Survivor

This very sharp second book by the author of the underground hit Fight Club offers a fascinating, scary, and amusing look into cult and post-cult life.

The last living member of the infamous Creedish Death Cult, Tender Branson, is speaking into Flight 2039's flight recorder as he cruises at 39,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean on autopilot. He is the only passenger on the aircraft, which is about to crash into the vast Australian outback. Before that happens, he will tell the story of how he went from being a meek domestic servant and an obedient Creedish child to becoming a media messiah who is extremely well-built, uses steroids, and is covered in collagen. He is also the author of the best-selling autobiography Saved from Salvation and the even better-selling Book of Very Common Prayer (The Prayer to Silence Car Alarms, The Prayer to Delay Orgasm, and The Prayer to Prevent Hair Loss). He will disclose the truth about his tumultuous relationship with the mysterious and prophetic Fertility Hollis, impart his wisdom that "the only difference between suicide and martyrdom is press coverage," and disavow any involvement in the 20,000-acre Tender Branson Sensitive Materials Sanitary Landfill, which houses the country's antiquated pornographic material. Among other things, both strange and poignant.

Not since Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut and Being by Jerzy Kosinski Never before has a satire on the price of celebrity and the fundamental madness of the contemporary world been so scathing and insightful. Chuck Palahniuk at his most hilarious, unpredictable, and memorable work, Survivor solidifies his status as one of the most inventive fiction authors working today.