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The Sirens of Titan
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
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Summary
The Sirens of Titan is an outrageous romp through space, time, and morality. The richest, most depraved man on Earth, Malachi Constant, is offered a chance to take a space journey to distant worlds with a beautiful woman at his side. Of course there's a catch to the invitation and a prophetic vision about the purpose of human life that only Vonnegut has the courage to tell.
As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Kurt Vonnegut's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews Gay Talese about the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Sirens of Titan
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- Anonymous User
- 07-06-20
Not for me
Performance was very good. Just the story fell short for me. Reminded me a lot of h g wells’ mediocre ones. old school sc fi that doesn’t quite hold up anymore
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- Tim
- 14-08-22
An absolute tour de force, where do I begin?
This was my first Vonnegut, and it has everything. It's satire of the highest order, and timeless in that I think Bezos and Musk should read it if they haven't. It's hilarious, so freshly-written and inventive with its language and characters, has plot twists aplenty, and is cinematically described to the point that I don't think a screenwriter would need to do a great deal. That treatise in the middle as well, about a new religion to save mankind, stopped me in my tracks. Just wow.
Special praise to Jay Snyder who brought this entire varied cast to vivid life.
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- Mr Geoff
- 11-04-19
Brilliant-Ieony
A Must Read for any Fan of SF & The Human Condition! I thoroughly Recommend this Classic - As an Intro into his Views & Wit it is Stunning.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Stuart
- 14-02-12
Fantastic
I love Kurt Vonnegut and his books work really well for me on audio. This one is fantastic!
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- I. A. Clark
- 21-04-12
Profoundly depressing
Inventive if improbable parable of meaninglessness and ridicule in riches, commerce and war. Anticipates Douglas Adams by 20 years, robbing him of any significant claim to originality. Has something Adams lacks: the bitter, casual cruelty of someone who has been betrayed in life. Winston Niles Rumfoord's wilfully ill-conceived and ill-starred Martian invasion of Earth prefigures every Western war since the book was published. A compelling read, like licking a sore tooth.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Titus
- 27-04-23
Brilliant book, excellently read
Vonnegut succeeds in creating a hilarious sci Fi satire with simple prose, yet profound depth.
The narrator brings the story to life with excellent voice acting, capturing the humorous tone of the author perfectly.
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- Benjamin
- 16-01-17
Like Vonnegut but...
I regret getting the unabridged version...I think I appreciate his books in short copy. He's a writer who is so good at being succinct in a sentence but there's no need for certain offshoots of this story to be included.
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- Jock
- 27-01-22
Good Story Poor Performance
A great story slightly ruined by a low rate actor. Cadence and then me of voice is my and uninteresting.
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- daveo
- 02-10-22
Well presented classic
Classic scfi original, infused with vonnegut
's humanity. Its B movie stuff, not polished, but lots of fun. Great performance by the narrator.
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- Pongo Narrates
- 14-06-21
A nine hour long joke
This is my second Kurt Vonnegut, and I have concluded that he is an acquired taste. I'm not sure if I have acquired it yet.
Synopsis
Winston Niles Rumfoord gets caught in a chrono-synclastic infundibulum, resulting in him being able to see the future. Malachi Constant is a billionaire who gets told by Rumfoord that he is going to Titan and he will have a child with Rumfoord's wife. Malachi doesn't like this idea, so does everything he can to stop it from happening.
Saying more could spoil the joke, so I won't. This is important because I think Sirens of Titan should be treated more as a joke than a novel. There is a plot, but it reads more like a lengthy setup for a punchline. The characters don't develop much and, putting it lightly, they weren't nice people to start with.
Two things stood out. The prose and the philosophical punchline.
A Vonnegut sentence is short. A Vonnegut sentence repeats. A Vonnegut sentence grabs you by the ears and points you where you need to be pointed. This can come across as patronizing but is certainly effective. It also suits the blunt force sarcasm of the book.
I can't talk about the punchline without spoilers, but what I will say is you probably won't find it funny. It's pretty black. You might appreciate it and let out an amused snort, but this is no side-splitter. However, the punchline is one you are unlikely to forget.
Narration
Jay Snyder reads it like it is written. Each sentence is started and concluded with deliberate intent. Because Snyder leans into the prose if you like the style you will like the narration. If not, then you will probably find the narration very abrupt. I liked it.
Recommendation
Vonnegut is difficult to recommend to anyone. I can't think of anyone similar. The emphasis on concept over story and character means I think hard sci-fi fans will like it most. But Black humor is the watchword. If you like a dark joke you might like Sirens of Titan. While listening I was confused. On finishing I was bemused. After contemplation I am amused.
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8 people found this helpful