This is a difficult novel to summarize, as it is largely told in science-fiction form, involving interplanetary travel, robot aliens, and, of course, the chrono-synclastic infundibula. The protagonist is my Constant, whose name changes as his identity and role changes. Another key character is Winston Niles Rumfoord, the first man to fly into the chrono-synclastic infundibula between Mars and Earth. In the infundibula, Rumfoord is trapped in the light rays of the solar system and appears in various locations at regular intervals, as the rays come into contact. Hence, the novel has heavy sci-fi characteristics.

What sets this aside from much of the genre, though, is Vonnegut's focus on message through the medium of the protagonist, instead of through plot-heavy development.

The plot is loosely a parody/parallel to Old Testament characters involving Job, Jonah, and Noah. The book of Job rings the clearest of these. In fact, there are several rather blatant biblical motifs such as Rumfoord's revised edition of the Bible itself, with several passages quoted throughout the novel.

As the novel is following Constant's life, Rumfoord himself is heavily shaping the Earth's activities, as being in the infundibula not only gives him knowledge of foreign planets, but also of all solar system time. Thus, he slants in toward his own goals, including through the development of a new religion: The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent, featuring Malachi's catch phrase, "I was a victim of a series of accidents, as are we all."

Obviously, the theme has a lot to do with individuals' and societies' attempts to find reason in their worlds, cultures, and faiths.

Like other Vonnegut novels, the tone is relatively light and humorous, with a lot of ridiculous and strange occurrences. The language and sentences are structured simply and the book is a quick read. However, behind the simply structure and sci-fi settings, the characters and theme show far more than most books of similar "lightness." In all Vonnegut writing, wit and cynical, sarcastic elements create a strong social perspective that dominates over what, at first glance, appears to be light-hearted. Vonnegut also writes in a "clean," less assaulting style than younger writers whose styles rely on similar elements of wit and sarcasm. Read it! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Vonnegut, but very much on my mind since I purchased it off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

It is neat to see Vonnegut's novels evolve over time: Player Piano, while still a masterpiece, is a very conventional novel without a lot of the craziness that is so evident in his later novels. Breakfast of Champions is the most unconventional novel I have ever read, its like the two books were written by two totally different authors.
The Sirens of Titan, on the other hand, is somewhere in the middle. There is a clear plot in the story, much like Player Piano, but it is not as structured as the former. We begin to see the early beginnings of what would later become one of Vonnegut's trademarks: unrelenting sarcasm and irony.

What makes The Sirens of Titan my favorite Vonnegut novel? Everything comes together at the very end. Throughout the novel, there is a clear question looming over the reader and the characters in the book: the purpose of human life. Vonnegut answers this question (or Malachi Constant, rather) in the last few pages of the story, and it is absolutely brilliant. The fact that the author even dared to ask such a question and then answer it, is extraordinary.