I finished this less than 36 hours ago, and yet I find myself unable to recall specific events or plot points. The story is there, the characters move about, but the plot, itself, is not particularly memorable.

What has stuck with me, however, are the themes and style. It's no secret that Palahniuk has lost his way a bit (to put it mildly) in his last few books, but Shock Induction is a return to the style that made him a transgressional punk icon in the 90s. This book is fragmented and purposefully disorienting to feed into the themes of mindlessness and brainrot, to steal a Gen Alpha term, that is now so typical: we are inundated with information, no matter how banal or inane, as we scroll and consume that we're constantly being marketed to or groomed or hypnotized into a kind of complacency or else an exhausted saturation. How do we break free from that? How do we turn off the noise? (Samantha does it quite literally in an early chapter.)

It's a book with big ideas and clever execution, some of which will likely go over casual readers' heads. For those in search of an absurd, obscene story of ghastly event after ghastly event (a la Invisible Monsters, Not Forever..., etc), Shock Induction will feel boring and confusing. But for those who allow Palahniuk's vision to consume the reading process, it can be rewarding, if not really enjoyable.

I was nervous to read this - I can be a bot of a scaredy cat with horror and gore and I know much of Chuck Palahniuk's work features heavy gore. I was okay reading this, but was often confused. I get that the author was trying to do something kind of meta, but about halfway through, I was barely tracking what was going on.

For readers open to something more experimental, this might be a great read! I just think it didn't come my way at the right time.

**Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the eARC of this title!**

While I would consider Chuck Palahniuk one of my favorite authors - I hate about 20% of books. He is an eccentric and a nihilist and sometimes his books hit the mark perfectly for me. Other times (like with Pygmy - they do not.)

Shock Induction is a fun and fast romp that had all of the normal fever-dream elements that Palahniuk usually employs. Unfrotunately, this was one that didn't quite work for me. I loved the concept and even enjoyed the writing. With the way this book is structured I do feel that I would enjoy this more as a physical copy and think I will give it another go later on.

This one was a bit more disjointed than I could stand with the leaps through time and perspective. I will give this book another try when I am able to give it the focus it deserves. For now, Shock Induction is in the middle ground of Palahniuk's books for me. Definitely better than Snuff and Pygmy, but leaps and bounds behind favorites such as Diary, Invisible Monsters, and Fight Club.

If you are already a fan of this author - give this one a shot and let me know what you think. If you are not - please don't start with this title.

The newest novel by Chuck Palahnuik, Shock Induction, is another of his recent novels that feels like another step away from Fight Club, Choke, Haunted, and the type of novels that brought him fame. The story takes place in 2037, where Samantha Deel is a highschooler, a strong student, and a singer, living with her parents and sex offender uncle. She is the perfect recruit for Greener Pastures, a company that auctions talented kids off to the highest bidder. This is the simplest part of the plot. The rest of the novel is the challenge that Chuck Palahnuik is giving his readers, hoping that he can manipulate them.

Richard Powers in a recent interview says that a book is actually a full circle between the reader, the writer, and the things that the book is trying to say. Palahniuk sees this as the way he is going to write. He is not only telling the story, but he is trying to get a reaction out of the reader, a change in perspective. In this case, it is an attempt at a form of hypnotism that comes from trying to keep track of several different stories swirling around one main story. He also slips into sections of other pieces of classic literature, including The Great Gatsby, Moby Dick, Shakespearian plays, Alice in Wonderland, and David Copperfield. (I am sure that I missed some of the references, but these are ones that I caught.) He writes in the very beginning about ERE poisoning and how the government placed drugs on the pages of classic literature to entice people to read it, and keep reading it. Chuck Palahniuk is trying to explain how he feels while reading all of these classic novels, how the words on the pages are like a drug to him, that quickens his heart rate, makes him feel high, and makes him keep turning the pages. He is trying to show the reader that there is value still in those classic stories, and that literature can be hypnotizing and impactful. He is trying to get his readers to follow him.  

There are many elements to this novel that I am sure that I did not catch the first time through. Shock Induction is not only a love letter to reading and to classic literature, but it is a challenge, almost a dare. He is alienating his casual fans and casual readers in general and is doing his best to step away from the person who wrote Fight Club thirty years ago. He has grown as a writer, and he is forcing his readers to grow with him. His last three novels, The Invention of Sound, Not Forever, But for Now, and now Shock Induction is taking him further and further away from his Fight Club origins, and this is something that I have really enjoyed more than some of his other early fans. Maybe his hypnosis is working.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chuck can do no wrong and this is another example of that. Will continue to be a Stan forever. He always does such a good job of disturbing and enticing.

Avocado. Was Chuck Palahniuk trying for a world’s record for the repetition of one word in a novel? “According to Marcel Proust, the writer’s job is to place the reader in a world so terrible, such an unhappy hellscape of overall chaos, that going back to the real world will feel like escaping to a paradise.” For me, reading is an escape and I had to fight hard to continue reading this book. Unfortunately none of the drugs mentioned in this book, that were “baked into these pages” are available in the ebook or audiobook version. Probably not the paper version either but fingers crossed. Only the Enhanced Reader Edition/ERE. “To repeat, while reading these pages, make a special effort not to touch your nose or mouth. Wash your hands frequently with plenty of soap and warm water. If you experience any feelings of lightheadedness, dizziness, confusion, or heightened sexual arousal, please seek immediate medical attention.” But what is this book about? Poisoning, repetition, mind control, cognitive reframing, visual induction, guided meditation, lucid dreaming, dirty talk, pattern repetition, hypnosis, shock induction, sleep walking, body scan meditation, amygdala hijack, and psychonautics. This book was a trip. Maybe upon a second reading, I’ll understand it. ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I honestly cannot even review this because I was far too dumb to even begin to understand what I just read. This was so jumbled and all over the place that I just gave up trying to figure it out because I had a headache. Very Alice in Wonderland.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for this very underwhelming but honest review

"Want to know another way to induce a hypnotic trance? Shock induction."

Chuck Palahniuk is a master at writing unhinged, bizarre, uncanny works of fiction and his latest work, Shock Induction, is an absolute fever dream.

I was dazed, I was confused, I was absolutely hooked! Shock Induction is odd, to say the least. I wouldn't recommend it to a first time reader of Palahniuk - I'd say start with Dairy or Fight Club instead - but for the avid fan, this will be easy enough to jump into.

Short chapters, random musings, and off the wall tangents fill up the pages of Shock Induction, but for all its chaos I found myself reading it rather quickly. It was short, not too difficult to read, and just quirky enough to keep me invested even when I had absolutely no idea what was going on. All in all, it was a Chuck Palahniuk book - do with that knowledge what you will!

Shock Induction is the 13th Chuck Palahniuk book I’ve read. Chuck was a big part of what made me a reader in my high school and college years, and honestly probably one of the first authors to get me into “weird lit.” So, naturally I was excited to hear that he was coming out with a new book & to be approved for the ARC!

Shock Induction is without a doubt a Chuck Palahniuk book. I spent a good portion of this book thinking “wtf is going on?” And in this case, I think in some ways that worked, and in some ways it didn’t.

The positives: there’s a lot of absurdity here that I found hilarious. For example, the word “avocado” repeated for literal pages. A chapter that reads in its entirety: “psych!” This book is also geared largely towards people who love to read! A big part of the plot leads to full passages from classic novels like Moby Dick, David Copperfield and more - but with minor detail changes - and I found these to be fun little nuggets.

However, the negatives: while I appreciated the topics tackled by Palahniuk in this book (book banning, media literacy, capitalism & the control major corporations have over us), the approach felt disjointed. At times, it almost felt like there were two solid ideas for stories here that Palahniuk tried to knit into one.

On the one hand, the chaotic energy is what I’ve come to expect from Palahniuk and made this novel a fun ride. On the other, I’ve read more cohesive novels from Palahniuk and think this could’ve used just a little bit more of that as well.

This book did not work for me. It was disjointed and took me about halfway through the book before I understood the plot. By that point, I was no longer interested in the book.

All you need to know is: Chuck Palahniuk. This is true to his style and was so weird, yet so good. Proceed with caution, but do proceed.

I envy anyone who understands a chuck book from start to finish. There were definitely gaps where I was completely confused but eventually things fused together and made sense. I really enjoyed this one. I felt it was a more digestible book of his that even my brain could somewhat follow. The whole plot was fascinating and I was completely hooked. The way his brain operates is mesmerizing.

This is one of those books that I struggle immensely to review. For the bulk of this book I was wildly confused. This is seemingly intentional on Palahniuk’s part and despite my stupefaction, I couldn’t stop reading.

I’m not even going to pretend like I can give a mini synopsis. This one is *wild*. There’s a theme of drugs being infused into books and this reads like a full fledged acid trip. There are so many various interludes and side notes and the book almost gives whiplash as you’re trying to gather everything. In typical Palahniuk fashion we’re given tons of interesting tidbits and the themes presented in the book are nailed as usual.

The imagery in the book is vivid. From the stained glass climbing wall to licorice scented green sludge, the reader is given so much to set the scene. The book is all over the place and it can be hard to comment on the pacing.

The characters were mostly detestable but Samantha was pretty great. War Dog was another fun one but that’s one sliver of the story that felt incomplete.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The narrative is balls to the walls crazy so it’s going to likely be a struggle for readers who vibe with more traditional, linear storytelling. This one will stick with me for a bit.

I have read almost everything Palahniuk has ever written with gusto, but I feel like his last 2-3 books have been semi-disappointing. This book definitely reads like a Palahniuk novel; I just feel like it lacks substance. A lot of the plot was confusing to me at first, so hopefully a second read upon publication will help me out. I'll still read anything he publishes, I just hope his plot lines get back to how they felt in Haunted or Invisible Monsters.

I love Chuck Palahniuk books, I collect them, I hoard them, I recommend them. this one was too out there for my brain. I struggled through it, even though I only understood a quarter of what was going on. It's not unreadable, and maybe I'm just not the audience for it. Some C. P. books are not created equally.

This thought-provoking work delves into the deep-rooted societal structures that shape our lives from birth, influenced by our parents’ experiences and beliefs. It examines critical aspects such as education and social class, revealing the layers of ignorance that often cloud our understanding of the world.

The psychedelic elements throughout the book intensify its exploration of consciousness, suggesting that we are all somewhat mad in this intricate reality. Yet, it offers a sense of hope, emphasizing how literature and life experiences provide pathways to escape and deeper insight.

The author’s ability to intertwine these themes encourages readers to question their perceptions and challenge the norms they've inherited. This book is a compelling invitation to examine the fabric of our daily lives and the potential for transformation through awareness. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the intersections of society, consciousness, and personal growth.

This was the right type of "unhinged" that I look for in a Chuck Palahniuk book! High schoolers who are being vetted by billionaires to owe their life to them for more money than they could imagine. They must make a choice: follow their dreams or become insanely wealthy and be at the beck and call of a billionaire. Chuck's language in this book was fantastic and he definitely did not disappoint on this particular book!

I've been a fan of Chuck Palahniuk since Fight Club. I have followed his books ever since. I will say that the books have kept my interest over the years. With the addition of the last 2-3 novels, I've felt my enthusiasm of Palahniuk's books starting to wain.

Shock Induction is the latest in this observation.

I was looking forward to this book just based on the description alone. But as I read more and more of this book, I became confused. The book felt all over the place and it was hard to follow the main plot of the novel. By the time I got to the end of the book, I was left even more confused by what I had just read.

I don't want to give up on Palahniuk but his most recent novels have just not been what I'm used to from this author.

Okay then….. I actually don’t know if I’m smart enough to read his books. I was lost for most of it but I powered through. I will wait to research this on Reddit to see if smarter people make any more sense of this than I can. I mean I get it.. but I don’t. The synopsis was everything, the actual book was too much?? Idk if you haven’t read anything from this author before.. don’t start here. He is brilliant but at what cost?? If you can make sense of this book ignore this review okay thanks.
I’m giving this a 4 but I really mean 3.

Thanks for the arc!

Boy this book was trippy as hell! I've never read from this author before, but obviously I know he wrote the novel, "Fight Club" and other beloved books. This book went over my head for the majority of it. I'm glad it was a quick and brisk read. I don't think I quite understood about 50% of what was going on, but I still enjoyed my time reading this bonkers of a book. This author's writing style is unique, also his storytelling is quite impressive as well. I don't know if I'll read this author again, but he's definitely got a gift for the eccentric.