"It's just a hell of a time to be alive, is all - just this goddamn messy business of people having to get used to new ideas"

I finally finished Player Piano, Kurt Vonnegut's first novel. I was definitely not overwhelmed, nor was I necessarily underwhelmed. This book left me feeling just whelmed. There was nothing inherently bad about the book and when I was reading it, it went quickly and was fairly entertaining but I went days and weeks even without the desire to pick it back up. Player Piano is Vonnegut Light in my opinion. The kiddie pool to some of his wackier stories if you will. I was expecting bizarre characters, out-there situations all mixed up with deep philosophical thoughts. And while this story did indeed have philosophical thoughts, it really wasn't anything absurdly profound.

Player Piano is a dystopian novel about the mechanization of the world and the sophistication of these machines and the societal strain that causes between the upper class - the managers and engineers, and the lower class - those who have systematically been replaced by machines and the prospects of trying to fix the balance of power. In some instances, these disenfranchised people were replaced by the machines that they helped create. These machines devalued human thinking; machines do not make mistakes. It is definitely a poignant message in this day and age in our tech driven lives but I personally do not put too much stock in machines taking over the world.

Player Piano did feel much more like the classic Vonnegut I've grown to know and love with right around 60 pages left. While I couldn't put the book down for those 60 pages, it was a little too late to capture my heart.

I used to have a shelf of Vonnegut novels. Player Piano was not one of my favourites (which were Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five), but whenever a writer has several novels, there will always be among them those that are not quite as good, but serve to help the best to shine.

Vonnegut here explores themes of automation and predestination. The scroll in a player piano was an early form of "program language" or script, and we all need to have the skill to recognize when those preconceived scripts are running our lives.

It’s funny that the one Vonnegut novel I had yet to read was the one he published first. In this satirical take on his time at General Electric, we are dropped into a post World War III mechanized dystopia. Automation has taken over menial jobs rendering some folks to perceive themselves as useless. A fight to take the world back from the machines ensues. As with many Vonnegut novels, this holds even more societal relevance today. Not my favorite Vonnegut, but still a solid read.

Presents a thought provoking, dystopian future, where only the 'know-how' of engineers and managers is valued. Everyone else has been replaced by machines and consigned to the scrapheap, in the interests of efficiency and the greater good!

Despite the omnipresence and virtual omipotence of machines, human society is still human society. 'Who you know' and 'who you are' can still get you places, the manager class is dangerously infantile and the 'outcasts' are ingeniously subversive and non-conforming.

This could have been a depressing read, but Vonnegut's sharp observations and wry humour drove a poignant story home in a light-hearted way. Satirical scenes, sometimes bordering on the slap-stick, made this an enjoyable, memorable read. Conversely, the author's insight and prophetic thinking is astounding - and extremely quotable.

E' una società (distopica) perfetta quella che Vonnegut disegna in questo romanzo. Tutti i membri della società sono forniti di un lavoro, di una casa con tutti gli elettrodomestici, di cibo, di un'assicurazione per le malattie. Questa società perfetta è divisa in due classi: i dirigenti/amministratori che si occupano della gestione degli impianti industriali (plurilaureati con stipendi stratosferici e case bellissime), e tutti gli altri e pochissimi hanno la sfortuna/fortuna di passare dall'una all'altra classe. Questa società classista è divisa sulla base del quoziente intellettivo di ognuno. Sotto un certo valore del QI, non vali granché, puoi abitare solo in certe zone della città e non puoi ovviamente sperare in un lavoro gratificante. Anche se, essendo tutto meccanizzato e automatizzato, i lavori disponibili sono ormai pochi. Sì, le macchine ormai fanno tutto da sole ma gli abitanti dei quartieri al di là dal ponte cominciano a pensare che forse si stava meglio prima. E quando a questi abitanti si uniscono ex ingegneri dal nome quasi mitico, il vento della rivoluzione si alza implacabile.

those who live by electronics, die by electronics.

Hi ho. World War III happens, and after it, the world is automatized and machines overpower humans. The social system and cities are divided between the working class, who are getting steadily replaced by machines, and the managers and engineers, who serve as the higher class with crazy-high incomes and fancy houses and luxuries. Player Piano is Kurt Vonnegut's first novel, and it shows. The writing is not as hilarious as in SH-5 and he probably didn't know if he was to ever publish another novel, so the book feels altogether crowded with many concepts that don't really pan out, but even so, this novel is a great debut by one of America's most talented writers. It's basically Nineteen Eighty-Four, but not as good and with a Vonnegut twist.

The novel has two main plots: one that looks into the system from the inside, and the other from the outside. The inside plot treats with Dr Paul Proteus, the manager at the Ilium Works. He's looking forward to getting ascended when an old friend of his life reappears into his life, and Paul is 'persuaded' to form part in a revolution against the machines. His parts were at times brilliant, but certainly needed lots of polishing, and were for the most part rambling and fidgeting around, Vonnegut not quite grabbing my attention fully, but the outside plot, was actually brilliant. The Shah of Bratpuhr is visiting the US and we see vignettes of the typical life of the dystopian country. And they are both hilarious and terrifying in a way. How even barbers have their profession automatized, a visit to the average American household -and how relationships are as well automatized, a speech of the President, etc. etc. In here Kurt really shows up with incredibly witty and humorous moments but also represents the brutality of the situation, which might be what we actually are heading to. KV would be SO pissed to know that his jokes became true! Every time a Shah chapter appeared, I smiled, for these uplifted the book up to the 3-star category. Paul’s story is quite forgettable tbh, whilst I do remember the shah.

This certainly isn't Slaughterhouse-Five, but it is good in its own queer way. I would only recommend this to Vonnegut true fans, for only so this'd be truly appreciated. This certainly isn't the way to start with him for at the time when this was written, our beloved Kurt Vonnegut Jr. hadn't truly grown fully as a writer, and, as I said earlier, it's a bit too crowded with half-cooked scenes and ideas, and if you asked me, women are not portrayed too well, but oh well, that is one petty remark given the times this was written.

Even though the lukewarm reviews, I cannot wait to get my hands on n  The Sirens of Titann!

Rating: 4.5/5

Player Piano is a must-read for anyone interested in technology and its philosophical implications, especially regarding how it could lead to humanity’s downfall. Vonnegut presents a thought-provoking exploration of the tension between humanity and advanced technology.

Set in a postwar era, the novel imagines a so-called golden age where machines govern nearly every aspect of life, rendering humans increasingly redundant. This premise raises important questions about the role of technology in our lives and the potential consequences of over-reliance on it.

I consider Vonnegut a brilliant writer, and after reading this, I’m excited to dive into the other titles by him that are waiting on my shelf. I have no doubt they will be just as compelling.

The reason for my 0.5-star deduction is that Vonnegut’s vision of the far future feels somewhat rudimentary. It seems he may have intentionally chosen not to elaborate on that aspect, but I appreciate his ability as a visionary writer nonetheless.

I always find reviewing any Kurt Vonnegut book to be an impossible task. Still, I try.

First things first- Player Piano is dated. I believe it's Kurt's first published novel(?) and it definitely shows. I believe his writing style isn't fully developed in this but don't let that discourage you from this book, because it's genuinely a great read. Player Piano offers a detailed view at the aspects of life that truly make it worth living: having a purpose. Without a purpose, one ceases to exist.

What impresses me most about this book is its accuracy. As I was reading this book I was keenly noticing just how far society has come and how scarily accurate Kurt's predictions were. The world around us is becoming more and more 'convenient'- in that everything is automated; food can be delivered to your doorstep with a few taps on your phone, every film can be watched within seconds without having to leave the sofa. Convenience is a wonderful thing, but Player Piano will have you look at the other end of the deal: For every piece of automation, a sacrifice is being made. A sacrifice of human ingenuity and interaction. Gone are the days of flicking through a dvd rental shop looking for a crappy film to watch or the camaraderie of queueing in a takeaway shop with every other hungry customer. While these are very small, minor things that arguably won't missed, it just goes to show the little bits of humanity that can be found in various situations that are slowly being sacrificed in the pursuit of efficiency. (FYI, I still prefer ordering food from my phone and watching Netflix in my dressing gown.)

What was most eerie about this read is the fact that I was attending lectures and labs on Machine learning for my masters while reading this. It was bizarre reading about the consequences of machines and then going to learn how to make machine do stuff better than I can.

Anyway, Kurt's great, this books great and I think it deserves a spot alongside 1984, We, Brave New World and all the other classic dystopian novels.

6 years ago i tried writing a short story (it's shit, but has a good premise). If someone would read it someday, it can say that it was heavily influenced from Player Piano (which i now read for the first time :)). In my opinion, this book is the closest type of dystopia we'll have in real life, in 20-40 years. On top of that great premise, it's fun and entertaining. And on top of both, since it's my first Vonnegut, i think i'll enjoy his satirical musings in later books very very much. For me, the only small negative thing i can say is, it is too much character focused instead of idea focused (for my tastes, but most people love that stuff).
It eclipsed all dystopian books for first place in my rating list. 4.8/5.0

In reading this I was surprised to find a book that wasn't filled with Vonnegut's usual sarcasm and absurdity (in a good way). Then I realized this was his first book and that he was still probably finding his voice as a writer when he wrote it. Instead of relying solely on comical misunderstandings and dialogue, you find a more genuine story of people struggling to find a purpose in an unhappy world. Although nothing for me will ever match 'Slaughterhouse-Five,' I enjoyed this more than books like 'Breakfast of Champions' and 'Galapagos.'

My first Vonnegut novel. I was very impressed. If this is his first novel than the others must be fantastic.

Let's not beat around the bush.
'Player Piano' is far below the very high standards Vonnegut set up later in his career as a novelist.
Most surprisingly - given what Kurt V. would have written in the following years - this novel casts plenty of dull dialogues and many an uninspired wordy description.

There are a few exceptions here and there (e.g. the onomatopoeic sounds, the Shah of Bratpuhr) which show a glimpse of its author sparkling absurdist postmodern talent.
But if you worship Vonnegut - as I do - then 'Player Piano' is going to be an utter disappointment.

In short, it's a first novel and it shows.
Suggested only for disillusioned completists in search of the Vonnegutian Holy Grail.

PS: It must be said that it does get better towards the end. Especially in the 'Meadows' chapters, one can easily foresee the brilliant author who would have worked on novels such as 'The Sirens of Titans' and 'Mother Night' a few years later. Still, what an evolution old Kurt had!