Kurt Vonnegut – Player Piano

I just finished the first novel I have read by K. Vonnegut.
The story revolves around Paul Proteus, a high ranking engineer in the city of Ilium. Paul suffers from a feeling that his work doesn't actually benefit society. Ilium exists inside of a society where machines virtually replaced men in most occupations, leaving engineers as the only citizens enjoying a wealthy and respected lifestyle.
The story is entertaining, and at times believable. Many people can sympathize with the feeling that your life's work is trivial or even destructive. Vonnegut draws on this disenchantment with industry in the post-war landscape, taking engineers and machinery on as a target for criticism. This novel was written as the development of computers were just beginning to take place, and Vonnegut explores the possibilities technology changing the future. Like a player piano, the engineers of Ilium imagine most machines can get along just fine without human interference.
Looking back on this novel in the post millennium world provides an interesting glimpse into the dialogue that was taking place about the possibilities of computer development in the 1950's. Beyond the comedy, Player Piano reveals a society making decisions about where it wants technology to take it in the coming years.