Rating: 
Summary: Conformism and Popular Fiction
Review: You could read the first half of SURVIVOR at an intersection while waiting for the light to change. You could read the second half on a Great America rollercoaster.This is not a good thing. A very stupid book that requires no intellectual effort, SURVIVOR belongs to a category of literature that one might call "the fiction of transportation": it is an easily digestible book that one reads in order to "kill time" while in an airport or some other means of transportation. In its post-consumer stage, the book is then discarded and quickly forgotten, like the wrapper in which a McDonalds hamburger is contained. I do not have problems with the ideas packaged in this book because they are "offensive" or "unpleasant" (these are the reasons that the author claims his work was initially rejected); I have problems with its ideas because they are puerile. The author spells out the book's meaning in a series of self-explanatory claims, each one of them a painfully stupid cliche. For instance: "You realize that our mistrust of the future makes it hard to give up the past" (SURVIVOR, p. 150). The few glimmers of originality in this book were pilfered from other authors and film artists. The scene in which Branson screams, "I WANT TO GO TO PRISON!" (Ibid., p. 54) is an apparent homage to the film AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON; the reverse pagination was stolen outright from Breat Easton Ellis' GLAMORAMA, a great novel by a great author whom Palahniuk has spent his brief career imitating. Palahniuk's writing abilities are equal to those of a twelve-year-old. There is nothing interesting, compelling, or intense in this book. The crux of the novel, for instance, is the moment in which Adam narrates the origin of Tender's sexual neurosis. Tender was traumatized to the point of no longer wanting to have sex when he witnessed a lethal childbirth. Palahniuk's Adam describes the trauma in this way: "She screamed, and the baby died" (Ibid., p. 34). This kind of deadpan summary does not inspire much confidence in the writer's narrative "talents." Predictably, SURVIVOR has gained a massive cult following. The reason for the book's popularity among an ever-widening pubescent audience is their residual awareness of FIGHT CLUB---the film, not the novel. Palahniuk's followers, ironically, are the real conformists: they worship the author as if he were Tender Branson (!) (the protagonist of SURVIVOR) and uncritically welcome whatever the man vomits onto the page. SURVIVOR, of course, would have never been published were it not for the financial success of David Fincher's film version of FIGHT CLUB---a film that is powerful for reasons that have nothing to do with Palahniuk. Were it not for David Fincher (the better craftsman), no self-respecting publisher would have touched SURVIVOR. When they reach their twenties, the more intelligent of these people will rub their eyes in wonderment and marvel at their past credulity and mindless conformism.
Rating: 
Summary: Survivor: a review
Review: ... survivor ... is the real epitome of his work. The characters are deeper than you would ever think they could be, and the twists are more screwed up than you can possibly fathom. from posing to a suicide help-line operator to becoming a televangelist, tender branson is the person you become. you live in his world. from start to finish, this book offers incredible insight and theories, and obscure, thought provoking ways of thinking that only palahniuk could weave. this book is a masterpiece of modern literature.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: This book was simply amazing, i could not put it down, i had read "choke" by Mr. palahniuk and found it very amusing. But by far this book was more entertaining and all around a better story. This book is well written and I loved every minute of it. You will too, read the book!
Rating:
Summary: I'm a Survivor
Review: My opinion, Chuck Palahniuks third best book, which still makes it great. The characters are great, jokes are great. Definitely an unorthodox book. If you want a great story thats a little out of the norm, this is a good start.
Rating:
Summary: Very Amusing
Review: Chuck Palahniuk's writing style is very interesting. At times, he is so generically non-descriptive, that you'll be surprised what you're reading is even a novel. At other times--when he really means for it--his stark, minimalist approach is filled with so many effective tools to deliver his message that you can't help but read with absolute delight. The combination of the two is what makes this book all the more intriguing. Survivor reads much like a movie, if you can imagine that. The short, often fragmental sentences urge you to proceed further into this satirical, dark comedy about the curious life of an ex-cult member. For those of you who have seen Fight Club, you'll get a similarly rousing effect reading Survivor. Except there are no images--only the volatile narration of Tender Branson, Survivor's rendition of Tyler Durden. A combination of film-noir and satire, Survivor manages to have just as profound of an effect as Palahniuk's last novel. The book is quick and satisfying, filled with short, amusing chapters to pique your interesting for just the right amount of time. The fact that it is highly reminiscent of Fight Club is no fault. The reason Chuck is dishing out successful novels like hotcakes is because he has a formula, and it works. Unlike most authors, he has managed to develop a distinguished writing style right from the get-go, dripping with humor and panache. Due to this, he has acquired a decent, loyal following, awaiting his every publication. Some say that with the release of Choke, his repetitive, dry behavior is wearing thin. This is debatable--but it's certain that when he released Survivor, his inventiveness was fresh and ruthlessly infective. It may not be for everyone, but I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Fight Club.
Rating:
Summary: Great flight...rough fall
Review: This would be my second Palahniuk book to read the first was Choke. Although Choke was good enough to leave me wanting more, Survivor was much better. The book started off on a good note with great characters and an even better story line. The only let down to the book was that the ending left me hanging. Palahniuk built up questions in your mind about the characters past and the answers he gave at the end where just so-so. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting not to mention that the book didn't really have an ending.
Rating:
Summary: The difference between Jesus and Manson may just be spin.
Review: Opening up on a doomed and crashing 747, Survivor takes the reader on the ride of a lifetime; specifically the life of one Tender Branson - media darling, prophet, cult survivor, and possibly murderer.
Chuck Palahnuik's works aren't easy. Brilliant, sickening, laugh out loud funny, and often revealing, yes, but never easy. Like Fight Club, Survivor forces the reader to face some of the oddest, sickest, and strangest parts of the modern world, in all its built-in satire and irony, and come out with some sense of what it all means. What does a life count for if its not on TV? What is the image of a man that isn't the product of spin? Would Christianity (or Islam or Buddhism) exist if the prophet's hadn't gotten proper press coverage?
If you are willing to face such questions, all while alternating between laughter and outrage, then Survivor is the book to read.
Rating:
Summary: a great read
Review: Palahniuk is a master at the taboo. He entraps the reader in a world of creative exploration. Survivor has to be one of the most humerous books I have ever read. I have read all of his books, and this is still my favorite of the bunch, partly due to the fact that it would happen if it was not fiction. It was a great book, definatly a shocker and an absolute pleasure to read. Though if you are just getting in to Palahniuk books, you may want to start on his first to get a taste.
Rating:
Summary: Four stars just for being creative....
Review: Survivor really kept my attention, starting backward and recreating the storyline through declining paragraphs to a climactic ending. Palahniuk's commentary on society and it's twisted grip on reality is probably less fiction than most would like to believe. The main character's personal sense of truth makes him all the more real, caught in a unbelievable situation. The latter half of the book, the mountains of confiscated pornography, while doesn't seem too far from the truth with our current administration, still lost me a bit. I thought it was too ridiculous. None the less, I found the book to be very entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: In a word...amazing.
Review: Classic Chuck. It's smart, funny, and twisted. What's not to love?
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