then1ghtmang's review
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nina_e's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ferris_mx's review
1.0
It was so awful, so very very awful. It was like a boring, poorly written Atlas Shrugged, but worse. OK, I guess it came before Atlas Shrugged, but still. Atlas Shrugged, Player Piano, and 1984 are all spartan dystopian novels of a kind. In this one, the dystopia is due to automation. It's killing the souls of humans! Wreck the machines! Gag. It's not insightful or clever or accurate or enjoyable.
readingatthemuseum's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
selaadin's review
4.0
A really fantastic, evocative read that makes a technological pseudo-utopia-turned-apocalypse seem very humorous! There were times which I found myself somewhat drifting in interest in the parts with Paul and Anita's marriage, and I found myself a lot more interested in the sub-plot of Halyard and the Shah, but the main story was very good, with an exceptionally riveting ending. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone that's looking for a dark humour enshrouding terrible truths.
ndenitto's review
2.0
The unthinkable has happened.
I've read a Kurt Vonnegut book I didn't enjoy.
This is Kurt's first book, and it reaaaally shows. There are hints of the signature style that makes Kurt's later works brilliant, but mostly this is a typically structured novel that feels like it's just trying to be 1984.
Dr. Paul Proteus is a manager of the Ilium Works factory at a time when all meaningful work is done by machines. The average man is forced to join the army (more of a group pretending to be the army) or join a group of manual laborers which have very little work to actually do. With all work done by machines and overseen by select engineers and managers, there's not much left in the world that makes people feel useful. They have everything they need, but they don't feel as though they've earned it. Proteus is disenchanted with his life, and gets swept up in a rebellion against the machines.
It's an OK book, but pretty dull.
I've read a Kurt Vonnegut book I didn't enjoy.
This is Kurt's first book, and it reaaaally shows. There are hints of the signature style that makes Kurt's later works brilliant, but mostly this is a typically structured novel that feels like it's just trying to be 1984.
Dr. Paul Proteus is a manager of the Ilium Works factory at a time when all meaningful work is done by machines. The average man is forced to join the army (more of a group pretending to be the army) or join a group of manual laborers which have very little work to actually do. With all work done by machines and overseen by select engineers and managers, there's not much left in the world that makes people feel useful. They have everything they need, but they don't feel as though they've earned it. Proteus is disenchanted with his life, and gets swept up in a rebellion against the machines.
It's an OK book, but pretty dull.
aywebster's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Who doesn't love a story that makes you realize you're just another cog in the machine and there's ultimately nothing you can do about it?