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The World of Kurt Vonnegut
Peace in Amber
Hugh Howey was a boat captain living aboard a seventy-four-foot yacht in the shadow of the Twin Towers on the morning of September 11, 2001.
Imprisoned and put on display in a glass-domed zoo on the planet Tralfamadore, adult film actress Montana Wildhack is left alone with her thoughts and her occasional lover Billy Pilgrim.
Inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s masterpiece Slaughterhouse Five, Howey uses this short story to weave his own personal Dresden experience with Wildhack’s private hell. In Peace in Amber, he examines the struggle to determine what to control, when to surrender, and how to discern those things we cannot change.
Imprisoned and put on display in a glass-domed zoo on the planet Tralfamadore, adult film actress Montana Wildhack is left alone with her thoughts and her occasional lover Billy Pilgrim.
Inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s masterpiece Slaughterhouse Five, Howey uses this short story to weave his own personal Dresden experience with Wildhack’s private hell. In Peace in Amber, he examines the struggle to determine what to control, when to surrender, and how to discern those things we cannot change.
41 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2014
About the author
Hugh Howey
131 books58.1k followersI'm the author of WOOL, a top 5 science fiction book on Amazon. I also wrote the Molly Fyde saga, a tale of a teenager from the 25th century who is repeatedly told that girls can't do certain things -- and then does them anyway.
A theme in my books is the celebration of overcoming odds and of not allowing the cruelty of the universe to change who you are in the process. Most of them are classified as science fiction, since they often take place in the future, but if you love great stories and memorable characters, you'll dig what you find here. I promise.
A theme in my books is the celebration of overcoming odds and of not allowing the cruelty of the universe to change who you are in the process. Most of them are classified as science fiction, since they often take place in the future, but if you love great stories and memorable characters, you'll dig what you find here. I promise.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 25, 2015
First off, let me be upfront. When I first got my kindle, I bought this by accident. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have read it, but whatever, its Hugh Howey, so I'll give it a shot.
This is a Kindle Worlds tale based in the world of Kurt Vonnegut. Specifically, Slaughterhouse Five. I haven't read Slaughterhouse Five, but knew a little about the premise as far as the man becoming stuck in time, or unstuck in time, or something along those lines. This was still pretty interesting even without prior knowledge. It deals mostly with the 9/11 attacks, and that in itself made it pretty powerful. I will admit the story lost me at times as the premise was hard to follow. Overall, I did enjoy it.
I would say if you're a Vonnegut fan check this one out, as you would probably get more out of I than I did.
This is a Kindle Worlds tale based in the world of Kurt Vonnegut. Specifically, Slaughterhouse Five. I haven't read Slaughterhouse Five, but knew a little about the premise as far as the man becoming stuck in time, or unstuck in time, or something along those lines. This was still pretty interesting even without prior knowledge. It deals mostly with the 9/11 attacks, and that in itself made it pretty powerful. I will admit the story lost me at times as the premise was hard to follow. Overall, I did enjoy it.
I would say if you're a Vonnegut fan check this one out, as you would probably get more out of I than I did.
August 3, 2014
This was probably as powerful a book as I'm likely to read this year. Maybe that's why I avoided it for so long, putting it off for various reasons, waiting for an epub version that Howey himself confirmed would not be coming.
I imagine it wouldn't have the same impact for someone who'd never read Slaughterhouse-Five, or anything else by Kurt Vonnegut. Nor would it, I suppose, for those who didn't experience the stomach-churning terror the morning of 9/11 of trying frantically to account for loved ones.
But perhaps the survivors of the fire-bombing of Dresden felt the same about Slaughterhouse-Five. And perhaps there's hope in all that horror, but not right away. So coming unstuck in time helps. So might seeing things in four dimensions, or keeping the mental images and memories of strangers holding on to each other and making room in boats and cars. I remember those things most.
And I know that others all through the world have their own horrors far worse than ours. And so books like Howey's and Vonnegut's - by mixing time, scenarios, and moods - make it equally bearable and horrorifying. As it should.
I imagine it wouldn't have the same impact for someone who'd never read Slaughterhouse-Five, or anything else by Kurt Vonnegut. Nor would it, I suppose, for those who didn't experience the stomach-churning terror the morning of 9/11 of trying frantically to account for loved ones.
But perhaps the survivors of the fire-bombing of Dresden felt the same about Slaughterhouse-Five. And perhaps there's hope in all that horror, but not right away. So coming unstuck in time helps. So might seeing things in four dimensions, or keeping the mental images and memories of strangers holding on to each other and making room in boats and cars. I remember those things most.
And I know that others all through the world have their own horrors far worse than ours. And so books like Howey's and Vonnegut's - by mixing time, scenarios, and moods - make it equally bearable and horrorifying. As it should.
January 15, 2014
I am a huge Kurt Vonnegut fan, and a huge Hugh Howey fan - so I was prepared to like this. But it just blew me away. It's a very raw, emotional take on the events of 9/11 by someone who was right there in the shadows of the twin towers. But it's done ala Vonnegut - so it goes. This couldn't have been easy to write, and it wasn't always easy to read. Thank you, Hugh Howey, for sharing this very personal story. Even though I was a couple of hundred miles away, I felt like I was there - I think all of us who watched it unfold live feel that way. And the title - just perfect. This is a very short read - I'd recommend it to anyone.
January 14, 2014
"...sometimes they answered before a question was asked, and sometimes they waited until years later to answer, and so you had to listen carefully."
This story helped put together years of my own questions and answers.
I needed to read this.
Beautiful. Thank you.
This story helped put together years of my own questions and answers.
I needed to read this.
Beautiful. Thank you.
March 6, 2014
Howey and Vonnegut, two of my favourite authors, mashed together. As good as I'd hoped, and very moving. And funny!
September 9, 2015
There's an immediate connecting to this, a presence of urgency, loss, despair, and of deep-felt acuteness, as Howey recaptures the 9/11 attacks. The account of how he spent the previous evening also helps in regards to gaining both perspective and a sense of immediacy. As does the use of first person narrative.
I also appreciate the personal setting in regards to imaginative thinking. At one point the narrative mergers time - making singular events exist as one memory, and as thus it erases the continuum in favor of an omnipresent sense of experiencing everything equally, and at the same time. This makes the narrative feel rather omniscient - even to the extent that Howey is writing a story in the style of Vonnegut, in which he (as narrator) is reading Vonnegut's book.
Then there is the story of Montana Wildhack, Billy Pilgrim and the Tralfamadorians. Told from a third person narrative, this story seems to serve as a way to look for the larger perspective - on life as a whole rather than singular events. In a way it feels like we're been elevated to a level above our subjective reality - to a place, in a vast universe, where we may experience the role of detached observers. I really liked those parts too, and I might add that shifting narratives served the story well, and were easy to adapt to.
The writing is just as stunningly beautiful, as I would expect from Howey, and although I've never actually read anything by Kurt Vonnegut, I get the feeling that the story is also very much true to the spirit of his authorship. In fact, this story has peaked my interest, so much so that I'm thinking that Vonnegut isn't just the type of author I might love, but an author that I shouldn't possibly have been able to overlook. As in, WHY!! haven't anyone - or I - thought to acquaint me with his authorship. At the very least I now have to read Slaughterhouse-five!
I also appreciate the personal setting in regards to imaginative thinking. At one point the narrative mergers time - making singular events exist as one memory, and as thus it erases the continuum in favor of an omnipresent sense of experiencing everything equally, and at the same time. This makes the narrative feel rather omniscient - even to the extent that Howey is writing a story in the style of Vonnegut, in which he (as narrator) is reading Vonnegut's book.
Then there is the story of Montana Wildhack, Billy Pilgrim and the Tralfamadorians. Told from a third person narrative, this story seems to serve as a way to look for the larger perspective - on life as a whole rather than singular events. In a way it feels like we're been elevated to a level above our subjective reality - to a place, in a vast universe, where we may experience the role of detached observers. I really liked those parts too, and I might add that shifting narratives served the story well, and were easy to adapt to.
The writing is just as stunningly beautiful, as I would expect from Howey, and although I've never actually read anything by Kurt Vonnegut, I get the feeling that the story is also very much true to the spirit of his authorship. In fact, this story has peaked my interest, so much so that I'm thinking that Vonnegut isn't just the type of author I might love, but an author that I shouldn't possibly have been able to overlook. As in, WHY!! haven't anyone - or I - thought to acquaint me with his authorship. At the very least I now have to read Slaughterhouse-five!
June 5, 2015
Wow...just...wow. I love Hugh Howey and this story did not disappoint. In addition, Kurt Vonnegut is another favorite of mine and I really felt that Hugh captured the essence of uncomfortableness that I feel Vonnegut was always great at! I love it when reading a book feels like you've got something under your skin, it just shows how much it's affecting you.
I honestly don't know how to recap this book at all as it just isn't anything "normal" or easily put into a genre bucket. It just....is. In all its glory.
I would not recommend this to any reader who doesn't like Vonnegut. Maybe even Lovecraft. It just has that feel to it and if you don't like that style of writing you most likely won't appreciate this book for what it is.
I honestly don't know how to recap this book at all as it just isn't anything "normal" or easily put into a genre bucket. It just....is. In all its glory.
I would not recommend this to any reader who doesn't like Vonnegut. Maybe even Lovecraft. It just has that feel to it and if you don't like that style of writing you most likely won't appreciate this book for what it is.
July 26, 2016
Beautifully written short story that combines fiction and truth. Hugh Howey's most personal book to date and in my opinion his best work. As if Hugh's story about his own experience during 9/11 isn't enough, there is plenty of philosophy for individual reader's to pull things from the book that strike a personal chord.
February 26, 2014
Weeks after reading this story, I can't think of a better way to review it than the one I wrote for Amazon just minutes after I finished it. I do love the story even more now.
1/14/14
A Story in the Past, Present, and Future
I just read a short story that doesn't exist yet, at least not in normal time here on this planet. For some reason, Amazon sent out Hugh Howey's Peace in Amber early, and yes, I read it as soon as it showed up. I can't review it on Amazon yet, because it hasn't been published yet. Interesting, especially in context of this story. If I could review it, I would give Peace in Amber five stars. That's only because I can't give a higher rating than that.
I will say if you're old enough to remember September 11, 2001, this is not an easy one to read. What strikes me about reading a story before it exists, especially this one, is I'm reading a story that has always existed. Right now it IS September 11, 2001, and I'm at work in Atlanta hearing reports of what happened before anyone understood what was happening. The hard part about reading Peace in Amber is you are right back there. I'm driving home under highway signs that say "National Emergency." Jason is walking back in at 7 am on 9/12 after working the emergency overnight shift, and when he opens the door I remember it all in one horrifying second. I knew that would happen when I finally fell asleep the night before, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. It's all happening right now. That's one of the most devastating mind shifts humans are capable of.
All of us who were aware then remember those minutes and hours and days and weeks that followed, seared into our minds sharp and never-fading. We also have the ability to put memories like those away so we can go on about our lives as if that could never happen again. Really, as if it never did happen. I think this is a good thing, a survival thing. It can be hard when those memories float back up to the surface all these years later. As long as we've been humans, we've been able to do that. Probably before we were humans. That's how we get through our lives, that ability to convince ourselves that our deepest fears can never happen. That's a kinder human mind shift.
With this short story, Hugh Howey has beautifully woven together multiple worlds in a way that hurts as much as the memories do, but it helps our world make a little more sense. We can keep going, keep moving, hopefully learning what we need to along the way. We can find the good and the beauty and the freedom in the most hopeless circumstances, and maybe even the wisdom and courage to change things. One of the ways we do that is by telling stories, by sharing them. Through story, we experience the life of another. We can reach out to each other, to people we've never met and we never will. Despite that distance of miles or years, all of our lives are better for it. Empathy and compassion, understanding the mind and heart of another, are the most important human abilities of all. That's the truest path toward peace.
1/14/14
A Story in the Past, Present, and Future
I just read a short story that doesn't exist yet, at least not in normal time here on this planet. For some reason, Amazon sent out Hugh Howey's Peace in Amber early, and yes, I read it as soon as it showed up. I can't review it on Amazon yet, because it hasn't been published yet. Interesting, especially in context of this story. If I could review it, I would give Peace in Amber five stars. That's only because I can't give a higher rating than that.
I will say if you're old enough to remember September 11, 2001, this is not an easy one to read. What strikes me about reading a story before it exists, especially this one, is I'm reading a story that has always existed. Right now it IS September 11, 2001, and I'm at work in Atlanta hearing reports of what happened before anyone understood what was happening. The hard part about reading Peace in Amber is you are right back there. I'm driving home under highway signs that say "National Emergency." Jason is walking back in at 7 am on 9/12 after working the emergency overnight shift, and when he opens the door I remember it all in one horrifying second. I knew that would happen when I finally fell asleep the night before, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. It's all happening right now. That's one of the most devastating mind shifts humans are capable of.
All of us who were aware then remember those minutes and hours and days and weeks that followed, seared into our minds sharp and never-fading. We also have the ability to put memories like those away so we can go on about our lives as if that could never happen again. Really, as if it never did happen. I think this is a good thing, a survival thing. It can be hard when those memories float back up to the surface all these years later. As long as we've been humans, we've been able to do that. Probably before we were humans. That's how we get through our lives, that ability to convince ourselves that our deepest fears can never happen. That's a kinder human mind shift.
With this short story, Hugh Howey has beautifully woven together multiple worlds in a way that hurts as much as the memories do, but it helps our world make a little more sense. We can keep going, keep moving, hopefully learning what we need to along the way. We can find the good and the beauty and the freedom in the most hopeless circumstances, and maybe even the wisdom and courage to change things. One of the ways we do that is by telling stories, by sharing them. Through story, we experience the life of another. We can reach out to each other, to people we've never met and we never will. Despite that distance of miles or years, all of our lives are better for it. Empathy and compassion, understanding the mind and heart of another, are the most important human abilities of all. That's the truest path toward peace.
January 17, 2014
In 1969, Kurt Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse 5 as a means of making sense of the terrible ordeal he had endured during the firebombing of Dresden. The book was utter nonsense and brilliant beyond the standards if the time. It is, perhaps, the greatest work of satirical fiction. Ever. In 2014, Hugh Howey wrote Peace in Amber as a means of making sense of the ordeal he had endured on September 11, 2001. This story is utter nonsense and brilliant, just like its inspiration, Slaughterhouse 5. Hugh borrows elements from Vonnegut and interweaves them with truth. Truth. The result brings back the horror and confusion of that terrible day and reminds us of that brief moment in American history when we were one nation, mourning together and so afraid of the future. I read this in one sitting, my heart aching as I relived that day. Hugh Howey is an inspiration to many indie authors, myself included. I'm glad he lived to write this. Do yourself a favor and read this story, it's brilliant.
February 25, 2014
This is such a beautifully written piece. I could not pull myself away and finished it in one sitting. I have never read anything like it at all. I have absolutely no idea why or how the two different dimensions or realities are depicted in the same story, but it was captivating. It was almost like one was an escape from the telling of another... but you're not quite sure which is the one you are escaping from or to. There is no doubt about it, I must read it again!
February 2, 2014
This is a sapient mix of autobiography and invention. The author uses Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five world as a pretext to narrate his story and exorcise his fears and emotions after 9/11 in a very peculiar way. Despite the fact this is a short story it is highly entertaining and thought provoking at the same time. Another masterful work from the author of Wool.
February 27, 2014
Didn't connect with this one.
I usually enjoy Hugh Howey's writing, and I really wanted to like this. But I just did not connect with this one. Maybe it's because I'm not familiar with Vonnegut's work. I saw glimmers where I felt like this could be an amazing story, and I was hoping the end would pull it all together. But I was left scratching my head.
I usually enjoy Hugh Howey's writing, and I really wanted to like this. But I just did not connect with this one. Maybe it's because I'm not familiar with Vonnegut's work. I saw glimmers where I felt like this could be an amazing story, and I was hoping the end would pull it all together. But I was left scratching my head.
August 2, 2014
"The thing I hated while reading this book, it turns out, was me."
Read this one morning and just spent a moment in grief and another in peace. Very delicate, very appreciated.
Read this one morning and just spent a moment in grief and another in peace. Very delicate, very appreciated.
February 23, 2014
A nice little meditation on the past and Stoic acceptance of the things we cannot change. Recommend reading Slaughterhouse Five first, as this novella borrows heavily from the Vonnegut classic.
November 30, 2019
I encountered this story in an excellent collection, Machine Learning, but I want to write a stand-alone review of Peace in Amber. I’ve been reading Hugh Howie since serious sci fi readers were passing the short story, Wool, around as an “undiscovered” work in the process of being discovered.
Peace in Amber moved me and did so while avoiding the sensationalism of so many 911-memory works. Howie’s gently poetic description in a true-horror context merits comment for itself. “One morning I stood beneath a bright blue sky and watched it blossom orange and black as jet fuel went suddenly alight.” I knew immediately where we were.
He triggered my memory, of course, or more to the point of his story, my past perception. I woke that day to a serene and stunningly beautiful fall day in the Midwest. As I puttered in our kitchen, brewing tea to begin my day, I received a breathless call from my husband who had been leaving his hotel for meetings in DC—all he said was, “Love, turn on the TV.” Just as I tuned into live emergency feeds, keeping the connection open, the second plane hit. I didn’t know yet that there had already been one. I intuited that it wasn’t an accident. My first words, after a choked silence, were something like, “Get out of DC, right now.” Macro horror joined personal terror as I envisioned the next plane taking out the most precious person in my life. Howie captures all of this while downplaying the protagonist's (his?) decision to ferry strangers out of and into ground zero rather than get away clean himself.
Howie goes further. Consider the degree of difficulty in weaving together what seems to be a memoir about one of the most shattering individual and collective experiences in memory, fanfiction (sorry, transformative fiction) based upon a classic and difficult work of literature, stories of love and forgiveness in the midst of hate, and an exploration of time and memory in the twists and turns of human perception. In few words within the warp and weft, the subplot of a lifelong best friend being made and lost broke me down.
I read this in one sitting on Thanksgiving, having selected it only because I had arrived there in the book. At the conclusion, I told my husband that I felt truly boggled. Days later, I still am.
Peace in Amber moved me and did so while avoiding the sensationalism of so many 911-memory works. Howie’s gently poetic description in a true-horror context merits comment for itself. “One morning I stood beneath a bright blue sky and watched it blossom orange and black as jet fuel went suddenly alight.” I knew immediately where we were.
He triggered my memory, of course, or more to the point of his story, my past perception. I woke that day to a serene and stunningly beautiful fall day in the Midwest. As I puttered in our kitchen, brewing tea to begin my day, I received a breathless call from my husband who had been leaving his hotel for meetings in DC—all he said was, “Love, turn on the TV.” Just as I tuned into live emergency feeds, keeping the connection open, the second plane hit. I didn’t know yet that there had already been one. I intuited that it wasn’t an accident. My first words, after a choked silence, were something like, “Get out of DC, right now.” Macro horror joined personal terror as I envisioned the next plane taking out the most precious person in my life. Howie captures all of this while downplaying the protagonist's (his?) decision to ferry strangers out of and into ground zero rather than get away clean himself.
Howie goes further. Consider the degree of difficulty in weaving together what seems to be a memoir about one of the most shattering individual and collective experiences in memory, fanfiction (sorry, transformative fiction) based upon a classic and difficult work of literature, stories of love and forgiveness in the midst of hate, and an exploration of time and memory in the twists and turns of human perception. In few words within the warp and weft, the subplot of a lifelong best friend being made and lost broke me down.
I read this in one sitting on Thanksgiving, having selected it only because I had arrived there in the book. At the conclusion, I told my husband that I felt truly boggled. Days later, I still am.
July 17, 2018
I listen to this last year, I think. Today I listened to it again. This time the brilliance of the merging of Vonnegut's characters in the story of 9/11. Well done. Well worth reading or listening to.
January 2, 2025
A beautiful and poignant tribute to 9/11 while also being an homage to Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and a tale of alien abduction. Howey manages to tie all these seeming incongruencies together, and it is sad, shocking and wonderful.
February 3, 2017
4 dimensional look
I have been advised to read Hugh Howie for a while, so I thought I'd start with this short story as I am a sucker for anything Vonnegut.
The science fiction is Vonnegut's and it is fun to visit Tralfamadore with Billy Pilgrim through the eyes of Montana Wildback. Then the writer examines 9/11 through his own experiences c
Wondering what it would be like had he been able to see on 4 dimensions as opposed to 3.
I have been advised to read Hugh Howie for a while, so I thought I'd start with this short story as I am a sucker for anything Vonnegut.
The science fiction is Vonnegut's and it is fun to visit Tralfamadore with Billy Pilgrim through the eyes of Montana Wildback. Then the writer examines 9/11 through his own experiences c
Wondering what it would be like had he been able to see on 4 dimensions as opposed to 3.
January 5, 2026
I feel compelled to comment on this story. I was aghast at the bonedeep misogyny that permeates this short story. I honestly don't get how Billy Pilgrim and Montana Wildhack fit into the story of the author's experience of September 11th - the parallel stories do not jive whatsoever - but I came here to comment on the much more egregious issue of the deeply unrealistic depiction of a beautiful, but exploited and abused woman's perspective.
First of all, the details: girls do not experience "chafing" of their nipples against shirt fabric that is alleviated by a bra. That is such a weirdly eroticized (and vastly incorrect) way to imagine a female sixth grader's body experience that it jumps out of the text when an actual human woman reads it.
The scene where Montana just snaps awake when the camera shuts off during a porno shoot to suddenly experience the bodily feeling of cold air and the trespass of a porn actor's hands on her body without permission? Implying, if not outright stating, that her sense of violation and revulsion, exhaustion, even the perception of temperature is somehow erased when she is performing? Just bizarro masculine fantasy. As if sex work doesn't feel like work when its happening... yeah, no.
And then, he wraps up her "story" with her knitting a garment for a baby she did not choose to conceive, in fact would never have opted to have out of captivity, but that she now welcomes and cherishes and finds meaning in? It's absolutely disgusting Stepford wife rubbish. He had the gaul to write the line "She knits another row and loves every man who ever wronged her." Seriously, wtf?
First of all, the details: girls do not experience "chafing" of their nipples against shirt fabric that is alleviated by a bra. That is such a weirdly eroticized (and vastly incorrect) way to imagine a female sixth grader's body experience that it jumps out of the text when an actual human woman reads it.
The scene where Montana just snaps awake when the camera shuts off during a porno shoot to suddenly experience the bodily feeling of cold air and the trespass of a porn actor's hands on her body without permission? Implying, if not outright stating, that her sense of violation and revulsion, exhaustion, even the perception of temperature is somehow erased when she is performing? Just bizarro masculine fantasy. As if sex work doesn't feel like work when its happening... yeah, no.
And then, he wraps up her "story" with her knitting a garment for a baby she did not choose to conceive, in fact would never have opted to have out of captivity, but that she now welcomes and cherishes and finds meaning in? It's absolutely disgusting Stepford wife rubbish. He had the gaul to write the line "She knits another row and loves every man who ever wronged her." Seriously, wtf?
January 30, 2016
I knew this short story by Hugh Howey was a tribute to, comment on, and literary attempt at dealing with similar issues as those in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. It had been a long time since I had read Vonnegut's amazing yet disturbing work so I reread it just before reading this. I'm glad I did as the two works compliment each other well.
First, Howey's Peace in Amber helped clarify my own thoughts and feelings about Slaughterhouse Five (I actually used a quote from Howey's story for my own review on this reading of Vonnegut's novel). Second, it was a tight, well written short story using Vonnegut's style, referencing his work, but also incorporating Howey's own experiences and moving past that damaged place to a place of serenity. A journey I can relate to and wish I could have expressed as well as Howey has here.
"For the Billy Pilgrims of the world. Those who have seen things that resist our urge to discuss them.
And for the Montana Wildhacks. Those with the wisdom in their breasts to know what they cannot change."
Dedication of Hugh Howey's "Peace in Amber"
First, Howey's Peace in Amber helped clarify my own thoughts and feelings about Slaughterhouse Five (I actually used a quote from Howey's story for my own review on this reading of Vonnegut's novel). Second, it was a tight, well written short story using Vonnegut's style, referencing his work, but also incorporating Howey's own experiences and moving past that damaged place to a place of serenity. A journey I can relate to and wish I could have expressed as well as Howey has here.
March 1, 2015
Having never read "Slaughterhouse 5" I feared I might be at a disadvantage when reading "Peace in Amber", best-selling author Hugh Howey's latest work and his first short story written for Amazon's fan fiction enterprise, Kindle Worlds. But in the end, having at least a passing familiarity with what may be the late Kurt Vonnegut's most well known novel was sufficient and I am far more familiar with the "Serenity Prayer" which ultimately sums up this heart-rending narrative quite well.
Mr. Howey was a young, yacht captain, working and living on a boat in the shadow of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. In "Peace in Amber" he has crafted a deeply personal and emotional account of the confusion, horror and terror he experienced that day and uses Vonnegut's characters and setting as a metaphor to examine his feelings and ultimately to make peace with the horrific act that has left many of us wounded. For me it was an intriguing look into the heart and soul of one of my favorite authors. The audio book version is especially a treat as it was recorded by Hugh Howey himself and his wife, Amber Lyda. It breathes a special immediacy and life to an already engaging story.
Mr. Howey was a young, yacht captain, working and living on a boat in the shadow of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. In "Peace in Amber" he has crafted a deeply personal and emotional account of the confusion, horror and terror he experienced that day and uses Vonnegut's characters and setting as a metaphor to examine his feelings and ultimately to make peace with the horrific act that has left many of us wounded. For me it was an intriguing look into the heart and soul of one of my favorite authors. The audio book version is especially a treat as it was recorded by Hugh Howey himself and his wife, Amber Lyda. It breathes a special immediacy and life to an already engaging story.
February 3, 2014
It's strange to buy this eBook out of curiosity after reading the story behind the plot on the author's blog. The passionate vulnerability that led him reveal the repressed emotional burden brings to life the a critical series of events that changed the entire course of history.
To me, reading this eBook opens new doors to new literary odyssey. It is the first impression getting to know Kurt Vonnegut through Hugh Howey with his fan fiction revelation when these three components have never been my main interests. Although it's impossible for me at this stage to compare the work between the two, I'll definitely look at fan fiction from a more open-minded attitude.
It's strange that Hugh's short sentences can evoke so much emotion and describe action precisely, albeit nonchalantly at times. The absurdity of psychological pain somehow sheds light for people to seek refuge and comfort in the new birth of humanity. Hope is all we need to overcome chaos and despair.
It's strange that I cannot remember how quick I was to buy this eBook in Kindle edition; however, reading it in three hours gives me a sense of meaningful purpose to live free and peacefully under "that bright blue and empty sky." So it goes...
To me, reading this eBook opens new doors to new literary odyssey. It is the first impression getting to know Kurt Vonnegut through Hugh Howey with his fan fiction revelation when these three components have never been my main interests. Although it's impossible for me at this stage to compare the work between the two, I'll definitely look at fan fiction from a more open-minded attitude.
It's strange that Hugh's short sentences can evoke so much emotion and describe action precisely, albeit nonchalantly at times. The absurdity of psychological pain somehow sheds light for people to seek refuge and comfort in the new birth of humanity. Hope is all we need to overcome chaos and despair.
It's strange that I cannot remember how quick I was to buy this eBook in Kindle edition; however, reading it in three hours gives me a sense of meaningful purpose to live free and peacefully under "that bright blue and empty sky." So it goes...
June 2, 2016
I've never read Slaughterhouse Five, but that didn't impede my enjoyment of Peace in Amber. I say enjoyment, but it's not a happy tale. It's about Howey's experience in a New York harbor, watching as the towers fell, thinking he would die, the people around him would die, and that his best friend rushing towards the wreckage was already dead. This is Slaughterhouse fan fiction, so there's the aliens from Slaughterhouse Five in it as well, but they're not just a prop. They help give a broader view of the human experience, giving us duel conversations at once that mix well together, and pace the book/story well.
Out of all of Howey's books, this one has touched me the most. Anyone who was alive during 9/11 has an emotional connection to that day, so when Howey describes seeing bodies fall from those burning buildings, it hurts so much more than if this were purely fiction. It's a beautifully sad story. I strongly recommend it.
Out of all of Howey's books, this one has touched me the most. Anyone who was alive during 9/11 has an emotional connection to that day, so when Howey describes seeing bodies fall from those burning buildings, it hurts so much more than if this were purely fiction. It's a beautifully sad story. I strongly recommend it.
September 1, 2016
Fascinating. So it goes. Again.
I feel like I should be thanking Hugh Howey for writing Peace in Amber. We all have our 9/11 stories. We all were impacted somehow. It's emotional for everyone. I've never experienced an account of that day so personally shared as you did Hugh, and I was moved. I didn't even know I needed it...but I guess I did. Thanks.
I should also say I'm glad I read Slaughterhouse Five before Peace in Amber. I get it, and I think I'd be scratching my head and writing a really negative review if I hadn't.
I'm also glad I read Peace in Amber after I read Slaughterhouse Five. I thought I got it, but I didn't. Now I do.
You'll have a lot to think about when you've finished these 41 pages. I know I do.
I feel like I should be thanking Hugh Howey for writing Peace in Amber. We all have our 9/11 stories. We all were impacted somehow. It's emotional for everyone. I've never experienced an account of that day so personally shared as you did Hugh, and I was moved. I didn't even know I needed it...but I guess I did. Thanks.
I should also say I'm glad I read Slaughterhouse Five before Peace in Amber. I get it, and I think I'd be scratching my head and writing a really negative review if I hadn't.
I'm also glad I read Peace in Amber after I read Slaughterhouse Five. I thought I got it, but I didn't. Now I do.
You'll have a lot to think about when you've finished these 41 pages. I know I do.
February 27, 2014
I am a major Hugh Howey fan and especially after reading his last full length novel Sand (loved the whole Wool series too) I recently re-read Slaughterhouse 5 a couple months ago so the themes and ideas he transposes are so fresh and relatable. As a native New Yorker 9/11 is a very sensitive subject but how Hugh outs it in the same light as the bombing of Dresden at the end of WWII is excellent. So it goes, it's an excellent attachment to Slaughterhouse 5. His focus on Montana Wildhack and her experience trapped on Tralfamador with Billy Pilgrim is wonderful. It's a great ode to K. Vonnegut and his work and his style. At only 41 pages it's a great, quick read. I only didn't give it 5 because he used Kurt's style so much. Hugh probably wrote this is a month. Long live Hugh Howey.
July 31, 2014
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Howey and his wife, Amber Lyda. Both did a good job of narrating their parts.
I liked this short story, except for the Tralfamadore parts. Those were the parts I didn't like about Slaughterhouse Five, too. Too trippy and weird. Clearly I'm missing something there. That said, I think that Amber Lyda should into audiobook narration - she's really good and has a lovely voice.
That said, I thought the way Howey wrote about his experience in Manhattan on 9/11/01 was evocative. It took me right back to that bright, late summer morning when our sense of safety was shattered by planes being flown as missiles into office buildings.
If you're a fan of Vonnegut and Howey, don't miss this one.
I liked this short story, except for the Tralfamadore parts. Those were the parts I didn't like about Slaughterhouse Five, too. Too trippy and weird. Clearly I'm missing something there. That said, I think that Amber Lyda should into audiobook narration - she's really good and has a lovely voice.
That said, I thought the way Howey wrote about his experience in Manhattan on 9/11/01 was evocative. It took me right back to that bright, late summer morning when our sense of safety was shattered by planes being flown as missiles into office buildings.
If you're a fan of Vonnegut and Howey, don't miss this one.
January 21, 2014
My apologies that this review is not as eloquent and articulate as the others, but maybe it will help someone to purchase.
Being from the Midwest, I was not directly affected by 9-11, only as an American who is horrified by the events of that day, and who mourns for the tremendous loss of fellow countrymen. I will never be able to grasp the depth of fear, anxiety, or any other emotion that was experienced first hand. However, I did get a glimpse through Hugh Howey. And I cried.
I have only read one book by Vonnegut; I am not familiar with his writings. But luckily you don’t have to be a Vonnegut fan to enjoy this book.
Oh, and Hugh... quit making me cry all the time.
Being from the Midwest, I was not directly affected by 9-11, only as an American who is horrified by the events of that day, and who mourns for the tremendous loss of fellow countrymen. I will never be able to grasp the depth of fear, anxiety, or any other emotion that was experienced first hand. However, I did get a glimpse through Hugh Howey. And I cried.
I have only read one book by Vonnegut; I am not familiar with his writings. But luckily you don’t have to be a Vonnegut fan to enjoy this book.
Oh, and Hugh... quit making me cry all the time.
February 28, 2014
I don't know that I have more to add than the other reviewers. It is two beautiful, haunting stories juxtaposed to one another. Throughout the book, I wasn't sure which character I thought I was the most sorry for. I suspect it was for the one trapped off-planet, but only because I know some of the rest of the story of the US in 2014. I don't know that there's ever a way to "come to terms with" or "make sense of" people doing cruel things to one another. But I do like the ending on what seemed like a hopeful note in both stories. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to more from this author.
December 29, 2015
Emotional. This story is the first adult story of Hugh’s I have read and my first introduction to Kurt Vonnegut’s world. I didn’t know what to expect since I had never read Slaughterhouse Five, but I got the audiobook cd and figured since Hugh wrote it, it would be worth the listen anyway. I was in my car driving as I listened to Hugh recount his memories on 9/11. I’m not an emotional person by nature and I was very young when 9/11 occurred, yet the description of this day from Hugh’s memory left me with watery eyes and an aching heart.
The full review can be found at http://katetilton.com/may-june-2015-k...
The full review can be found at http://katetilton.com/may-june-2015-k...
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