Venus on the Half-Shell

Rating:
Summary: More like 3 1/2 stars actually
Review: Good, but not (is it) great. I wanted (just) a little more humor, perhaps something along the lines of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is one of my (me) favorites of all time. If you're a fan of (or) that series, I would still suggest you read Venus on the Half-Shell. There are (is) not that many -- or at least I have a hard time finding (rating) many -- books that combine humor and sience fiction. I think the length, however, was perfect, at about 200 pages. Not too long that (the reviewer) will get bored, even if it (a) was slightly (very)disappointing. And, of course, on the very first page is one of my favorite (bad) lines in a book: something to the effect of, "The universe is a very big place, perhaps the biggest." I love that line (idea?)....

Rating:
Summary: Strange Masterpiece
Review: I always thought this book was a weird masterpiece - it's really by Philip Jose Farmer. Kurt Vonnegut thought it would be funny if people found real KT books around in library sales, old used bookstores, etc. so he okay'd it. The book is really twisted and yet it contains a sort of wistful innocence that's hard to describe - like the wan and fading memories of old 60's sci-fi novels you can barely remember. To my way of thinking, this book offers an interesting and oddly important insight into the true nature and essence of the cultural revolution of the 1960's - what William S. Burroughs said was "the last and greatest of human dreams."

Rating:
Summary: As concrete as nihlism can get
Review: I am of the mind that Mr. Trout is indeed the only surviver of some long ago tragedy that had wiped the earth of the human scourge and that we, you and I, are mere inklings, mere suggestions of ideas still left in Mr. Trouts head. I, for one, feel privlidged that I am being devinely guided by Mr. Trout and I hope that, in his infinite wisdom, he lets me get rich soon. A 10 would be presumptous (Trout talking) but an 8 seems about right

Rating:
Summary: Hwang-ho away!
Review: I discovered Kurt Vonnegut in the 1970s when I was a teenager. I thought he was terribly clever, and was eager to read anything he wrote. It was my former brother-in-law (who introduced me to Vonnegut in the first place) who told me about Venus on the Half Shell, and most likely gave me my first copy. I wish I still had it! Like another of the reviewers, I also buy this book every time I run across it. The reason I don't own one now is that I have a habit of loaning my copy to friends, and no one ever returns it. If I'm lucky enough to stumble across another copy, I buy it, read it again, and give it away--never to be returned. You think I'd have learned my lesson. After all this time, I've never grown tired of reading this delighful escapist humor. No, it's not the Great American Novel, nor is it even great science fiction, but it is a lot of fun and takes the reader to some unexpected places--like a world populated by anthropomorphized giant cockroaches, cats, and car tires. A futuristic world where faces of popular movie stars are projected onto the Sphynx. You'll have to read it to understand.

Rating:
Summary: Hwang-ho away!
Review: I discovered Kurt Vonnegut in the 1970s when I was a teenager. I thought he was terribly clever, and was eager to read anything he wrote. It was my former brother-in-law (who introduced me to Vonnegut in the first place) who told me about Venus on the Half Shell, and most likely gave me my first copy. I wish I still had it! Like another of the reviewers, I also buy this book every time I run across it. The reason I don't own one now is that I have a habit of loaning my copy to friends, and no one ever returns it. If I'm lucky enough to stumble across another copy, I buy it, read it again, and give it away--never to be returned. You think I'd have learned my lesson. After all this time, I've never grown tired of reading this delighful escapist humor. No, it's not the Great American Novel, nor is it even great science fiction, but it is a lot of fun and takes the reader to some unexpected places--like a world populated by anthropomorphized giant cockroaches, cats, and car tires. A futuristic world where faces of popular movie stars are projected onto the Sphynx. You'll have to read it to understand.

Rating:
Summary: Author? Which author?
Review: I haven't read this book in years - loaned my copy to someone ages ago and never got it back - but I remember liking it a great deal. More interesting - Kurt Vonnegut spoke at a seminar and then had a book signing/Q&A that I attended about 4 years ago. I asked him what he thought of this book. His response was that he never read it, and wished he hadn't let Philip Jose Farmer use Trout's name to write it. Interesting, and very Vonnegut. I've read that Farmer was a huge Vonnegut fan, and saw this as a tribute to him.

Rating:
Summary: Great read, fun and short!
Review: I loved this book. Even though I havent read it since high school I still think about it. But, where have all the soft back copies gone to? I'm also a huge fan of Vonnegut, and until recently I thought he had written the book. However, Vonnegut's satire and humor is usually a little bit more subtle and dark.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I thought Venus on the Half-Shell was very amusing. If you like Vonnegut's writing, you should like this book by Philip Jose Farmer. Also enjoyed reading the reviews on this page, particularly the one from "a reader from the universe," and the message hidden in parenthesis. Perhaps we should click "yes" if we agree. In closing, buy Venus on the Half-Shell. It's worth the slightly high price.

Rating:
Summary: Free spirited, easy to read space adventure :)
Review: I've been hoping that Trout and Vonnegut ARE NOT the same person, just to preserve the illusion. Oh well... It has a similar style to Slaughter House 5, in that it is readily absorbable, delicate in its audacity, and yet boldly simplistic. A "Must Read"

Rating:
Summary: Life will never be the same
Review: I've never read anything that made more sense. I've bought at least five copies in my life and have given them out to people who need them. I can't wait to get E-mail from Amazon alerting me of new books by authors "like" Trout. That should be interesting.