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Chuck Palhaniuk

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  • 02-06-2009 3:12pm
    #1
    ManoCornuta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 93 ✭✭


    For those who don't know, Chuck Palhaniuk is the man who wrote Fight Club.

    For those who do know, what do ye think? Personally, I think he's amazing, I have all his books, except Pygmy (so no spoilers!!)


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    #2
    Morlar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,273 ✭✭✭Morlar


    ManoCornuta wrote: »
    For those who don't know, Chuck Palhaniuk is the man who wrote Fight Club.

    For those who do know, what do ye think? Personally, I think he's amazing, I have all his books, except Pygmy (so no spoilers!!)

    Havent read the fight club novel (obviously it was made into a great movie) but I bought 'choke' and 'lullaby' on holiday once - read lullaby and was not very impressed. Dont think I finished 'choke' - if I did it was not that memorable a novel.


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    #3
    monellia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 284 ✭✭monellia


    I've read Fight Club, Choke and Invisible Monsters. They're all great concepts but his writing style and way he develops these concepts seems very forced and obnoxius to me. That's probably why they make such good films.

    Read a few of his short stories online too... very powerful but not for the squeamish. I literally wanted to DIE after reading Guts. I've gotta give him credit for his writing to have that much of an impact on me. Disgusting.


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    #4
    Madou
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭Madou


    Read 'Choke'. Seemed like pretty much the same schtick as 'Fight Club'. Didn't encourage me to go back for more.


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    #5
    iam_serpentine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26 ✭iam_serpentine


    I bought Fight Club and Invisible Monsters some time ago, have yet to read them. I've heard great things about him however. I'll make sure to give my review when I read them :)


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    #6
    af_thefragile
    Registered Users Posts: 7,171 ✭✭✭af_thefragile


    I got Diary a while ago...
    I read a bit of it. Then it started to get pretty depressing so it put it off for sometime later cuz the lasting i wanted back then was to feel bad about something. Might get back to it someday...


    Didn't read Fight Club but its one of my all time favorite movie!


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    #7
    Yve
    Registered Users Posts: 159 ✭✭Yve


    I read NON FICTION and loved it


    Will be reading more of his stuff..... :D


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    #8
    pmg58
    Closed Accounts Posts: 471 ✭✭pmg58


    Just finished reading Fight Club, it wouldn't be one of my all time favourites but I did really enjoy it.

    I read Guts a while back....I don't think I'll ever get over that.


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    #9
    flanree
    Registered Users Posts: 484 ✭✭flanree


    Survivor was great, really builds well to an excellent climax (thas what she said!)


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    #10
    Vim Fuego
    Registered Users Posts: 746 ✭✭✭Vim Fuego


    I read Haunted and wasn't too impressed. Guts was the best part and the plot holding all the short stories together was quite weak too. Wouldn't inspire me to read any more of his work really.


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    #11
    lemon_sherbert
    Registered Users Posts: 716 ✭✭✭lemon_sherbert


    I've read Diary, Invisible Monsters, Haunted, Survivor, Choke, Lullaby and Fight Club. Survivor was my favourite, I think. Haunted I read on a plane, and made me want to get sick and/or cry at several points.

    I used to love his stuff, the style, the darkness in his books, but recently I looked back at them and found the books very adolescent, which is probably why they appealed so much to me when I was a teenager.


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    #12
    Enid.
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭Enid.


    I've read Diary and Fight Club, I read Diary first - didn't enjoy it at all, I thought it was really daft and the ending just totally went to crap.

    Fight Club was a little better, but the ending also went to crap (I mean the very end, like the last chapter), the film is so much better. I heart Ed Norton so bad.


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    #13
    zesman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 92 ✭✭zesman


    I read Fight Club, thought it was amazing. Kept meaning to return to him but never quite got round to it.


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    #14
    hatful
    Closed Accounts Posts: 346 ✭✭hatful


    I loved the movie at the time so I read Choke, Survivor and non-fiction. Survivor was my favourite. He's on twitter http://twitter.com/chuckpalahniuk


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    #15
    monellia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 284 ✭✭monellia


    hatful wrote: »
    I loved the movie at the time so I read Choke, Survivor and non-fiction. Survivor was my favourite. He's on twitter http://twitter.com/chuckpalahniuk
    That account isn't controlled by him.

    "Run by Dennis Widmyer, webmaster of the official site @ chuckpalahniuk.net. Until Chuck decides to try this himself, I’ll do my best in his place."


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    #16
    tony1kenobi
    Registered Users Posts: 3,748 ✭✭✭tony1kenobi


    Survivor was a great book. I read a few more and found them repetetive.


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    #17
    hatful
    Closed Accounts Posts: 346 ✭✭hatful


    monellia wrote: »
    That account isn't controlled by him.

    "Run by Dennis Widmyer, webmaster of the official site @ chuckpalahniuk.net. Until Chuck decides to try this himself, I’ll do my best in his place."

    Correct.


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    #18
    tony 2 tone
    Registered Users Posts: 2,749 ✭✭✭tony 2 tone


    I've read Fight Club, which I loved, and Rant and Diary, bought them together.
    Really liked Rant, but Diary just came across like a bad Stephen King novel.


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    #19
    Stranjak
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭Stranjak


    Well I read Fight Club
    I must say... it was very oddly, and brilliantly written.
    I think the movie told the story better myself


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    #20
    buck65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,969 ✭✭✭buck65


    His book Non Fiction is a great read, but his novels are well dodgy (choke and Fight club anyway). "Guts" was entertaining but hardly faint worthy!?


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    #21
    Surly
    Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭Surly


    Vim Fuego wrote: »
    I read Haunted and wasn't too impressed. Guts was the best part and the plot holding all the short stories together was quite weak too. Wouldn't inspire me to read any more of his work really.

    Enjoyed the stories in Haunted, but I agree that the narrative slung between them was ropey. To me, Invisible Monsters, Rant, and Non-Fiction are the best of his books.

    Anyone else think Palahniuk is a Hubert Selby Jr wannabe? He writes on similar themes to Selby, but the hyper-sensationalism in his stories puts me off a bit. He manages to make Selby seem restrained (no easy task).


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    #22
    Eoin
    Registered Users Posts: 21,256 ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    monellia wrote: »
    I've read Fight Club, Choke and Invisible Monsters. They're all great concepts but his writing style and way he develops these concepts seems very forced and obnoxius to me. That's probably why they make such good films.

    I agree with that. I've read Fight Club as well, as I loved the film but didn't really enjoy the book.


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    #23
    ghostface ste
    Registered Users Posts: 717 ✭✭✭ghostface ste


    Have read Rant and thought it was one of the best books i have read in the last couple of years. Not for the sensitive reader though, some graphic stuff in it but its basically a science fiction rabies extravaganza! Also written in a very interesting style whereby people are recounting their memories of Rant after his death (this is stated in the opening of the book no spoiler!) in an interview with the author. Well worth a read


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    #24
    buck65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,969 ✭✭✭buck65


    Surly wrote: »
    Enjoyed the stories in Haunted, but I agree that the narrative slung between them was ropey. To me, Invisible Monsters, Rant, and Non-Fiction are the best of his books.

    Anyone else think Palahniuk is a Hubert Selby Jr wannabe? He writes on similar themes to Selby, but the hyper-sensationalism in his stories puts me off a bit. He manages to make Selby seem restrained (no easy task).

    I don't see the Selby Jr comparison in Palhaniuk tbh. Selby was a great writer. Chuck is a decent one. Last Exit to Brooklyn is one of my favourites.


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    #25
    Sammy Jennings
    Registered Users Posts: 53 ✭✭Sammy Jennings


    Selby was great if erratic. C.P. is a schlock-horror merchant. I don't mind that he writes about unpalatable things - what puts me off is his limited style and juvenile nihilism.

    Saw him at Cuirt a few years ago. He recited his oft-heard anecdote about people fainting during his readings of Guts. Weeks later, he reported in the Guardian that it happened in Galway too. (It didn't.)


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