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Monkey Business
Four of Kurt Vonnegut’s best dystopian stories, Monkey Business distils his darkly comic vision of the modern world and the cost of trying to engineer a better life.
In a future where everyone is forced to be equal, a gifted teenager dares to rebel. A suburban family discovers a device that delivers perfect happiness. A world frightened of death turns to drugs to slow the march of time. And in a quiet American town, a couple must decide how many children they are willing to raise – for ever.
BRIEF classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days
In a future where everyone is forced to be equal, a gifted teenager dares to rebel. A suburban family discovers a device that delivers perfect happiness. A world frightened of death turns to drugs to slow the march of time. And in a quiet American town, a couple must decide how many children they are willing to raise – for ever.
BRIEF classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days
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About the author
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
704 books38.4k followersKurt Vonnegut, Junior was an American novelist, satirist, and most recently, graphic artist. He was recognized as New York State Author for 2001-2003.
He was born in Indianapolis, later the setting for many of his novels. He attended Cornell University from 1941 to 1943, where he wrote a column for the student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun. Vonnegut trained as a chemist and worked as a journalist before joining the U.S. Army and serving in World War II.
After the war, he attended University of Chicago as a graduate student in anthropology and also worked as a police reporter at the City News Bureau of Chicago. He left Chicago to work in Schenectady, New York in public relations for General Electric. He attributed his unadorned writing style to his reporting work.
His experiences as an advance scout in the Battle of the Bulge, and in particular his witnessing of the bombing of Dresden, Germany whilst a prisoner of war, would inform much of his work. This event would also form the core of his most famous work, Slaughterhouse-Five, the book which would make him a millionaire. This acerbic 200-page book is what most people mean when they describe a work as "Vonnegutian" in scope.
Vonnegut was a self-proclaimed humanist and socialist (influenced by the style of Indiana's own Eugene V. Debs) and a lifelong supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The novelist is known for works blending satire, black comedy and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), Cat's Cradle (1963), and Breakfast of Champions (1973)
He was born in Indianapolis, later the setting for many of his novels. He attended Cornell University from 1941 to 1943, where he wrote a column for the student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun. Vonnegut trained as a chemist and worked as a journalist before joining the U.S. Army and serving in World War II.
After the war, he attended University of Chicago as a graduate student in anthropology and also worked as a police reporter at the City News Bureau of Chicago. He left Chicago to work in Schenectady, New York in public relations for General Electric. He attributed his unadorned writing style to his reporting work.
His experiences as an advance scout in the Battle of the Bulge, and in particular his witnessing of the bombing of Dresden, Germany whilst a prisoner of war, would inform much of his work. This event would also form the core of his most famous work, Slaughterhouse-Five, the book which would make him a millionaire. This acerbic 200-page book is what most people mean when they describe a work as "Vonnegutian" in scope.
Vonnegut was a self-proclaimed humanist and socialist (influenced by the style of Indiana's own Eugene V. Debs) and a lifelong supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The novelist is known for works blending satire, black comedy and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), Cat's Cradle (1963), and Breakfast of Champions (1973)
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 9, 2026
In my late teens/early twenties, Vonnegut was one of my formative writers, like he is for many. I've not read anything by him for some time (perhaps I'm afraid of not liking him so much now I'm a little older), so when I saw his name among Penguin's new 'Brief Encounters' series, I thought it was a good opportunity to get a small hit. He is as I remember him: weird, sad, sometimes funny. None of these stories particularly stood out or impressed me, but they are exactly what you'd expect from Kurt.
October 30, 2026
Yes, as the title says, four stories from Kurt Vonnegut. All of them are entertaining and thought-provoking and I'm glad I read them.
September 21, 2026
hilarious
August 13, 2026
Actual rating: 3.5 stars 💫
July 3, 2026
A quartet of short stories, all doing what good science fiction does best; examining the disturbing present, as well as all possible futures, using creative metaphors and extrapolating the worries, the tech implications and politics of the time and taking it to the Nth degree.
The first story here, Monkey Business, bares some more mulling over for me. It's almost unquestionably rather problematic on the surface, and feels rather insensitive generally to me as a modern reader, it being about over-population and sexual freedom and reproductive rights... it wasn't handled elegantly, but the message behind was really very interesting and it'll definitely stick with me, whether I end up agreeing with it on a fundamental level or not.
The second, Harrison Bergeron, is the shortest of the collection and probably the most on-the-nose, but still I found it very entertaining. It is about our desire for equality being taken to an extreme in which nobody was allowed to be stronger than anyone else, or more beautiful or clever, and people are living with physical handicaps like weights around their necks or grotesque masks to cover pretty faces or ear implants that make unpleasant noises whenever you think too much... all to maintain a "fair" and equal society without competition or jealousy.
I am not sure if this was written specifically as a critique on our desire for equality, but I am leaning towards not. Whilst the story itself was rather simple, it reads as though Vonnegut's political stances (at least on these topics) were quite nuanced. This was an astute story from someone who looked to their vision of the future with distaste, as the very least - fear, at the very most.
The third is my personal favourite. In The Euphio Question a scientist learns how to listen to the Universe using a "telescope for the ears", and he hears the cosmic waves and feedback bouncing off celestial bodies hundreds and thousands of lightyears away. However, isn't until this sound is shared on the radio, and thus amplified, that it creates a dreamy, trance-like state in all that hear it - it becomes impossible not to be happy and to forget all your worries, pure bliss... Then we realise that those hearing it loose all track of time, they have no desire to turn off the sound and they "forget" to feel even the discomfort of hunger or thirst - exploring the idea of pleasure on a dime, of dopamine and instant gratification at the flick of a switch, literal happiness that can be bought from a shelf or subscribed to or as a device in the home akin to TV or Radio - it is very clever, philosophical, sophisticated and prescient and it was by far the strongest of the collection, in my opinion. I already know I'll be rereading this in the future.
The fourth and final story, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (no, not that one), is also about over-population but on a more familial and interpersonal level. A huge extended family all live in one small apartment, all are waiting for their grandfather, the eldest of the family, to chose to die. Aging has been conquered and eradicated, he is 180+ years old and hasn't yet chosen to die, leaving the rest of the un-aging family to fight over who makes it into his will and who will inherit the apartment's only private bedroom.
This one, whilst it was rather humourous, was also rather twee and a tad clunky and it didn't really land for me. Still, it was only 30 pages long or so, so I still judge it absolutely worth the minimal time investment.
This is a very good collection overall. I've only read one Vonnegut novel before, The Sirens of Titan and I think I already much prefer his short stories.
Also this book is part of a new range/series from Penguin, Brief Encounters, which focuses on relatively underappreciated short stories and novellas from various well-known authors that can be read in a single sitting. This is such a great idea and they are so wonderfully presented. I'm a big fan and I will probably have one with me wherever I go for the next few months or so. Beautiful little paperbacks.
The first story here, Monkey Business, bares some more mulling over for me. It's almost unquestionably rather problematic on the surface, and feels rather insensitive generally to me as a modern reader, it being about over-population and sexual freedom and reproductive rights... it wasn't handled elegantly, but the message behind was really very interesting and it'll definitely stick with me, whether I end up agreeing with it on a fundamental level or not.
The second, Harrison Bergeron, is the shortest of the collection and probably the most on-the-nose, but still I found it very entertaining. It is about our desire for equality being taken to an extreme in which nobody was allowed to be stronger than anyone else, or more beautiful or clever, and people are living with physical handicaps like weights around their necks or grotesque masks to cover pretty faces or ear implants that make unpleasant noises whenever you think too much... all to maintain a "fair" and equal society without competition or jealousy.
I am not sure if this was written specifically as a critique on our desire for equality, but I am leaning towards not. Whilst the story itself was rather simple, it reads as though Vonnegut's political stances (at least on these topics) were quite nuanced. This was an astute story from someone who looked to their vision of the future with distaste, as the very least - fear, at the very most.
The third is my personal favourite. In The Euphio Question a scientist learns how to listen to the Universe using a "telescope for the ears", and he hears the cosmic waves and feedback bouncing off celestial bodies hundreds and thousands of lightyears away. However, isn't until this sound is shared on the radio, and thus amplified, that it creates a dreamy, trance-like state in all that hear it - it becomes impossible not to be happy and to forget all your worries, pure bliss... Then we realise that those hearing it loose all track of time, they have no desire to turn off the sound and they "forget" to feel even the discomfort of hunger or thirst - exploring the idea of pleasure on a dime, of dopamine and instant gratification at the flick of a switch, literal happiness that can be bought from a shelf or subscribed to or as a device in the home akin to TV or Radio - it is very clever, philosophical, sophisticated and prescient and it was by far the strongest of the collection, in my opinion. I already know I'll be rereading this in the future.
The fourth and final story, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (no, not that one), is also about over-population but on a more familial and interpersonal level. A huge extended family all live in one small apartment, all are waiting for their grandfather, the eldest of the family, to chose to die. Aging has been conquered and eradicated, he is 180+ years old and hasn't yet chosen to die, leaving the rest of the un-aging family to fight over who makes it into his will and who will inherit the apartment's only private bedroom.
This one, whilst it was rather humourous, was also rather twee and a tad clunky and it didn't really land for me. Still, it was only 30 pages long or so, so I still judge it absolutely worth the minimal time investment.
This is a very good collection overall. I've only read one Vonnegut novel before, The Sirens of Titan and I think I already much prefer his short stories.
Also this book is part of a new range/series from Penguin, Brief Encounters, which focuses on relatively underappreciated short stories and novellas from various well-known authors that can be read in a single sitting. This is such a great idea and they are so wonderfully presented. I'm a big fan and I will probably have one with me wherever I go for the next few months or so. Beautiful little paperbacks.
September 14, 2026
🛑 Why it was a DNF:
Ummm, no thank you. The story is opening with suicide and 'ethical' birth control that takes the pleasure out of sex... Oh boy, not sure I've had enough tea to deal with this level of dystopianism. Birth control making people numb from the waist down??? Now virgins have to do the suicides... How is every page worse?
Yeah, I'm out. DNF - page 6.
Ummm, no thank you. The story is opening with suicide and 'ethical' birth control that takes the pleasure out of sex... Oh boy, not sure I've had enough tea to deal with this level of dystopianism. Birth control making people numb from the waist down??? Now virgins have to do the suicides... How is every page worse?
Yeah, I'm out. DNF - page 6.
October 21, 2026
I’ve been finding my desire to read diminished these past couple weeks, perhaps because I keep picking duds, so this was my attempt at something to kick things back into gear.
To be honest I don’t think it’s done that but it was still a solid collection of four short stories by the ever-wonderful Kurt Vonnegut.
As theres only four I will go through each briefly.
The first follows a worker of a suicide shop as she gets kidnapped by someone who wants to stop her from being chemically numbed to sexual pleasure. I found the setting to be the most interesting aspect where overpopulation has made the government force all citizens to take a form of birth control that doesn’t stop fertility just fully numbs people’s lower bodies so they don’t want to have sex, supposedly a more ethical thing to force onto people than sterilisation. Unfortunately the plot felt a bit distasteful to me, with the kidnapper holding her down and raping her once the drug had worn off to teach her to enjoy sex, which unsurprisingly she still does not. His idea is that this was how things used to be on wedding nights where eventually the woman learns to enjoy it too. I wasn’t certain if the narrative was endorsing this viewpoint so the story’s message wasn’t at all clear. Overall a very odd story and probably my least favourite.
The second was my favourite, following two parents living in a world where everyone is forced to be equal when their son, who’s a genius tries to take over the world. The concept here was that instead of lifting people up to make everyone equal this society drags people down (quite literally) implanting devices that interrupt your thoughts if you’re too clever and making you carry around sandbags if you’re too strong. The son in the story is just too incredible, being 7 foot tall and a genius so nothing they do can bring him down enough making him think he can take over the world. Unfortunately he is shot and killed in the end so I guess he wasn’t very smart. The message was clearer here and the concept was fun so i was happy.
The third story followed a man who found a signal from space that when played makes the listener feel immense euphoria. This then leads to people getting stuck listening to it for days in a daze not eating and neglecting their needs. They try to put a stop to the invention but it is too late. I think this might be a satire on the concept of people becoming addicted to the tv given he wrote it in ‘51 but I can’t be sure. Quite a simple narrative but it was evocative in its language.
Finally we follow a family in a highly crowded apartment who all have to grovel to the grandfather on life lengthening drugs to leave them the flat when he finally dies, instead of the 40 other children living there. Eventually the grandfather disappears leaving only a will saying it should be split equally causing them to riot and get arrested. In prison they realise there’s far more space so they want to stay and the grandfather comes home to appreciate that he’s now got it all to himself. It was a lot more confusing when I read it but I think that’s the core story, less of a message in this, maybe about prisons being better funded than housing idk. Still good to read.
Overall you will see it was kinda hit or miss but that’s just how short story collections go so we live. Hopefully the next one saves me
To be honest I don’t think it’s done that but it was still a solid collection of four short stories by the ever-wonderful Kurt Vonnegut.
As theres only four I will go through each briefly.
The first follows a worker of a suicide shop as she gets kidnapped by someone who wants to stop her from being chemically numbed to sexual pleasure. I found the setting to be the most interesting aspect where overpopulation has made the government force all citizens to take a form of birth control that doesn’t stop fertility just fully numbs people’s lower bodies so they don’t want to have sex, supposedly a more ethical thing to force onto people than sterilisation. Unfortunately the plot felt a bit distasteful to me, with the kidnapper holding her down and raping her once the drug had worn off to teach her to enjoy sex, which unsurprisingly she still does not. His idea is that this was how things used to be on wedding nights where eventually the woman learns to enjoy it too. I wasn’t certain if the narrative was endorsing this viewpoint so the story’s message wasn’t at all clear. Overall a very odd story and probably my least favourite.
The second was my favourite, following two parents living in a world where everyone is forced to be equal when their son, who’s a genius tries to take over the world. The concept here was that instead of lifting people up to make everyone equal this society drags people down (quite literally) implanting devices that interrupt your thoughts if you’re too clever and making you carry around sandbags if you’re too strong. The son in the story is just too incredible, being 7 foot tall and a genius so nothing they do can bring him down enough making him think he can take over the world. Unfortunately he is shot and killed in the end so I guess he wasn’t very smart. The message was clearer here and the concept was fun so i was happy.
The third story followed a man who found a signal from space that when played makes the listener feel immense euphoria. This then leads to people getting stuck listening to it for days in a daze not eating and neglecting their needs. They try to put a stop to the invention but it is too late. I think this might be a satire on the concept of people becoming addicted to the tv given he wrote it in ‘51 but I can’t be sure. Quite a simple narrative but it was evocative in its language.
Finally we follow a family in a highly crowded apartment who all have to grovel to the grandfather on life lengthening drugs to leave them the flat when he finally dies, instead of the 40 other children living there. Eventually the grandfather disappears leaving only a will saying it should be split equally causing them to riot and get arrested. In prison they realise there’s far more space so they want to stay and the grandfather comes home to appreciate that he’s now got it all to himself. It was a lot more confusing when I read it but I think that’s the core story, less of a message in this, maybe about prisons being better funded than housing idk. Still good to read.
Overall you will see it was kinda hit or miss but that’s just how short story collections go so we live. Hopefully the next one saves me
July 8, 2026
Two of the four were good, the others felt like quick drafts
July 13, 2026
A pretty short sci-fi collection which centres around dystopian futures. Monkey business feels pretty outdated by modern standards, but is a very Orwellian critique of an ever expanding population and dealing with an aging population. Tomorrows and tomorrow and tomorrow deals with these topics in a more nuanced way and still upholds to modern standards, which I think many millennials can relate to.
August 1, 2026
First story aged horrifically.
The others are solid, albeit they don't butter my parsnips in the way Vonnegut's novels do.
The others are solid, albeit they don't butter my parsnips in the way Vonnegut's novels do.
August 8, 2026
Mixed bag of short stories here. I throughly enjoyed Welcome to the Monkey House, was complete engrossed. Harrison Bergeron was short and sweet ant a good read. But by The Euphio Question, this was starting to drag but was still an enjoyable read but that last short story - Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - it felt like torture. That 20 needless pages rambling about a will and an inheritance felt never-ending. It took longer to get through those las 20 pages than it did to read the other three short stories.
September 26, 2026
Four stories by Kurt Vonnegut, all dystopian, two of them are my absolute faves. To be more specific Welcome to the Monkey House and Harrison Bergeron. The Euphio Question and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow were also good but especially Harrison Bergeron is the story that stays with you. I didn’t know about Brief Encounters series by Vintage Classics. With this book, I am curious about the other books in the series. This book was like a small dose of Kurt Vonnegut and I enjoyed it immensely.
August 5, 2026
Het meest opmerkelijke was misschien dat er al dan niet intentioneel geen enkele setting was (hoe ver in de toekomst deze ook mocht liggen) waar de personages niet meer in God geloofden.
Interessante concepten, met een goede overkoepelende insteek (de mens die zijn eigen beperkingen overstijgt, de strijd opgeeft in ruil voor een vorm van eeuwigheid), maar nooit echt uitgewerkt op een manier die een al te blijvende indruk nalaat.
Interessante concepten, met een goede overkoepelende insteek (de mens die zijn eigen beperkingen overstijgt, de strijd opgeeft in ruil voor een vorm van eeuwigheid), maar nooit echt uitgewerkt op een manier die een al te blijvende indruk nalaat.
August 13, 2026
First time reading Vonnegut and I am impressed. Not only is his writing style one that is incredibly entertaining and easy to follow but also he is a prophet. Most of these short stories were written in the 50s and for that they are all still incredibly relevant: attention span, outsourcing thinking, Generational Gap and the list goes on. I could write so many essays on each of the short stories. My favorite is probably Harrison Bergeron because it was funny, hauntingly beautiful and tragic at the same time, and isn’t that the best sign of a great satirical short story?
July 30, 2026
A selection of 4 short dystopian stories, each with their own thought provoking impact.
Welcome to the Monkey House and The Euphio Question stood out most for me and had me thinking about them hours after finishing. The concept of each would have made for great novels
Welcome to the Monkey House and The Euphio Question stood out most for me and had me thinking about them hours after finishing. The concept of each would have made for great novels
September 23, 2026
Vonnegut is always a hit for me. I really enjoyed this collection of stories, though I think the Ephios was my favorite. What a grimm way to look at the world, but somehow not able to put it down. Truly entrancing.
October 29, 2026
A strange but thought provoking collection of short stories, written in Kurt Vonneguts classic style. I think the less you know about these stories going into this read, the better. If you enjoy high concept, dystopian sci-fi, this would be an excellent read for you.
August 25, 2026
nothingburger at best, misogynistic slop at worst
September 5, 2026
Des novellas dystopiques intéressantes dans lesquelles la technologie est avancée jusqu’à ce que ça ne soit plus tenable mais la mentalité humaine reste la même, imparfaite.
September 7, 2026
If you've never read Mr Vonnegut before, these short stories will provide a great insight into the author and his work. These 'Brief Encounters' were a great idea by the publisher.
September 20, 2026
Three out of four of the short stories in this I liked. The last one was not very good.
September 28, 2026
Toen ik net dit boek begonnen was zei ik tegen Phil P dat het niet leek op een denderend goed boek maar dat het ook niet perse slecht is. Twee treinritten later blijft ik hier bij.
October 21, 2026
Each short story's rating:
In the Monkey House - 2⭐
Harrison Bergerson - 3.5⭐
The Euphorio Question - 4.5⭐
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow - 4⭐
In the Monkey House - 2⭐
Harrison Bergerson - 3.5⭐
The Euphorio Question - 4.5⭐
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow - 4⭐
September 21, 2026
I flipped between rating this a 3 or a 4, but my Vonnegut bias won me over. Really enjoy the writing and fun the author has exploring these dystopian ideas, but I felt some 1 or 2 concepts were better than the others. Particulary, Harrison Bergeron was my favourite piece of writing, but The Euphio Question was my favourite short story. Overall, I came away with a smile on my face.
July 28, 2026
À must for any self respecting Vonnegut fan!
July 26, 2026
Really short and quite engaging but pretty weird, and guessing the the authors a bit of a character... Reads like someone tried to write some chapters of 1984 off the dome
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews