Kurt Vonnegut. What's the appeal?

[Katisha]

Someone wants me to read Slaughterhouse Five. Should I? It looks suspiciously to me like the sort of thing teenage boys would find like OMG really deep...
Or is there more to it?

It's short, quite entertaining, and deeper than the average SF book. Worth a read, I think, but I recommend "A man without a country" - his writings on his life, politics, science - a lot more.

Thanks notcitrus!

He is funny, go for it.

he's a bleedin' genius according to dh

I enjoyed it - very funny, not pretentious or wanky at all. Read it on my honeymoon; I am so romantic, lol.

Agree with sophable's DH - KV was a genius. Not to everyone's taste, but if you like that sort of thing, you'll love it. If you see what I mean. (So it goes.)

Like notcircus, I recommend his non-fiction musings on life, but he does tend to sprinkle his fiction with those too! Timequake is mad, but brilliant.

Getting to this bit on the Wiki synopsis doesn't fill me with a desire to read it...

"He meets, and is later kidnapped by, aliens from the planet Tralfamadore, who exhibit him in a Tralfamadorian zoo with Montana Wildhack, a pornographic movie star."

Ah yes, I can see why that would put you off.

But that's just part of it.

Honest. I don't like science fiction at all - and I still love it.

give it a go - the first bit (about why he writes the book and why it's subtitled 'the children's crusade' is great and will make you want to read on, I think).

Weeellll if it's short...(doubtful look...)

I went through my sci-fi phase ages ago and even managed quite a lot of Asimov, but I kind of suspect I've moved on.

(I have not managed to move on from Dr Who in the current incarnation however..)

Ah yes, I can't abide anything sci-fi, but have a soft spot for ole David T!

Read the first chapter and see what you think...

I've had it in my bookshelf for oooh.... 23 years. Can't get worked up about it either (maybe because bloke who gave it to me also encouraged me to read rather too much Carlos bleeding Castaneda)