Survivor: A Novel

The dark humour and dramatic irony make you want to throw up... but in a good way. I loved the details Palahniuk puts into his books. With "Survivor", such details mainly pertained to home economics with pointers on tricky food preparation, as well as ways of getting blood or other bodily fluids out of various materials. These details are unique to Palahniuk's writing. He does this in many of his novels (At least the novels I have read). "Survivor" is a tale about the only remaining survivor of a cult. Our hero of the story lives an eerily mundane life, to the public, but underneath this skin of monotony, his personality delves deep into distinctive psychological characteristics. The subsequent events are wild with excitement and quirky circumstances. Believe me, this is the book to read.

Its no secret that Chuck Palahniuk has set the standard for modern satirical writing, and if it is to you, well here is a good place to discover what I'm talking about. Just with the simple layout of how Survivor is written (chapter numbers written like a countdown), this novel is very Tarantino-esque. Palahniuk starts from the end and jumps back and forth in what appears to be an illogical sequence, but in fact makes compelete sense with how the novel is structured. What Chuck does better than any fiction author in the business today, is his use of descriptive wording to assist the reader in experiencing a character's senses. He doesn't sugar coat anything. He doesn't shy away from writing something too risque. If its for the benefit of his character development, regardless of how hideous it may sound, he is going to write it. Survivor is a monument to that fact. Being inside Tender's head and his thought process, you at times actually have a bad taste in your mouth, and you most certainly come to the conclusion that this person is not of the normal variety. However, you can't help but just nod your head at the reality of his writing style. Chuck dares to say what we all think in our heads, and he knows it. He is more aware of how our society thinks and how much we perceive ourselves than he is given credit for. This book exemplifies his talent, and his place in the upper echelon of literary masters in modern literature. Survivor is a must read for anybody who is a fan of fiction, and is sick and tired of the same old bland story. Its not so much a plane ride, as a roller coaster from 30,000 feet in the air.

Very good.
A bit weird but has a lot of good cleaning advice.
Need to get blood off piano key?

Survivor was a refreshing change after reading the heavy, raunchy Haunted. While still carrying Palahniuk's usual bitterness, Survivor still felt much more sympathetic and forgiveable. Tender Branson is a victim, and while he carries some traits that we don't want to forgive, he is much more compelling as a protagonist. I find it emotionally difficult when I have to read a book where the main character is someone you can't like.

It's only occuring to me now how clean and honed Palahniuk's style really is. While it is clear he has his comfort zone just like everyone else in regards to writing, everything is tight and flows beautifully, even when his subject isn't so beautiful. Even if his topics aren't really your thing, you can't deny his expertise as a writer. His skill takes a lot of care, editing, and just plain talent. I am becoming very addicted to his work. My own real problem with Survivor was how, although the ending was appropriate and necessary, didn't seem to fall into place the way Haunted and Diary did. Perhaps this is simply because of the retrospective structure of the novel.

Tender Branson is a member of a Creedish religion that, when the "Deliverance" happens and all the members still living in the commune kill themselves, is considered a cult. Creeds have been taught that once the deliverance happens, they are to kill themselves. However Tender doesn't feel like killing himself. He's not happy, but he's not sad either. He just exists, cleaning and giving etiquette lessons to a rich family.

The story is essentially Tender dictating his life story into the black box of an airplane he has hijacked. There is no one left on board, as Tender has seen to it that everyone is safe. We learn about Fertility, Tender's friend who can see into the future, and Adam, Tender's brother who was expected to be dead. After some suspicious suicides, Tender becomes a celebrity for being the last remaining member of the Creedish cult.

There's a bit of a social commentary on celebrities in this book, but it's not at all preach-ish. Palahniuk mocks celebrities through Tender's stories and it is pretty entertaining.

Adding to the intrigue of this book is the fact that the chapters and pages count down rather than up. But the best part of the book is when you're done and you take it all in. The end of the book is complete, yet left completely up to the reader and his/her imagination on what happened. Does Tender live or die? There are some clues dropped throughout the whole book that could lead you either way. If you visit Palahniuk's site, he gives his interpretation.

While I didn't find the overall plot gripping, I was googling this book when I was done because the ending didn't sit well with me. And when I realized that it wasn't meant to sit well with the reader, I was really intrigued. How often is it that a twist in the book comes after the book is finished?? It takes talent for a writer to pull that off.

Reading a Palahniuk book is like having your brain scraped with a razor. It's friggin' painful and you never thought this was something you'd be going through or that it was even possible... yet somehow you can't tear yourself away from it all. I often cringe while reading him, but somehow love every minute of it.

After enjoying previous books by Palahniuk and reading such favourable reviews, I was quite disappointed in this book. I understand and can somewhat appreciate Palaniuk's "quirky" writing style, but I found the storyline was weak and boring.

I picked this up because i loved Haunted, and was very pleased. A fast paced book, and easy to get into quickly. I really liked the messages about celebrity as a product and personal priorities.
A nice escape for a day!

I know that it’s cliché to say that you were unable to put the book down and that it was a non-stop page turner, but this describes Survivor to a ‘T’. This book is thought provoking, witty, strange and thoroughly enjoyable. Palahniuk is a great author with a style all to his own (with many facts that will make you wonder how he knows such things and with many many short paragraphs - 90% of this books' paragraphs are under 5 lines long) that makes this book fresh and fast-paced (it took me less then 3 days to complete). If you are looking to find a new author, this is your man, for his work is very consistent and Survivor is every bit as good as Fight Club.

Let me start off by saying this about Chuck Palahniuk's novel "Survivor" He should have picked a better title. The reason I say this is because everytime I told a person what book I was reading they immediately assumed that it was a book about that Television Show of the Same Name. The novel it self was very clever if you liked Palahniuk's other novels "Fight Club" and "Invisible Monsters" you will love this book. The style is the same as Fight Club Where a narrator (Who in this book goes by the name Tender Branson) narrates the story through a first person view. The Lead Character Tender Branson is the last survivor of a Creedish Cult, So his view is interestingly distorted. Also be prepared for a twist just like Fight Club and jabs a modern society. Palahniuk continues with his witty style and the clever little tricks about house cleaning actually work! I recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a clever, hip read and want a writer who is different.

Like Chuck Palanhiuk's brillant and sparse previous novel Fight Club, Survivor, the latest chapter in one of America's newest and freshest voice sprung out of pure insanity and ingeniosity, has all the right ingredients mixed together to produce the perfect cook book for any sleepinng or sedated souls out there begging to be woken up. Alarming proses that shine with urgency and repeated honesty, a gripping story that makes the whole reading experience like a wild rash you just have to scratch, and, if you know dear old Chuck, you also know that he couldn't have written a novel without a few usefull informations for the wicked such as: how to steal stereoids, how to manage a beatiful bed flower garden, how to shoplift in all secutiry, and so much more. Just where does he get that stuff from?

This book had the misfortune of coming out just as the whole Fight Club bandwagon kicked into full gear, which is a shame because in some ways this book makes for a better read. There's some nice insight into celebrity culture and the marketing machine which seems to control everything in the popular consciousness, as told by the last 'survivor' of a religious cult who ends up being sucked into the machine and so learns about the process of myth-making first-hand. A few plot inconsistencies here and there, but overall a good story with great writing and an ending that will stay with the reader long after the book is put down.