glassner (02/13/83)
A friend recently lended me a copy of "Venus on the Half-Shell", by "Kilgore Trout" (aka Kurt Vonnegut). She claimed that it was a lot like Hitch-Hiker's Guide, and I have to agree. Although there isn't any question of theft of ideas or characters, the two books seem very similar in tone and style, except that Hitch-Hiker's is much better. I'd be interested in anyone else's views on the subject... Is Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy a sequel to Venus on the Half Shell? -Andrew
kaufman (02/13/83)
Well, I haven't read Venus, but I did read The Sirens of Titan recently and I was very much struck by the similarity between Sirens and (you guessed it) the HHG. Perhaps we should extend the question to: Is Douglas Adams a sequel to Kurt Vonnegut? (Or something more serious along the same lines) David Kaufman
hdj (02/15/83)
Kurt Vonnegut is NOT Kilgore Trout, and did not write @i[Venus on the Half-Shell]. Vonnegut *invented* Trout. It was either Philip K Dick or Philip Jose Farmer who wrote @i[Venus]. I always get those two confused. It was the one that wrote @i[Riverworld], methinks. Not a sf fan, Herb Jellinek, burdvax!hdj
CAD:kalash (02/16/83)
#R:cwruecmp:-47900:ucbcad:17600007:000:108 ucbcad!kalash Feb 15 10:02:00 1983 Let me be the first to say, Venus on the Half Shell was written by Farmer with Vonneguts approval. Joe
kdmoen (02/16/83)
Venus on the Half Shell was not written by Kurt Vonnegut, who wants nothing to do with the book. It was written by Phillip Jose Farmer. Vonneguts only connection with the book is that Kilgour Trout (an author of trashy SF novels) appears as a character in some of his books. Doug Moen ...!watmath!kdmoen
geo (02/17/83)
The original article stated that "Venus on the Half-Shell" by Kilgore Trout, was written by Kurt Vonnegut. "Venus on the Half-Shell" was not written by Kurt Vonnegut, it was actually written by Philip Jose Farmer. I understand that Vonnegut was really pissed off, and considered suing. In Vonnegut's novel "God Bless You Mr. Rosewater", Rosewater Senior, the Senator, is visiting his disolute son. He goes into the washroom, and among the trash he finds in there is a copy of the book "Venus on the Half-Shell", by Kilgore Trout. Vonnegut spends a page or so describing the book, its cover, the blurb on the back, and etc., which Farmer faithfully reproduced.