Rating: 
Summary: Survivor
Review: a brilliantly hillarious but genious look at Palahniuks best. The whole book seems to almost mimick Vonnegut's poke fun of reality motto but still incorporate originality definatly palahniuks best!
Rating: 
Summary: Mind-Boggling!
Review: Am I surprised that a radical writer of Palahniuk's stature should arise from the creative quagmire of Oregon's artistic backwaters? Not at all. I, too, am an Oregon resident, and I encounter semblances of Palahniuk's philosophy in daily conversation.But to encounter such a passionate and cohesive worldview within the scope of a single book--and a relatively short one, at that--is mind-boggling! Following the near-emotionless life of Tender Branson, we move from reluctant respect or revulsion to a downright sympathetic view as we realize his past. Tender is a survivor--eventually, one of the last--of a religious death cult. He failed to follow through on his own suicide, and now ekes out a robotic existence as a cook/housekeeper of sorts for a pathetically materialistic couple. As the story moves along, we discover Tender's past and watch him become a media darling, a "messiah" thrown to the starving masses like a piece of meat. Only in facing his own fears and inadequacies does Tender Branson take flight towards freedom...an open-ended freedom that leaves us wondering whether he escaped his past or his future as well. Some will be offended and use the semi-blasphemous nature of this story to discount its underlying truth and anguish. Others will relish the shock-value and overlook the bitter heartache and despair that breed such feelings of impotence and aloneness. For those who are willing to use "Survivor" as a magnifying glass, this story brings into stark detail the horrors of religion breeding with commercialism and the travesty of community that loses sight of its individual members. "Survivor" will certainly shock and offend--and maybe that's the point. Palahniuk seems driven by the need to jolt back to life a generation that's grown devoid of direction and meaning. In a world innoculated by entertainment violence and extremes, he puts those very weapons in our hands--in the form of a novel--and challenges us to count the cost...Do we believe in something more? Something greater than ourselves? Something worth living for? Or should we cave in to society's sheep-mentality and allow ourselves to be herded through the 40 hour work-chutes week after week until the day of sacrifice? To be honest, I don't come away with any more answers than I arrived with...but I come away from Palahniuk's novels convinced not to settle for status quo, convinced to rise above the cesspool of commercialism and search for deeper meaning than the air-brushed advertisement babes want to sell me. "Survivor"? Yes, for those willing to look beyond the surface. "Survivor"? A cry for understanding in a society that's stripped itself of moral and ethical constraints...and found itself lacking.
Rating:
Summary: A little too commercial
Review: I mostly enjoyed the banter between rudy and richard. I could not believe the fact that Jenna got so far. Overall, it was a good read.
Rating:
Summary: The Key
Review: Read it, maybe it will open up your eyes.
Rating:
Summary: Now Boarding, Flight 2039: direct to Oblivion
Review: Testing, testing. One, two, three. Testing, testing. One, two, three. Maybe this is working. I don't know. If you can even see this, I don't know. But if you can see this, read. And if you're reading, then what you've found is a review of the story of everything that went wrong. It doesn't take a page. And there you are at 39,000 feet. Above the clouds and in the cockpit of a Boeing 747-400 with no passengers. And no pilot. Final evacuation call for Chuck Palahniuk's novel, Survivor. And don't ask if it has anything to do with the television show. It'll just make you look stupid. Imagine being raised for slave labor just because you were three minutes and thirty seconds too late. Imagine everyone you know and love offing themselves in a mass cult suicide. Imagine becoming a mass media produced messiah just because no one could prove otherwise. Imagine Tender Branson, your new pilot. He doesn't know how to fly a plane. He'll tell you himself. Go Ahead. Ask him. He's just dying to get a few things off of his chest. This book is totally backwards. Seriously, you'll see what I mean. With a lot of similar humor and style to his first novel Fight Club, Palahniuk's Survivor is a great read for newcomers and devout fans alike. Pick up this book and you won't want to put it down. But it'll be the most time you'll ever spend reading to get to the bottom of page one. I promise.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy follow up
Review: The review below this explained it well, same as fight club, book was very compelling and grabbed your interest from the get go, but towards the end it becomes far too unbelievable. But I think this is his point. The absurdity of becoming a pop icon and how dumb it really is. But I like the little devices Palanichuk employs, such as the countdown of pages. These help to maximize effect. The whole virgin scenario was played up a lot, and then when it finally was through, it wasn't a big deal, much like real life. All in all, this is a very worthy follow up to Fight Club, and I can't wait to get Invisible Monsters (been waiting for over a month now...) and to see what else he can conjure up. He certainly has a very vivid and nihilistic imagniation.
Rating:
Summary: Palahniuk is quickly becoming one of my fav. authors
Review: Alright, novel for novel, I actually enjoyed this one more than the almighty Fight Club. I found the premise to be very original and interesting and I couldn't remember the story lagging or drifting in any way. Also, the little remedy tidbits thrown into the mix here and there were an extra treat. And it's not the type of novel that starts great then slows down and kills itself. It's actually the opposite, which I think will work out for you. Whether satire is new to you or not, or if you think your mind works in a sort-of oddball way, give the book a try.
Rating:
Summary: Survivor: one of the best books I've ever read
Review: Chuck Palahniuk has done it again! After Fight Club, I decided that nothing this man could write could ever be bad, so I immediately went out and bought Survivor. This novel contains everything needed to make a good book: a distinctive writing style, high interest level, great humor, better characters, and something not normally found in today's writing: symbolism! Palahniuk's stream-of-consciousness writing style and interest level fall hand in hand, and I was surprised at how fast the novel went. The humor in this novel is laced throughout and pops up at the most inconspicuous places: I found myself laughing out loud on several seperate occasions. Most of that humor comes from the mind of Tender Branson, the main character, who's sarcastic attitude and apathy towards his own life make him such a lovable character. This brings me to the symbolism. The book is filled with it. From lobsters to road signs to magazine covers to flowers to the mausoleum, everywhere you turn, it hits you in the face. This book is not for the devotedly Christian or younger audiences. I recommend this book to everyone else, though.
Rating:
Summary: Some are just doing it more efficiently.
Review: This is the story of how it all went wrong. From the Creedish Death Cult to Media Messiah. An interesting and entertaining read. With all of the satire and humour the author has become known for. Perhaps not as sharp as Fight Club, but it has more edge than most of what you'll read.
Rating:
Summary: Apocalypse Wow
Review: While I didn't enjoy Survivor as much as Fight Club, it is still a great read. Palahniuk writes with the same pessimism and sense of bizarre satire as Vonnegut and it works very well in this novel. Like Fight Club, Palahniuk satirizes our media obsessed culture and how this reflects on how out of whack our priorities and beliefs truly are. A must read for anyone who has ever felt that our culture is facing a head on collision with disaster.
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