Snuff
by Chuck Palahniuk
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Book Reviews of Snuff
Book Review: Not nearly as bad as people are saying.
Summary: 4 Stars
This was not Chuck's best book, but it doesn't make it a bad book. The length is actually perfect for this type of story. The premise is a 600 man gang bang with 1-minute-per-man/3 men at a time...so it's only about 3.5 hours of real-time. Any more than 200 pages and it would have felt bloated. I didn't really see the characters as having similar voices. The writing style was the same for all characters, obviously, but I could distinguish between all the characters very easily, even if you took away the chapter heading (for those that didn't read it, the chapter heading identifies who is speaking).
Some of the plot twists are predictable, but others are not, so please don't think that you are going to figure everything out like some people are saying. I've read reviews where the reviewer claims to have foreseen everything coming, and quite frankly, that is just not true. Unless you had prior knowledge, you wouldn't know where the story is going.
I'm giving it four stars because of all CP's books, it is near the bottom. However, on the bookshelf next to other authors, it would be 5 stars easy.
Book Review: Bizarre and Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first read the book description about Cassie Wright taking 600 men in one day, certain questions came to mind. Firstly the pleasure principle, would it build and build to an explosive crescendo by the time she reached Mr. 600. Secondly, its going to be an incredibly long day and an equally long film. would sexual ecstasy come early and if so would she become bored? Perhaps she would have to resort to watching T.V. or perhaps an erotic book. One of the earlier reviewers mentioned Suzie Van Aartman's 100 Percent Erotica, now I've actually read that and it would certainly keep her sexual interest up.
It certainly is a unique book, with an interesting idea and Chuck pulls no punches, but at the same time introduces humanity and humor, I love the idea of Sheila with the stop-watch.I found it intriguing. Although not universally liked I think it has its own uniqueness and will go down as a modern day classic. I think it also has potential as a movie about a movie and it certainly deserves five stars.
Book Review: Why Chuck?
Summary: 3 Stars
Chuck is one of my favorite writers and yet this is not one of my favorite books. This book is not as bad as Rant(utterly horrible), but it does have Chuck's signature style of writing and studious research. Written from the point of view of 3 characters waiting for their turn in a 600 man gangbang with an aging pornstar it is typical Chuck. Funny, thouroughly researched, and well crafted the story is the return of Chuck who wrote Choke and Fight Club. Unfortunately I think he had a hard time coming up with an ending to his book because their are like 3, and each one is more ridicoulous than the previous. The book could have also been longer and more fleshed out, once you really start to get involved it ends, then ends, and with one last gasp ends again. If you are a huge fan of Chuck's it is a good, fast read and I recommend the book. If you are new to Mr. Palahniuk then go for his better books: Survivor, Choke, Lullabye, Fight Club and Invisible Monsters. Avoid Rant, Diary and Haunted.Book Review: Maybe it is time for CP to take a break and recharge the battery...
Summary: 2 Stars
... I'm a fan, but after "Diary" and "Haunted" I was just starting to loose faith. "Rant" blew me away, and I was really looking forward to "Snuff."
I'm glad I checked it out from the library. While there are moments of Chuck's twisted brilliance in here (the "money shot" of the book, so to speak), the whole thing just read like a cookie-cutter assemblage of his past work. The info bites have really worn thin. Characters in this novel just don't speak in individual voices. I know, I'm not a published author and CP is, but I know enough about writing and have read enough books to know when an author is coasting. Seriously, if CP spent more than a week writing this novella jacked up to novel prices, I'd be shocked.
Having said that, I will read his next book, hoping for something that shines like "Rant" did (for me at least it was a return to the brilliance of Survivor). But I'll definitely be checking it out of the library.
Book Review: WOW
Summary: 1 Stars
I can easily say this book was an utter disappointment/disaster. Perhaps it was high expectations or the genius viral marketing, but I was left unfullfiled. Obviously tackling the subject matter at hand is difficult to say the least but I genuinely expected more. The one thing from his other books is that no matter how dispicable the characters are they are all redeemable and likable in the end. I cannot say the same for the charaters in "Snuff". If anything, they all seemed one dimensional, and the woe is me got very annoying. This is to say nothing about the ending. Most of Chuck's books have some element of outrageousness to them but this is just ridiculous. I felt it was absolutely stupid and pointless. I got you, no you got me, but we got them, no I got you, now I am ok with everything. Just RIDICULOUS. I would pass on this and re-read "Fight Club" and/or "Choke". If you feel compelled dust off the old library card and save the $20.