Player Piano: A Novel

This book is an excellent portrayal of the follies of revolutions, from the perspective of a writer of science fiction. Revolutions either fail or succeed. If they fail, then the Order it was fighting retains power. If it succeeds, then a new Order with new leaders emerges. But, those new leaders are invariably overthrown. This is the folly of revolutions and war, and Vonnegut's take on the subject -- at least a "record" will be noted in history -- is spot on. Vonnegut is a true master of absurd fiction (along with Twain), but I struggled with this book's beginning. In style, it felt a bit contrived and some of the word choices were unnecessarily esoteric, which gave it a feel of an author who wasn't sure of himself at this point in his career. However, as the story went on, I admit to being mesmerized and eager to read more and more. The ending was sensational, except for the omission of the fate of one of the minor characters (Alfy). I suppose that, like all good stories, some questions are better left to be questions. Overall, an excellent first book from one of my favorite authors.

For a science fiction book written in the early 1950s, Player Piano is just as relevant today, if not more so, about the effects of technological progress and automation in our society. Witty, clever, excellently-written, it belongs in the same category as We, Brave New World, and Nineteen Eighty Four.

My favorite Vonnegut book. The book seems even more relevant today with AI and machine learning. The ending best sums up human nature.