Chuck Palahniuk

So, this definitely wasn’t my favorite book by Palahniuk. To be fair, i feel like I feel like my inferior mind has missed the brilliance of his writing, because, let’s face it, his writing is use quite brilliant...but I really didn’t get this one. I was hooked in the beginning, enjoying the unique format of the story, laughing at the characters, slowing figuring bits and pieces out. Then BAM! The story takes this crazy turn and I’m left wondering wtf happened? It was weird how the whole story shifted more than halfway through the book!
So, anyhow, still a big fan of his work, just didn’t dig this one. It happens. Still feel like I missed something though.… (more)

(4.75 Stars)

I'll be honest, Some of the "bad reviews" really confuse me. I understand this is a strange subject to write about, and that porn/sex/erotica make a lot of people "uncomfortable", especially when it involves toys, non-straight sex, drugs, "deviance", etc. But... This is Chuck Palahniuk, he writes about uncomfortable things, and uses characters that come alive on the pages. Yes, this is probably one of his shortest fiction books, but he wrote an interesting story, and honestly, this is classic Palahniuk story telling.

What I am trying to say is... Don't let the bad reviews scare you away. Don't listen to the people claiming this is the beginning of Palahniuk's downfall. Don't believe the people claiming you can look at their previous Palahniuk reviews. No... instead, consider this Palahniuk's mission accomplished. He invoked people's Fight or Flight response, separated the wheat from the chaff, and is doing what he does best; making the intangible tangible, the unfamiliar familiar, the misunderstood understood.

Readers of Chuck Palahniuk, and his brand of bizarre absurdist fiction will love this short work. An insightful look into the people who gravitate in and around the adult industry. Their choices, their decisions, their delusions, all delivered in typical Palahniuk style. The regurgitation of strange facts, the characters that stay with you, the anxiety of everything.… (more)

(4.0 Stars)

This is less a novel than it is a collection of stories. Palahniuk is a master at building characters. And these stories are about characters. By them, of them, about them. You’ll be equally fascinated and repulsed by them, drawn into their lives through the stories they tell, the chilling truth… the outright lies… the highly implausible lives of artists. There is an overall story arch, but the interwoven stories are the meat of this book.

Readers of other Palahniuk works will feel right at home within these pages. Maybe similar to Ballard, Ellison, or even Clive Barker.… (more)