Rating: 
Summary: In classic Palahniuk style, the prose is punchy....
Review: Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk. October 2002 by Doubleday. Signed 1st Edition Hardcover.
From inside the front flap '...a scitillating, cunningly plotted novel about the ultimate verbal weapon, one that reinvents the supernatural thriller for our times.'
In classic Palahniuk style, the prose is punchy, the imagery coming in quick, concise jabs; to the kidney, to the gut, a rabbit punch to the side of the head. This is classic Palahniuk in the tradition of Fight Club and Choke. Fantasy? No. Horror? Only environmentally. Supernatural?......
What if you discovered an ancient culling rhyme? What if that rhyme were unwittingly published in a children's book of nusery rhymes as a simple lullaby? What if this was just one of many such incantaions in a much more powerful and dangerous tome? This is a story of the impact of this single rhyme and the quest for the larger grimore; a book of spells, lore, and incantaions that can change the world and all things on it.
The Players:
Helen - Middle-aged (almost), big-haired 'Barbie doll', realator dealing exclusively in haunted mansions. She knows the power of the lullaby and uses it for profit.
Mona - Helen's assitant. A hippie-tree hugging-wiccan wannabe.
Oyster - Mona's boyfriend; an angry, anti-establishment, activist who is also a con artist.
Carl - A recent inductee to the lullaby's power, though he used it, unwittingly, many years before.
You will never look at nature or meat the same way again! Through Oyster, Palahiuk reveals many truths about the impact that industrialization, immagration, and commercialization/importation has had on the North American continent. Hundres of non-native plant and animal species have invaded this continent, choking out and driving native species to extinction. If you thought chicken nuggets and patties are made from the same nice, plump birds and parts you see in the store, think again!
A thoroughly entertaining read.
Rating: 
Summary: "YIKES!"
Review: One minute you're excited, intrigued, curious, and scared. The next you're sad and disappointed. What do you expect, It's Palahniuk! The world's a huge ball of dung, ready to implode at any second. Possessions mean nothing, and neither does anything or anybody. This book is filled with the typical snide commentary and cutting innuendos affiliated with Chuck. With some carving and "ectomies" this would make a trippy movie, especially if directed by David Fincher.
I've read all his books with exception of Invisible Monsters, and I liked Choke the best. Something about Chuck Palahniuks writing keeps one wondering what his next brainstorm will conjure up.
Once again, I'm not sure whether my life is better or worse having read another of his books. At least it keeps life interesting.
Rating:
Summary: great stuff. . .
Review: Great author. Great book. Funniest part about buying a Palahniuk book is getting the old "sign" from the guy behind the counter like you just joined Fight Club. Pretty funny and spooky at the same time. Come on - you have to admit this review is quite helpful. Ok, fine - you seem to prefer that I give away the plot. This guy learns a culling song and starts killing people first by saying it, then by thinking it. Then he takes a road trip with some other people that are whacked out like him. They try to burn a bunch of culling song books. Oh, please -- If you have read Chuck's other books -- just go buy this one too. It's one of his best. Although I rank Choke #1 and Fight Club #2 and this one only #3.
Rating:
Summary: As disturbing as it is entertaining
Review: Chuck Palahniuk exists in his own, private universe. Each new book is like him allowing us to peek in and take a tour. The journey isn't always pleasant but it's certainly wacky and fun. With Lullaby, things seem a lot darker and more hopeless than in previous novels (and before you ask, I've found hope in every single one of Chuck's books that I've read. Most especially Survivor). The situation that each of the characters find themselves in is huge and overwhelming. How can they hope to rise to the challenge when they can't stand each other? How can they hope to stand each other when they can't even handle themselves? The book is quite intriguing. The characters are the usual crazy group of misfits that find themselves thrown together. There's much more plot here than in previous books. There's also a bigger sense of suspense. While many people will no doubt wonder why this book is considered horror, the last two chapters should answer that question nicely. This is not a happy book. Then again, it's not a happy world. I don't want to imply that this book isn't worth reading. It most certainly is. It may not go the way you want, but it's certainly entertaining, and what other reason is there to read fiction, anyway?
Rating:
Summary: Beware of the culling spell...
Review: This is the first time I read a Palahniuk novel, though I did see THE FIGHT CLUB when it was first released and today it still remains one of my all time favorite movies. Reading LULLABY was certainly an adventure in itself that will linger for sometime. I could actually picture the movie adaptation of LULLABY in my mind while turning each page. The plot is imaginative and extraordinary. Carl discovers a pattern to several SIDS deaths while writing a feature newspaper article. He realizes that an African culling spell was read preceeding each death. Carl aims to destroy each copy of the culling spell. During his journey he meets a cast of strange characters including Helen, Mona, Oyster, Sarge, and Nash. While in an effort to save humanity from the culling spell, Carl finds himself involved in his own internal journey of what his life has become. Palahniuk successfully weaves strands of social commentary aimed primarily at the increasing influence of mass media and commercialism on individuals minds and free will (i.e. these noise-oholics and quiet-ophobics.) In addition, Palahniuk's use of color was exceptional. I've never read a novel which uses colors the way Palahniuk does. It creates a visual effect which further enhances the story and results in a unique experience. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: New Palahniuk Fan
Review: Is it just me, or this book amazing. This is the first Palahniuk novel for me, and I found it to be an excellent read. Not only is it twisted, bizarre, and gross, it is also moral, philosophical, and smart. Don't let anything stop you from reading this book. As long as you are not already taken over by the "singing and dancing Big Brother," you will enjoy this great book.
Rating:
Summary: A surprising book.
Review: Reporter Carl Streator comes to find a "culling song" which becomes lodged in his mind. The song is deadly & completely changes the life of Streator & strange things occur. This book is odd & strange, maybe that is why it is a good book.
It's never boring, it's witty & surprising. A nice book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!
Review: Good example of post-modern writing. I can relate to this because it refects modern life. They should be reading this stuff in high school instead of Jane Eyre.
Rating:
Summary: Chuck's Magical Misery Tour
Review: I've enjoyed all of Chuck's books. This one is no exception. His style of writing, unique, grabs me by the collar from the first page and shakes my senses till the last. As always, I can't put it down. If you enjoy edgy, philosophical creative writing, a bit of a twisted sense of humor, and aren't offended easily, check out Chuck's books.
Rating:
Summary: The Four Horsemen Saddle Up
Review: Are you feeling too happy? Are you uncomfortably content with life? Do you foolishly think that all is right with the world? Then, ladies and gentlemen, I have just the book for you. Lullaby, a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, is a wonderful story built on a foundation of some of the most morbid facts of life. Boys and Girls, this is the story of a man no more special than you or me. He's Carl Streator - a reporter for a big city newspaper writing about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. And he's discovered a poem - a culling song - near the crib of every dead baby. It turns out this poem is an ancient spell that mercifully kills the listener in his sleep. Mothers are unknowingly reading this spell to their children as a lullaby, and the result is disastrous every time. Unfortunately, Mr. Streator isn't the only one who knows the power of the poem, and soon he's inherited a traveling "family" of the morbidly powerful who set out to destroy every copy of the poem before they can do more damage. But they're finding it difficult to resist using their power every now and again. Reading Lullaby, no one is guiltless. Carnivores, Vegans, futurists and historical zealots, conservatives, liberals, the religious and the atheists, hippies, Wiccans, the elderly and the young - United We Stand under Mr. Palahniuk's blanket of blame. But in convicting us all for crimes against civilization, this author does something unique - and not accidental. He infuses his story with hope. It isn't a Disney hope, and it isn't immediately palpable. But once you're convinced that no one is blameless - and you will be so convinced - you will care less about who is at fault, and more about who has the power to change the world. And the answer is that we all do. This is social commentary at its most critical - and its most entertaining. Lullaby sometimes seems to needlessly camp out at the extreme, but that doesn't change the validity of its message.
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