Regular readers of the Book-a-Minute SF/F page may have noticed that I recently read and BAM'ed two books by Kurt Vonnegut. These books are, by most accounts, two of his best.

I'm at a loss to understand what the big deal is. Why is Vonnegut considered one of the greatest writers of modern times? The first book I read, "Slaughterhouse Five" was touted as "one of the greatest anti-war novels of our time." That right there should have tipped me off--whenever a book is described as "anti-war" I can almost guarantee I won't like it. Not because I'm some war lover or that I think that war is great and wonderful and glamorous and sexy, but because I already *know* war is hell, as every human ought to, and I am immediately suspicious of any writer who needs to use an entire novel's worth of words to get that point across.

But, I read the book anyway, and it wasn't that bad. Vonnegut focused on other things besides the "war is hell" theme, which made the book that much better. However, I would have much rather had Vonnegut write a non-fiction account of his experiences during the firebombing of Dresden (which is the concern of much of this book) rather than this novel. Instead, he sticks himself into the novel in various places and points himself out to the reader, a rather jarring device to employ, and one he over-uses.

After not being too put off by Slaugtherhouse, I read "Cat's Cradle." Ugh. Vonnegut is vehement about not catagorizing what he writes as "Science Fiction." I'd almost have to agree, because SF is usually much better than this.

The whole book boils down to this: "Humans are crazy. They live their whole lives not understanding what they do or why they do them, and not knowing what life is all about." To get this point across, Vonnegut had to write two hundred pages of silliness. He also had to introduce a painfully dumb SF plot device that he doesn't even fully understand the consequences of.

What gives? Why is Vonnegut considered so great? Anbody out there with a dissenting opinion? I'd love to hear from you. I want to know why Vonnegut is so beloved. Really.