The Sirens Of Titan

This book shows novels should work: life, although chronological, is not chronological in the emotional and mental experience of how it's lived. It goes forwards, back, loops around, repeats, and will sometimes leave the user feeling like that have no control over it. That is how Vonnegut novels work. He is obsessed (I don't think that is too stronger word) with freewill. Does it exist; how does it operate if it does? That, I think is why time travellers and beings who can see the whole of existence crop up throughout his fiction. His books are funny, in a deadpan kind of way; funny that is also desperately serious (read the last chapter of Cat's Cradle). Put all this together and you have a seriously great writer, one moreover whose style is deceptively simple. Just look at the opening page of Sirens of Titans: it reads almost like a children's book, accept of course it's not. Funny, serious, oddball and just brilliant; just like life.

My Favorite Vonnegut book, and #2 on my all-time best read list. Third time around for this world-wind of a novel. Vonnegut's creativity and story telling par excellence.

Kurt Vonnegut is an amazing writer. This his second major novel I started to read 25 years ago and stopped because Uni text book readings took priority. I now have my own copy to finally finish...

I discovered Vonnegut reading Sci-Fi book reviews and top lists.It's definitively a classic. The style is freshly funny, contorted yet simple (and beautiful).No doubts about it, I recommend this to anyone who wants to read excellent sci-fi novels, and discover all the game in this gender.

First off I'm a Vonnegut fan and have liked most of what he's written, but "Sirens" just didn't seem to be as engaging as most of the others. Oh, yes, I read it all the way through and was, eh, satisfied, with what he served up, but that was it. I've enjoyed re-reading other titles (Slaughterhouse Five, of course!) but this is not one I'm likely to revisit. It is Vonnegut but it's not one of his best.