When thinking about the classic dystopian works of especially the 20th century, the dominant titles which come to mind (and for good reason) are the likes of Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World. There are more of course, but those two are prime examples of those which have reputations cemented in modern history, especially 1984.
While this is the first year I've actually kept track, I think I've read more books so far in the year of 2025 than I have read in any full calendar year in my lifetime, due in large part to Kurt Vonnegut. I read Slaughterhouse-Five in January and absolutely fell in love with his style, and based on popular recommendation quickly tore through both The Sirens of Titan and Cat's Cradle shortly thereafter. After loving all 3 of them, I decided that I'd read through the remainder of his novels in chronological order.
Player Piano being his first ever published novel was obviously the first on this list, and after having read what many consider to be his three greatest works, it's obvious that Vonnegut's signature voice was still a work in progress. But in many ways I think reading his more celebrated works helped me understand the message and tone of Player Piano much more clearly than I would have if I read it first, and similar feelings of prescience carried by the likes of the great dystopian works before him still hit very close to home.
I read 1984 for the first time this year as well, and while I didn't have the plot outright spoiled for me, I knew that I was going to hate the ending by design. I think this knowledge softened the blow a little bit for me, and I really wish I could have experienced Orwell's classic without any understanding of what I was in for, because that feeling of utter hopelessness, ridicule, and forced conformity is beautifully tragic.
But with that being said, I think Player Piano managed to nail those similar feelings in a way that (to my brain) actually felt more realistic than 1984 did, and I ended up feeling thoroughly broken in all the ways I expected to feel after 1984. Not having heard much about Player Piano in advance definitely did me a positive service in this case.
Now let me be clear, I think 1984 is still a better novel overall. But I was pleasantly surprised by Vonnegut's execution of similar themes in Player Piano! And I think anybody who enjoyed (if that's the right word for it) 1984 and who also enjoyed some of Vonnegut's other works should think about giving it a shot.
Next up on the Vonnegut list is Mother Night.
by PsyferRL