Survivor

If you have seen and/or read Fight Club and liked it, this book is for you. Tender Branson raised in a cult run town in Nebraska has an intersting look on life. You would to if you came for that place. A place where if you are not firstborn you have to leave the town and age 17 only to become a cleaning, cooking, botanist and an etiquitte expert "slave" to some rich family. The only human interaction you have is a social worker and people who call you for crisis intervention. Seeing it that way its no wonder his life was upheaveled when he meets a woman with a certain clairvoyance. Not to forget the fact that his whole cult town commited a kind of group Sepuku when the outside law tries to intervene. Knowing this you are supposed to kill yourself ASAP. Tender Branson does'nt. He's holding on, to what, he doesn't know. Now someone appears to be offing the other "enslaved" survivors. Is he next? Without spoiling to much, he goes from cult boy to indentured slave to steroid injecting tele - evangelist to accused murderer to anti - christ fugitve to hijacker. Palahniuks presentation and writing style is superb. He does some neat tricks like stating the book at page 270 something and counting down to one. The whole narrative of this story is taken from the Black Box of Flight 2039, cool stuff. I must say every bit as good as Fight Club. A must read!

Fight club and this book are about accidental Messiahs but this book has much more complex characters. Again as in fight club there is long lists of free assoctaion like text. But these listing of things fit the character better. The main character Tender Branson is built from the ground up where in fight club the character just appear. Tender is part of a defunct cult whose remaining members are killing themselve and some times being murdered. There supporting characters are better than in fight club they are more every day than realistic than those of fight club. (IE these people would avoid getting beaten up but they tend to be a little less afraid of killing themselves) Fertility Holis adds mistery and excitement with her Cassandra complex. She is always in the background springout adding a new dimension to the story.Again as FC it is a first person narritive with a character in a strange position that is very destructive in nature. Again like FC the book looks into the interesting phemomena of the creation of a Messiah figure and shows the danger of being and following these strange men. There is some violence in this book but unlike fight club the violence comes off as very unenpowering. Sex and repression of sex replaces violence and the repression of violence in FCIf you liked fight club this doesn't hit you over the head with a brick like FC did but it delivers a more complex and intersting story.

"Testing, testing. One, two three. Maybe this thing is working. I don't know. If you can even hear me, I don't know."Tender Branson is on an airplane all by himself, cruising on autopilot at about 39,000 feet above the ground. The only other thing on the plane is the black box, which he is planning to recite his life story into it, so there are no mistakes about his life when he is found dead. So nobody calls him a monster, or a murderer.What he is about to reveal is his life in the so-called Creedish Death Cult, and how he came about to being the last survivor Twisted and unpredictable events land him into the spotlight, bringing unexpected fame and recognition in this hilarious and dark satire, "Survivor." Chuck Palahniuk strikes once again, bringing life and wickedness to this wildly entertaining novel. You are about to find out all about Tender Branson, and all of the things that had happened to him, leading up to where he is now, alone on the plane, and ready to face death. Although according to his daily planner, he should probably be cleaning one of his many employers' houses, or telling them how to eat a lobster the right way. This novel will stun you from start to finish, and will never let go of you until the final sentence.As impossible as I would've thought, I actually enjoyed this novel more than "Fight Club," and that is one of my favorite books. This book had me laughing aloud in so many parts and so many places. I think it's a much better novel than "Fight Club." I know not many people will agree with me, that is fine. This is strongly my opinion and nothing more. The narration and dialogue is so crisp, so sharp, so dark, and yet so funny and entertaining all at the same time. The writing is so original an groundbreaking. To think that I used to hate first-person narrations. Palahniuk is a very impressive author, and is able to show us that he isn't afraid to tackle on issues that may be frowned upon by others. This is a great satire that takes a bitter look at fame and organized religion. It also proves to be a much more funnier novel than "Fight Club," or at least I think so.It is so refreshing to come upon a talented author, such as Palahniuk. This is by far one of my new favorite books, and I have just got done reading it for the second time. You'll be sad when you finish it, but will be excited to re-read it. "Survivor" is a magnificent and unforgiving tale of fame, religion, and superstardom. Take nothing for granted and expect the unexpected. Once you start, you cannot stop reading.I must go now, because according to my daily planner, I'm supposed to be somewhere else and try to better myself as a human being. Besides, I don't want to give too much away. The greatness that lies within this terrific read is that you cannot predict what's going to happen next. Read the novel and take the trip.

I’ve read Survivor at least four times, and it never gets old. Palahniuk’s signature dark humor, sharp social commentary, and unpredictable storytelling are on full display here. The way he unravels Tender Branson’s story—starting from the end and working backward—makes for an absolutely gripping read.Like all of Palahniuk’s work, Survivor is unsettling, thought-provoking, and wildly entertaining. The satire on fame, religion, and media obsession is just as relevant now as when it was written. If you love books that push boundaries and make you question everything, this one’s a must-read.

Fantastic and disturbing. Palahniuk really knows how to make those work together!