Vonnegut's first novel spins the chilling tale of engineer Paul Proteus, who must find a way to live in a world dominated by a super computer and run completely by machines. His rebellion is a wildly funny, darkly satirical look at modern society.

Player Piano, Vonnegut's first novel, was published in 1952. It is a dystopia of automation and capitalism, describing the dereliction they cause in the quality of life. The near-future society is almost totally mechanized, eliminating the need for human laborers. This widespread mechanization creates conflict between the wealthy upper class-- the engineers and managers who keep society running-- and the lower class, whose skills and purpose in society have been replaced by machines. -- adapted from info in a previous edition