Book Review: Slaughterhouse-Five Graphic Novel

 

Yes, another Vonnegut book.

Well...sort of.

This one appealed to me because it takes a well-known work of his - indeed, his most iconic book, actually - and presents it in a very different format.  A graphic novel.

And I have to say, it is fitting. It seems to me, as I think about it, that Vonnegut's works, and his overall weirdness, lends itself quite nicely to such a different format. Especially a novel as strange and unorthodox as Slaughterhouse-Five.

That said, don't get me wrong. I am glad, in fact, that I read the novel first, and got familiar with that a long, long time ago, and with rereads.

Still, it had been a while since I had last reread that particular Vonnegut work. And so reading this particular version was beneficial on two levels. Firstly, it got me reacclimated with the story, and it admittedly surprised me how much of it I had forgotten. Guess that it had been longer since the last time that I reread Slaughterhouse-Five than I had previously believed.

Secondly, and most importantly, it allowed me, as a fan of Vonnegut, to appreciate a whole new style and approach to this classic work. And again, the graphic novel (comic) format does indeed lend itself well to Vonnegut's style, which itself is a bit strange and off normal.

Now, I figured that this was not the place to recap this story. Think that I have reviewed the novel version here before. And in any case, even if I have not, this made me want to open that book up once again and give it another read.

Yet, this stands well on it's own. Really, it is a unique approach to this work, and actually being able to see visuals while familiarizing myself again with this story was a...pardon my saying this...novel approach. 

That was particularly true of the book's central event, which of course was the infamous firebombing of Dresden, which Vonnegut pointed out became the biggest single overnight massacre of a whole population in European history. And that's saying something.

If, like me, you are a fan of Vonnegut's works, or if you just want to familiarize yourself with this most famous Vonnegut work in particular, this is a good one to pick up/ It's a quick read. I deliberately took my time, wanting to really enjoy this. That said, it felt to me that if you really want to, you could probably finish this from cover to cover in one sitting.

Highly recommended!