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Survivor : A Novel

Survivor : A Novel

List Price: $13.95
Your Price: $10.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: IT KILLS! -- BUY IT!
Review: SURVIVOR has a very interesting premise. It does a wonderful job of setting up the main character and running him through several settings that seem distinct but turn out to be very similar in result. One technique that really added to the suspense and urgency of the book was that the pages are numbered in a countdown fashion. It really generated an anxiety that the story would be left unfinished. As I mentioned, I read the last portion again and again so I cannot say that my anxiety has been completely alleviated. This is the second best book I bought off Amazon this month, since THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez. Highly recommended!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: too dark
Review: this novel was dark and a bit muddled. the characters flip-flopped personalities so many times it was hard to keep up. it was also difficult to really characterize these people in any concrete way.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: too dark
Review: this book was far too dark for my taste. at times it made me laugh but most of the book just had a very melacholy feel to it. not that that's bad but the characters seem to be a bit bi-polar. what i mean by that is that they are too light one minute and too heavy the next. this book contains a lot of leaps in it depth and characterization.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well done, but ...
Review: This book is like an accident on the side of the highway. It's an image of horrible things but you just can't tear your eyes away.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: In the end, we all have the same punchline
Review: I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It delivers not only an original plot but also something to really ponder about. Survivor definitely distinguishes Palahniuk as an intelligent, creative, and an original author.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Genius
Review: I think that this book is probably my favorite. I actually thought that this was better than his first (Fight Club). It provides a somewhat cynical view of the world and is cleverly written (from the end to the beginning, very much like the first).I would suggest this to anyone.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: f;lkjasf;lj
Review: this guy seems to be an author that i could get in to. this book was totally unconventional. from the characters to the plot to the voice.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Decent Novel
Review: A fellow Amazon reviewer said that we've seen better with 'Fight Club'...and I tend to agree. I usually don't like to compare books by the same author, and as a Stephen King addict, I've learned that a novel like 'The Stand' really can't be compared to something like 'The Green Mile'; they're just too different. With Palahniuk, however, I couldn't help but envision Ed Norton saying some of the things that Tender Branson is supposed to be saying. The styles are identical, the plot is rather similar, if you really look at it, and each has its narrator, its alter-ego (Adam Branson being the alter-ego), and the lead female character. 'Survivor', I think, is basically a cheap sequel to 'Fight Club', an extraordinary novel in itself.

The problem with 'Survivor' lies in the fact that it seems to rely too much on sounding like 'Fight Club'. Tender is not the narrator from his first novel, Adam is no Tyler Durden, and Marla is nowhere to be found. I read the first chapter at Barnes and Noble and thought it sounded amazing...even better than 'Fight Club', but I was, in a way, a bit disappointed. No, it's not a terrible book, but it's not original. 'Fight Club' was one of the smartest, freshest novels I've ever read, and I've expected more of the same quality from Palahniuk. Unfortunately 'Survivor' isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

Don't take me wrong. It sounds like I loathed this book. I didn't. In fact, I enjoyed it enough that I read it in just a few short hours...but I read 'Fight Club' in about ninety minutes. I see real talent in Palahniuk, and I look forward to future works by this up-and-coming author, but I can't totally recommend this novel after reading something superior, yet similar. So, if you've already read 'Fight Club', my advice is to find it at a library; if you've just happened to stumble onto this, it's a good read, and will only make you all the more thrilled when you meet Tyler Durden and friends.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: irritating characters, unfocused plot, a bit forced
Review: I picked up this book expecting a good solid satire, but was disappointed. Much of the book is nothing but a bunch of aimless rambling about everything from how to commit suicide to how to how to remove blood stains. One knows from the way the book is written that nothing is meant to be taken seriously however. The author seems overly concerned with making people laugh. His style got old very quick with me. After the first few chapters I started getting annoyed by the characters, their names (i.e. Fertility Hollis) and the overall lack of focus. The story doesn't seem to have any solid sense of direction, jumping from one thing to another. If anyone carries on a conversation like the characters do in this book, they would be considered insane.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Survivor" is Palahniuk's Best
Review: Having read all of Chuck's books, "Survivor" proves to be the best of the lot. The story is tied together with outstanding visual description and brilliant narration.

While not as twisted as "Fight Club," this book has a better pace and more sympathetic characters, not to mention a more enjoyable story. "Lullaby" was very good, but remains a distant third. "Choke" doesn't measure up to the standards of either "Survivor" or "Fight Club." Don't even get me started on "Invisible Monsters."

If you're only going to read one of Chuck's books, read "Survivor" and WATCH "Fight Club."


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