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'"My boy" he said, "you are descended from a long line of determined, resourceful, microscopic tadpoles -- champions every one."'

In 1985 (incidentally the year I was born) Vonnegut wrote of a device, the Mandarax, which could instantly translate between a thousand languages, with a sequence of questions diagnose illnesses, give you information on any given date in history, and fill in famous quotes. On page 62, he refers to the devise as "the Apple of Knowledge"... now what company was the first to create a smartphone?

Wow, sarcasm and acerbic irony reign supreme in this book, and that is saying something if it is even intense for Vonnegut.

I am growing more intrigued with each turn of the page. Newman has created, to my experience, a unique blending of post-apocalyptic sci-fi, with a healthy dose of fantasy and underlayed it all with a strong feel of McCarthy's The Road.

"How to Tell a True War Story" was a powerful one about ambiguity between fact and fiction, even and especially unintentionally, as one seeks to retell a war story; it is also about how most people don't listen to what you say, but to what they want to hear. Good stuff, haven't REALLY liked one of these shorts since the first, title short.

Right out of the gate this book exhibit's the weight of its subject. It is hard to describe the feel of it, as he describes "the things they carried" I feel the weight, not on my back or shoulders, but in my soul; it feels heavy.

"Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot in the head" The simplicity of his style stands in stark contrast to the emotional complexity of his content.