Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #272851 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Chuck Palahniuk is, of course, best known for Fight Club, a remarkable novel which gave rise to an equally remarkable movie. As a writer, his specialty has been in having no speciality -- other than that of refusing to conform to any expectations readers might have of him. Except in one regard: a book by Palahniuk will be edgy, dark and iconoclastic. Which is very much the case with Rant, The Oral History of Buster Casey. This is a novel that leaves the reader notably off-kilter for a number of reasons; its coal-black vision of a society in a state of near savagery and its sardonically funny approach to the scabrous narrative. The ‘Oral History’ here relates to Buster ‘Rant’ Casey -- and the picture we receive of him is conveyed through a motley group of enemies, friends, relations and sexual partners. Through their wildly differing accounts, we build up a picture of a very unusual man indeed: a charismatic, sinister figure with a predilection for one recreational drug (the main component of which is rabies, no less). His other substance-of-choice (in terms of highly dangerous stimulants) is the venom of a black widow spider (for its aphrodisiac qualities). Living in a small town which is barely civilised (and the passages relating to this bizarre locale are conveyed in Palahniuk’s most phantasmagorical writing), Rant opts to strike out for the big town, and quickly establishes himself at the head honcho of an urban demolition derby which goes by the name of ‘Party Crashing’. The group, on selected nights, conducts a demented game of lethal dodgems, seeking out each other in cars to bring about satisfying motorway mayhem. And in the midst of this madness, Rant, a truly toxic figure, is spreading a variety of very nasty things among those he encounters.

This is nothing less than a vision of society plunged into insanity, with every comforting conventional aspect ruthlessly torn away. It's futuristic, it's very dark, and it's very funny. And (as the foregoing might suggest) it is most definitely not for those who like their literature sedate and unshocking. And in that way, of course, it's a typical Chuck Palahniuk novel. --Barry Forshaw

Independent
'Something much more interesting'

The Word, April 2007
"a rollicking good read"

Customer Reviews

A departure in style that works
Initially I wasn't sure about the style of Palahniuk's new book. As an oral history, it pieces together some urban folklore style reminisces about the main character, Rant Casey. However, as the book progresses, the connections between people become more apparent. It follows similar ground, socio-politically to Fight Club & Survivor. The urban games part of the book reminds me of the Santa Rampage in Fugitives & Refugees.

The book does lose its way when it starts to imply a life of Matrix style plug-ins, draconian curfews and conflict between daytime and night time peoples.

However, Palahniuk as usual digs up some fascinating historical parallels to his main story lines and on the whole the new style of writing works.

A Good Book That Ends Too Feverishly
Rant Casey is an icon of the future. He has become a god like creation for the people that live in the dark hours of the day. In the future, society is split between people who work during the day, and those during the night. Treated like second class citizens the nightimers take to dangerous games to keep themselves occupied. One man arrives that will spread a disease that will change the way the two societies co-exist.

'Rant' is another strange offering from the master of weird, Chuck Palahniuk. The format is an oral history of Rant's life so is told from various view points by the people that knew him. It takes a little getting used to but the format works well. I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book as it introduced twisted, yet intelligent, storylines the like which Palahniuk specialises in. However, I felt that the end went too far into the strange and undid a lot of the good that happened before. This is not one of Palahniuk best books, but still a good read - try the magnificent `Haunted' first.

Ranting and Crashing
Palahnuik takes us to the world of Daytimers and Nighttimers, where the Nightimers spend their evenings engaged in Party Crashing and where Porting has replaced other forms of media.

But the world isn't important, Buster Casey is, and to quote one of the characters - he's, `... the worst Patient Zero in the history of disease'.

Rant Casey carries rabies, but not only carries it, but infects himself and others around him with it again and again. And in doing so becomes a legend, a fable, that spreads much like the rabies he carries from person to person and Rant's oral history is retold through a series of interviews all used to help to explain the bigger picture.

The interview technique is a bit complicated as hearing different points of view and perspectives from several people takes some concentration. Luckily all of the interviewees are named and on their first appearance in each chapter we are told (or retold) a bit more about them like if they are a Party Crasher, Historian, or Mother. You get to know more about some those that were close to Rant and as well as his story as the book progresses. And the in some ways the other people are more interesting than Rant himself.

Palahnuik is an excellent storyteller as he uses this book to explore the spiderwebs of connections that each person has around them. There are no minor characters here. Each has an important role in moving the story forward and in revealing the connections that aren't so obvious as they first appear.

This book is also a tale about the lies we tell ourselves like the tooth fairy who, as you grow up, replaces your useless tooth with money and to Buster Casey teeth are very valuable indeed. Or that if you're wearing a wedding dressed driving a car covered in decorations that you must have just got married.

Rant is not the book I expected it to be. I though that this would be a simple retelling of the life of Buster Casey from those who knew him. Instead it's an exploration of life and how Buster Casey is the secret to a world that you wouldn't think existed.

It does have its flaws mostly due to the style of the short sections meaning it doesn't flow easily on occasion. As you either find yourself hearing from a person you're not particularly interested in (even if what they say is meaningful to the plot) or you loose who is talking and what connection they are to everything.

By the time I got to the end I wanted to start all over again in order to see how what's revealed in the end is already told to you from the beginning. I probably will re-read it was the end is a little more complicated than I expected. This might make it a little disappointing to some readers who want everything a bit more cut and dry or who enjoyed the Party Crashing for just causing chaos.

This was my first Chuck Palahnuik novel and it won't be my last.