Rating: 
Summary: The best Vonnegut novel I have read
Review: This is my fifth Vonnegut novel (I have already read Player Piano, Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions) and I can say with confidence that The Sirens of Titan is the best in this group. It is neat to see Vonnegut's novels evolve over time: Player Piano, while still a masterpiece, is a very conventional novel without a lot of the craziness that is so evident in his later novels. Breakfast of Champions is the most unconventional novel I have ever read, its like the two books were written by two totally different authors.
The Sirens of Titan, on the other hand, is somewhere in the middle. There is a clear plot in the story, much like Player Piano, but it is not as structured as the former. We begin to see the early beginnings of what would later become one of Vonnegut's trademarks: unrelenting sarcasm and irony. What makes The Sirens of Titan my favorite Vonnegut novel? Everything comes together at the very end. Throughout the novel, there is a clear question looming over the reader and the characters in the book: the purpose of human life. Vonnegut answers this question (or Malachi Constant, rather) in the last few pages of the story, and it is absolutely brilliant. The fact that the author even dared to ask such a question and then answer it, is extraordinary.
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: Yes, Excellent!
Review: The Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions), tells the story of how a lucky only son, Malachi Constant, gains extreme wealth, travels to Mars, Mercury, and Titan, loses his wealth, fulfills prophesy, continues his name, and, ultimately, is a victim of "somebody up there."
This is a difficult novel to summarize, as it is largely told in science-fiction form, involving interplanetary travel, robot aliens, and, of course, the chrono-synclastic infundibula. The protagonist is my Constant, whose name changes as his identity and role changes. Another key character is Winston Niles Rumfoord, the first man to fly into the chrono-synclastic infundibula between Mars and Earth. In the infundibula, Rumfoord is trapped in the light rays of the solar system and appears in various locations at regular intervals, as the rays come into contact. Hence, the novel has heavy sci-fi characteristics.
What sets this aside from much of the genre, though, is Vonnegut's focus on message through the medium of the protagonist, instead of through plot-heavy development.
The plot is loosely a parody/parallel to Old Testament characters involving Job, Jonah, and Noah. The book of Job rings the clearest of these. In fact, there are several rather blatant biblical motifs such as Rumfoord's revised edition of the Bible itself, with several passages quoted throughout the novel.
As the novel is following Constant's life, Rumfoord himself is heavily shaping the Earth's activities, as being in the infundibula not only gives him knowledge of foreign planets, but also of all solar system time. Thus, he slants in toward his own goals, including through the development of a new religion: The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent, featuring Malachi's catch phrase, "I was a victim of a series of accidents, as are we all."
Obviously, the theme has a lot to do with individuals' and societies' attempts to find reason in their worlds, cultures, and faiths.
Like other Vonnegut novels, the tone is relatively light and humorous, with a lot of ridiculous and strange occurrences. The language and sentences are structured simply and the book is a quick read. However, behind the simply structure and sci-fi settings, the characters and theme show far more than most books of similar "lightness." In all Vonnegut writing, wit and cynical, sarcastic elements create a strong social perspective that dominates over what, at first glance, appears to be light-hearted. Vonnegut also writes in a "clean," less assaulting style than younger writers whose styles rely on similar elements of wit and sarcasm. Read it! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Vonnegut, but very much on my mind since I purchased it off Amazon is "The Losers' Club" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.
Rating:
Summary: Great read.
Review: I had to read this book as a requirement for my AP English IV course. I must say that Vonnegut does an extremely good job of explaining the meaning of life using the most finite, human terms possible. A great read for anybody.
Rating:
Summary: I've read most of the Vonnegut books . . .
Review: and I've loved almost every one I've read. But if Vonnegut books were women, this is the one I'd marry. This is the one I come back to again and again. This is the one I read once a year, every year. Five stars is not enough.
Rating:
Summary: One of Vonnegut's Best.
Review: Up there with Cat's Cradle and Breakfast of Champions, and better than Slaughterhouse Five. This is my personal favorite. Excellent social commentary, intriguing plotline, very funny. Wouldn't suggest it as an introduction to Vonnegut, though it could be worse, for instance, Galapagos would turn lots of readers off (though it is an excellent book as well.), but once you've got a book or two of Vonnegut's under your belt (Cat's Cradle, Bluebeard, or Player Piano are pretty good to start off with) definitely read this.
Rating:
Summary: The best book of it's kind.
Review: This book is almost always found in the science fiction section, only because it defies categorization. The space ships, Martian armies, and other trappings of the genre are only tools that are used to describe Vonnegut's vision of the world.
In a deceptively simple form, he tackles some of the biggest questions about mankind, such the randomness of fate, the failure of religion to explain fundamental questions, and our search for meaning. Sounds like a lot of territory, huh? Most authors wouldn't even try, yet Vonnegut manages to create a book that tries to answer these questions. No book ever written so far has done that of course, but at least he makes some thought-provoking and interesting insights along the way.
If you are a pollyanna that wants the world to appear to be a happy place where the wicked get what they deserve, and the just are rewarded, you will hate this book. Vonnegut's life experiences and somewhat troubled mind color all his work--color it with the cruel, random nature of human existence. (did you catch that Vonnegut-ism in this last sentence?)
Rating:
Summary: Sirens, Lear & Oddysey
Review: King Lear, The Oddysey and modern frame of reference all rolled into one. An all-time favorite.
Rating:
Summary: Irony All Over the Place
Review: Right up there with my favorites of all time. Jerry Garcia lijed it so much that he bought the film rights to ensure that it was never made into a bad movie (like Slapstick). His estate sold it back to KV for $1 a couple of years ago.
S of T is so unique in so many ways. The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent, caves of Mercury, Martian armies armed with sticks. It is a true page turner not just to see what happens to Unk, but to find out where KV is taking us next.
The irony took weeks to sink in. Characters are wonderful and it's just like KV to create a robot that is the most sensitive and soulful of all.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: At first glance, it can be read as an entertaining science fiction book, but with Vonnegut - a closer look and some thought always reveals a comment on life and people. In this case, galactic travel, a human army raised on Mars for eventual war with earth, a leader able to tell the future and set it into place - all give us some perspective on man's tendencies toward pride, cosmic purpose and self-interest. All of this culminates with the point that we should stop seeking contentment through external sources, focus on being kind to each other and the rest will take care of itself. All around, a great book...
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