War is often the backdrop for some of the very best art and literature produced. Many writers choose to try and get across anti-war messages in their work and few have done that with such incredible effect as Kurt Vonnegut.

Kurt Vonnegut’s 1969 novel Slaughterhouse Five has as its main subject the bombing of Dresden in the Second World War. The story focuses on the plight of solider Billy Pilgrim and is told with a nonlinear narrative that also takes in time-travel and alien abduction.

The novel is a true classic and is one that anyone with an interest in war should have on their bookshelf.