A book review written by Lee Sonogan
(1968) Short storys
“I wish you’d help me look into a more interesting problem – namely, my sanity.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Welcome to the Monkey House
Welcome to the Monkey House is a collection of 25 short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut. The stories range from war-time themed storys to futuristic thrillers, given with satire and the author’s unique edge. The stories are often intertwined and convey the same underlying messages on human nature and past and present society.
The vocabulary and story telling in each story keeps you interested in reading more. At least for me. Thinking about it, not all storys will interest everyone. But there will be an interesting concept/s somewhere in the book where you will not put it down. Some spoilers of storys include perspective, contrast, surprise, death, twists and turns, human chess and much more.
- “Where I Live” (Venture- Traveler’s World, October 1964)
- “Harrison Bergeron” (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1961)
- “Who Am I This Time?” (The Saturday Evening Post, 16 December 1961)
- “Welcome to the Monkey House” (Playboy, January 1968)
- “Long Walk to Forever” (Ladies Home Journal, August 1960)
- “The Foster Portfolio” (Collier’s Magazine, 8 September 1951)
- “Miss Temptation” (The Saturday Evening Post, April 21, 1956)
- “All the King’s Horses” (Collier’s Magazine, 10 Feb 1951)
- “Tom Edison’s Shaggy Dog” (Collier’s Magazine, 14 March 1953)
- “New Dictionary” (The New York Times, October 1966)
- “Next Door” (Cosmopolitan, April 1955)
- “More Stately Mansions” (Collier’s Magazine, 22 December 1951)
- “The Hyannis Port Story”
- “D.P.” (Ladies Home Journal, August 1953)
- “Report on the Barnhouse Effect” (Collier’s Magazine, 11 February 1950)
- “The Euphio Question” (Collier’s Magazine, 12 May 1951)
- “Go Back to Your Precious Wife and Son” (Ladies Home Journal, July 1962)
- “Deer in the Works” (Esquire, April 1955)
- “The Lie” (The Saturday Evening Post 24 February 1962)
- “Unready to Wear” (Galaxy Science Fiction, April 1953)
- “The Kid Nobody Could Handle” (The Saturday Evening Post, 24 September 1955)
- “The Manned Missiles” (Cosmopolitan, July 1958)
- “EPICAC” (Collier’s Magazine, 25 November 1950)
- “Adam” (Cosmopolitan, April 1954)
- “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” (Galaxy Science Fiction, January 1954)
Reading all these short storys, I am mostly impressed by it for its time. A lot of the storys are present and humourous while my favourite storys in it are more brutal and dystopian world themed. I recommend this book to all sorts of people who like different kinds of short storys and genres of short fiction,
7.23/10
“I have been a writer since 1949. I am self-taught. I have no theories about writing that might help others. When I write, I simply become what I seemingly must become. I am six feet two and weigh nearly two hundred pounds and am badly coordinated, except when I swim. All that borrowed meat does the writing.
In the water I am beautiful. ”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Welcome to the Monkey House
Here is some links to my book for sale:
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