When Kurt Vonnegut died last year, not only did America lose its greatest satirist but also one of its greatest humanitarian voices. It’s tragic that the man who had worked his entire life for a more brotherly world would die at such a low point in American history.

This collection of never before published works covers a career that spans half a century, with a revealing, personal introduction by Vonnegut’s son, Mark. It includes a letter home from POW Private Vonnegut, his final speech and a collection of unpublished stories. Some of Vonnegut’s artwork also appears between pieces.

A non-fiction essay on the fire bombing of Dresden forms the thematic centerpiece from which the rest of the collection takes its cue. A watershed moment in Vonnegut’s life, it would go on to shape everything he wrote.

The collection could’ve benefited from a bit more variety, and it is regrettable that no context or timelines are given for the pieces. Still, it is a worthy document of a key moment in the great writer’s life and a fitting final statement.

Grade: A-

Armageddon in Retrospect is currently available.