Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut Series)
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Product Description
Product Description
Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ... Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he is the inventor of 'ice-nine', a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three ecentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker's Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to mankind brings about the end, that for all of us, is nigh ...
About the Author
Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis in 1922. During the Second World War he was a prisoner in Germany and present at the bombing of Dresden, an experience he recounted in his famous novel Slaughterhouse Five (1969). His first novel, Piano Player, was published in 1951 and since then he has written many novels, including: The Sirens of Titan, Jailbird, Deadeye Dick, Galapagos and Hocus Pocus. Kurt Vonnegut died in April 2007.
Benjamin Kunkel (born in 1972 in Colorado) is an American novelist. He co-founded and is a co-editor of the journal n+1. His first novel, Indecision, was published in 2005.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Unbound
Lacks the inherant pathos and humour of Slaughterhouse-5 but, don't let that put you off! This is a superbly imaginitative story that incorporates a brilliantly biting, satirical sideswipe at the cynicism of religion, the dangerous nihilism of science and the abundant stupidity of both!
The protaginist is a writer who, whilst investigating the life of Dr Felix Hoenikker (co-creator of the Atomic Bomb), becomes aware of the deadly Ice-09, a 'lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet'.
I won't spoil the plot, suffice it to say that, the bulk of the story involves the writer's pursuit and eventual, catastrophic encounter with the deadly chemical.
Vonnegut keeps the story moving along at a comfortable pace, in short chapters, whilst we are introduced to some of the most colourful characters in 20th Century fiction, from seemingly amoral 'mad' scientists to cynical pseudo-messiahs.
I loved the witty dialogue of the Hoenikkers and, the cynical aphorisms of 'Bokonon'. I also liked the way that Vonnegut portrayed his message that, religion is based upon (supposedly harmless) untruths that allegedly, explain the issues that elude science (the unexplainable).
Just buy it!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the second book of Vonnegut I've read, the first one being Vonnegut's best know novel, "Slaughterhouse 5". If it was not for "Slaughterhouse 5" I would take "A cat's cradle" as a very imaginative, weird and funny book, but probably not one that keeps me thinking for some time once finished. The tone is just too light and the story too improbable to be taken otherwise. But this is highly deceptive and once you realise that Vonnegut's war experience in Dresden has been central to his vision of life, this book appears not just as light entertainment but as a more profound reflection on the meaning of life (pretty meaningless in the author's view I gather) and, incidentally, on the role of religion and the power science gives to some very irresponsible and unbalanced people (this book was written during the cold war and the possibility of the world being completely wiped out by nuclear war was then seen as very real).
The message may be too pessimistic to make the novel completely enjoyable but it makes for an interesting and very funny read until someone presses the wrong the button.
The message may be too pessimistic to make the novel completely enjoyable but it makes for an interesting and very funny read until someone presses the wrong the button.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I really enjoyed this book despite its rather abrupt, if apt ending. Its a fast moving, clever book which doesn't get lost in the ifs and hows of th science it's talking about. The only other major problem with it is wether you can stand the minor irritant of a chapter per page. Overall the book is cleverly written, witty and definately worth reading.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
sci-fi mixed with philosophy
Vonnegut's book is packed with irony, humor and the absurd. He invents a new religion - based on lies (very convincing). So far my favourite Vonnegut
Published 5 months ago by Steph "Kindler"
Of its time?
You know that party game where you construct a story by continuing from the last line of the previous author? It feels like that's the process Vonnegut used for Cat's Cradle. Read more
Published 12 months ago by mogwins
Really doesn't get much better
Firstly, I'm a huge Vonnegut fan. From the pulpy sci-fi stuff to the offbeat and down-to-earth satires. For me, this is his best book. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Runcorn
Better than the negative comments state
Having read most of KV's book now I feel that this is his equal best - if not his best. Better than the supposed great of 'Slaughterhouse Five' which has too much Tralfamadore... Read more
Published 13 months ago by PhiloBedo
Clever, funny, prophetic, but maybe feeling its age
Short, clever, confusing, irritating, intelligent, funny. Parts of it are total genius. Parts of it seems dated. And parts are infuriating. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Victor Ward
A Perfect Read
I discovered Kurt Vonnegut's incredible literature just last year, and each book I read I fall a little more in love with the way in which he writes and depicts his ideas and... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Macky Mack
Hyped? Arsty, perhaps?
Maybe I'm one of the few people who didn't "get it". The book seems too full of characters that remind me of those overhyped movies where you have freewheeling people going around... Read more
Published 18 months ago by S. Altaf
Quirky but well written
Kind of quirky but engaging nonetheless. The science seems quite plausable. I read for for my book reading group. Full of odd-ball characters.
Published 18 months ago by lose weight
Stick with it
I starting reading Cat's Cradle several years ago, lost interest and put it down. This after having read Slaughterhouse 5 and immediately regarding it as one of my favourite books... Read more
Published 20 months ago by John Moseley
Like falling down the stairs
OK, I get that the characters are meant to be unlikeable the story preposterous, etc, but that just becomes tedious, even though I read the novel in the same amount of time it... Read more
Published on 8 April 2010 by Gizmo
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