Survivor

By: Chuck Palahniuk

Narrated by: Richard Powers

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

Tender Branson, the last surviving member of the so-called Creedish Death Cult, is dictating his life story into the flight recorder of Flight 2039, cruising on autopilot at 39,000 feet somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. He is all alone in the airplane, which will crash shortly into the vast Australian outback. But before it does, he will unfold the tale of his journey from an obedient Creedish child and humble domestic servant to an ultra-buffed, steroid-and-collagen-packed media messiah. 

This is author Chuck Palahniuk at his deadpan peak, a mesmerizing, unnerving, and hilarious satire on the wages of fame and the bedrock lunacy of the modern world.

©1999 Chuck Palahniuk (P)2006 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"A perfect comment on our apocalypse-fixated times." (Spin) 

"Brilliantly satiric and savagely funny." (San Francisco Chronicle) 

"Mordant....One's sympathy for the improbably doomed hero is fully engaged." (New Yorker)

4.51 stars....one hell of a ride

This one doesn't start out bizarre and fast-paced, but it sure does end up that way. Hang in there. It does not disappoint. The narrator's voice sounds a bit robotic at first, but it's probably intentional, and it ends up being perfect for this story. This is a winner. Overall rating: 4.51 stars

Clues to a mystery...

The thing that I've always liked about Chuck P's books is that they are generally less about story and more about odd coincidence. In answering one burning question about a character, he generally opens about ten new mysteries, and that makes his work really compelling. This book is no different, though I felt it dragged a bit in the last quarter. Still, he's never predictable, always surprising, and often disturbing -- a trio of characteristics that keep me coming back for more. If you travel through a Chuck P novel without running across an image that sticks with you for the rest of your life, then you're probably dead from the belly button both directions.

Great and polarizing

I loved this book so much that I've read and listened to it several times. I believe Palahniuk has created a rare possibility that mega religions and snake oil salesman are dancing partners. Society has a love affair with our own mortality and legacy, so much so, that it gives this book an eerie revelation that pulls at those memories of existence that you thought were a distant past, it exposes the fraud of an instant messiah. The sense of wanting more, but realizing that you should be satasfied, it may be a cautionary tale that hints at the thought that you may have to live a maintenanced vain struggled life. Self actualization and instant Karma may not need catalysts to be fruitful, so live in moments not preconceived packaged, polished, philosophical dogmas and life might just be partly satisfied, that's what this book tells me.

Glad I Tried It!

After reading the reviews on this book I thought what the heck, why not give it a read. I did and I'm not disappointed. Even though we knew the ending at the start it was a fun getting there. I will now search more by this author.

One. Messed. Up. Book.

STORY (fiction) - This book starts out really, really good. The main character, Tender Branson, is talking into the flight recorder of a plane about to crash. He's alone on the plane, and he is telling his life story. Sounds good, right? It gets better. As the story progresses, you learn he's the sole survivor of a strange religious cult (which is fictitious), and he has become depressed and suicidal. If the story just kind of stuck along those lines, I may have rated it five stars. But then it gets weird. I mean SERIOUSLY weird. As Tender tells his story, you will hear how he changes from a member of an ultra-strict religious cult into a messiah with a mass following. He takes steroids and all kinds of appearance enhancers. He publishes books, appears on television, Super Bowl halftime. He has an agent dictating his every move, and a lot more.

I'm not sure if the author means to be making comments about the absurdity of modern society, but there are lots of things that Tender does or sees that address religious brainwashing, vanity, sex, pornography, suicide, our poor choice of iconic figures, etc. Believe it or not, there is a sprinkling of helpful household hints in this book, as in one "life" Tender was a domestic servant. There is also some humor, but I disagree with reviewers that call this book hilarious. Overdone to the point of ridiculous, yes, but not hilarious. In my opinion, some of the stuff toward the end was pretty sick.

PERFORMANCE - Tender is telling the story of his life to the flight data recorder, so the book is in first person. Since he is depressed and suicidal for the entire book, the narrator has a monotonous presentation, which is appropriate and well-done.

OVERALL - (Actual rating 2 1/2 stars) I really liked the beginning of the book, the middle was okay, then the last third or half I didn't care for at all, thus my overall rating of 2 1/2 stars. THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. You must be open-minded, not easily offended and prepared for the absurd. There is cursing, sexual references, pornography, you name it. And a pretty gross scene involving Tender's brother, Adam.

Sucks you in

When this book started I wasn't sure of what to make of the depressed, monotone delivery of Tender Branson's autobiography, but it quickly drew me in. Despite the fact that you know things aren't going to ending well, it just draws you in to see exactly how they got this bad. Tender follows a narrow line of puppy-dog-lost and sociopath -- but Palahniuk had me routing for this anti-hero, right up to the end. If you are looking for shiny happy people, this isn't your choice. But looking for flawed and funny people this book delivers and was a great 'listen', although I felt a little Schadenfreude about it :-)

It had me, then it lost me.

Would you try another book from Chuck Palahniuk and/or Paul Garcia?

I like Chuck's work, especially the way he peppers the story with oddball factoids, but this is far from his best offering. It's an interesting premise, though. Paul Garcia does a commendable job. He's appropriately deadpan and animated when the story calls for it.

What was most disappointing about Chuck Palahniuk’s story?

There is one particular moment in the book that was so out of left field that it really took me out of the story. After that point, I wasn't nearly as enthralled.

Any additional comments?

Worth it for a diehard Palahniuk fan, not the best place to start for the casual reader.

Whew...It's Over.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Mr. Palahniuk has a style of writing that I would describe as a rollercoaster ride. While some of his stories are fast paced, exciting and fun; this ride left me drained and feeling queasy. When the narration was over, I was happy to lift the safety bar and leave. Your experience may be different though.

What could Chuck Palahniuk have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Enjoyable? There are some quirky, insightful points of view in the story. However, I don't see how this book could ever come off as an enjoyable read.

Have you listened to any of Paul Garcia’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Paul Garcia, is a great narrator with a wide range of voices. He is good. His narration was what got me through to the end. I will search for other performances/narrations by him.

Could you see Survivor being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Sadly, yes. There is a character in this book called the Agent. I can see a Hollywood "Agent" type turning this book into some superficial CGI. There would be some irony there.

Any additional comments?

I hope this review is helpful. I admit that I am not an English Lit major and don't know much about tropes or styles of writing. I’ve listened to the finish and this review is really, just one guy's opinion. Read all the reviews and decide if you want to jump in the pool. What the heck, go ahead and listen to it. Then, figure out if you went into the deep end or the shallow end of the pool. You might like it. - I dare you.

Fabulous!

Probably my favorite of Chucks's books. Terrific narrator, incredibly startling and funny. You won't be able to stop listening. It grabbed me in the first five minutes and never let go.

A True Master.

Survivor is one of my favorite Palahniuk books. The way the author organizes his story is excellent. I give this book the highest recommend.

Good and dark

I was unfamiliar with this author (apart from the film of Fight Club) but I will definatly be exploring more of his work. It is a dark novel and the author has a really good descriptive way about him. He is able to describe really mundane things and fill them with meaning. This book also contains some good cleaning tips in the course of telling his story, strange I know but you will have to listen to see what I mean. The characters are really well formed and fit perfectly into their roles.

The narration is quite dry indeed the narrator seems to inject anti drama to the character of Tender, but the story and the pace of text compliments the narrators style really well.

I really enjoyed this book although I appricate it is not everyones cup of tea.

Dark

At first I didn't like the performance but once you got to knew the character i realised it was completely spot on. the story is very dark, interesting and gripping. and occasionally funny!! definitely worth a listen

Great book

Really enjoyed this eye opening story of organised religion and the cult of celebrity. Narrator does a good job with his deadpan voice for Tender Branson. Look forward to reading more of this author's work

Superb book

Superb book with a fantastic narrator. Highly recommended for any fan of Chuck’s work. Go get it.

Interesting.

Not sure if the narrator has the best reading voice. Ace story. Very tricky situations raised

good, but not great

This is good, but it isn't as good as one would expect from Palahniuk. It follows a number of dystopian tropes, and combines them all together in a fairly realistic way, particularly given the times in which we live, and certainly if you live in a capital place like LA, then you will feel the messages in this book resonate. The main character is flat and sometimes, frustrating, both as a character and the way in which Palahniuk develops him. There are few other characters that are developed to any level of detail worth mentioning. Ultimately, the book is entertaining and the story line engaging, but it ends badly and is ultimately shorter and less developed than it should be. The narrator who reads the audiobook version is good, reading in just the sort of flat monotonous way that one would expect from the character, although his female voices all sound exactly the same. (Actually, his male voices don't vary much either.) I definitely recommend the book if you are a Palahniuk fan, but don't expect another invisible monsters or fight club.

Gritty, irreverent, anthropologically fantastic.

Thoroughly enjoyable, and the reader really does a great job. Reveals a lot about our consumer culture.

truely amazing

having read, seen and listened to fight club i couldnt wait to listen to this. the book is very well written, some very interesting ideas and well formed sentences that really made me think. the narration was really good, the tone fitted the text really well.

Fantastic story!

I think I have found a new great author to binge books of! Great story and good narration!

Great

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