#61 in Classics
Cat's Cradle
- 231
- Pages
- about 4 h
- Reading time
- NPR Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books
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Our view
A short, bitterly funny satire that takes aim at science, the arms race and the uses of religion, with the end of the world never far away. Its most memorable invention is Bokononism, a religion that is frank about its own falsehood and oddly sensible all the same. At some 230 pages it reads fast, but the humour is morbid and the outlook bleak. For readers who like their comedy dark and their ideas sharp.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Cat's Cradle is a satirical postmodern novel, with science fiction elements, by American writer Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut's fourth novel, it was first published on March 18, 1963, exploring and satirizing issues of science, technology, the purpose of religion, and the arms race, often through the use of morbid humor. The novel was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1964.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.1 across 1,541 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 91% of the weight and the score stays at 8.1 — the Classics average of 7.7 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.9 | 106 | 7% |
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 1.4K | 93% |
Frequently asked
How long is Cat's Cradle?
It has 231 pages — shorter than 89% of the ranked books in Classics.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Classics — with scores between 8.1 and 8.2, closest to this book.
