Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

I am not going to summarize this book. No summary would do it justice.

Like many people, I had not heard of the book until after I saw the movie. I saw the movie a long time ago, but was hesitant to pick up the book for fear of being tainted by watching the movie first. However, there is nothing to fear. The book is excellent, and the movie follows the book pretty closely, with a few exceptions. Excellent, excellent, excellent. Everyone should read Fight Club at some point in their lives.

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

Reporter Carl Streator is investigating a series of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) for an article, when he discovers a common factor. It's called a culling song...an African "lullaby" used to send the listener into a swift, painless death. Culling songs are often used on suffering elderly, starving children, or during plagues. One particular culling song has found it's way into a poem anthology in America, causing an outbreak of death and despair. Streator takes it upon himself to journey across America in effort to destroy every copy of said anthology, a most daunting, and seemingly impossible task.

Palahniuk draws in the reader into his twisted world once again. The beginning is slightly confusing as it passes from person to person, but once the storyline stabilizes, it is pretty easy to follow. Before long you are swept into the journey, craving more. So far, I definitely think that this is Palahniuk's best piece. Much better than the highly acclaimed Survivor. I was able to polish off this book in just a few sittings. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get lost in a quick journey into the twisted world of Chuck Palahnuik.

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

Before I watched Fight Club, I had never heard of Chuck Palaniuk. While I loved the movie, I was unsure if I would like the book. So I started with a book that has not (yet) been made into a movie. Survivor begins on page 289 and counts down to page 1 as narrator Tender Branson tells his life story into the black box of an airplane that is flying over that Pacific Ocean, about to crash into the Australian Outback. What makes Branson unique is that he is the sole surviving member of a religious cult. Branson takes you on a journey like no other, from his cultist upbringing to his unplanned demise.

What might you have in common with a ex-cult member who is hijacking a plane, you ask? More than you can possibly imagine. Though you may not agree with everything that Branson does, it is easy to relate and feel for him, on some level at the very least. The only complaint that I have is that the ending is somewhat anti-climatic/somewhat cliffhanger. I imagine Palaniuk did that on purpose, but I find it takes away from the story. I would definitely recommend Survivor and plan to read other novels by Palaniuck in the very near future!