Player Piano

Excellent writing!

This was the first Vonnegut book I read back in the 70's. Loved it. Made me want to read more Vonnegut.

This novel sets the stage for nearly every concept later found in Mr. Vonnegut's works. It's better read once a fan already but a good read nonetheless.

Way to develop characters.

This was an amazing book, and shockingly good for having been his first novel. It isn't very dated (aside from a few technical matters and a reflection of the sexist gender roles of his age) for being published in 1952. I would recommend those that enjoy this book to read 'Roadwork' by Stephen King (as Richard Bachmann) as that is a book with a similar theme. I enjoyed that at least as much.

It made me think twice when I went through the "self check out" at the grocery store.

I've always felt so much like the main character of this book. Beautifully written and horribly funny ending.

Vonnegut's first book is really good. While some of his visions of the future seem quaint or dated, a lot of the stuff is surprisingly accurate. It is a condemnation of our reliance on technology in a dystopian future before Huxley or Orwell tackled it. Shows the underbelly of the 1950's you won't see on Leave It To Beaver - classism, adultery, complacency, etc are all here.

One of Vonneguts more cohesive stories. The book works well as a stepping stone in dystopian literature. Brave New World and 1984 start off in the medias res and are a bit to disconnected from the modern situation to be directly applicabple. Player Piano shows how society could get from here and now to big brother.