Kurt Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan: An Epic Sci-Fi Adventure

MR KEVIN MULVENNA: Very well constructed book - satire meets Sci fi

United Kingdom on Oct 22, 2023

B. Armstrong: From an overall humanist standpoint, through a stoic acceptance of fate and the possible meaninglessness of our existence, passing through social comments on inequality to pointing out the absurdity of much human effort, this novel brings to light themes which Vonnegut would develop in at least half of the books he would later write. Indeed, the "universe" he writes of in his major works are nearly all firmly within the one he creates here.

If you are unfamiliar with his work, this is the one to start with. If you haven't caught up with this one and have read others, this one is the wellspring of them all.

I read it when I was 18 and have just read it now 50 years later and I still find in it that mix of humour, sadness and wisdom that got me hooked on KV back then.

No spoilers - read this book!

Spain on Sep 01, 2022

ちゃこ: 人生最高の名著です。

Japan on Apr 09, 2021

phrygian: 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.

Canada on Sep 30, 2020

Philby: 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...

Australia on Mar 30, 2019

Amazon Customer: TL:DR;

Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan is just outside the fringes of what I normally like to read, and I found myself walking away from the book with a slightly muddled sense of satisfaction. The book left me with plenty of things to think about: human nature and certain philosophies being chief among them. Vonnegut does an excellent job building and shaping his characters. Malachi Constant, Beatrice Rumfoord and Winston Niles Rumfoord all felt very real to me and evoked a wide range of emotions over the course of the book.

The story is interesting and compelling as well; however, I did find the beginning of the book to be very bland and a bit off putting (I did later come to see the necessity of the beginning, but that did not make it anymore interesting to read while I was reading it.) Ultimately, I enjoyed the book and I would encourage people to read it, but I would only actively recommend this book to specific readers. If you want to explore human nature, follow one man on his quest for the meaning of life, or experience a small taste of just how indifferent and large the galaxy really is, I would highly recommend this book. If you’re looking for space...

United States on Feb 17, 2015

Joey Lott: I am frankly surprised at the negative reviews of this book. Admittedly, I am a fan of Vonnegut's work. In fact, I like even the books of his that *he* himself wasn't particularly fond of (i.e. Slapstick). Admittedly, the bulk of this book is, to use one of Vonnegut's own popular sentiments, "pessimistic". Perhaps 200+ pages out of the book are a bit of a downer in that it presents an incredibly fatalistic and even cynical view of humanity and life in general. But hey, it's Vonnegut. He's asking you to think a little. He's challenging you to question your beliefs. And, I'm not sure that he's presenting conclusions or answers. I think he's just asking the questions.

*Spoilers ahead*

Sure, the Tralmafadorians have manipulated life on Earth for nothing more than to deliver a small, perfectly machined piece of metal to Titan. But so what? Vonnegut paints a complicated picture. He doesn't spell it out. He's not stating that it's all fatalistic. I don't think *he* had drawn the conclusions. I think he was asking the questions for himself.

I think it is a brilliant and challenging novel. 5 stars. And, I'm surprised at the complexity and the breadth that he weaves so...

United States on Dec 13, 2014

JJCEO: Malachi Constant has it all, the richest man in the world and he is blessed with good luck. Unfortunately many things are about to change. His selfish and indulgent lifestyle suddenly pales in comparison to his now traveling to Mars to see the preparations for a war with Earth.

His travels take him to Mercury then back to Earth and finally to the moon of Saturn named Titan. There Malachi meets Winston Niles Rumford who is a lost earthling space traveler who has caused much of the turmoil in Malachi's life including the Martian war....

Kurt Vonnegut was born and lived in the same city I was born in and this leads me to read his books. I am an avid reader and lover of the Sci-Fi genre and Kurt was well known for his work as a Sci-Fi author. His style is more imagination and anything is possible if you believe in it versus the hard science of other famous Sci-Fi authors of that time period. Basically if you want to do something, just make it up!

His stories are more about the characters and their interaction and his focus sometimes seems to belittle the existence of mankind and the futility of war. This story for example is about mankind and civilization being...

United States on May 16, 2012