I'm torn. As excited as I am to see both Choke and Chuck receiving the credit they deserve, it's posts like these that scare me. I started reading Chuck at 13 and even at that age could have crafted a better argument (much less post) than 90% of the people here. Reading his books throughout the years, I can see a marked change in not only his writing but also his fan base from thoughtful intelligent, progressiveness to commercialized shock factor fluff. Anyone read Snuff?? Granted Chuck has always been amazingly in tune with pop culture and had a gritty sadism that is easily packaged, I guess I had higher expectations of his work. Even still, I continue to read everything he publishes and am anxiously awaiting the release of both Pygmy and Choke.

Chuck's messages are there in the books, you just have to look past gruesome/shocking parts.

For example, soap - obvious symbol for cleaning, but when altered just slightly, can be very destructive, something meant for good, turns out bad, which is why the narrator tried to stop Tyler. There are lots of subtle messages throughout his books.

Haunted - hated the actual story line (all the, "Oh I suffered the worst" shit got really annoying, but I loved the stories.

Rant - A close second to Fight Club for my favorite book. That was a really good book.

Choke - Didn't really like the beginning, but it got better as it went on. Disappointed by the end (I thought he was going to get stoned to death, that would have been a much cooler ending.)

Invisible Monsters - My least favorite, easily. It seemed like he was just trying to hard.

Diary and Survivor - both OK books, not my favorites though.

And that's all that I've read of his, i'm rereading fight club right now, then i'll move on to Lullaby.

This movie better come to San Diego!! I've been waiting for it for almost a year now!!

Definitely stoked to see Choke come out, and Survivor later on.
I'd love to see Rant and Haunted in film as well.

Palahniuk is arguably one of my favorite authors, so I'll be seeing this the first day it's out for sure.

Can't wait for the movie, should be pimp. I really enjoyed all of Chuck's novels and don't really have a deff fav. but Choke was very interesting.

Don't know where the Tool stuff came from but, Maynard James Keenan FTW indeed.

Wow. I was excited about this movie. I'm a huge fan of Chuck Palahniuk's books, and I own just about every one.
I came here expecting to perhaps learn something about this movie or future works that I didn't know about.

Now I feel conflicted. As much as i love his work, I don't want to be associated with you guys. You guys are all dorks.
I wonder how the author feels about the fact that his cult following is a band of dropout stoner dime store psychologists.

:)

I think I may be in the minority here, but I loved Invisible Monsters. But I think Choke is going to be a great movie.

i really can't wait for this movie.. choke was the 1st pahliniuk book i ever read. and i've read just about all of them since then . truly a phenomenal writer and hero of mine

Whatever happened to Survivor? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that it was a go for scripting but got squashed after 9/11.

nobody knows anything. top that

Why doesn't anyone comment on Rant? Rant is one of my favorites, my top 3 would be haunted (which would make the best movie, people would be able to follow the plot, have you seen Pulp Fiction), then Rant, and finally Choke. Chuck is my favorite writer i cannot wait to spend my money seeing this film.

Honestly, if you feel you are an intellectual of any sort, you have no place posting any comment of any sort on the internet. You are simply degrading your intelligence down to the point that you are arguing with a complete stranger about whether or not you know what the fuck you are talking about. It's like punching a baby in the face. Sure its fun for awhile, but still. A baby? Why a baby?

Very Excited
Choke is actually my favorite Chuck novel, mainly because it's extremely twisted, and all and all, sort of makes me not feel so strange about my life. he has a way of warping life and making it seem normal. to many of us, i think we find his readings appealing because he exposes the strange guy, and walks us through his daily life and troubles. and in the end, we all know that this person he writes of could very well be us...because we're all a little abnormal, yet we all try to appear perfect on the outside. hmm...that's a pretty dry repsonse, but i love the book, so i thought i'd get my say in.

yes, and tool kicks major ass.

(Jaclyn) http://helloquee.blogspot.com

Choke is probably my least favorite out of Chuck P. books. Why not Lullaby or Diary!? Oh well, I said "least" favorite as in I don't hate it, but there are better books. This movie should be good. Haunted would be strange as a movie because it's more like a bunch of short stories which do eventually mold into one, but I think it might be too confusing as a movie...

Eh.

Why can't we all be friends? I've read choke four times and can't wait for the film. Fight club came out alright in the movie so hopefully this won't be too terrible. All you guys just need to chill out a little bit.

Fight Club made me hate everything. Survivor made me love it again. I haven't read Choke yet, but I know it will make me admire it's author even more than I already do. Can't wait for the movie, because then I will finally be able to discuss his work again with the masses of the selectively illiterate that I am forced to be in contact with on a daily basis.

I disagree about the characters in Fight Club being unrelatable... I think there is a very common relationship between Jack and us all. If you have ever felt as if there would be more to life than slaving it away to "buy things we don"t need" or if you have ever felt like capitalism comes between us and a true and meaningful existence then you are in some ways relating. It's about finding out who you are in a modern world and seeing through the illusions. I would agree that the books is a bit surreal but there is an inherent theme that realistically summarizes many people bound to our economic world.

Your comments matter, they really do.

you guys are fuckin morons. choke is realatable and if you have never wanted to be saved or save than your taste is crass and worthless. it's a goddamn book you idiots. your the type of morons who read the bible and don't understand that it's a metaphor. with this day and age were every topic has been written about, and to great length, and disected to death that the only way we can get to reader now a days is to shake the hell out of and say "what would jesus NOT do?" why are you even posting comments when you haven't read shit of his. chuck is one of the last great writters of our time. a vonnegut of our generation and if you can't see great writing when it beats your dog till it's soar, then go lose some anal bead allready.

I've not read either book, but I loved Fight Club the film. If you listen to the other audio tracks on the DVD, you'll hear the author admit that Fight Club, which was his first work, was really improved dramatically by the screenplay author, who'd been in the industry for a good while. Love it or hate it, you have to admit, that it's not middle-ground-friendly, and either way, emotions are evoked, which is the real purpose of this type of art/work, right?

With warm regards.

i don't find Chuck's work inspiring, empathetic or moving. I do find it fascinating,like a piece of deranged art work. The prose is strange for strange sake. It's a methodical attempt to disgust the reader. Fight Club is a perfect example. It's genius is not in it's message,but in it's eccentricities. i can't relate to a single character or philosophy. It's sort of like ripping the right arm off of Rodan's Thinker so you can't even tell what he's doing,but you can admire the sculptor's technique.