It had been far too long since I'd read a Chuck Palahniuk novel and Shock Induction reminded me that I have been missing out on his unique and incisive writing style.

Shock Induction explores a phenomenon where incredibly bright teens are committing suicide at an alarming rate, and we soon find out the culprit behind this is an organization called Greener Pastures, that auctions teens off to the highest bidder to become influential members of society at the highest levels. We follow Sam Deel and Garson Stavros down the rabbit hole as they are inducted into this world. Along the way, Palahniuk provides us excerpts from A Guide to Greener Pastures, full of stories of families and their efforts to get into the institution, and we read testimony about the ESE program, a project designed to get more teens literate by infusing books with different manners of substances so that you directly experience what happens in the book. These interludes are all in the name of Shock Induction.

Despite the fact that I'm not entirely sure I understood the whole book, I was down for the ride. I found myself googling items from the book like "Jim Carrey syphilis" and "Self-Amputation of Penis and Tongue after use of Angel’s Trumpet" two things I was rather horrified to find were entirely true, but I should not have been surprised. I was really invested in Sam's journey throughout the book and why she had been selected to go Greener Pastures. I also very much appreciated the broader critique of the commodification of every single thing and experience.

Overall, I definitely recommend the book - if you've enjoyed Chuck Palahniuk's writing before, you'll feel right at home.

I really wanted to love this. I’ve been a fan of Chuck Palanihuk for years so when I saw Shock Induction on NetGalley, I really wanted to read it. Unfortunately, I often found myself very confused and unable to follow the storyline and how things were relating to one another. I did like that he included his typical dark humor and witty prose as is to be expected from Palanihuk but overall, this one left me a bit bummed.

What a cover!
Shock Induction introduces us to a strange strange dystopian story. The smartest high school students at a special school are disappearing, apparent suicides. It's almost a daily occurance. Palahniuk introduces a twist - the students are being surveilled - always - by billionaires scouting talent. It's a scary story that is a little too close to the contemporary high school rat race to be honest! A new writing style sometimes lost me, but I enjoyed the premise and love anything from Palahniuk's dark mind!

#simonandschuster #shockinduction #chuckpalahniuk

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and especially Mr. Palahniuk for this eARC of Shock Induction.

I'll start by saying that my last review of one of Mr. Palahniuk's books left me less-than-enthused for another; Not Forever but For Now was simply awful. I was so grateful then to get my hands on Shock Induction and see - if not a true return-to-form, certainly a return-to-enjoyability and appropriate risk taking.

His characters are more fully developed: Samantha, our lead protagonist, is particularly delightful. The fever-dream-esque narrative was a bit jarring, but somehow I struggled to put the book down for the majority of my readthrough.

If you're okay with a bit of 'what on earth is happening now?' and being left with many questions, this may be the book for you. I certainly enjoyed it. But if the midseason finale of "The Black Tapes" or the absurdity of "A Scanner Darkly" left you unfulfilled, this may be one to pass up.

It is hard to review Palahniuk. While I loved the style of the writing (quirky, throwing in other literary references, written in short chunks), this story is still lackluster. Maybe too much of the story is just going over my head but I was often annoyed and just "didn't get it". There are a lot of good (satirical) points made about the US Education system amongst other issues. But I never felt devoted to the main character Samantha and what this larger system of Greener Pastures even meant.

As with all of Chuck Palahnuik’s books I either loved it (give me Invisible Monsters, give me Fight Club, give me Choke) or it went right over my head. This one was a miss for me it may have been in the somewhat confusing execution or in my, sometimes, completely unfocused brain. The concept was fascinating but I just couldn’t follow what was happening, but it was still interesting. I’d say give it a try, especially if you’ve loved his other works, truly he’s a genius.

This is actually the first Chuck Palahniuk book I have read and wow, what an absolutely confusing book to review. This book says a lot about our modern day society, maybe too much. The first half of the book was hard to get through, the in and out of the main story with references, quotes from all sorts of novels & research, and side character plots was disjointed, playing very well to the result of the book that was intended. The second half was some of the most creative and brilliant writing I have seen - it felt new and the aspects that weren't working for me really started to make it meaningful and thought-provoking - so don't give up on this book if you don't like it initially. The content of this book was really rough at times and I am not sure it was warranted, the focus felt off for me and it did detract from the excellence of the book in my opinion. This is a book that will stick with you and you will think about for awhile after. The polarizing reviews are no surprise but if you know what you are getting in to, it is an interesting and profoundly timely read.

I’ve read many Chuck novels before so I know what to usually expect in terms of the plot; however, this was impossible to keep up with. I often felt bored and my mind wandered, then I’d have to go reread it and get bored all over again

I love Chuck - my favorite book of all time is Invisible Monsters by him, but at the same time one of my least favorites is his novel Rant. This book was very similar to Rant. I felt like there was quite a few non sequiturs, and nonsense, which did not help the plot along. Around half way though, I realized I didn't know anything about the book I was reading.

I read pretty much all of Chuck Palahniuk's books when I was in high school and was so, so obsessed with his work. Unfortunately I'm not sure if his signature writing style really entices me anymore. Half the time I felt like I didn't understand the purpose of what I was reading and how it related to the overall story. It wasn't until about 40% into the book where I actually understood what the plot was going to be. I do think the plot was a really interesting concept but it was hard for me to keep track of what was happening.

Thank you for the EArc. I usually really enjoy Palahniuk’s works but this one was just too far out there for me. I think it was the strange cut backs every chapter or so that I had a hard time keeping up. This one wasn’t for me unfortunately.

This was a very interesting book but a little more difficult to read which seems to be the case with this author. I found the topic very interesting but had a hard time staying engaged.

There’s something about reading a Chuck Palahniuk book that has me saying “Oh Chuck” about a thousand times and the first page had me cackling so much that I had to stop and read it aloud to my partner. I am always enthralled and perpetually floored by the technique and style choices Palahniuk uses to get a point across and that’s the epitome of Shock Induction.

I’ve been a fan of Palahniuk since reading Invisible Monsters Remix and have been die hard ever since, I’m a genuine believer that Palahniuk is a genius writer that few are able to actually grasp. With that being said, especially in comparison to Not Forever, But For Now, this is his most accessible read that he’s released in years.

The plot is easy to follow, the main character is loveable and the stylistic choices are hilarity built out of pure chaos and satire. For fans, Palahniuk pulls no punches but he’s also reigned in enough that the masses can enjoy and follow his commentary on the billionaires that seem to rule our world. Also that cover!!

Some of my favourite quotes:
“Clarity is paramount. Even when the goal is to create confusion.”

‘“You’re competent but not complacent.”’

“Change one story with another, and you can change all of human reality.”

“… love taken to the next level with gin and melancholy.”

“You can spend your whole life waiting for the pattern to repeat. Jay Gatsby did.”

I’m a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan but this one had me more confused than anything. Its breakneck speed and weird dream sequences left me unsure of what was actually happening and what wasn’t. Not my favorite of his.

It’s abrupt in it’s presentation. The description of the story has a hard time meshing with what I read mentally. Following the story was difficult. Came accross as instructions and observations from an outside perspective. It is dark and some of his descriptions were excellent. Like when Sam gets glasses for the first time, seeing everything clearly for once was spot on. Some dark humor was sprinkled in. The concept of being observed as a person to be sold would be bewildering to me. Very high creep factor. Unsettling to say the least.

Nobody does satire as Brilliant as Chuck these days.
This book breaks the fourth wall and gives a future that, while a tad "black pill"
could come to pass with a world destined to lower the standards.

This book was the best since Adjustment Day and beats that book.

Highly Reccomend

I don't think I have the words to properly describe the emotions I experienced reading this book. Mainly revulsion and confusion as I couldn't exactly distinguish between what was really happening and what was imagined. I had to see it through to the end. It had been so long since I'd read a Chuck Pahlaniuk book I forgot about the extreme shock factor. Overall it wasn't my favorite but this premise of a future organization that buys the most intelligent children to run society doesn't seem all that far off from what could actually happen. If you have a weak stomach heed the trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my ARC!

I chose not to publicly review this book because I DNF'ed it. It seemed unfair to rate it without finishing it, due to it being based on my own uncomfortable feelings with the topics. I have enjoyed Palahniuk books in the past, so I know they can be hit or miss with me. This one was simply a miss. Thank you for the opportunity to read it, and I hope to read more in the future.

I’ve anxiously awaited getting to read this and was ecstatic to be approved for an advanced copy. To start-this is one of my favorite Palahniuk covers (behind Invisible Monsters) and loved the connection with the scene in the book.
In typical Palahniuk fashion, the story is filled with satire, dark humor, dark situations in general, vivid imagery and leaves you absolutely confused on more than one occasion. There are also big Alice in Wonderland vibes, which Palahniuk noted was an influence for this novel, among other classic pieces of literature.
At one high school, the biggest overachievers are disappearing and lost to apparent suicides, and no one seems to know why. But at the underbelly is a dark surveillance organization grooming these kids as the next leaders, from CEO to Queen to Pope. Raised to be sold off by their parents to billionaires and royalty, these students are committed to their futures for life. And young Samantha is sucked into the middle of it with a destiny no one may have guessed.
This is a departure from Palahniuk‘s past novels, adopting a more fragmented writing style that alternates between what story is being told and ranging from short punchy paragraphs to long passages. While Samantha’s story quickly grabbed my attention, the fragmented additions did leave me wondering what the heck was happening more than once. A trippy experience that I recommend reading in physical form (ie hardcover over kindle/audio) as there are some major plot points that physically manifest and involve the reader, as well.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

First and foremost, thank you for allowing me to read this book from one of my all time favorite authors.

Like many Palahniuk works I spend a bit of time asking myself repeatedly what the heck is going on. This one included. Reading this felt like a fever dream. Dark and atmospheric, but not atmospheric in the way you just imagined atmospheric when you read that.

A brief rundown of what’s in this book without giving anything away: Students at a prestigious school are dropping like flies. An evil corporation that employs Truman Show-esque tactics. World leaders and billionaires. Books with literal drugs in (on?) them.

If you’re like, “None of that makes sense.” Yes, you’re right. But you’re also wrong. Welcome to a Palahniuk book.

It was fun. It was confusing. Then it made sense. I learned some new things. If you like weird, you’ll like this.