After being delighted by Slaughterhouse-Five, I was eager to try something else by Vonnegut. Cat's Cradle was the only book by him that I found at a local used book store, so I thought I'd give it a try. Once again, Mr. Vonnegut tells a great story in simplest terms. The great thing about this book is that it speaks about the progress of science and technology. We follow the life and times of the physicist that created the H bomb and how he created the substance known as "Ice Nine". Because Vonnegut doesn't take himself seriously, I found myself laughing at how most authors would undertake such a subject. Vonnegut also touches upon the issue of organized religion, and how much of a joke it is. The passages about Bokononism are hilarious. It has a really interesting ending, but I won't ruin it - check it out for yourself. Overall this is a great book, but from what I can remember I found Vonnegut went off on many tangents that became confusing. It distracted me from the main story (although some would argue that Vonnegut doesn't really write stories...), and was not as good as Slaughterhouse-Five. Still better than most fiction though, and I recommend it. Rating: **** (Added 1999.11.07)

Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

I was introduced to Kurt Vonnegut by a friend, who said that if you read Slaughterhouse-Five you get a pretty good idea of what he is all about. I read it in a day and a half, and loved every minute of it. You see, Mr. Vonnegut has the talent of putting things into simplest terms, but still manages to come out with a very powerful message. In Slaughterhouse-Five, there is a very prevalent anti-war message. But unlike most authors he doesn't let that carry the story OR bog it down. The story focuses on Billy Pilgrim, who becomes "unstuck in time" and relives all of the events of his life. Immediately I was interested in the time travel aspect, but he didn't stop there. Mr. Vonnegut proceeds to tell us the harsh reality of war, and a different way of looking at life and death. He mixes science fiction with black humour, with a large helping of satire. The thing about this book is that it reads very easily, and although there are some unncessary details here and there, it seems to breeze by. Please read this if you are tired of the same old SF/Fiction. So it goes. Rating: ***** (Added 1999.11.07)