SF Masterworks 18 Sirens Of Titan

Vonnegut, Kurt

£7.99

When Winston Niles Rumfoord flies his spacecraft into a chrono-synclastic infundibulum he is converted into pure energy and materialises when his waveforms intercept a planet. Winston now knows everything that has ever been and that will be.

Out of stock

Publish Date: 09/09/1999

Description

A deep and meaningful masterpiece of science fiction, full of heart and mind-bending ideas. A true classic, Vonnegut will make you laugh and have you contemplating the meaning of life

When Winston Niles Rumfoord flies his spaceship into a chrono-synclastic infundibulum he is converted into pure energy and only materializes when his waveforms intercept Earth or some other planet. As a result, he only gets home to Newport, Rhode Island, once every fifty-nine days and then only for an hour.

But at least, as a consolation, he now knows everything that has ever happened and everything that ever will be. He knows, for instance, that his wife is going to Mars to mate with Malachi Constant, the richest man in the world. He also knows that on Titan – one of Saturn’s moons – is an alien from the planet Tralfamadore, who has been waiting 200,000 years for a spare part for his grounded spacecraft . . .

Readers love The Sirens of Titan:

‘A truly exceptional work by a truly exceptional author expressing some exceptionally powerful ideas’ Goodreads reviewer, ? ? ? ? ?

‘Vonnegut uses the absurd to explore what makes us human . . . I recommend this book for any fan of Vonnegut or [Douglas] Adams’ Goodreads reviewer, ? ? ? ? ?

‘The Sirens of Titan is primarily a parody of trashy pulp science fiction novels, a boisterous, chucklesome book . . . In this sense, The Sirens of Titan, twenty years early, precedes and foreshadows (and, I would say, is superior to) Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ Goodreads reviewer, ? ? ? ? ?

‘There are plenty of space travels in The Sirens of Titan but it isn’t a space opera . . . It is a spaced out satire, a cosmic comedy of manners‘ Goodreads reviewer, ? ? ? ? ?

‘I went into this expecting a science fiction/satire but instead I got an emotionally moving story about the meaning of life by none other than one of the greatest writers that ever lived. Period’ Goodreads reviewer, ? ? ? ? ?

Funny until it suddenly becomes creepy, to tell you why would be a spoiler though . . . Vonnegut is only using sci-fi as a platform to tell an allegorical story about life, together with an anti-war and anti-religion themes’ Goodreads reviewer, ? ? ? ? ?

‘This is not just one of Vonnegut’s best books. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read’ Goodreads reviewer, ? ? ? ? ?

Additional information

Weight 201 g
Dimensions 197 × 130 × 17 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

224

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

813.54 (edition:21)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K