Armageddon in Retrospect

Kurt Vonnegut - 232 pps.

Published posthumously, "Armageddon" collects eleven short stories, one letter, and one speech written by Kurt, and an introduction by his son, Mark, which is possibly the best part of "Armageddon." In it, Mark describes his father as being "like an extrovert who wanted to be an introvert, a very social guy who wanted to be a loner, a lucky person who would have preferred to be unlucky."It is hard to believe that the author of "Breakfast of Champions" and "Cat's Cradle" was happy-go-lucky, but that is much easier to believe about the author of "Armageddon". The latter Kurt Vonnegut seems to be happy with playing it safe.

Those familiar with Vonnegut through "Breakfast of Champions" or "Slaughterhouse-Five" will be surprised by "Armageddon." Nearly all of it is conventional and subpar. "Great Day" features a cop-out of an ending, "Brighten Up" never really clicks, "Just You and Me, Sammy" could have been shortened, and "The Unicorn Trap" suffers more from being set in the Middle Ages than it gains. Worst of all, the rapid pacing, anger, pessimism, and insanity characteristic of Vonnegut's best work is largely absent.

From the man who brought you "The Unicorn Trap"

"Armageddon" does, however, contain a few gems. "Guns Before Butter" features a great and humorous ending to an otherwise bleak tale about American POWs in Dresden. The title work features some bizarre and effective science fiction elements; the protagonist is a physicist who works to eliminate evil by eliminating the Devil. Captain Donnini from "The Commandant's Desk" and "Guns" is a truly likeable character. The speech reveals how hilariously scatterbrained Vonnegut became. And in all the stories we see his deep hatred of violence and war.

I got through "Armageddon" more easily than Vonnegut's other work. Fatalism and sarcasm is less present in these works than in the more popular ones. Yet without these features the stories lack bite. "Armageddon" should be seen as a record of Vonnegut's shortcomings, and will probably be best appreciated by those interested in his growth as a writer. For the rest of us, however, it is encouraging to know that even a master made a few missteps.

-Heathcliff