#thesirensoftitan

[thomasbombadilius]

I finished The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. This is Vonnegut’s second published book and it didn’t take him very long in his career to find his voice. The short paragraphs, snappy sentences, black humour and satirical wit are all on show here, it’s astounding that he was able to develop his unique style so early in his career. In this book, billionaire Winston Niles Rumfoord flies his personal spaceship through a chrono-synclastic infundibulum which scatters him across space from the Sun to Betelgeuse. Whenever he crosses with a planet’s orbit he appears there for however long the planet resides in his path, but the upshot is that he exists across all of time and, essentially, can tell the future. The main topic dealt with in this book is the question of free will. Rumfoord can perceive the future and, in his own way, is reporting on events that he can see will happen. By doing so he sets people on the path that will end with them encountering those events. Regardless of whether the people accept fate or rail against it they will always end up encountering said events. This is only complicated when Rumfoord decides to lie, knowing that, no matter what the person decides, they will always end up in the same place eventually. The concept of lack of free will is not presented by Vonnegut as depressing or terrifying but simply a statement of fact. Vonnegut concludes by making the case that, whilst humanity may be destined to remain on a train track towards inevitability, the best anyone can do is to try to make the best of it and “love whoever is around to be loved”. This is a typical ethos in Vonnegut’s work and one that makes him one of my favourite writers. The idea that, despite the complexities and horrendous things that happen in an, often, cold and uncaring universe, the one true thing that matters is people being kind to one another. That’s an ethos I’m sure we can all get behind! Read this if you like stories low on stakes but high in sci-fi concept with a satirical twist. #bookstagram #books #scifi #kurtvonnegut #vonnegut #thesirensoftitan https://www.instagram.com/p/CoDm9MJsDBq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[familiarbooksohio]

. . . but the Universe is an awfully big place. There is room enough for an awful lot of people to be right about things and still not agree. -Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan . Truer words... what a gorgeous display of books today at the shop! Things are moving and changing for the better, folks! It’s an exciting time at Raven Books, stop by the shop and see what’s new in this glorious day! . . . . #bookstagram #kurtvonnegut #kurtvonnegutquote #thesirensoftitan #junky #burroughs #williamburroughs #books #bookstore #indie #indiebookstore #ohio #ohiogram #ohiobookstore #springfield #springfieldohio #smalltown #shopsmall #shoplocal #shoplocalohio (at Raven Books) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Ysztcj-j7/?igshid=1d4sxeiolhudy

[angelwtfz]

“How are things going, Joe?”

[vladdirle]

#thesirensoftitan the #purposeoflife ... “love whoever is around to be loved “ 📖 🙂

[allthemadones]

“Constant rubbed his hands together. The only company he had left on Titan was whatever company his right hand could be for his left. ‘I miss her,’ he said. “‘You finally fell in love, I see,’ said Salo. “‘Only an Earthling year ago,’ said Constant. ‘It took us that long to realize that purpose of a human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.’” #TheSirensOfTitan #KurtVonnegut

[dilophosaurusatenewman]

Sometimes it's worth it to read the fine print #kurtvonnegut #thesirensoftitan

[siriuslygrimm]

Predestined Existence

#BOOKREVIEW - Predestined Existence - #TheSirensOfTitan #blog

You never know where your life will take you within the world you know, or those you have yet to know. Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan depicts the far-flung life and experiences of one man.

Malachi Constant is an incredibly wealthy man who learns his life’s rough trajectory after meeting with another wealthy man, Winston Rumfoord, who periodically materializes on different planets with his…

[vladdirle]

#kurtvonnegut #thesirensoftitan ... the triumph of good #mafia 🙃

[thecatsmiaw]

I figured it's about time for this. It's been a while since I last had a Vonnegut. 😁 #TheSirensofTitan #KurtVonnegut #Vonnegut #currentlyreading #book #books #bookstagram #bookporn #booknerd #bookworm #bibliophile #igreads #newreads #bkfeature #goodreads #vscobook