whatulysses's review against another edition
3.0
Cute, stereotypical sci-fi that doesn't try too hard. I'm keeping it for the kitschy Vonnegut memories.
spacecomics's review against another edition
3.0
Venus on The Half-Shell by Kilgore Trout (actually written by Philip Jose Farmer from characters and ideas by Kurt Vonnegut) is a mixed bag of imaginative ideas, pulp sci-fi parody, and sophomoric humor (part of the parody I presume). Reminiscent of Hitchiker's Guide to The Galaxy (which was written later), it follows the lone survivor of an Earth-wide deluge, as he explores the universe in a Chinese spaceship with a faithful dog and owl he rescued from the flood.
What I liked about the book is that they touch on several different alien worlds with very creative, imaginative aliens and cultures. In one place Farmer seems to pay homage my favorite author Robert Heinlein's "Coventry:"
"The Free Land, it turned out, was a territory about the size of Texas. It consists mostly of mountains and heavy forests, wild animals and wilder humans. Felons, instead of being put in jail, were sent into it and told not to come back. Also, any citizen who didn't like his government or the society he lived in was free to go there. Sometimes he was asked, not very politely, to emigrate there."
On the other hand, gratuitous raunchy humor, phallic symbols, or descriptions of alien sexuality every few pages might annoy or offend many readers; apparently this was Farmer's characterization of the fictional author Kilgore Trout.
On balance I enjoyed it because it was imaginative, sometimes funny, and readable (action and dialog flow).
What I liked about the book is that they touch on several different alien worlds with very creative, imaginative aliens and cultures. In one place Farmer seems to pay homage my favorite author Robert Heinlein's "Coventry:"
"The Free Land, it turned out, was a territory about the size of Texas. It consists mostly of mountains and heavy forests, wild animals and wilder humans. Felons, instead of being put in jail, were sent into it and told not to come back. Also, any citizen who didn't like his government or the society he lived in was free to go there. Sometimes he was asked, not very politely, to emigrate there."
On the other hand, gratuitous raunchy humor, phallic symbols, or descriptions of alien sexuality every few pages might annoy or offend many readers; apparently this was Farmer's characterization of the fictional author Kilgore Trout.
On balance I enjoyed it because it was imaginative, sometimes funny, and readable (action and dialog flow).
mollons's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
urikastov's review against another edition
5.0
Funniest book I've read in a while. Reads like a more coherent Douglas Adams.
pulgergsari's review against another edition
3.0
I can’t say I didn’t somewhat enjoy this journey as pulpy sci-fi I read across several public transit journeys and beers waiting for friends at bars , but it’s no Vonnegut, and even on its own merits, the ending is pretty unsatisfying. Is that on purpose? Easy to say yes after the fact but also it might just be hard to come up with an answer to life the universe and everything.
meaghan_clay's review against another edition
2.0
Pretty good cheesy sci-fi. I read that Vonnegut did not write it and was not pleased that someone else did, however it's pretty creative (probably because he's mimicing Vonnegut's style).
gothiebiovenom's review
4.0
I picked this up thinking it to be more steampunk than Sci-Fi, but I loved it :p
It's kind of crude and the narrator/main character is almost the David Attenborough of aliens and alien sex.
It was crude without being graphic or nasty.
It was a good read and I enjoyed it :)
It's kind of crude and the narrator/main character is almost the David Attenborough of aliens and alien sex.
It was crude without being graphic or nasty.
It was a good read and I enjoyed it :)
sadbradbury's review against another edition
5.0
So great! I actually thought it was by Vonnegut for quite a long time.
caseyadamsstark's review against another edition
4.0
If you like Hitchhiker's Guide, then you should check out this space odyssey of a more sexually explicit nature. I was given a dog-eared, nicotine stained pages copy from an old era stranger of questionable background, which is oddly appropriate. So, you've been warned...