I asked my go-to bookstore owner to give me something a little different to read, something that I would find challenging. His suggestion was Kurt Vonnegut’s “The Sirens of Titan,” and as a result I’ve been dying to talk to everyone about this book all week!
“The Sirens of Titan” was written in 1959 by American novelist Kurt Vonnegut. I’ll keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, as I’d love for you to read this book as well. The plot revolves around the misadventures of Malachi Constant, a wildly successful US businessman who is recruited by an extradimensional being to go on a journey across the solar system in order to meet the aforementioned Sirens, waiting for him on the moon of Titan. As a result, Malachi suffers through interplanetary wars, shipwrecks, cults, and encounters with advanced alien civilizations before reaching the end of his journey.
The book is squarely in the postmodern camp, calling out the empty vanity of the elite, posing war and religion as manipulation, and questioning the basis for global systems of control. However, the dark humor of the plot leads more into nihilism – a hundred little encounters in the story sketching out the ridiculous meaningless of it all, from eccentric stockbrokers to enigmatic alien conspiracies.
Normally this sort of approach turns me off a story, but Vonnegut hides the strange madness of his major plot beats within the beautifully-described madness of everyday life. Every scene, every interaction is bursting with strange, colorful, hilarious detail, and no matter how hollow the themes become, you just quite bring yourself to put the book down.
If I do have a criticism, it would be that Vonnegut spends too much time in exposition, the bizarre backstory of even minor characters all lovingly described before we can jump back into the action. There are also several instances where Vonnegut seems so eager to tell you about his creations that he tips his hand, spoiling his own surprises rather than letting the reader stumble across them to yell “so THAT’S how it all fits together!”
The characters of the story are all beautifully crafted, but it’s hard to describe a meaningful character arc when one of the main themes is exploring the meaninglessness of existence. The main cast of the story are more than a little unlikeable, but given what they struggle through you can’t help but root for them.
If you are already a fan of Vonnegut but want something a little more warm and folksy, try R A Lafferty. If you want interplanetary-level mystery that skates over layers of unknowable meaning, I’d recommend James Blish.
That said, these are all minor complaints. If you are a science fiction story that is funny, quirky and thoughtful, there’s a good reason why Vonnegut’s “The Sirens of Titan” is considered such a classic.
If you’re also a fan of the book and have a favorite scene or character, please drop it in the comments below!
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