The first and only collection of unpublished works by Kurt Vonnegut since his deatha fitting tribute to the author, and an essential contributi...
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Jul 22, 2008
Bruce
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I often wonder how readers who did not come of age in the sixties view Kurt Vonnegut. I did, and he was iconic. How many times since then I have reread Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five with the same enjoyment I did when they were first published. Vonnegut's novels are deceptive; one has the feeling that one is reading something light, flippant, and ultimately insubstantial only to find the plots and characters remain with one for years afterward.
I approached this short collect More...
I approached this short collect More...
May 23, 2008
Steven
rated it:
I finished "Armageddon in Retrospect" a few weeks ago. It was really good. I often wonder about works published posthumously, particularly when the works had been kicking around for a while before the author died.
Did the author want them to be published? Is there a reason they weren't published while they were alive?
I graduated from Law School just over one year ago, and it seems that in every different area of law there is a seminal case, the first that you More...
Did the author want them to be published? Is there a reason they weren't published while they were alive?
I graduated from Law School just over one year ago, and it seems that in every different area of law there is a seminal case, the first that you More...
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Apr 08, 2008
cory
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Quoting the author:
"And now please note that I have raised my right hand. And that means that I'm not kidding, that whatever I say next I believe to be true. So here it goes: The most spiritually splendid American phenomenon of my lifetime wasn't our contribution to the defeat of the Nazis, in which I played such a large part, or Ronald Reagan's overthrow of Godless Communism, in Russia at least.
The most spiritually splendid American phenomenon of my lifetime is ho More...
"And now please note that I have raised my right hand. And that means that I'm not kidding, that whatever I say next I believe to be true. So here it goes: The most spiritually splendid American phenomenon of my lifetime wasn't our contribution to the defeat of the Nazis, in which I played such a large part, or Ronald Reagan's overthrow of Godless Communism, in Russia at least.
The most spiritually splendid American phenomenon of my lifetime is ho More...
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Apr 19, 2009
Jonathan
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I love this book because it offers so much - it's a buffet of essays, artistic sketches and short stories by a writer who managed to stay relevant and fresh into his late 80's. Some may be skeptical of the quality of work because the book was collected and published posthumously, but there's no need to fear that this is just another paycheck for the publisher. Most of the contents stand up with the rest of Vonnegut's work, which is to say, he paints pictures here with words of a humorous, horri
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Oct 20, 2008
John
rated it: 
Vonnegut’s harrowing essay on the Dresden bombing, “Wailing Shall Be in All Streets,” is the highlight and centerpiece of this collection, and one of the best works of anti-war art I’ve read—something like the literary equivalent of Francisco Goya’s ‘Disasters of War’ series. This previously unpublished work is undated, but has the immediacy and urgency of an open wound. Dresden was the last major German city to escape bombing because there was nothing combative about it; it was a city of hospit
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May 26, 2008
Gerry
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This collection of unpublished Vonnegut short stories demonstrates why they were never published when he was alive: they aren't very good. The only interesting item in Armageddon in Retrospect is a reproduction of the letter he wrote to his family after being freed as a POW in WWII, where he was forced carry the dead to bonfires following the bombing of Dresden. The letter hints at the writer he'd become: a dry humorist with a seemingly unpolished style who tackled great moral questions.
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May 12, 2008
Sibyl
rated it:
Post-Mortem collections published by family members in an
attempt to create a tribute or a final goodbye for their
famous relatives often leave you wondering if the deceased
is somewhere shaking their 'heads'.
In this case, I'm sure Vonnegut would roll his eyes as thousands of die-hard 'fans' of his work read through the stories searching for some 'goodbye' to the world.
Thankfully, Vonnegut never wrote such a piece a of crap.
These stories p More...
attempt to create a tribute or a final goodbye for their
famous relatives often leave you wondering if the deceased
is somewhere shaking their 'heads'.
In this case, I'm sure Vonnegut would roll his eyes as thousands of die-hard 'fans' of his work read through the stories searching for some 'goodbye' to the world.
Thankfully, Vonnegut never wrote such a piece a of crap.
These stories p More...
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Apr 05, 2008
Josh
rated it:
What can one possibly say about Mr. Vonnegut? Hilarious? Yes. Honesty taken to extremes? Absolutely.
This collection of unpublished short stories borders on the amazing. Unlike his two other short story collections, this is a finely tuned treatise on the most overwhelming subject of Kurt's last years, war. Specifically, the ramifications of war on human life as explored in a slew of stories.
I could go into the specifics of each story, but I leave it to you to read and fin More...
This collection of unpublished short stories borders on the amazing. Unlike his two other short story collections, this is a finely tuned treatise on the most overwhelming subject of Kurt's last years, war. Specifically, the ramifications of war on human life as explored in a slew of stories.
I could go into the specifics of each story, but I leave it to you to read and fin More...
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May 28, 2008
Andy
rated it:
This was kind of disappointing. The stories were generally good, though a lot of them were kind of same-y, about his time in the army, in a wrapper of fiction. But the book kicks off with a commencement speech he was to deliver, but died before he did. It was just depressing. He was angry, disheveled, and not funny. He was just angry, without seeing any way things could be better.
I don't know if the stories were old, and just unpublished, or written somewhat recently, but I was More...
I don't know if the stories were old, and just unpublished, or written somewhat recently, but I was More...
May 15, 2008
R.
rated it:
*does spit take with bloody mary* K'fwaaaah?!
That was my reaction upon hearing that Vonnegut had a new book coming out. But I'm here to tell you today that that was merely for show. To show that I was a little more than surprised. I suppose I could have written, "I'm a little more than surprised at this revelation, folks." But where's the fun in that?
Some would say its themes are repetitive. These are the same people who would complain about too More...
That was my reaction upon hearing that Vonnegut had a new book coming out. But I'm here to tell you today that that was merely for show. To show that I was a little more than surprised. I suppose I could have written, "I'm a little more than surprised at this revelation, folks." But where's the fun in that?
Some would say its themes are repetitive. These are the same people who would complain about too More...
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Dec 05, 2008
Ned
rated it:
As a fan of Kurt Vonnegut for over 40 years I really enjoyed this final book, published posthumously of previously unpublished essays. They are classic Vonnegut, showing the same craftsmanship as his earlier published works. For me, his great talent was leaving the reader unaware of the thought and polish that went into his writing, which often seems on the surface to be just casual story telling.
The forward, offered by his son Mark, revealed that Kurt passed on more than just his gene More...
The forward, offered by his son Mark, revealed that Kurt passed on more than just his gene More...
Aug 20, 2011
Randy
rated it:
Short story collection (some are outstanding, a couple are mediocre) built on the themes of war and disarmament. Most of the material is dated and a reads like an attempted rehash of SH5, or at least revisits the firebombing of Dresden which I suppose would be unavoidable for anyone who was there.
"Great Day" is one of the better pieces in the compilation. It tells the story of a confused young recruit in a world without international conflict who joins the 'Time Corps', and More...
"Great Day" is one of the better pieces in the compilation. It tells the story of a confused young recruit in a world without international conflict who joins the 'Time Corps', and More...
Jun 21, 2011
Elliot
rated it:
Dear friend:
May I have a minute of your time?
In a sophmoric Sophomoric craze, I read a dozen or so of Kurt Vonnegut's novels, loving almost all of them dearly, but retaining very little about each individual book. Instead, I have the an amorphous Vonnegut cloud, the hazy remnants of my first real literary fascination from a time when my critical taste was somewhat negligible.
And while I'm at it, I've always loved that, no matter when a particular work was writ More...
May I have a minute of your time?
In a sophmoric Sophomoric craze, I read a dozen or so of Kurt Vonnegut's novels, loving almost all of them dearly, but retaining very little about each individual book. Instead, I have the an amorphous Vonnegut cloud, the hazy remnants of my first real literary fascination from a time when my critical taste was somewhat negligible.
And while I'm at it, I've always loved that, no matter when a particular work was writ More...
Mar 30, 2011
Bookophile
rated it:
Kurt Vonnegut's novels are among my favorite, which led me to question whether his essays and short stories would be as good. The 2008 publication was the first posthumous collection and has a pretty funny introduction by Kurt's son Mark Vonnegut. The book itself contains 13 stories and essays about War and Peace, two of Vonnegut's most common themes.
The stories contained a lot of autobiographical information. Each story had a character or two whose experience was more directly based o More...
The stories contained a lot of autobiographical information. Each story had a character or two whose experience was more directly based o More...
Sep 03, 2010
Book
rated it:
Armageddon In Retrospect-- Kurt Vonnegut, Review
Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut is a posthumous collection of his work. It opens with a letter dated May 29, 1945 about his stay as a prisoner of war near Dresden. He decries what happened there.
The short stories in this collection are about war and conflict. There is nothing about peace. Many of them are set in the immediate aftermath of World War II. There is often a simple brutality to these stories. Thes More...
Jul 16, 2010
After Mark Twain died, some of his works were posthumously published, which he considered too daring to release while he was still alive–The Mysterious Stranger, Incident in the Philippines, Letters from the Earth, and more. I’ve always hoped the same would be true of Kurt Vonnegut.
Armageddon in Retrospect isn’t that book. It turns out to be a perfectly readable collection of his early, uncollected stories, with an occassional speech or essay thrown in. Much of the book represents e More...
Armageddon in Retrospect isn’t that book. It turns out to be a perfectly readable collection of his early, uncollected stories, with an occassional speech or essay thrown in. Much of the book represents e More...
Apr 29, 2010
Diane
rated it:
Why?
Just because I'm a Vonnegut junkie, I picked this up at my local Borders a while back. I was excited to read some short tidbits by the infamous Kurt, considering he was always so good at getting his point across within a few short words after building you up, building you up, making you laugh, and smashing reality in your face. He really would only need a few pages to do this, and so I wanted to read this, even after his ironic death.
It really wasn't what I wanted. Though t More...
Just because I'm a Vonnegut junkie, I picked this up at my local Borders a while back. I was excited to read some short tidbits by the infamous Kurt, considering he was always so good at getting his point across within a few short words after building you up, building you up, making you laugh, and smashing reality in your face. He really would only need a few pages to do this, and so I wanted to read this, even after his ironic death.
It really wasn't what I wanted. Though t More...
Dec 08, 2009
Jonny99
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The book of posthumous writings are a diverse collection including a 2007 speech given by Vonnegut in Indiana and a letter written home by Vonnegut detailing his capture and mistreatment as a WWII prisoner of war in Dresden and some short fiction. The speech has the silly, rambling tone of that somewhat senile grand-uncle that comes to Thanksgiving each year. The non-fiction account of the 200,000 who were killed in the Dresden fire-bombing by the allies gives some insight into Vonnegut’s late
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Sep 02, 2009
Catherine
rated it:
A bittersweet collection; so thoroughly enjoyable and as always, thought provoking in his condemnation of war and politics. So sad to know that there will be no more writings from this great humanist and author. Those of greater skill and knowledge have filled the literature with more thoughtful comments than the likes of me--so go read those reviews. For me, the forward by his son, Mark Vonnegut, was such an act of love that it should be enjoyed simply for the insights it provides into Vonnegu
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Dec 07, 2011
Eric
rated it:
"Nobody knew what to do. The fate of humanity seemed out of the control of human beings. Every day was filled with desperate helplessness, and with worse news than that of the day before." - from the title story
This is a very fine assembly of unpublished writings about war and peace. There are short stories, artwork, a speech, a non-fiction piece, and a scan of the letter Kurt wrote his parents shortly after being freed as a prisoner of war. I highly recommend it to Vonnegut More...
This is a very fine assembly of unpublished writings about war and peace. There are short stories, artwork, a speech, a non-fiction piece, and a scan of the letter Kurt wrote his parents shortly after being freed as a prisoner of war. I highly recommend it to Vonnegut More...
Jan 05, 2010
Mynameisandycostello
rated it:
What a joy it was to read his short story work! And, also, it was a joy to read fiction by Vonnegut that dealt with entirely believable characters and plots. All of which, of course, was historical fiction of WWII.
You don't often see Vonnegut write without adding some sort of supernatural/science fiction aspect to the story. In these stories, he didn't seem to feel the urge to do such a thing (or he did, and restrained himself) because I think he wanted war to speak for itself. More...
You don't often see Vonnegut write without adding some sort of supernatural/science fiction aspect to the story. In these stories, he didn't seem to feel the urge to do such a thing (or he did, and restrained himself) because I think he wanted war to speak for itself. More...
Sep 27, 2009
Tommy
rated it:
This book mixed non-fiction in the form of a few speeches by Kurt Vonnegut with quite a few short stories on the topic of war.
I absolutely loved the speeches at the beginning. I think Vonnegut's wit is tremendous and biting and his tongue-in-cheek delivery and critique is tough to match. I would have been thrilled if the entire book were speeches because I think he has a lot of great things to say and he's funny as hell.
That is not to say that the stories are terrible. Mo More...
I absolutely loved the speeches at the beginning. I think Vonnegut's wit is tremendous and biting and his tongue-in-cheek delivery and critique is tough to match. I would have been thrilled if the entire book were speeches because I think he has a lot of great things to say and he's funny as hell.
That is not to say that the stories are terrible. Mo More...
Jan 22, 2009
Adam
rated it:
Just another great collection of short stories form a masterful writer!
In Armageddon in Retrospect, Vonnegut explores humanity at war through a series of eleven fictional writings. Also included in the book are two 'realistic' pieces by the author. One is the transcript of the final speech he ever gave at Clowes Hall in Indianapolis. The second is a letter to his family written following his release from a German POW camp.
Though all the writings have Kurt's distinctl More...
In Armageddon in Retrospect, Vonnegut explores humanity at war through a series of eleven fictional writings. Also included in the book are two 'realistic' pieces by the author. One is the transcript of the final speech he ever gave at Clowes Hall in Indianapolis. The second is a letter to his family written following his release from a German POW camp.
Though all the writings have Kurt's distinctl More...
Aug 05, 2011
Hansen
rated it:
This is an odd picture of one of our greatest American writers, in some respects a glimpse of the early and developing artist, in another respect a posthumous celebration of genius. Beyond Vonnegut's last speech, and perhaps a post-POW letter to his family, none of the stories are must-reads, appearing more historical, bibliographical than literary. However, in that one speech, actually delivered by son Mark, who writes a compelling introduction to this collection, we are treated to a condensed
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Dec 27, 2010
Matt
rated it:
As is the problem with many posthumously published collections of major authors' works, there is a really good reason why the contents of Armageddon in Retrospect previously went unpublished: they just aren't really any good. I am a huge Vonnegut fan, and have never given anything else of his I have read fewer than four stars, so it felt bad to give this collection a whopping two, but I feel it is really justified. There are a few good things about it, and they mostly come at the beginning. I li
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Aug 21, 2010
Kristen
rated it:
This collection of short stories on the topic of war was written throughout his career and released after his death. The stories vary widely in quality from absolutely hilarious, heartbreakingly sad, to rather mediocre (the majority of them.) Although the short stories are the bulk of the book but what makes this a must have for any Vonnegut fan is his nonfiction account of the bombing of Dresden, addressed in far more detail than any of his writings in the past (many of the short stories are
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Aug 10, 2009
Rosemary
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Gut-wrenchingly beautiful. I'm not sure how I could tear up in anguish while laughing at the sardonic wit that gushes from Vonnegut (borrowing from the last quote in the collection), how I could want to physically hurt a character - in a book - while feeling like I should run off to church and repent or plant daises across all the lands. This collection of stories about war, innocence, hope, duplicity, and morality is a worthwhile visceral and intellectual enema. I highly recommend it.
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Jun 21, 2008
Reid
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This book is mostly fiction that Vonnegut wrote throughout his life but never published. After his death, his son, Mark put together this collection. In one way or another, they are all reflections on war and peace and what these things mean in the minds of humans and in our world. Quite a good read from one of our great American authors.
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Nov 21, 2009
Katy
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Kurt Vonnegut never fails to amaze me. Ever since reading "Slaughterhouse-Five," I've been convinced that he is a literary genius, and "Armageddon in Retrospect," only strenthens my belief that this is so.
Although this is only the second novel by Vonnegut that I have read, it was the last to be published by him. Vonnegut died in 2007, and his son, fellow author Mark Vonnegut, compiled unpublished short stories, and created this.
My personal favorite is More...
Although this is only the second novel by Vonnegut that I have read, it was the last to be published by him. Vonnegut died in 2007, and his son, fellow author Mark Vonnegut, compiled unpublished short stories, and created this.
My personal favorite is More...
May 14, 2009
Harley
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If you have not read any of Kurt Vonnegut's books, this is not the place to start. This book is for those who love to read everything he has written. It is a posthumous collection of short stories, a letter, an essay and a speech that were previously unpublished. The central theme is war and soldiers.
Kurt's son, Mark, wrote an excellent introduction. The first sentence reads: "Writing was a spiritual exercise for my father, the only thing he really believed in." I lov More...
Kurt's son, Mark, wrote an excellent introduction. The first sentence reads: "Writing was a spiritual exercise for my father, the only thing he really believed in." I lov More...
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