all that has been
and that will be. The thought of mating with one another
disgusts both Malachi and Beatrice and they both promptly
make efforts to never see each other. Beatrice buys Arsenic
Pills to kill herself if she ever sees Malachi ever again, and
Malachi sells his spaceship company to make sure he never ends
up on Titan. Years past and Malachi's fortune and life go downhill. His
father having died years ago, left a note for Malachi to read
only if things went bad. Malachi read the letter and it tells
him to do the first crazy thing someone tells him to do. Right
after this two men come into Malachi's room and explain that they
are soldiers from the Army of Mars and they offer a position in
the army for Malachi. Malachi accepts the offer. What happens
then is a amazing journey from Earth to Mars, To Mercury, and
finally to Titan. The story of this novel is amazing. Vonnegut's imagination is
unparallel to anyone else. I recommend this book to anyone
interested in modern literature and/or science fiction
Rating: 
Summary: AAAAgggghhhhh!!
Review: What a piece of junk. I certainly could write better than this. SiFi should not be that difficult to hold a theme for a story, but this book was utter junk. I hated every page of it and read it only as I was looking for something I never found. I do not recommend buying it ever for any price. I'll send you mine free.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: The story and the characters sucked me in immediately, but there are some profound lessons to be learned as well.
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