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 Vonnegut NAILS it November 24, 2008
Don D. Hughes Jr. (Waukegan, IL USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Kurt Vonnegut Jr's The Sirens of Titan begins with Malachi Constant, the richest man in a 22nd-century America, remaining stagnant in regards to his life. He possesses extraordinary luck, which he has used to build upon his father's fortune, but he hadn't really done anything with his life. However, that changes when he becomes the center point of a journey that takes him from Earth to Mars in preparation for an interplanetary war, to Mercury with another Martian survivor of that war, back to Earth to be pilloried as a sign of God's displeasure, and finally to Saturn's moon Titan to meet the man responsible for his respective good or bad fortunes, Winston Rumfoord. Winston Niles Rumfoord, a wealthy New England businessman with a Napoleonic complex, serves both the causes of the protagonist and the antagonist at time. He also serves as the sense of satire in the story, even creating his own religion, The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent, to feed into his own ego.
Ruumfoord and his radical philosophies would eventually cause war between Earth and Mars and the conflict in the story. The novel treats religion by Marxist description, as an opiate of the people, which drives its followers to commit often insane acts. Malachi's banishment from Earth by the Church as a result of Rumfoord's teachings as well as his instigation of the Earth-Mars war leading to the Church's formation. Rumfoord's fortune is so large that he is able to fund the construction of a personal space craft, and he became a space explorer. Traveling between Earth and Mars, Rumfoord and his dog, Kazak--entered a phenomenon known as a `chrono-synclastic infundibulum'. The chrono-synclastcic infundibula are places where these ways to be right co-exist. When they enter the infundibulum, Rumfoord and Kazak become "wave phenoma" somewhat akin to the probability waves encountered in quantum mechanics. They rest along a spiral stretching from the Sun to the star Betelgeuse.
Winston Rumfoord is often the driving force behind the story's plot, in both negative and positive connotations. Whilst it seems sometimes in the story that he's helping Malachi, other times he is hurting Malachi as well as plenty others, making him an unconventional character. With Winston and Malachi, another unconventional character who drives the plot Salo, an explorer from the planet of Tralfamador with a mysterious past. He has a spacecraft powered by the Universal Will to Become, or UWTB, which makes matter and organization wish to appear out of nothingness. Salo's great journey is halted when his spacecraft breaks, stalling him in the Solar System. It isn't until near the end of the book that Salo, Malachi, and Winston's fate, purpose, and history are revealed in full context.
Vonnegut does well building these characters in which makes any reader want to find out more about them. Though it does get confusing at times, differentiating the characters from each other, as with Malachi and his alter-ego Unk, the way he builds the characters, as well as the way he continues the story, was very unconventional for typical literature. Science fiction, at the time, was on the brink of rising, with space exploration coming to light globally, and its writers were beginning to revolutionize their styles. The Sirens of Titan serves as an example of such a revolutionary style of writing. The characters are introduced through dialogue and built slowly but strongly. Vonnegut plays into the archetypal characters in terms of satire. Satire has a strong presence in the book, particularly with the often ridiculous conventions of society, particularly with religion and those who try to abuse it for their own gain.
As outlandish at it may seem at sometimes, the elements of The Sirens of Titan does harbor philosophical and sociological theories that parallel real life. Blindly following a cause, as members of Rumfoord's church do, the thirst for adventure and control of life, as Malachi and Rumfoord want, the fight of freedom versus destiny, as the whole story illustrates and alludes to: all themes that are prevalent in this fine piece of literature. Vonnegut has created a complex story filled with satire, unconventional characters and plots, subtle philosophical theories, and a writing style that will keep any mature reader from setting this piece of great science fiction down.
 A Trip to the Meaning of Life November 24, 2008
cassie colon (Waukegan, IL USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Abandon all native ways of thought processing. Kurt Vonnegut strips his readers' idea of reality apart and replaces it with a new one. Whether it is dark or beautiful it is the reader's choice depending on how it is perceived.
Vonnegut's, Sirens of Titan, exploits tremendous amounts of black comedy, satire, irony, and contradictory ideas. This may leave the reader overwhelmed but, he does this with grace and a complete unexpected turn of events. Even though that these ideas are blatant throughout the novel it is laced with underlying messages and philosophies.
Malachi Constant is told his destiny by Winston Niles Rumfoord and it foreshadows the novel (21). Rumfoord is a man who is "Chrono-synclastic infundibulated" (8-9). He is a man that can tell the future because he says, "...everything that ever has been always will be, and everything that ever will be always has been" (20). Constant is to marry Rumfoord's wife, Beatrice and he will travel to Mars, to Mercury, back to Earth, then to Titan (24). The theme of free will and destiny is expressed throughout the novel. He also demonstrates just how society is easily manipulated. Constant being a very dynamic character goes through a series of drastic changes from the luckiest man on Earth, to a man on Mars named Unk, then to the title of The Space Wanderer. Throughout these changes his ultimate destiny is unfolded.
Sirens of Titan has strong science fiction overtones. Vonnegut utilizes the forces of the universe to express the meaning of life. It contains space ships, aliens, and traveling to other planets which are able to sustain life.
The ideas in Sirens of Titan are very compelling and appealing to just about anyone who pursues the novel. Vonnegut has a way of creating unusual thought patterns which forces the reader to review the ideas. He tickles the idea of reality with philosophies such as infinite moments where time does not exist (301). The reader is taken on a trip to discover the purpose of humankind. Just because human beings see things the way they do from day to day, Vonnegut takes on the meaning of truly seeing things from another perspective. He has quite a way of explaining things and using descriptive imagery to really put the reader into another world. His creatures are uniquely described especially the harmoniums on the planet Mercury. These creatures are nourished by the song of Mercury, its vibrations (188). The novel is only 326 pages long, but it is able to express many of the ideas by getting to the point. Inasmuch it keeps the reader addicted to the events and always asking for more. His style is original and sometimes odd such as the run on sentences which may overwhelm the reader. It is a challenging text but it is also rewarding. His writing may seem far out there, but the reader should remember just how strange the universe really is, how much is unknown to humankind, and anything is possible.
The reader should definitely remember to always keep an open mind. Absorb the ideas and themes before making a final judgment on this novel. Prepare to be spiraling in a new wave of thought patterns, watching the universe put itself back together, and remember that the universe is stranger than it seems. Vonnegut takes his reader on a truly brilliant trip.
Critical review for The Sirens of Titan November 24, 2008
Matthew Geiger (USA)
The Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut tells about a journey through space and time while encompassing a bewildering riddle about life. Malachi Constant, the richest American, visits Winston Niles Rumford at the Rumford Estate. Winston, who is the first person to own his own space shuttle, tells Malachi to travel to Mars, Mercury, Earth, and Titan. Rumford strangely went on further by revealing portions of Malachi's future. The story then opens up several years later in Mars where a militia plans and organizes attacks on Earth. On Mars, the army requires the cleaning of people's memory before they go on duty except those of higher power. In the midst of the army, the story follows an ex-officer, Unk, who frequently visits the hospital for several cleanings against his will. Though at first he is vulnerable for others to control him, he fights to uncover his past after reading an inspirational letter and dedicates himself to find his family and retreat to a distant location. Little did Unk know, he becomes part of a shallow scheme set-up by an advance alien race. Upon arriving at Titan, he meets Salo, a machine from Tralfamadore whom contains a highly guarded message in its reticule. Salo's government back in Tralfamadore, under strict rule, tells it not to reveal the message, but only to deliver it to a destination in a galaxy eighteen million light-years beyond Titan. It is the arrival of Unk and his family, guided by Winston Niles that could fulfill this prophecy. Unfortunately, there is a desire by Winston to expose the message before it reaches its end.
Those who read other Vonnegut works will find a number of recurring themes such as his satiric voice, dark humor, and even mentions some of the same terms found in his other novels. It was a Tralfamadorian that kidnap Billy Pilgrim in Slaughter House Five and a Tralfamadorian in The Sirens of Titan who guards a secret message. Vonnegut, though never wanted to be known as a science-fiction writer, captures his audience in The Sirens of Titan in a world of uncertainty and bizarre subjects like time traveling and space exploration. However, Vonnegut attempts to organize the novel so the layout of the story is given to a reader at the beginning of the book.
Kurt Vonnegut does a fine job organizing the novel by dividing the book into chapters and subchapters. Each chapter and subchapter either switches settings or subjects. For example, in the begging of every chapter, Vonnegut reveals an essential quote to help focus central ideas. In chapter one, Vonnegut writes "I guess somebody up there likes me" in which Malachi speaks throughout the book. In chapter nine, Vonnegut writes "In the beginning, God became the Heaven and the Earth...And God said "Let me be Light," and He was light". This is an excerpt from Winston's Revised Bible. It is vital to understand this quote in order to trail the direction of the book. In each subchapter, indicated by three dots in its own separate line, is Vonnegut's way of transitioning from one setting to another. The protagonist could be crouching behind a boulder in one part of the story and another subchapter transitions the setting to space. These transitions are to Vonnegut's advantage for it is a clever technique to purposely leave out information for his readers, only to reveal it in detail later in novel. In fact, Vonnegut uses this technique so effectively, nearly every paragraph is purposeful. For example, the mentioning of Malaci's son metallic good-luck piece back in chapter six, describes it as "He believed firmly that all his powers came from the good-luck piece, and so did his schoolmates, and so, secretly, did Miss Fenstermaker". In chapter nine, after being confronted by a Gumbo Tribesman, the tribesman "...had recognizes the piece of metal as an object of tremendous power. Their respect for it had led them to initiate rather than eats it owner". It wasn't until towards the end of the book, Vonnegut mentions the specific purpose of Chrono's good-luck piece.
Among other things, The Sirens of Titan can become overwhelming to read. No matter how often Vonnegut attempts to sort out his book, the hints he gives to foreshadow the plot are very settle and can easily be overlook. For example, While Malachi was speaking to Winston prior to his launch to Mars, Winston heavily adds emphasis that Malachi should visit Titan for excellent climate and beautiful women. There is only one line of dialogue from Winston however, that says in addition to climate and women, there are art objects worth seeing on Titan. Winston says to Malachi, "oh-art objects, if you like art". Towards the end of the book, there are large handcrafted statues that can be seen on Titan. Vonnegut also changes the characters' names that can cause confusion to some readers. This is also mention very briefly earlier in the book.
The Sirens of Titan is a complex novel by Kurt Vonnegut that can be enjoyable for those interested in the supernatural yet, is authentic enough to bring in modernists ideas. That is to say, the book questions reality. This book has been praised by a series of critics and deservingly so.
 God the Utterly Indifferent and the Universal Will to Become November 19, 2008
S. Niduaza (San Francisco)
3 and 1/2 Stars.
'The Sirens of Titan' is the first Vonnegut novel I've read (unless you want to count his short story book, 'Welcome to the Monkey House')and I was fairly impressed. The book is great science fiction (sans scientific accuracy - it is fiction, anyway) but, even more so, a solid black comedy and satire.
The greatest part of the book, in regard to satire and comedy, is it's build up towards ideas of God and the Meaning of Life, then flipping the coin on it's head and delivering us an answer which is both hysterical and devastating. I'm referring to specific revelations which occur close to the book's end, but I'm not trying to be too specific so as to preserve the element of surprise, or punchline, if you will.
If there is one problem I had with the book it's that I was able to guess most of the major beats in the story before they occured. But still, the read was enjoyable even if I could predict some of the twists.
Ultimately, I recommend this book on the strength that it is well written, funny and interesting to interpret or discuss.
Thats what I call Black Comedy November 3, 2008
Benji Zappus (San Mateo, CA)
When I finished the book I thought, "that was one of the saddest things I have ever read." I felt so used by the author it was erie, but then you realize that the fact Vonnegut was just able to do that to you, is pretty cool.
This is one of those books that you really cannot build a love for the characters because everything turns into just exactly what you were not expecting. If you do start to build feelings of the characters, you will be heart-broken & betrayed when you continue to read on. But then again, that's what makes books fun to read.
While reading the book, I loved it. Then I finished it and hated myself for reading it, this lasted about 10 minutes while I meditated on all I just read and then finally I realized that I absolutely loved the book. It may even have one of the most ironically happy endings of all time.
The fact is, you just have to read the book and go with all the twist and turns it throws you, and it's characters, in order to enjoy it.
I did find that after most of the dialogue "" quotes, there are a lot of he said, she said, or said he, said she. Which I do, personally, find of an annoyance while reading.
But Vonnegut (von-i-guht) is terrifyingly brilliant with his story-telling and plot-building skills.
This is a fantastic book to start with if you wish to get into the author.
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