I`m a huge Kurt Vonnegut fan, so when he announced that he was quitting writing books on account of being too old it was a pity but not a great surprise. Anyway, all of a sudden out popped this book - it`s not a novel, and more just the general ramblings (and some artwork) of an old man fed up with the way society seemed to be going. The doodles are classic Vonnegut, though perhaps not as good as the ones in Breakfast of Champions, and the prose is instantly recognisable - probably because a lot of the novels comprised general grumblings about life instead of the more conventional "plot" approach. I think it would be fair to say that his main gripes are American imperialism and human beings "making whoopee" with the few remaining fossil fuels - the former I can understand entirely and the latter... well, guilty I suppose. And I did feel rather guilty, perhaps for the first time, as he outlined exactly what we were doing and why. I also felt rather guilty when I read that people should never use semicolons, as they only ever did so to prove that they went to university. I`m doing my best.
I can`t help feeling this will be his last book - not least because he`s getting rather old now, but because he really does seem rather fed up. Perhaps that`s what being old does to you. I`m not sure who will succeed him as honourary president of the American Humanist Society, but surely nobody can beat his acceptance speech when he took over from the dearly departed Isaac Asimov with the words "well, old Isaac`s up in heaven now".
Hardens Restaurant Guide Scores (1 good, 5 bad):
Food: 2
Service: 1
Ambience: 4