I'm prejudiced when I review a Vonnegut book. Because he has been one of my literary idols for years. You can definitely tell that this was his first novel, after spending so much time crafting his short fiction. So many little plotlines and vignettes are introduced and brought to a climax much within the overall plot of the novel. Like he just couldn't help himself telling a few short ones while working on the big picture. I can't say this is his best work, but it is a very good one. Had I been reading it at the time of its publication, I would have closed the book excited, anticipating the next novel from a major new talent. But, as I've just now read it for the first time, I can say that he definitely lived up to the promise of this first novel.
This was my first Kurt Vonnegut book (other than Man Without a Country) and I was as happy with the book as I thought I would be. His witting style was very easy for me to read. I literally couldn't put this one down. I like the idea of technology causing problems. Even as technology friendly as I am I can see that someday there could be a meltdown and technology will be at the center of it.
Mr. Vonnegut's look into the future, from the past, was very interesting. More so to see what his idea of technology in the future would be like, and to compare it to what really exists today.
Being that this was my first Kurt Vonnegut book I am looking forward to reading even more.
Good book, but a completely different "voice" than most of Vonnegut's work.
The automated "society of the future" described in this Vonnegut classic is a lot closer than you may think!
To date, this is the only Vonnegut book I like.