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A Vonnegut connection?

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:22 am
by Crowley
I've been reading Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle lately, and something struck me. In that book a central point is a substance called ice-nine, which basically is water crystallized in such a pattern that it has a melting point of 114.4 degrees Fahrenheit. It would be quite a coincidence if the name snow-9 had absolutely no connection to this. Or maybe both the names are inspired by a common source. I don't know.

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:43 am
by Artemio
Quite an interesting find there. These things are usualy not coincidences.

The chapter titles look interesting, starting by "the day the world ended", might be indeed some relation... specially considering it was written in the late 60's.

I read the first three chapters, and I must say it is really inteersting... Now I have to import the book ^^

It does certainly seem quite related to a lot of Kojima's game themes. Atomic Bombs, the day the bomb was dropped, lies being told as truths to guide people... quite interesting indeed.

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:44 am
by Painaxl
After I read Slaughterhouse Five, this one was next on my list.

Wasn't there a game called Ice-Nine?

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:33 pm
by Crowley
I haven't read anything else by Vonnegut so far, but the guy seems really twisted, in a good way. Cat's Cradle seems to be satirizing the whole end-of-the-world atomic scare at the height of the cold war. I wonder what Vonnegut thought of Dr. Strangelove?

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:22 pm
by Artemio
Crowley wrote:I wonder what Vonnegut thought of Dr. Strangelove?
Was just about to make the very same question...

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:39 pm
by Painaxl
Well, Slaughterhouse Five is about the firebombing of Dresden after the official end of WWI and his involvement in it (sort of).

He is definitely twisted (i.e.) Slaughterhouse Five is also about time-travel and space aliens, but is one of the best "anti-war" novels I've ever read.

Haruki Murakami reminds me a lot of him. His stuff is like Vonnegut mixed with a detective story. Good times.

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:25 pm
by Warrior Bob
I recommend Slaughterhouse Five to everyone on this board, since most Kojima fans I've had the pleasure of chatting with like an unusual narrative, and Slaughterhouse Five does a couple of things that make the style rather unique, but are still very effective storytelling techniques. For example, most of the book is not in chronological order.

I found it to be a very good read - interesting, creative, and with a definite message in mind.