Nothing special, when compared to some of the giants on this list.

At his worst he is a pretty pedestrian writer, with a ridiculously undeserved reputation for deep thinking.

At his best he is innovative, and a skilled, witty writer. But his ranking here, on this list, is absurd.

I discovered Vonnegut by reading a review in Time of his novel Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut was a POW being part of the hapless soldiers who were captured in the first days of the Battle of the Bulge. He was imprisoned in Dresden and survivied the allied firestorm raid.

Before Vonngut nobody had mentioned Dresden. This was about 1960, only seven years after the end of the Korean War and nobody criticized the military in those days. I have read most of his works. He gets a 5 for the number of good writings not especially for anything particular. He work will probably not stand the test of time.

He writes books that really take you to another realm of thought. A true master.

Reading Kurt has literally changed my life!

criminally overrated, undisciplined and lazy writer. everything subsequent to Slaughterhouse can be and properly should be simply. seems to be a bit of a disoriented dick in person, too.

Kurt Vonnegut is the prophet of my personal religion.

if this isn't nice, then i don't know what is. please be aware when you are happy

There's two ways to read what KV writes, to hear what he says, and to try and comprehende it: Directly, or indirectly. The genious of an author like Vonnegut is that the key to read between the lines - something that's easier for some, rather than others. I suggest to those who find his works less than briliiant - try reading them in a different way. You can't read and appreciate a KV novel the way you read the works of other authors. That's why he has a well-deserved petistal in the wold of modern literature, looking down on most authors from high above. We'll never see another author of his calaber in our lifetime.

hmm...now how do i put this.. this is an extremely strange novel... well, i wouldnt really classify this as a novel either. i had to read this book for school. We had to read "the assault" and then slaughterhouse 5 - two books about how different people cope with war. And i must say, that the way billy pilgrim copes with war is pretty retarded. he thinks hes time travelling...at parts, the book actually makes u wonder if he really is ...and as someone else put it "makes u wonder if there really are aliens called tralfamadorians". on the style of writing, i would say that kurt vonnegut tries extremely hard to be funny at times...he tries so hard, that u cant help but laugh at the attempt to be funny. then again, i wouldnt blame him becuase if this little satirical humour wasnt there in the book, no one would read it, and kurt vonnegut wouldnt be able to get his point across. This point, being that...well...war is bad. he mentions a lot of times in the book that his aim is to actualy write an anti-war novel. he is writing this book to get across the message about how war affects the actual people in the war, and not people around them. most other books concentrate on how the war affects the families, civilians, children... . but this is one of the few books that concentrates upon the actualo person in the war. i think i have already written a little too much, and will stop now. i can go on for ages, but will not. for those of u who have managed to read till the end of this review, congratulations.

I agree with all who give him a "great" rating. I was turned on to KV when I had to do a report. My teacher said he was very funny. It's almost too bad that he doesn't have more works. He is a great writer who doesn't get enough credit.

Too pessimistic for my tastes.

I'm sure KV won't appeal to everyone - who would! But for those whose view of power-hungry, self-aggrandising members of humankind has been sufficiently jaundiced by their own unpleasant experiences with such folk, KV's novels are immensely perceptive and satisfying. An author who is economical with words but possessed of a unique style. Wonderful simply wonderful! In my opinion, of course :o)

KV is the greatest writer the English language has ever seen or ever will see. If you don't like him or his work, then its because you don't understand it. He is a shining beacon in a sea of crap. Utterly mindblowing.

An American original. The people that say he is pedestrian just don't get it. KV is able to project his humanist world view with wit and plain language. He is one of my heroes.

after i was introduced to vonnegut, i read bogambo snuffbox, welcome to the monkey house, godbless you dr kervorkian and all but two of his novels in like two months. this man is brilliant. his pedestrian writing is a cure for the masterbatory nature of alot of literature. vonnegut is my hero

mediocre satirist.

Vonnegut allows you to think outside the box...in ways you never imagined. Most of his books are a quick read...and he keeps you so glued to the story that you never want to put the book down until you're finished. Vonnegut is perhaps the only author that allows me to finish a book and then immediately start it again...I enjoy his stuff that much.

Kurt Vonnegut puts words together the way they want to be.

Vonnegut is a fantastic author. When i read Slaughterhouse 5 i was absorbed in his incredibly colloquial yet engrossing prose. the way he writes is close to being very nonprofessional, but is just amazingly addictive. I read that book in one day. It's still one of my favorites.

kurt vonnegut is amazing. breakfast of champions was my first, and favourite, no matter how (intentionally!) juvinile. since then i've read many of his other novels, and i have never been able to put one down once i started it. i didn't really like player piano, but i cut him some slack since it was his first. mr. vonnegut's insight and cynicism are very enjoyable. dark, humerous, and just goddamn lovely.

Less criticism, more introspection might help balance this persons tragically grandiose self image.

Incredibly easy to read and incredibly funny. Has that rare ability to cut right to the absurdity of the world today. What's remarkable about him is that he is undoubtably a moral writer (whether or not you agree with his morality is another question), and yet his books contain no real villians.

This guy wrote a few decent novels, but also slogged out alot of crap that appeals only to his hardcore fans, and for good reason. Cat's Cradle, Player Piano, Mother Night, Slaughterhouse Five, The Sirens of Titan were all good, solid books, if not a little too reliant on kitsch, the obvious and the juvenile impact of sci-fi. Breakfast of Champions was a waste of paper and ink and I attempted to read Slaptick, but put it down because it was so slipshod. Vonnegut has been an enduring pop novelist who rarely challenges the reader, has never broken any new ground, made little contribution to the literary advancement or enhancement of his genre, and really doesn't earn high marks as a stylist in comparison to many of his contemporaries. But he is at times an entertaining read, and I guess his tendency towards the lightweight isn't a totally grevious fault.

The author of excellent stories like Harrison Bergeron and 2BRO2B. Vonnegut uses good euphemism and always keeps me entertained!

love vonnegut, he is my god

probably one of the best authors in history. and his art is not half bad either. whenever i read something by kurt my world is tranformed. i love that. personal favorite- the sirens of titan

His books are so easy to read, it's as if the pages turn themselves

I've never felt led on or rundown by Vonnegut, its almost as if Im coming to a realization along with him. Player Piano, Breakfast of Champions and Cats Cradle without a doubt changed my outlook on life. Without Vonnegut I wouldn't have the same feeling for life. Anyone who so early on realized the bullshit of society and who can so poignantly present it to us deserves our readership. Thank you KV.

I find Vonnegut's novels and short stories very enlighting. I would really recommend reading some of his collections of short stories such as "Bagambo Snuff Box". His stories are short and to the point. Many of the stories will make you laugh out loud, mainly at characters which remind you of people you may know.

I have never read a K.V. book that I did Not like.

He has been like a third parent to me. Breakfast of Champions is my Bible and changed my life in ways I can't begin to imagine.

I already miss him.

I am always amazed how he can detail to me why society is going to hell in a handbasket, tell me we are all doomed, prove to me that each and every human being is at least a little stupid... and make me laugh about it! This man inspires me.

kurt vonnegut isn't for everyone. i first read "mother night" in high school then nothing 'til "breakfast of champions"then i read everything i could find,many of them twice.i think he's brillient but troubled,which is the case with alot of great artists. "time quake"felt like the world's longest suicide note. i pray it isn't but i read on the net that he tried to kill himself once.what a loss that will be. i eagerly await anything he chooses to release. one reviewer on this site called him a "god" i concur

Kurt Vonnegut is insperational, one of a kind, and absolutly the best author. If you have not read & experienced his soulful ways of writting, well, I am so so so sorry for you,for no other writter can make you feel or move you the way he does. I could go on forever, but I leave it at that.

I have read as many of the previously written opinions I possibly could, and must say that none of them (including my own) comes remotely close to describing the fantastic, in-depth, philosophically staggering nature of Vonnegut's works. I have read every one, some twice. I even carry around my own Universal Will to Become. I tell my friends this: "Don't read him if you're happy with where your life is now, because he WILL change it."

Vonnegut knows how to say everything right to the point, however I am always amazed at the complexity of the relationships between his novels.

Vonnegut's style and use of the English language is disturbingly and refreshingly direct. At the same time, his blunt expression and glorious imagination make his literature extremely poetic, if not conventionally verbose. With writing so simple a child could easily understand, he makes some of the most poignant (and humorous) comments about life, philosophy and society to be found in modern literature. Breakfast of Champions is one of the saddest, funniest and profound novels in the English language!

Two words: BITTER SWEET. Kurt Vonnegut you hurt me in a special place!

A genius of literature, Vonnegut's books all have some profound statement behind them and all are brilliantly written:witty, awry, and sometimes starkly shocking. His best book is surely The Sirens of Titan which is one of the best books I have ever read along with Catch-22 and Heart of Darkness.

What can you say about this man? How can you explain the feeling of sitting down and reading a book, just 'cause your English teacher said you'd like it, and having your entire world changed? No...not changed. Revealed. A new understanding of what you believe, a kinship with this author who KNOWS how you think...suddenly comprehending the religious fervor of other people, as Vonnegut becomes your God, or at least some kind of prophet, messiah...whatever. I cannot, in good conscience, reccomend Mr. Vonnegut's works to everyone, because not everyone can handle it! But for those who can, for us, just take this gift he has given you, and use it.

One of the greatest American authors.

Not my favorite author, but the author of my favorite book--Slaughterhouse 5. I think he is a lot like his reoccurring character, the author who writes science fiction and nobody except Billy Pilgrim reads his books. Vonnegut has insightful and meaningful ideas but sometimes the execution is a little off. His mediocre books annoy me, his best works are the best around.

If I was a writer, I would write just like KV.

Really grate author. Novels by KV concern lefe more then eny others. But it's too hard to find them in Russia.

his simplistic yet complex style combines with beautifully thought out plots, and completly un-expected underlying themes to create a fabulous brand of fiction like no one else has to offer. truly great.

Mr Vonnegut will never win any prizes for poetic use of the english langauge,however I feel flowery prose would only mask his unerring ability to reveal some worth in the seeming trivia of ordinary day-to-day social interaction.I find myself very content to look upon KV as a strong influence in my own personal philsophy,and surely anyone who spent his formative years making model 'planes and masturbating can only be regarded as a world class authority on life

It's really weird when you read all the things you think about the world being written by someone else. It's even weirder when you read someone else's way of tackling all the stuff in life you don't know how to tackle, and realise that they might have found the answer. Vonnegut does that for me, so i guess he's ok. He's also funny. Which helps.

Interesting style, but a bit heavy handed at times.

Kurt Vonnegut is truly one of the greatest living authors today. His books are cutting, sometimes frightening indictments of society, all wrapped up in a friendly, simplistic prose that belies their depth. His books make you laugh and cry at the same time, and there's a huge library of them to choose from. His best, in my opinion, would be Breakfast of Champions, but if you're just getting into him for the first time you might want to start with one of his more mainstream novels like Hocus Pocus first, because BOC is pure, unfiltered Vonnegut and its bizarre writing style might be too much for the uninitiated. Also, be sure to stay away from his leaden debut novel, Player Piano, as it is a straight piece and not funny in the least. But you really can't go wrong with any of his other many selections.