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AICN BOOKS: Moriarty Rants About Chuck Palahniuk’s New Novel RANT!

FOR GODSSAKES WHERE DOES CORNFLOWER BLUE SHOW UP?!?!?! by adambalm	Apr 19th, 2007 09:59:04 PM
Inquiring minds want to know!
Er... first by Laserbrain	Apr 19th, 2007 09:59:07 PM
...
oops no. by Laserbrain	Apr 19th, 2007 10:05:36 PM
I got a little over Chuck after his his first four books but this does sound somewhat interesting. Thanks for the review, Mori.
Print is dead. by BeeDub	Apr 19th, 2007 10:07:10 PM
And I collect spores, molds and fungus.
Fight Club by criticalbliss	Apr 19th, 2007 10:29:15 PM
Fight Club was a bad college essay from the limited perspective of a fourteen-year-old. Much like V for Vendetta, I found myself bored with the intial conceit and lack of intellectual honesty inherent in the concept. Perhaps he's grown as a writer, but people should stop praising a rather shallow novel with no real understanding of the consequences of the nihilistic, self-loathing philosophy it espouses. Give me a break.
His best book was by underscore_only	Apr 19th, 2007 10:30:32 PM
Choke. Then Survivor and Fight Club tie, then Lullaby, then Invisible Monsters. I liked Haunted a lot as a collection of short stories, I didn't care much for the story connecting them together. I'll buy this.
hmm..... I loved Haunted by Jarek	Apr 19th, 2007 10:37:56 PM
Thought the ending was quite profound... own all of his other books. As much as I enjoy his more popular stuff, it's his off-style writing I find I enjoy the most, named Lullaby, Haunted and Diary. But even his collection of true stories was engaging.
What I really like about him is by underscore_only	Apr 19th, 2007 10:39:27 PM
the fact that every chapter could work well on its own. They're all poetic, they all have their own devices. It just flows. It's just a fun read, usually doesn't take me more than a day or two for his books.
INDY 4 WILL NOT BE MADE!!!1! by jedimindflayer	Apr 19th, 2007 10:42:33 PM
that is all
Pahlaniuk is a stud. by BGDAWES	Apr 19th, 2007 11:01:04 PM
Nice review about one of 'our' generations best authors Mori. Now, how can I complement you but still work in calling you an 'asshat' or some variation to generate your usual HILARIOUS retorts (by the way I'm being serious). Drew, your responses to the TB's are so witty and great. One of the many reasons why I love this site.
Who's Chuck's bf? by sparkflyer	Apr 19th, 2007 11:05:20 PM
Seriously.
Sparkflyer by themanwhojaped	Apr 19th, 2007 11:08:12 PM
I heard he was dating Bret Easton Ellis. Imagine the les enfant terrible that duo would spawn.
Chuck by themanwhojaped	Apr 19th, 2007 11:08:55 PM
My favourite Chuck book is still Survivor. I thought Invisible Monsters was his weakest novel.
By the way Mori... by BGDAWES	Apr 19th, 2007 11:10:49 PM
What is your favorite Pahlaniuk novel? I'm asking because I know you're a fan, as am I. Chuck is such a great guy. I actually got a chance to meet and speak with him in Chicago when I volunteered to work at a book festival he was speaking at. When I asked him to autograph MY favorite Pahlaniuk book (Choke) I remember saying, "Thanks man, your books are great. You're humor really cracks me up Chuck." He responded by saying, "You just said that so you could 'work in' calling me 'Up Chuck' thanks a lot for taking me back to the sixth grade!" It was great; he's a genuinely cool guy.
Choke and Lullaby are fucking awesome. by iamnicksaicnsn	Apr 19th, 2007 11:15:01 PM
Lullaby would make a great, if not fucked up movie. And actually, so would Choke. All his movies would make crazy ass movies.
I'll Chime in with my faves. by CarmillaVonDoom	Apr 19th, 2007 11:15:31 PM
1. Lullaby 2. Haunted. Least 'favorite' would be Invisible Monsters, but that was a fun read regardless.
Dammit! by BGDAWES	Apr 19th, 2007 11:17:26 PM
Mori, I hope my completely stupid typo (you're as opposed to YOUR) doesn't prevent you from telling us interested talk backers YOUR favorite Pahlaniuk book. Shit I can't believe I made that mistake. Although I did work 11 hours today and have had several beers tonight. Still...I've got no excuse Mori. I think this time you can call me the 'asshat'.
AICN Books, eh? by Valebant	Apr 19th, 2007 11:53:11 PM
Someone should write up The Children of Hurin. Perhaps Tolkien's darkest story (much darker than LotR). Curious as to who will purchase rights and whatnot.
Children of Hurin by adambalm	Apr 20th, 2007 01:04:59 AM
Review should be up this weekend, Vale. I'm finishing it now.
Mori, I love your book reviews by Doctor_Sin	Apr 20th, 2007 01:12:48 AM
And you have not steered me wrong yet. I will pick this up.
I OD'd on Pahlaniuk by godoffireinhell	Apr 20th, 2007 01:40:51 AM
after reading INVISIBLE MONSTERS. SURVIVOR and CHOKE one after that other. That - and excessive viewings of FIGHT CLUB between 1999 and 2001 - made a bit sick of his "voice". Maybe it's time to give him another try.
criticalbliss . . .about Fightclub by Mundungus	Apr 20th, 2007 01:51:06 AM
I got the opposite from the book, that Pahlaniuk espoused on the utter lunacy and intrinsic hypocrisy of nihilistic, self-loathing philosophy. It’s a bleak farce. If one had to draw a meaning from it, it would be that love conquers all. However I think the story is more about the ride than making any statements. A vehicle for sick sarcasm and insane situations. dung
BGDawes... by TheRealMoriarty	Apr 20th, 2007 02:05:46 AM
... I think LULLABY is the one that sticks with me most. And then I think honestly I'd say RANT right after that. I've read this twice since they sent it, trying to wrap my head around it, and it's pretty great.
WOWZER by The Real MiraJeff	Apr 20th, 2007 02:20:38 AM
That was a great book review Mori and much appreciated. There are few authors whose every book I have read, but Chuck is definitely one of them. I've only ordered four books online ever and three of them were Richard Kelly's Southland Tales graphic novel prequels. Rant is the 4th and I can't wait for it to arrive. It's pretty impossible to pick a favorite for me. Lullaby, Choke and Survivor are up there, but there was something about Invisible Monsters that makes it top my list. All in favor of more AICN book reviews, say aye. We could rise up and overthrow Oprah as the country's dominant book club. Whaddaya say gang?
do not like him by roccotheripper	Apr 20th, 2007 02:21:45 AM
read a few, nothing special. haunted was horrible. his writing is just shock value to me and nothing more.
"lick any woman’s privates... " by Alonzo Mosely	Apr 20th, 2007 02:44:54 AM
He is obviously stealing from the patented Harry Knowles' reviewing technique...
CHOKE is by far my favorite. by Lenny Nero	Apr 20th, 2007 02:47:02 AM
Haven't read Diary, Lullaby or Haunted yet, so it may be skewed. But I read Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Survivor and Choke all within a two-month period, and Choke was the one that really struck a chord deep down inside.
Choke and Haunted are great books... by FilmCritic3000	Apr 20th, 2007 02:47:34 AM
I have Lullaby; I've tried reading it but it didn't grab me. Perhaps I should give it another whirl. I'm looking forward to Rant.
actually, it's: Palahniuk by gobofraggleuk	Apr 20th, 2007 02:52:59 AM
palahniuk palahniuk palahniuk
Only had to read the opening paragraph... by DanielKurland	Apr 20th, 2007 03:35:44 AM
I just wanted to know if this was good, and Moriarty thinks so, so great. I really love Haunted, the whole set up for it and everything. Invisible Monsters is also really, really great, as is Survivor, and I've grown a lot more partial to Choke. I never had anything against Choke, it just didn't seem to be going anywhere. Lullaby and Diary are both well written, and have neat stuff in them, but overall I felt they were lacking. Really looking forward to this though. Palahniuk is a terrific writer, he sent me a care package this year which shows how much he really cares about fans.
Seems like there's a lot of Invisible Monsters dislike. by DanielKurland	Apr 20th, 2007 03:39:03 AM
The opening for that is just so, so good. Lullaby was strong, but I just felt the whole having sex in the sky thing was kind of too much. I don't know what rubbed me the wrong way with Diary, but I don't see anyone here declaring that as their favorite book, either.
I'm with MiraJeff by Roguewriter	Apr 20th, 2007 06:14:10 AM
Bring your considerable critical talents to literature more often, Moriarty. Kudos on a fine review. I'm a longtime Palahniuk fan, but I agree that nothing's quite exploded my senses like FIGHT CLUB (though HAUNTED is without a doubt his most horrifically weird offering, and LULLABY and SURVIVOR were both terrific reads. Looking forward to RANT...
Hey, I dug INVISIBLE MONSTERS by godoffireinhell	Apr 20th, 2007 06:43:23 AM
that was the first of his books that I read. I followed that up with SURVIVOR which really annoyed me for some reason. Just didn't care for the protagonist or any of the points I thought the book was trying to make. It didn't amuse me either. The fact that I liked INVISIBLE MONSTERS and was underwhelmed by SURVIVOR must make me a man of weird taste but so there. I agree with everyone else about CHOKE, though, at least to the extent that I consider it the best of the three I have read.
he's a terrible writer by Nightwood	Apr 20th, 2007 07:28:18 AM
charicatures, not characters; aphoristic sloganeering disguised as philosophy, and bad, bad sentences. 'Fight Club' was idiotic, adolescent nonsense, something to make frat boys feel deep.
one of my favorites by Kloipy	Apr 20th, 2007 07:53:36 AM
The only one of his books that I didn't really dig was Diary. But i love Choke, Lullabye was excellent, Survivor was great, Haunted was...well Haunted. But i love that fact that he is still such an underground writer. I also read his non-fiction book, which I wasn't as impressed with. It was ok. But if could have been much better
Palahniuk, eh? by Thorstrongstone	Apr 20th, 2007 09:39:46 AM
I would have to say that Chuck Palahniuk is my favorite living author. I had a chance to sit down with him for 30 minutes and just shoot the shit. A very nice man, and proof that authors are not all miserable bastards. Anyway, I guess I would have to say that Chock is my favorite and then(in order), Fight Club, Survivor, Invisible Monsters, Haunted, Lullaby, Diary, Stranger Than Fiction and Fugitives and Refugees. I am glad that you guys have continue review his books before they come out. Proof that Palahniuk is on of the best writers around? Yes. Good review, now I am really excited for May. 1.
Um, Choke by Thorstrongstone	Apr 20th, 2007 09:41:59 AM
not Chock. And one, not on.
anyone (else) get a personalized package from Chuck?? by Shigeru	Apr 20th, 2007 11:01:44 AM
He said that if you wrote him a letter with one thing you accomplished in the past year, he would write you back. And sure enough, like 6 months later a package from "Palahniuk" arrived at my door. It was wonderful and very strange. Also: Diary rules.
My Favorites...start with Lullabye by Homer Sexual	Apr 20th, 2007 11:38:31 AM
The first Pahlaniuk I read was Survivor, and I loved it. But Lullabye was even better. Invisible Monsters gets third place. Haunted, as mentioned, gets an A+ for the short stories, but a C for the thread connecting them. Choke was disappointing, Diary even moreso. Haven't read Fight Club, since I think the movie said it all. In fact, I started reading his work because of Fight Club, the movie, but now that I know his sensibility, I think Fight Club captured him almost perfectly.
I read this weeks ago by The Awfulism	Apr 20th, 2007 12:00:39 PM
The first half is by far the stronger, and some of Mr P's best work to date (if only for including the phrase 'Sex Tornado')but it starts to lose it a little towards the end with it's underdeveloped Sci-Fi skirtings. Still a great read read though, and probably my third faviourite Chuck after Fight Club and Survivor.
I got an early copy of this. by DeadPanWalking	Apr 20th, 2007 12:08:33 PM
My girlfriend manages an independent bookstore. She's one of those hot, nerdy girls-with-glasses types, you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, she got a preview edition of this and read it in about six hours. Then she told me I should read it. She has pretty high standards for books and I haven't really liked anything Chuck's done since Invisable Monsters, but I read it on her recommendation. Well, this one actually rocks. It's a great narrative concept and a great story. I love the way it unfolds. It reads like a bunch of transcribed interviews with different characters and you only get a little info at a time and must piece it together yourseld. It's a lot of fun. Look's like Chuck is back on track. I highly recommend it.
Diary is the bomb, yo! by D'Jesus	Apr 20th, 2007 01:18:57 PM
I haven't seen anyone really talk about Diary here. I'm tellin you, this was a great book (and my personal fav). Very clever and the ending was truly chilling. If you haven't read it yet, go read it. If you have and didn't like it, try reading it again. It really is wonderful. 1. Diary 2. Lullaby 3. Fight Club 4. Survivor I haven't read Inv Monsters yet, but I will once I fininsh my pile of books I have right now peace
More Book Reviews by D'Jesus	Apr 20th, 2007 01:21:29 PM
I am always looking for new authors to read. Please keep these reviews coming.
I love how in the discussion about by Quin the Eskimo	Apr 20th, 2007 02:38:20 PM
CP's books people always talk about Survivor, Choke, and Lullaby, etc. but rarely Fight Club. Fight Club had become canon, and I love it.
Mundungus by criticalbliss	Apr 20th, 2007 03:04:56 PM
I can see your interpretation of Fight Club, though I feel differently. Granted, much of his writing is shock value, but in general, I see a rather bleak, existential view of the world. The ride has plenty of turns, but when it stops you find yourself in the same place you started. That's just my opinion, of course.
Fight Club by Homer Sexual	Apr 20th, 2007 03:39:22 PM
When I saw Fight Club, I was conflicted. I was like "Is this supposed to be serious? Do the writer and director think they are making a serous statement here?" I was like, "if this is supposed to be for real, it is an awful movie, but if it's supposed to be satire, if it is intentionally ridiculous, then it's brilliant." That motivated me to read one of his books, which was "Survivor," and I discovered that his work is both serious and ridiculous, satire and statement. I then totally "got" Fight Club and I guess I figured the book would be so much like the movie that I never felt the need to read it, though I have read every other book of his. Diary, unfortunately, was tedious and annoying, saved somewhat by a strong ending. Rather unoriginal by Chuck standards. For those who've read "Haunted," which story was your favorite. I hate to go with the popular choice, but "Guts" is maybe the best short story I've read, ever. Many, if not most, of the stories are A+, but geez...Guts is just so intense! The last book I hadn't read was "Choke" so I recommended it for my book club, which wanted something "edgy." Surprise, surprise, the whole book club hated it, with only me to defend it. One of the biggest criticisms, which is valid, is that the whole premise doesn't go anywhere at all in the novel. He almost never does his "choke" shtick. Still very good book, but not one of my favorites. Today, when so much entertainment is insipid, it is a relief to read something compelling and different, even if he can lay on the bleak pretty thick.
Pahlaniuk is an obnoxious tool... by MechaTruffautMk2	Apr 20th, 2007 06:02:47 PM
...and this review is just a bunch of mugging for a back cover quote. AICN should stay away from books.
never in my life... by ashhole	Apr 20th, 2007 07:21:49 PM
did i think i would be defending chuck fucknut-yuck, and yet i find myself compelled to do so. the man's style is lacking, no question. he slings red paint and screams bloody murder as if he were some jackson pollack impersonator. he appeals to the brutish , unbrooding element who seek only distraction from their time spent not jerking off... so fucking what??? the man has sold tons of books in an era when the printed page is fading from the public consciousness, and he's managed to do it in a way that still stays true to HIS convictions, not yours, mine, or ours. to me he combines the best of tom robbins with the worst of jack kerouac. zippity doo-dah, another opinion. the man is young and paid, long live the man.
yes by the_shogun_gunslinger	Apr 20th, 2007 08:06:51 PM
more Chuck = me being happy. and yes, Choke is fucking awesome.
People who dod not like Chuck, by Thorstrongstone	Apr 21st, 2007 12:01:45 AM
are the same people who did not like Henry Miller. Just because you don't fucking get the style does not mean that it is dumb, it means that you don't fucking get it. Seriously, he is just expanding on the works of Camus, Miller, Dennis Johnson, Douglas Coupland, and Burroughs. If you claim that it is philosophy for the brute, well, you are slightly correct, but mainly wrong. Granted, the man has only one style, and his dialogue suffers from this -but it works. Sure, he is no Kafka, but it will do just fine for now.
Dod? by Thorstrongstone	Apr 21st, 2007 12:02:45 AM
Um.....Do, I meant "do."
I like Henry Miller. by MechaTruffautMk2	Apr 21st, 2007 09:47:27 AM
I don't like Camus. Comes down to personal taste. Miller you can feel in the gut, at least; Palahniuk is numbingly artificial. Well, if you like that sort of thing, enjoy.
"you only get a little info at a time..." by readingwriter	Apr 22nd, 2007 01:24:20 AM
"... and must piece it together..." As opposed to those books where you get all the info at once? (Just kiddin') I once had an argument with a guy about Fight Club, who claimed Chuck P was ADVOCATING the nihilism and revolution in the book/movie. I kept asking him "Are you sure you read the book and saw the movie?"
To say Chuck Palahniuk... by The Grey Ghost	Apr 22nd, 2007 04:50:07 AM
is "expanding on the works of Camus or Burroughs" is like saying Vin Diesel is expanding on the works of Marlan Brando or Steve McQueen.
Jason Schwartzman in Choke? How perfect would by Otter	Apr 24th, 2007 11:06:31 AM
THAT be?
Can't wait... by Laza-rus	Apr 24th, 2007 05:08:49 PM
Love, love, love Chuck's books - been salivating for this one since Haunted. Then, like the others, I'll gobble this one up in a few sittings and be left wanting more :(
Loves me some Chuck P. and Nick Hornby by Dr Gregory House	Apr 25th, 2007 10:34:35 PM
Elitists can go read something else, whilst shitting shit that don't stink.
This Sounds like a rehash with a kick of Cocaine by allyousay	Apr 26th, 2007 05:36:15 PM
Which is awesome. Chuck P has done and excellent job writing, except for Diary, but hey, they can't all be winners. He's better then King, in my opinion, and I will definately be waiting for this when it comes out. Speaking of which, was there a release date on this, or is it already out??
I just answered my own question by allyousay	Apr 26th, 2007 05:43:02 PM
May 1st. That's when it's being released as a Hardcover.

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