From the author of the cult sensation Fight Club (now a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter) comes Survivor.
"A turbo-charged, deliciously manic satire of contemporary American life." --Newsday
"The only difference between suicide and martyrdom is press coverage," according to the "been there, done that" wisdom of Tender Branson, last surviving member of the Creedish Death Cult. At the opening of Chuck Palahniuk's hilariously unnerving second... (show more)
From the author of the cult sensation Fight Club (now a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter) comes Survivor.
"A turbo-charged, deliciously manic satire of contemporary American life." --Newsday
"The only difference between suicide and martyrdom is press coverage," according to the "been there, done that" wisdom of Tender Branson, last surviving member of the Creedish Death Cult. At the opening of Chuck Palahniuk's hilariously unnerving second novel, Tender is cruising on autopilot, 39,000 feet up, dictating the whole of his life story into Flight 2039's "black box" in the final moments before crashing into the vast Australian outback.
Not since Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night has there been as dark and telling a satire on the wages of fame and the bedrock lunacy of the modern world. Wickedly incisive and mesmerizing, Survivor is Chuck Palahniuk at his deadpan peak. (show less)
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A great story about a lone survivor of a suicidal cult, Tender Branson, who moonlights as a fake suicide hot-line helper."Branson finds himself on ... (show more)
A great story about a lone survivor of a suicidal cult, Tender Branson, who moonlights as a fake suicide hot-line helper."Branson finds himself on the edge of fame and fortune when the cult members begin their suicide binge, and he keeps himself on the media radar by using the psychic dreams of his potential romantic interest, Fertility Hollis, in which the girl accurately predicts a series of strange disasters. After a brief period at the top of the freak-show heap, Branson succumbs to the excesses of his trade when his agent mysteriously dies at the Super Bowl as Branson predicts the outcome of the game at half-time, simultaneously triggering a riot and turning him into a murder suspect" (Publishers Weekly). The story is slow in the beginning but once you get towards the last quarter of the book it really picks up steam and gets good. I would recommend it for anyone who liked Fight Club. (show less)
5/09: Easily Palahniuk's most creative work--perhaps on par with Fight Club. Be prepared, as with all of Palahniuk's stuff, for medical and other... (show more)
5/09: Easily Palahniuk's most creative work--perhaps on par with Fight Club. Be prepared, as with all of Palahniuk's stuff, for medical and other useless facts and lessons, as well as disgusting amounts of human deprecation. Chuck always seems to go for that shock factor. He always seems to use a predictable formula to create the unpredictable... taking the world as we know it and introducing one or two supernatural elements to mix things up. These elements always seem to play second seat to the character conflict, however, which is what seems to separate his work from science fiction. Recommended for adult readers who are not easily offended and enjoy a bit of eclectic nonsense. Fight Club fans will probably enjoy. (show less)
One of the books more remarkable features, which didn't strike me until I had read a good thirty pages, is the fact that it's numbered backwards. This might seem a bit pointless, but in my opinion it serves to give a deeper sense of 'countdown' to the novel.
The story is that of Tender Branson, who begins his 'autobiography' whilst on a plane diving into the Australian outback, recording it in the black box. He is (or was) part of a Christian sect which committed mass suicide after a govern... (show more)
One of the books more remarkable features, which didn't strike me until I had read a good thirty pages, is the fact that it's numbered backwards. This might seem a bit pointless, but in my opinion it serves to give a deeper sense of 'countdown' to the novel.
The story is that of Tender Branson, who begins his 'autobiography' whilst on a plane diving into the Australian outback, recording it in the black box. He is (or was) part of a Christian sect which committed mass suicide after a government investigation was launched on them.
This is the first book I've read by Palahniuk (even though I'd seen Fight Club before), and his writing certainly proves to be much more than a well accomplished excercise in fiction. Even if the novel's ending was weaker than the whole of the text, the fact that he develops a subject with such an acid tone and insight makes it more than a worth read. Palahniuk seems to capture the sensitivity of our post-modern society in its least likeable features: spectacle, commercialisation, hedonism. (show less)
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I really loved this book. The page numbers and chapters go backwards letting you know that there is a demise at some point. I love the way Palahniukk writes. He gets you deep inside the characters head and never lets you go back. You see the turmoil and issues that the character has. I will definitely be picking up all of Palahniuk's books in the future since I have read this one. Survivor is about a cult member survivor that tries to live life in the real world, only to discover that he can'... (show more)
I really loved this book. The page numbers and chapters go backwards letting you know that there is a demise at some point. I love the way Palahniukk writes. He gets you deep inside the characters head and never lets you go back. You see the turmoil and issues that the character has. I will definitely be picking up all of Palahniuk's books in the future since I have read this one. Survivor is about a cult member survivor that tries to live life in the real world, only to discover that he can't live the real world life. He is better off living his cult-like ways, but since the cult is no longer there, he has to make do with the real world. He meets a woman that is just as messed up as he is, only she didn't belong to the cult. All the while, cult members that were survivors are dropping dead left and right. Suicides, and murders made to like suicides. In the end you find out who is murdering the survivors and you're left wondering what is left for Tender Branson. Before all of this, he becomes an international religious star. Preaching and writing books, that he didn't know anything about. Taking every which drug you can imagine to make him look better, perform better, and talk better. This book was very interesting and my attention was on it, every time that I read it. Great visualizations, and my favorite of all was the inner turmoil that you got to see in Tender Branson's head. (show less)
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I absolutely loved this book! As always it was very deep and insightful, as well as entertaining! Palahniuk pulls out the roots of human nature and throws them in our face with every page of his works. We are forced to see ourselves in his characters and realize how close fiction can come to the truth.
Bethany M Rosser about 1 month agoAll of Chuck Palahniuk books take you on a stimulating, informative, and sometimes erotic ride. He tends to have main characters that you just know that if god made them he broke the mold after. This one is no exception. Filled with quirky bits of home friendly cleaning tips and other strange facts you will be taken on a while ride of a story of a man from "loserdom" to "stardom" and everything in between! Worth a read. Chuck is the closest thing to a modern Kerouac in my opinion. Fast & Crazy!
Facebook User about 1 month agoWhat's your favorite Palahniuk novel?
Of all the books that he has written, I must say that Survivor is the best. It has the best plot, character development and more "Palahniukisms" than any other.
Matt McDonald about 1 year agoPoor Chuck P.
So appearantly, (according to Mr. Palahniuk) there was a adaptation for Survivor. The script was finished and everything was set for a second movie to be based off of one of his books. Then came 9/11. The idea of adapting this 'un into a movie was scrapped for obvious reasons. Our loss I suppose. I'd be more broken up about this if it weren't for the fact that there's a Choke banner at the top of my screen. Moral of the story is, you should go see Choke (if you were already planning on it, see it an extra time) so that Palahniuk gets at least some of the money that he should have gotten already.
Paul Yoakum about 1 year agoThis book has been added to these lists:
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