Player Piano

Player Piano is the debut novel from one of history's most innovative authors, published on Vonnegut's 100th birthday.

A World Transformed by Automation

In Player Piano, the first of Vonnegut's wildly funny and deadly serious novels, automata have dramatically reduced the need for America's workforce. Ten years after the introduction of these robot laborers:

• The only people still working are the engineers and their managers, who live in Ilium.
• Everyone else resides in Homestead, an impoverished part of town defined by purposelessness and mass-produced houses.

The Journey of Paul Proteus

Paul Proteus, the manager of Ilium Works, finds himself at the center of this transformed world. While grateful for the high regard he enjoys, Paul begins to feel uneasy about his position—especially after a visit to Homestead.

Eventually, Paul makes the decision to rebel against all he's been given, setting off seismic repercussions that challenge the very fabric of this automated society.

Critical Acclaim

"His black logic...gives us something to laugh about and much to fear"
— New York Times Book Review

Discover More About Vonnegut

Watch the documentary about his life — Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time — on Prime.