Customer Reviews

The Sirens of Titan: A Novel

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is Kurt Vonnegut's second novel, and a sign of things yet to come. Upon first reading, The Sirens of Titan appears as pure science fiction, a tale of Martian invasion and inter-planetary missions. But upon closer review and inspection, this piece reveals a deeper and very unique vision of human purpose, life, and thought. This story is told in the form of a flashback to the "Nightmare Ages...between the Second World War and the Third Great Depression", a time when people had yet to explore their own souls. We find the world's richest and most immoral person, Malachi Constant, visiting a man caught in a Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum. This man sends Malachi on a journey that will make of him an example of what human life should not be. Many points are made defining human significance; in fact, the first two pages summate the history of Earth, in terms of exploration for knowledge of a greater purpose, and our subsequent failure to find meaning outside ourselves.

Winston Niles Rumfoord, stuck in Chrono-Synclastic Infidibula, has a great scheme, a plan to aide and enlighten humanity. As he says: "Any man who would change the World in a significant way must have showmanship, a genial willingness to shed other people's blood, and a plausible new religion to introduce during the brief period of repentance and horror that usually follows bloodshed". He trains an army of earthlings on Mars, shaving their heads and implanting radios in their skulls to make them a mindless mass of killers who simply follow orders. Sounds familiar, no? Their attack on Earth is futile, and is made meaningful to Earth's people because "Earth's glorious victory over Mars had been a tawdry butchery of virtually unarmed saints, saints who had waged feeble war on Earth in order to weld the peoples of that planet into a monolithic Brotherhood of Man". During this time of understanding, repentance, and horror, Winston Niles Rumfoord introduces The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent. A religion that can be accepted by anyone, it teaches that puny man can do nothing at all to help or please God Almighty, and Luck is not the hand of God. Finally, war, fear, hate, and envy in the name of religion shall die. Because there is truth in your soul, a meaning within yourself, rather than some phenomenal plan uncontrolled by people. There is no Great purpose for human life, and the only thing close to it is the delivery of a missing piece from a Tralfamadorian's ship. So, in light of our virtually meaningless existence, there is but one purpose a human can act upon singularly and individually: to love and to be loved.

If Vonnegut's goal was to answer this question that many are afraid to ask, I feel sure that he achieved it. A philosophy few may agree with, it is plausible nonetheless. This is a powerful novel, pointing out the futility of war, the evil we do to create an army of "one", mankind's dependence upon finding meaning any way he can, be it in religion or space, and that "everything that ever has been always will be, and everything that ever will be always has been". Reading this will make you think, about purpose (or lack thereof), about love, about all the things that define our existence.

This is my fifth Vonnegut novel (I have already read Player Piano, Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions) and I can say with confidence that The Sirens of Titan is the best in this group.

It is neat to see Vonnegut's novels evolve over time: Player Piano, while still a masterpiece, is a very conventional novel without a lot of the craziness that is so evident in his later novels. Breakfast of Champions is the most unconventional novel I have ever read, its like the two books were written by two totally different authors.
The Sirens of Titan, on the other hand, is somewhere in the middle. There is a clear plot in the story, much like Player Piano, but it is not as structured as the former. We begin to see the early beginnings of what would later become one of Vonnegut's trademarks: unrelenting sarcasm and irony.

What makes The Sirens of Titan my favorite Vonnegut novel? Everything comes together at the very end. Throughout the novel, there is a clear question looming over the reader and the characters in the book: the purpose of human life. Vonnegut answers this question (or Malachi Constant, rather) in the last few pages of the story, and it is absolutely brilliant. The fact that the author even dared to ask such a question and then answer it, is extraordinary.

This was one of the better books that I have read. Vonnegut is one crazy cat. I loved the whole church of God the utterly indiferent concept, it rocked my world. This was the second Vonnegut book that I have read and it won't be my last

Sirens of Titan marks the second book of Vonnegut's career. It's the book that started Vonnegut's career. While it's not the best example of Vonnegut's quirky pen, it does encapsulate his fascination with space, time travel and life's sometime cruel reality. Sirens of Titan also is a good example of Vonnegut's strengths in developing characters of less-than-heroic traits, but characters still respected for their 'oh well, let's keep trudging along' attitude.

The Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions), tells the story of how a lucky only son, Malachi Constant, gains extreme wealth, travels to Mars, Mercury, and Titan, loses his wealth, fulfills prophesy, continues his name, and, ultimately, is a victim of "somebody up there."

This is a difficult novel to summarize, as it is largely told in science-fiction form, involving interplanetary travel, robot aliens, and, of course, the chrono-synclastic infundibula. The protagonist is my Constant, whose name changes as his identity and role changes. Another key character is Winston Niles Rumfoord, the first man to fly into the chrono-synclastic infundibula between Mars and Earth. In the infundibula, Rumfoord is trapped in the light rays of the solar system and appears in various locations at regular intervals, as the rays come into contact. Hence, the novel has heavy sci-fi characteristics.

What sets this aside from much of the genre, though, is Vonnegut's focus on message through the medium of the protagonist, instead of through plot-heavy development.

The plot is loosely a parody/parallel to Old Testament characters involving Job, Jonah, and Noah. The book of Job rings the clearest of these. In fact, there are several rather blatant biblical motifs such as Rumfoord's revised edition of the Bible itself, with several passages quoted throughout the novel.

As the novel is following Constant's life, Rumfoord himself is heavily shaping the Earth's activities, as being in the infundibula not only gives him knowledge of foreign planets, but also of all solar system time. Thus, he slants in toward his own goals, including through the development of a new religion: The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent, featuring Malachi's catch phrase, "I was a victim of a series of accidents, as are we all."

Obviously, the theme has a lot to do with individuals' and societies' attempts to find reason in their worlds, cultures, and faiths.

Like other Vonnegut novels, the tone is relatively light and humorous, with a lot of ridiculous and strange occurrences. The language and sentences are structured simply and the book is a quick read. However, behind the simply structure and sci-fi settings, the characters and theme show far more than most books of similar "lightness." In all Vonnegut writing, wit and cynical, sarcastic elements create a strong social perspective that dominates over what, at first glance, appears to be light-hearted. Vonnegut also writes in a "clean," less assaulting style than younger writers whose styles rely on similar elements of wit and sarcasm. Read it! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Vonnegut, but very much on my mind since I purchased it off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

Whilst growing up in England you are taught that the best sci-fi book in the world is Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, and how funny it is etc. Well, Vonnegut is far funnier, more honest, and a lot more inventive. His style is really morose, but invigorating at the same time (if that is possible). The search for the meaning of humanity's greatest achievements, including the great wall of China, are all wonderfully wrapped up in a cross galaxy joke. The part where there is a race on a moon completely brainwashed to attack the earth is so funny, and symptomatic of why all regimented societys are so ridiculous. My favourite bit is where the guy travelling through space finds his only true friendship with cell-like lifeforms who pulse in appreciation to his heart beat. Excellent sci-fi nonsense!

    Vonnegut's gift of visualization weaves us another reality.  This book is absolutely addictive.  In fact it left me jonesing so bad for more, that I read it in about four or five different servings.  There is a mysterious element to the book that really makes it what it is.  The story evolves as it goes along so well, that you could easily get lost.  He adds these subtle little hints throughout the story that make you say, I know who that is or I bet this is going to happen.  Malachi Constant whom is the main character in the story, ends up with about roles before it's over.  I've read Vonnegut before, and this just proves once again that there is more than corn in Indiana.  His writing is anything but ordinary.  The detail he uses and it's relevance to the story make for great Science Fiction.  What other Science Fiction can you make you laugh like Vonnegut's though?  His views on the nature of man are more non-fiction.  No one is spared in his interpretations.  The ending, though sad, ends up pretty surprising.  This book is a must read for all you Orwell fans.  

Science fiction fans will appreciate this novel filled with Martians and spaceships; and yet readers of other genres will find themselves quickly enchanted by the mystery Vonnegut creates, eagerly devouring page after page. This novel starts out explaining how Winston Niles Rumfoord, obviously a wealthy man, has been caught in a "chronosynclastic infundibulum" while traveling in his private space ship with man's best friend, his dog Kazak. "Chronosynclastic infundibulum" is explained as "being those places...where all the different kinds of truths fit together." Not a very helpful definition, but the reader will develop his own sense of the meaning behind this phrase while reading about the lives of Malachi Constant and Beatrice Rumfoord, discovering the way Winston Rumfoord orchestrates their lives. Their future has been predicted by Winston Rumfoord and despite their own desires to thwart this prediction, they are warned that nothing they can do will stop it from happening. I'm not a fan of science fiction but this book was amazing! The ending caught me by surprise and I was pleasantly intrigued throughout by the interesting web of events Vonnegut created.

Kurt Vonnegut has always been a writer way beyond his time. When
"The Sirens Of Titan" was published in 1959, its blend of dark
humor, social satire, and science fiction was something
completely new. His unique writing style has inspired many
modern authors, such as Chuck Palachnuk, author of
"Fight Club." When I first began to read "The Sirens Of
Titan" I had no idea that it was written in the 50's.
The style of the book seemed so similar to modern literature, that
I mistook it for a 20th century novel. I had read Chuck Palachunk's
novels before "The Sirens Of Titan" and I noticed many striking
similarities. I thought Vonnegut as a rip-off of Palachnuk until
I learned that Vonnegut was about 40 years before Palachnuk's time.
One of the most amazing things about Kurt Vonnegut is how
revolutionary his writing was. His style brought way for the
contemporary/modern/experimental movement in literature, music,

and film. The cult classic "Fight Club" could not of been written
without the influence of Vonnegut. I have noticed many similarities
between Vonnegut's style and the films of director Quentin Terentino.
Would we of seen "Pulp Fiction" without Vonnegut? No one can really
say, but the influence of Vonnegut on modern creativity is clearly
evident.

"The Sirens Of Titan" tells the tale of Malachi Constant, the
richest man on earth. The Constant family has been one of luck
for many generations, being one of the most richest families in
history. Malachi's father, Noel Constant had gained his fortune
in the stock market. He used the Gideon Bible to do this by paring
up the letters in the first sentence of Genesis. So he had IN, TH,
EB, EG, and so forth. He then bought shares in corporations with
those initials. Noel became very rich, but never told anyone of his
secret. Malachi on the other hand was very foolish with the money
he inherited, often getting very intoxicated at parties and giving
away money, oil rigs, and corporations to ladies he met.

The character of Winston Rumfoord is also introduced at the
beginning of the book. He encountered a anomaly in space called
a "chrono-synclastic infundibulum" while traveling in his
private spaceship with his dog Kazak and decided to fly into
it. After this Rumfoord and his dog exist stretched out over all
time and space, because of this they materialize on Earth for
about 1 day every 59 days. These materializations made Rumfoord
a celebrity, even though no one on earth had seen him materialize
except his wife, Beatrice . One day Malachi Constant is invited
to be the first man to witness a materialization. After Rumfoord
materializes he tells Malachi and Beatrice that they will one
day mate and have a son on Titan, one of the moons of Saturn.
Rumfoord claims that when he flew into the chrono-synclastic
infundibulum he saw, in a flash of light, all that has been
and that will be. The thought of mating with one another
disgusts both Malachi and Beatrice and they both promptly
make efforts to never see each other. Beatrice buys Arsenic
Pills to kill herself if she ever sees Malachi ever again, and
Malachi sells his spaceship company to make sure he never ends
up on Titan.

Years past and Malachi's fortune and life go downhill. His
father having died years ago, left a note for Malachi to read
only if things went bad. Malachi read the letter and it tells
him to do the first crazy thing someone tells him to do. Right
after this two men come into Malachi's room and explain that they
are soldiers from the Army of Mars and they offer a position in
the army for Malachi. Malachi accepts the offer. What happens
then is a amazing journey from Earth to Mars, To Mercury, and
finally to Titan.

The story of this novel is amazing. Vonnegut's imagination is
unparallel to anyone else. I recommend this book to anyone
interested in modern literature and/or science fiction

The story and the characters sucked me in immediately, but there are some profound lessons to be learned as well.