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An underground classic since its first publication in 1996, Fight Club is now recognized as one of the most original and provocative novels published in [that] decade. Chuck Palahniuk's darkly funny first novel tells the story of a god-forsaken young man who discovers that his rage at living in a world filled with failure and lies cannot be pacified by an empty consumer culture. Relief for him and his disenfranchised peers comes in the form of secret after-hours boxing matches held in the basements of bars. Fight Club is the brainchild of Tyler Durden, who thinks he has found a way for himself and his friends to live beyond their confining and stultifying lives. But in Tyler's world there are no rules, no limits, no brakes.

I like to read things that come from Chuck Palahniuk's mind. The result could be good (Diary) or bad (Invisible Monsters); sometimes you never know. What you do know is that the story will likely be something you could never come up with on your own. That is not to say that they are mystery novels and the suspense is imaginative. Though Palahniuk's suspense is certainly imaginative, his stories follow no mold I have seen before.

Chuck Palahniuk is probably just what you would expect him to be like, should you have an opportunity to see him. I saw him give a speech a few years ago, and he was just as I expected. He said that when he writes books he tends to pick one music album to listen to while he writes. One album. For Fight Club, he said he listened to The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails. Again, probably just as you would have expected. Neat guy. Wonderful speaker. Incredibly interesting writer.

I have seen the movie adaptation for Fight Club. I love the movie and am always impressed with the parts played by Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, Jr. I was not hesitant, but rather curious to read the book. Normally I figure a person will prefer whichever version they experience first. I wasn't reading the book in hopes that it would be better than the movie since as they say, "the book is always better." I wanted to see this story on paper through Palahniuk's eyes and with his words rather than a Hollywood adaptation of both.

I found exactly what I had hoped for. The foundation was the same as the movie, but the writing was a little rougher around the edges. It was rough because it was not written to appeal to a broader audience like the movie script was, and it was rough because it was his first book. Like many authors, Palahniuk's writing has become...smoother, for lack of a better term, with each book he has written. Please do not interpret that as a complaint with the book or a negative comment, it is only an observation. If anything, it made the book better as it was more fitting with the feel of the story.

I have seen the movie. Any potential, big plot-twist at the end of the story, if one existed....would not have been a surprise reading the book. I did not care. I wasn't reading the book for the story to be new again. I was only interested in seeing the story a different way, which I was able to do. Fight Club isn't the best book I have ever read, nor is it one of my favorites, but I am glad I took the time to read it. And I recommend it. You have no excuses, it's short.

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