PLAYER PIANO

In Vonnegut's first published novel, Paul Proteus lives in an efficient world where machines continually solve all of humans' problems, except that the vast majority of humanity is now left with little hope, aspiration, or employment. Frustrated, like many contemporaries, the privileged Proteus must decide whom to cast his lot with—the elite or the revolutionaries. Christian Rummel maintains a reflective voice that illuminates Proteus's turmoil. His prose is smooth and well emphasized while some of his vocal characterizations add a bit more personality than the text suggests. For instance, Rummel adds a bit of a macho drawl to Proteus's close friend and fellow conspirator, Ed Finnerty. L.E. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2008]