Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey

This has to be one of Chuck's best works ever. It was so well-written in the format he chose, which was an oral biography of people remembering this "cult hero" Buster "Rant" Casey. It has modest beginnings, but it keeps getting more and more complex as time goes on, and all the strands start to fit together. All the people talking about Rant have a different take on who he was and all have their unique experiences with him. It gets very complicated at the end with a time-travel scenario, which only adds to the mystique of Rant Casey and his true nature. An amazing anti-hero, Rant Casey is definitely a character that only someone like Palahniuk could dream up. A great and interesting story that will keep you guessing what will happen (or be told) next. Definitely recommended.Edit: Now that I've listened to this on audiobook, I have to say it has to be in my top 3 when it comes to Chuck Palahniuk. He's a great writer, and although some of his newer books (Tell All, Damned, Pygmy) were not that great, I'd have to say that this was his last great novel, as most of the books he has put out since this one were not up to the same quality. I had thought he was going to make this into a three-part series, but I'm still waiting on the next installment. I pray that he comes up with something a little more original for whatever book he writes next. This ranks behind Survivor and Fight Club IMO. The sad part is that it must be infinitely harder to keep publishing books every year like he has recently and I think it would be better if he took his time writing his novels so that some of them would be better.A crazy book from Chuck that will make you question even the laws of time and space, and a whole host of other things. I also love the way he told it, as an oral biography. Although he made subtle hints at the whole time travel theme in the first few pages, it's pretty interesting some of the theories he has about it in the last third of the book. This guy is my favorite author, and he sure as hell makes you think when you read one of his crazy novels.

With this book, Palahniuk tweaks, and nearly perfects, his own style. I had a love-hate relationship with Haunted. I thought that it would have worked much better as a simple collection of short stories than as a complete narrative. Rant shows Palahniuk's evolution of style from the ooze that was Haunted to this new, fully-formed, completely different organism.I will admit: the first 150 pages of Rant were a struggle for me. I waded through Casey's rural back-story, almost dropping the book altogether a handful of times, but was eventually brought back around by the time Shot Dunyan started describing boosted peaks. It was fascinating to watch how Palahniuk slowly and methodically pieced together his vision of the future (or the now?) in such a way that it came into focus like one begins to see the picture in a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.I see that a lot of the bad reviews here are mainly in reference to the "oral biography" approach to the story. Just because the approach is scattered and non-linear, doesn't mean that the book has no plot. Palahniuk could have just as easily approached this same story in a more traditional format, however, I don't think that it would have had the same impact. For me, the format didn't really pay off until the end, and then it began to make perfect sense why he approached it this way.Also brilliant is the fact that, as another reviewer pointed out, we are given the entire story in the first four pages. At that point, we just simply don't have enough information to understand what we're being told.I have always been a fan of Palahniuk's, and while I have, at times, found his plot twists to be manipulative, or anti-climactical (such as in Diary), I have always found them entertaining. That was, for me, the only reason I kept on plowing through Rant. The liner notes promised a "mind-bending" novel, and I kept waiting for my mind to be bent. It was.

I really enjoyed Rant a lot. I thought it was weird and different, but it really came together so well at the end. It is a bit difficult to really explain what I loved about the book without spoiling the plot a bit so I will do my best in that aspect.The book itself had some really interesting themes that were present. The main idea, kind of brought up pretty much from the opening scene, is that everybody views people in different ways. That these views can actually cause a single person to almost have an entirely different view of the same person that it is surprising that it is actually in fact the same person. And that we can make sure to act a particular way to influence the way we interact and are viewed by others. This is really taken to many levels in the novel from looking at it from perspectives of family members, friends, and community members.The story of the novel here is in my opinion well written. It keeps the reader interested without giving up too much and really pays off towards the end when a lot of the elements in the story really start to connect and it turns into a really satisfying experience. It is especially interesting if you take a step back at the end and just try to draw a mental timeline of the characters and the relationships in the novel. It becomes fascinating at this point to think about who is actaully influencing who and the cause of many of the major events in the novel. I also like the use of some random titles that you learn mean very different things then they first seem to mean, like the distinction of "historian" in the context of the story.There was actually not very much that I disliked about this novel. I though the pacing was right throughout the book, and the characters really felt like they had purpose and direction and developed in the story.

I love Chuck Palahniuk's books, his style of writing and bizzare subject matter really set him apart for me and I must confess he is one of my favourite authors.Rant is written in the style of an oral history, a collection of anecdotes about Buster "Rant" Casey, told by friends, family members and others who knew him. If you have read any of Palahniuk's work previously, then you know this is not going to be a straightforward tale with a happy ending. It is very weird from start to finish, and the ending left me wishing for a sequel.As with most of his writing, this is not one to read if you are squeamish or faint hearted, but if you like your books on the dark side, you will most likely enjoy this one.

Love this book was expensive but worth it. I really like the artwork for this book and the fact that its genuinly signed makes it extra special.The story itself is unique and I really enjoyed it although I got confused with some aspects but then it made sense in the end.First Chuck palaniuk book Ive read, since then. I have brought Snuff And I'm currently reading Fight Club Both I would Recommend especially Snuff.If your familiar with Chuck palaniuk I'd recommend this book as it has his certain things that only he does. If your not familiar with him I would suggest any of his other titles as Rant is not a standard written novel Its paragraphs from different people so its like a long interview of people having their say.

Love him or hate him, Chuck Palahniuk is one of the most daring and adventurous writers of his generation. Having made his mark in trail-blazing style with Fight Club (now more than ten years old) the author has garnered praise and criticism in equal measure for his bold, minimalist style, sparse plots and warped characterisation - as well some genuinely stomach-turning descriptive passages. Rant, with its use of multiple narratives to tell the story of Buster 'Rant' Casey - a young man from a town "four hours drive from anywhere" who, in his time, was responsible for the phenomenon known as 'party-crashing' and the spread of rabies among the social underclass (referred to here as 'Nighttimers') - is typical Palahniuk fare. It lacks the rawness and millennial angst of Fight Club or Survivor, and unlike, say, Choke, this is not one you'll be able to read in one sitting. However, Rant sees Palahniuk at his most ambitious and anarchic, as he incorporates elements of science fiction theory (notably, the 'grandfather paradox') into a sustained attack on a whole range of societal conventions.But it's not just attack for attack's sake. The genius of Palahniuk's work - and of Rant in particular - is in the way it deals with the truly bizarre and uses it to raise questions in our minds about what is really possible. He asks, who says we can't do that? Yes, Rant is complicated, and occasionally shocking. However, look beyond all that and you'll find insights into the human condition, which, however disturbing and far-fetched they may be, are startlingly reminiscent of the truth. I enjoyed this book immensely and even found myself laughing out loud on a number of occasions at the sheer audacity of some of the story's twists.Highly recommended.Matt Pucci

Of the several books by Palahniuk I've read this is by far the poorest. Confusing and generally pointless, this can't be recommended as a 'must read' and if you're new to the author choose ANY of his other books as a starter for 10.

BRILL !