h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't remember "Slaughterhouse 5" very well, but reading the entry reminded me of Thomas Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow". A Google search led to some comparisons, e.g. theses by literature students.

QUOTE

The second world war operates as a benchmark for both Vonnegut and Pynchon. Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five grew from his attempt to narrate the horrific events he witnessed as a prisoner-of-war in Dresden during its bombing. ...

It is only through the vortex of Billy Pilgrim, a character "unstuck in time," that he could approach the topic. Characters affected by the war appear throughout his novels. Pynchon, still a young child when the war ended, nevertheless channels the experiences of his elders into the wasteland world of Gravity's Rainbow, through a vortex of paranoia about the real motives and operatives for the war.

END QUOTE

A lot more here:

http://www.angelfire.com/yt2/mirpage/ChapterOne.html

The title (I think) is:

"Absurd America in the Novels of Vonnegut, Pynchon, and Boyle"

I think Vonnegut was way more popular than Pynchon, I recall a doctor seeing my copy of "Gravity's Rainbow" and saying "I remember the day I gave up on that book." But it does have its advocates. If anyone is interested in giving it a try, I recommend getting the companion book that explains the references, i.e. tells you what Pynchon is talking about ...