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There ain't no use trying to stop me

I like this track

"Please Don't Think This Was Anything Special"

Choke, Chuck Palahniuk, ISBN 0099422689

I discovered Chuck Palahniuk via Fight Club, reading the book after having enjoyed the film, and promptly went and bought lots of his other writing. At the time of writing this isn't his latest book but it is the one I bought most recently.

Victor Mancini, the "hero" of the book is a sex addict who pretends to choke in restaurants so that those who save him will feel responsible for him and (in particular) send him money. He also has an insane job, an insane and dying mother (hence the requirement for lots money), and amusingly demented friends and sex/love interests. There's the occasional halfway sane character too but they don't really get much of a look-in, which is probably for the best from their point of view.

The main thread of action is cut with flashbacks to provide color and explanation, and hops between the various parts of Victor's life. Everything comes together in satisfying conclusion.

I loved this book. It's darkly funny and the writing is up to the author's usual high stylistic standards. It did remind me in many ways of Fight Club but he hasn't just written the same book again with the serial numbers filed off; it's different and enjoyable on its own merits.

"Give me a break Pocohontas, you're not a Nazi"

The Twist, Richard Calder, ISBN 0671037196

Richard Calder's latest outing is a distorted version of the American wild west, packed with typically Calder-esque freaks and written in flowery style - given that the flower in question is venomous, spiny and black. So far so good...

The heroine/narrator is an engaging enough character but her two immediate companions seem rather predictable, perhaps even mechanical. I must say that the plot is a bit thin given the size of the book; there is really only material enough for a novella here, and the other qualities of the book are not really sufficient to carry it.

Disappointing, really. Richard Calder can do better.