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The Sirens of Titan

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The Sirens of Titan

By: Kurt Vonnegut
Narrated by: Jay Snyder
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About this listen

The Sirens of Titan is an outrageous romp through space, time, and morality. The richest, most depraved man on Earth, Malachi Constant, is offered a chance to take a space journey to distant worlds with a beautiful woman at his side. Of course there's a catch to the invitation and a prophetic vision about the purpose of human life that only Vonnegut has the courage to tell.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Kurt Vonnegut's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews Gay Talese about the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.

©1959 Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (P)2008 Audible, Inc. Fiction Literature & Fiction Satire Science Fiction Comedy Witty Funny

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Critic reviews

“Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer . . . a zany but moral mad scientist.” ( Time)
“His best book . . . He dares not only ask the ultimate question about the meaning of life, but to answer it.” ( Esquire)
“Reading Vonnegut is addictive!” ( Commonweal)
All stars
Most relevant
This is my second Kurt Vonnegut, and I have concluded that he is an acquired taste. I'm not sure if I have acquired it yet.

Synopsis
Winston Niles Rumfoord gets caught in a chrono-synclastic infundibulum, resulting in him being able to see the future. Malachi Constant is a billionaire who gets told by Rumfoord that he is going to Titan and he will have a child with Rumfoord's wife. Malachi doesn't like this idea, so does everything he can to stop it from happening.

Saying more could spoil the joke, so I won't. This is important because I think Sirens of Titan should be treated more as a joke than a novel. There is a plot, but it reads more like a lengthy setup for a punchline. The characters don't develop much and, putting it lightly, they weren't nice people to start with.

Two things stood out. The prose and the philosophical punchline.

A Vonnegut sentence is short. A Vonnegut sentence repeats. A Vonnegut sentence grabs you by the ears and points you where you need to be pointed. This can come across as patronizing but is certainly effective. It also suits the blunt force sarcasm of the book.

I can't talk about the punchline without spoilers, but what I will say is you probably won't find it funny. It's pretty black. You might appreciate it and let out an amused snort, but this is no side-splitter. However, the punchline is one you are unlikely to forget.

Narration
Jay Snyder reads it like it is written. Each sentence is started and concluded with deliberate intent. Because Snyder leans into the prose if you like the style you will like the narration. If not, then you will probably find the narration very abrupt. I liked it.

Recommendation
Vonnegut is difficult to recommend to anyone. I can't think of anyone similar. The emphasis on concept over story and character means I think hard sci-fi fans will like it most. But Black humor is the watchword. If you like a dark joke you might like Sirens of Titan. While listening I was confused. On finishing I was bemused. After contemplation I am amused.

A nine hour long joke

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There seemed to be two or three ideas through this book. As interesting as they were for themselves, there was very little subtlety in the story. The only character who seemed to show any feeling was a robot.
Likewise the narration was almost robot like - it felt at times like a megaphone was being used. Little subtlety.

A parable without a soul

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a bit bizarre both overall and in parts. Just about hangs together as a narrative, with some aspects best not scrutinised too much but also some interesting ideas.

unique style, well read

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Very interesting thought processes. The story could almost be too far out there to be coherent but it isn't. It was a real pleasure to listen to and to co- imagine along with. The American give always were displayed openly. It wasn't a universal type story, even though the universe was the backdrop, but I felt able to emerse myself sufficiently not to be overwhelmed by the suffocatingly US centric cultural references. I'm looking forward to more Vonnegut. He was, I feel, built by his times and wove it into his prose.

Almost unbounded

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This felt underdeveloped as a concept and much of it I just didn’t enjoy. Some parts have aged a bit badly, too. Which although understandable, didn’t help my enjoyment of it.

For the most part the narration is good. The accents were cringeworthy in places though. Took me out of the story a bit.

Least favourite Vonnegut book

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