Simon the Wanderer sole survivor of the Human

Simon the Wanderer, sole survivor of the Human Race

… travels the Universe

with a dog

an owl

…and a mechanical lover

…searching for the answer to

"Why we are created only to suffer and die? "

He meets Bingo a hoary old cockroach

Who tells him that humans are an experiment and evolved from cockroach crap.

Simon asks why did they do this? When it meant so much pain and agony to the human race

Why ?

Bingo Answers "Why not? "

If we think about it this could actually be fairly realistic as far as our origins are concerned and it is the most thought provoking answer to our quest for meaning that I have ever heard

Venus on the Half-Shell Philip José Farmer (not Kurt Vonnegut)

Simon asks why they did they do this when it meant so much agony, suffering and death for sextillions upon sextillions of living beings… Why?

We learn that the Universe is an experiment carried out by a race of cockroaches and that life and humans evolved from cockroach crap.

"Our universe and all the others… are scientific experiments".

…as old as creation itself, who tells him…

He travels the universe with dog, owl, and, for a while, mechanical lover, searching for the answer to

Simon the wanderer, sole human survivor of the earth, thanks to the malevolent Hoonhoors, discovered He travels the universe with dog, owl, and, for a while, mechanical lover, searching for the answer to "Why are we created only to suffer and die? "

The journey makes the novel an evolutionary/ecological parable in which the Hoonhors function as the essential scavengers who clean up after the creator's--"Its"--mistakes.

Simon the wanderer, sole human survivor of the earth, thanks to the malevolent Hoonhoors, discovered He travels the universe with dog, owl, and, for a while, mechanical lover, searching for the answer to "Why are we created only to suffer and die? "

The journey makes the novel an evolutionary/ecological parable in which the Hoonhors function as the essential scavengers who clean up after the creator's--"Its"--mistakes.

There is balance to their role since we learn humans on Earth are "the end of a process that started with cockroach crap".

At the end of his journey, Simon meets, not the creator but Bingo, "a hoary old cockroachoid" as old as creation itself, who tells him

"Our universe and all the others… . are scientific experiments".

"But why? " Simon persists. "Didn't It know what agony…It would cause sextillions upon sextillions of living beings…? "

I like and will paraphrase Kilgour Trout's observations in Venus on the Halfshell main character to the creator of the universe(a giant cockroach) Why did you create us to live and die if all

Main character to the creator of the universe(a giant cockroach) Why did you create us to live and die if all we are here to do is cause ourselves and others pain and in the long run not make a difference in how things turnout?

Trout, Kilgore [Kurt Vonnegut? ]. Venus on the Half Shell (1974). Cutchogue, New York: Buccaneer Books, 1975. The Hoonhors, "a people from a planet of some unknown galaxy a trillion light years away [from Earth, and]…. possibly the most altruistic species in the universe, " are giant cockroaches. They spring into action when "a people kill off their own planet, " cleaning up ("sanitizing") the mess. The process begins by salting the planet's atmosphere [with] a substance that precipitates every bit of [water] in the air, " creating heavy rains that flood the planet (32). Earth is in the process of such sanitizing as the novel opens and the hero Simon, like a modern-day Noah, survives the flood to find himself on Mt. Ararat where he meets and joins a Space Traveller whose cosmic perspective helps Simon understand what has happened and sets him on a voyage to the planet of the Hoonhors.

The journey makes the novel an evolutionary/ecological parable in which the Hoonhors function as the essential scavengers who clean up after the creator's--"Its"--mistakes. There is balance to their role since we learn humans on Earth are "the end of a process that started with cockroach crap" (201). At the end of his journey, Simon meets, not the creator but Bingo, "a hoary old cockroachoid" as old as creation itself (200), who tells him "Our universe and all the others… . are scientific experiments" (203). "But why? " Simon persists. "Didn't It know what agony…It would cause sextillions upon sextillions of living beings…? " "Yes, " Bingo replies, cutting off Simon's repeated "Why? " with first a belch and then: "Why not? " The End.

What a great find! Rescued from porno shops and legitimately published by those brave folks at Dell, albeit and unfortunately sans illustrations, if you know what I mean! Includes a selected bibliography, biographical sketch , and a slightly fuzzy photo of the author. Simon the wanderer, sole human survivor of the earth, thanks to the malevolent Hoonhoors, discovered "He was the end of a process that started with cockroach crap" after traveling the universe with dog, owl, and, for a while, mechanical lover, searching for the answer "Why are we created only to suffer and die? " The cockroach knew and I'm going to make you read the book to find out. I will tell you that Simon almost learned the purpose of life at the knife and fork of the evil sage. But, if I have to tell you what the purpose of life is, you would not believe me anyhow. Must reading for Kurt Vonnegut fans!

I like and will paraphrase Kilgour Trout's observations in Venus on the Halfshell main character to the creator of the universe(a giant cockroach) Why did you create us to live and die if all we are here to do is cause ourselves and others pain and in the long run not make a difference in how things turnout? The answer, Why not? I'll try to find the exact quote tonight at home. Or as Kurt Vonnegut put it

Trout, Kilgore [Kurt Vonnegut? ]. Venus on the Half Shell (1974). Cutchogue, New York: Buccaneer Books, 1975. The Hoonhors, "a people from a planet of some unknown galaxy a trillion light years away [from Earth, and]…. possibly the most altruistic species in the universe, " are giant cockroaches. They spring into action when "a people kill off their own planet, " cleaning up ("sanitizing") the mess. The process begins by salting the planet's atmosphere [with] a substance that precipitates every bit of [water] in the air, " creating heavy rains that flood the planet (32). Earth is in the process of such sanitizing as the novel opens and the hero Simon, like a modern-day Noah, survives the flood to find himself on Mt. Ararat where he meets and joins a Space Traveller whose cosmic perspective helps Simon understand what has happened and sets him on a voyage to the planet of the Hoonhors.

The journey makes the novel an evolutionary/ecological parable in which the Hoonhors function as the essential scavengers who clean up after the creator's--"Its"--mistakes. There is balance to their role since we learn humans on Earth are "the end of a process that started with cockroach crap" (201). At the end of his journey, Simon meets, not the creator but Bingo, "a hoary old cockroachoid" as old as creation itself (200), who tells him "Our universe and all the others… . are scientific experiments" (203). "But why? " Simon persists. "Didn't It know what agony…It would cause sextillions upon sextillions of living beings…? " "Yes, " Bingo replies, cutting off Simon's repeated "Why? " with first a belch and then: "Why not? " The End.