Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk *****

Lullaby is not UpChucks best but it sure is close. It is easily among the best of his work. Better than Choke, Haunted, and Diary. On par with Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Survivor. The story is just absurd enough to almost kind of believe and gives insight into why UpChucks work is in a league all it's own.

The story of a man who works a a journalist and has a current assignment on the subject of S.I.D.S. or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. As he begins his assignment he realizes a trend across the country, as all of the parents of the children who died had read them a poem from page 27 in a book of poems from around the world; a culling song. An old African chant used to send the dying to the other side. This is all by mistake that the parents harm their children of course but once the poem falls in to the wrong hand it shows that people have a serious issue with tolerance and self-control. As the main character scourers the country in search for every copy of the book he realizes he has undertaken more then he bargained for.

Lullaby is a insightful (as is all UpChucks work), a page turner, and one that will have you transfixed on what is coming. Palahniuks signature style shines bright here and makes for one of his best novels.

I found that a lot of the criticism heaped upon this story by several of the other reviewers is partly misguided. Although, when compared to his other books, this one does lack a lot of the shocking imagery, it still manages to provide an entertaining narrative in the same theme and tone of those other works. And that is what I think gives his stories value: not the disturbing imagery, but the creative look at common themes many people have seen with regards to our culture.

This story deals with power and control. Who really has it? Does it even exist? How should we exercise it? And, ultimately, do the answers to those questions even matter? While yes, this story is more conventional and straightforward than Palahniuk's previous work, I do not think "Lullaby" is disappointing in the least. I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to reading "Diary".

Any novel that is this thought-provoking deserves at least 3 stars, even if it isn't all that satisfying to read (at times, unpleasant to read).

I'm a big fan of Kurt Vonnegut, who also writes satirical fiction, but where Vonnegut is a humanitarian who finds humour in life, too much of Lullaby is mean-spirited. You have to admire Palahniuk for tackling such controversial subject matter, but at the same time, it's hard to find the humour in Lullaby.

The greatest strength of this type of novel is that its author has something to say.

Every other living thing on the planet evolves to adapt to its environment; to find food and protect itself from predators. But human beings have reached a point in evolution where we adapt our environment to suit us, we purchase food in grocery stores, and we have no predators (other than ourselves). There are no natural population controls. We travel without barriers to virtually every corner of the world, disrupting eco-systems. In fact, we intentionally manipulate eco-systems, introducing foreign species with hazardous consequences.

We are a cross between `a bull in a china shop', and those two bunnies in the pet store that are left alone until the store is overflowing with bunnies.

This was the main message I got from reading Lullaby. The culling poem, as I interpreted it, was a means to stop our destructive evolutionary path.

It turns out that the actual catalyst for the novel was the murder of the author's father. When Palahniuk wrote Lullaby he was wrestling with his own views on capital punishment as a result of having to deal with the court system when his father's killer went to trial.

Shows you what I know.

Whether or not this novel is about capital punishment, human evolution, the soul sucking influence of the media and pop culture, religion, or noise pollution, this is a novel that will get you thinking.

Unfortunately, the novel itself is not very entertaining to read. A lot of readers will find some of the subject matter in this novel extremely disturbing (I like morbid humour, but I found myself cringing in places). The novel actually gets a little monotonous at times as our `anti-heroes' hit the road on a futile quest to find all of the library books in the US that contain the deadly lullaby.

The biggest barrier to enjoying Lullaby is the fact that every character in it is so unlikeable. Sometimes this can work (to a degree). I enjoyed Survivor despite the fact that the central characters demonstrate a similar `depraved indifference' to human life. The difference perhaps, in Lullaby, is the subject matter.

Let's face it. Dead babies and necrophilia just aren't funny.

Any novel that is this thought-provoking deserves at least 3 stars, even if it isn't satisfying to actually read.

Lullaby sets up an intriguing premise but quickly becomes tedious, not to mention - unpleasant to read. Palahniuk writes satire, and Lullaby has a bizarre and demented plot that serves as social commentary.

I'm a big fan of Kurt Vonnegut, who also writes satirical fiction, but where Vonnegut is a humanitarian who finds humour in life, too much of Lullaby is mean-spirited. You have to admire Palahniuk for tackling such controversial subject matter, but at the same time, it's hard to find the humour in Lullaby.

The greatest strength of this type of novel is that its author has something to say. While there are a number of themes in the novel, the one that resonated with me was how the novel was a statement about human evolution.

Every other living thing on the planet evolves to adapt to its environment; to find food, to protect itself from predators. But human beings have reached a point in evolution where we now adapt our environment to suit us, we purchase food in grocery stores, and we have no predators (other than ourselves). There are no natural population controls. We travel without barriers to virtually every corner of the world. Our very presence in parts of the world where we've migrated has disrupted eco-systems. But beyond that, we have intentionally manipulated eco-systems, introducing foreign species with hazardous consequences.

We are a cross between `a bull in a china shop', and those two bunnies in the pet store that are left alone until the store is overflowing with bunnies.

This was the main message I got from reading Lullaby. The culling poem, as I interpreted it, was a means to stop our destructive evolutionary path.

It turns out that the actual catalyst for the novel was the murder of the author's father. When Palahniuk wrote Lullaby he was wrestling with his own views on capital punishment as a result of having to deal with the court system when his father's killer went to trial.

Shows you what I know.

Whether or not this novel is about capital punishment, human evolution, the soul sucking influence of the media and pop culture, religion, or noise pollution, this novel will get you thinking.

Unfortunately, the novel itself is not very entertaining to read. A lot of readers will find some of the subject matter in this novel extremely disturbing (I like morbid humour, but I found myself cringing in places). The novel actually gets a little monotonous at times as our `anti-heroes' hit the road on a futile quest to find all of the library books in the US that contain the deadly lullaby.

The biggest barrier to enjoying Lullaby is the fact that every character in it is so unlikeable. Sometimes this can work (to a degree). I enjoyed Survivor despite the fact that the central characters demonstrate a similar `depraved indifference' to human life. The difference perhaps, in Lullaby, is the subject matter.

Let's face it. Dead babies and necrophilia just aren't funny.

One of my favorite Chuck Palahniuk books, about a "culling song--" a poem that mysteriously kills people after they hear it. (I guess it was before that movie "The Ring" came out, but kind of the same concept--except you don't get seven days!!)

Anyway, in true Chuck Palahniuk fashion, this book is excellent, weaving all sorts of characters together in a sick, twisted, lovely little tale.

I'm not overly familiar with Chuck Palahniuk's work. I've read "Fight Club" and I've seen the brilliant film adaptation as well. "Lullaby" is a short novel (260 pages) and can easily be identified as a Palahniuk novel. Much in the same way you can instantly recognize a Yes or Elvis song when it comes on the radio; you can instantly see echoes of "Fight Club" in this work. Critics aren't joking when they say that Palahniuk's novels almost seem to fall into their own category. Carl Streator is a reporter investigating SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Soon, Carl notices that before the infant's death they were read a poem...And, soon after his discovery, after a tip from his friend Nash (a necrophiliac paramedic) he meets Helen Hoover Boyle, who sells haunted houses. She confirms that there is a poem called a "culling song" and Carl unwittingly kills a few people using this poem. About halfway through the novel; Helen, Carl, and Helen's assistant Mona and her boyfriend Oyster begin searching for the books with the intent to destroy the poem and keep anyone else from getting ahold of the "culling song." From that brief synopsis, it's hard to deny the story sounds unique at the least. This is not a book short on uniqueness. But, beyond that, "Lullaby" is entertaining and beyond interesting. Palahniuk himself has a unique writing style that is incomparable to anyone else. If you want to read something that's entertaining, a quick read, and completely unlikely anything else you've read...Read "Lullaby." If anyone decides to adapt another novel by Palahniuk, this one would be terrific...Some pages scream "motion picture."

GRADE: A-

"Lullaby" is Palahniuk's first foray into writing horror fiction, and earned him a Bram Stoker Award nomination. Like all of his novels, "Lullaby" is densely packed with ideas and concepts with varying degrees of success. The first-person narration and flash-forward/flashback structure are uncommon in horror fiction, where plot usually rules the day. For general fiction readers, though, the necrophilia and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) topics may be too intense. Halfway through the book, the narrator and company go on a road trip that calls to mind "Invisible Monsters," Palahniuk's first novel. The themes shift from serial killers to veganism to noise pollution to witchcraft to the aforementioned necrophilia and SIDS and back again. It's a fun ride that will stay with readers long after the book is closed--if readers are willing to follow its twists and turns.

Had a tough time with this one. Not UN-enjoyable... Not UN-interesting... But at the same time not exactly grab-you-by-the-scrotum interesting in the same way that Choke or Diary or (heaven forbid) Fight Club was.

Loved this book! Pick it up, flop back the cover and get lost on a world of ghosts, scams, witches, love-affairs, murder and redemption. A very detailed, well told story just crazy enough to remind you it was written by the psycho we all know and love; Chuck Palahniuk.

I tore through this book. Of course, true to fashion, Chuck delivered prose in an unusal and eccentric style and gave me quite a few things to think about. I would highly recommend.

I tore through this book. Of course, true to fashion, Chuck delivered prose in an unusal and eccentric style and gave me quite a few things to think about. I would highly recommend.

After reading Fight Club, Choke, Invisible Monsters, and Survivor, Lullaby caught me off guard, it didn't strike me as something Chuck would write about;
it was out there, like most of his work that i've read is,
but best of all, it was an exellent read and definitely up to par with the rest of his works;
i can't wait to see the day that he's required reading in schools,
his work is far more interesting and makes me think independantly alot more than anything i've ever read before.
brilliant

Chuck rocks. I like that he never loses the readers attention, even when the pace slows, the dialogue and descriptions keep you in it.

Although i enjoyed it,some of the stuff in his books are off the wall! I like his use of terms and his little "fun facts". A good read if your a chuck fan...one of his better books. (i've only read three so far)

My rating is based more so on the creative literary talents of the nihilistic author Chuck Palahniuk. He fabricates a symbolic commentary on the failures of society in the guise of a black comedy. Palahniuk uses a gritty no holds barred style that touches subject matter not for the faint of heart. He creates a bizarre array of characters to expouse his views. He fascinatingly incorporates ceaseless clusters of factoids germane to the theories he proposes within this outlandish novel.

Middle aged journalist Carl Streator is involved in a newspaper series concerning Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. While conducting interviews with unfortunate families touched by these tragedies, he uncovers a common denominator. Each tiny victim had been read to from a book "Poems and Rhymes Around the World". More specifically a lullaby or African culling song found on page 27, were the last words heard by the babies. Streator soon realizes that the mere utterance or thinking the words of the lullaby results in immediate death.

This revelation has him seek out a Helen Hoover Boyle, a real estate agent specializing in the sale and quick resale of haunted houses. Boyle had also lost a child to SIDS as did Streator, and had knowledge of the culling song's effect.

Streator, unable to contain his thoughts of the lullaby, goes on an unintended killing spree and needs Boyle's help to control himself. Together along with Boyle's assistant Mona, a Wiccan witch and her hippyish boyfriend Oyster, who places slanderous advertisements to bring down institutions that are ecologically insensitive, they all go on a cross country excursion. Their goal is to locate all copies of the lullaby and destroy them. They are also searching for a fabled grimoire, a book of spells that they hope to use to alter societal norms and evoke change.

Palahniuk is my favorite writer by far. This novel was another great one, with imagery, odd facts, and unexpected turns. I suppose Palahniuk writes for intelligent readers, and I don't think the below-average person would have a clue what his books are about. If you're stupid, don't read his books. You won't get it. Watch Fight Club, the movie, a few more times and act like you're a huge fan. Then again, if you're stupid, you probably don't read at all.

on the back of this book it says that it costs $13.95 in the united states, and $21.00 in canada. i got it for 75 cents at a garage sale. i just thought that i'd let people know that garage sales can be good places to get books.

i didn't know what to expect, and i dont want to give anything away. what i can tell you is that i could not put this book down!!! I have had friends read it, and thet loved it too! I can't wait to read more from Mr. Chuck Palahniuk!!!

This is my favorite Chuck Palahniuk book. It's go such a good plot and even better characters. It's just surprise after surprise with this. It's funny, crude, and somewhat meaningful.

And the ending!! Oh man!!!

I literally will go back just to read the last two chapters because it blew my mind.

Brilliant!
The spooky culling song, used to soothe dying warriors and the terminally ill into the permanent sleep, has been accidentally published in a book of children's verse!
Children are lulled to sleep to never awaken!
When discovered, all copies must be destroyed.
Unless you hold the only copy-- imagine the power!

This is one of the best books I have read in my life. The dysfunctional characters seem very real, and it is LoL funny at times. Palahniuk makes this piece of fiction almost believable. The ending is quite a shocker. This book is worth your time, and it will probably lead you to reading all of his work. I know thats what it did to me.

What do you think you would do if you had the power exact the ultimate revenge without any recourse? Most of us would say we wouldn't use it. But what if you couldn't help it? Carl Streator happens across an old rhyme (spell) that when spoken or even thought, will kill the listener. He figures out the secret to this spell quickly, but it's like getting a song stuck in your head - you can't stop it. Customer service reps beware.

Palahniuk's novel assembles his signature quirky group of loners who somehow find each other and develop into an odd disfunctional family. They cross the country in search of all the copies of the book containing the spell, but not all members of this family have the same motives.

This book made me laugh out loud. I've read the word "horror" in some reviews, but I don't see that here or in any of Palahniuk's work. Gruesome and unsettling, but not horrific. The motivations of the characters make sense in the odd world they find themselves in.

Loved it

Came very quickly and in excellent condition.

Review on Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

Imagine if you had the power to kill someone by just thinking about it. In the novel Lullaby, by Chuck Palahniuk also the author who wrote Fight Club and Choke, has introduced this dark humorous story what is called a culling spell. This spell originated from Africa found in Poems and Rhymes from Around the World which was sung to give a painless death to the elderly or someone who was dying. The main character in the book manages to get a hold of this cursed poem and reaps the consequences by accidentally murdering his child and wife.

Reporter, ex husband and father Carl Streator devotes his life in finding all copies every made of the poem and destroying them. On his way in a cross-country journey he meets two people who share the same power and join him in the mission for they also have lost loved ones and know about the spell. To Streator's horror, he finds that by reciting and even thinking about the culling song becomes lethal to others lives. Through out the book he comes in contact with people he deeply dislikes and deserves the culling song. Ironically he can restrain himself with those he hates rather than innocent people he encounters. Streator has lost himself in his observations of others and their stories; he forgets to worry about his own. This is used as a metaphor for the problem of information overloaded in society today and how we become distracted watching others lives within the media, advertising, and ect..that we forget to watch our own lives. He eventually learns how to control this power. However some characters that he is with who also share the power urn to have the power and use it for their own needs weather it being used for evil or good.

Helen Hoover Boyle, a real estate broker, spends her time trying to sell haunted houses to buyers, continually confuses you through out the novel of weather or not she is bad or good. She uses other spells that they find in the Book of Shadows to control Mr. Streator and uses him to get what she wants. They end up having a sort of love affair even though Mona Sabbat, a soft-spoken Wiccan who works for Helen, thinks that Helen has put love spells on Mr. Streator to keep him distracted with her and not on the poem. On the way in their mission to destroy the poem they stumble upon a grimoire, which contains the original poem, and other spells as well that hold different kinds of powers. Whether the grimoire should be destroyed or put to good use is a question, which they have not reached consensus.



The author uses a lot of reference to society and human behavior and good references to this we find throughout the novel; " Think of all the generations of women who looked in that mirror,..They took it home. They aged in that mirror. They died, all those beautiful young women, but here's the host. A big fat predator looking for its next meal." (52). In this passage the women who have looked into the mirror have been judging themselves because they are convinced by the mirror, who is the `predator' which represents society, that this is how you are suppose to look. In the materialistic society that we live in, the media manipulates the public's perception on women's image and what is socially accepted.

Palahniuk effectively examines patterns of human behavior with the characters and their relationship with the world; "All that work and love and effort and time, my life, wasted. Everything I hoped would outlive me I've ruined...And sitting here, I've run out of parts. All the walls and roofs and handrails. And what's glued to the floor in front of me is a bloody mess. It's nothing perfect or complete, but this is what I've made of my life. Right or wrong, it follows no great master plan. All you can do is hope for a pattern to emerge, and sometimes it never does. Still, with a plan, you only get the best you can imagine. I'd always hoped for something better than that. In this passage the character refers to this playhouse he has unsuccessfully built as a symbol of his unfinished and failed life. The expectations for the house was suppose to go to his now dead daughter and outlive generations to come. Left with this incomplete and broken house, he feels lost and unsure of what is left for him to save or fulfill in the world. There is no turning back after spending all that hardship and time into something you have destroyed and destroys you.

I think the clear message in this story that the author is getting across is from an Anthropological view of why humans act the way they do and why we are so useless at fulfilling our own lives. Other than a few part of the novel it can become twisted and visual, but all round it was an excellent book of choice. I would recommend for everyone to read in some point in his or her life. It is extremely intriguing and makes you thinking differently about life, death, humanity, and existence itself. There is a lot more to this darkly humorous book then you think.


Savannah 5/9/07

Almost everybody has a memory of being sung a lullaby by their parents. Do you remember the soothing voices of your parents as you lie in your bed trying to fall asleep? We all remember how safe we felt and how much we loved those lullabies. Unfortunately for all the lullaby lovers, author Chuck Palahnuik in "Lullaby" takes our beloved lullaby and turns it into something scary. And it is because the author is able to turn something which seems harmless into something scarefully harmful that I suggest readers to buy this book. This is one book which will make you wonder, what if this were true?
What if you were able to discover a lullaby which kills the listener? How would you handle the power? These are the questions which Chuck Palahnuik echoes throughout the book. I personally enjoyed the importance of the moral strength of the characters to restrain themselves from abusing their new power. It seemed as if each of the characters had their own reasons why they could abuse the power which I believe draws the reader into the story. It draws the reader into the story because one wonders if the characters will act on these reasons. Plus everybody can relate to the experience of temptation. Imagine having a power which would allow anybody to erase people from their hidden "people I hate" that lies inside them. How tempting one would be to help shorten this list! Fortunately, we are all born with a conscience and one could only hope the conscience would put the guilty trick on those with the power. In other words, if one is born with what we call a "short fuse" this is definitely not a lullaby for them.
I was very impressed with how creative the author was with the main characters. As mentioned earlier, he created the characters to have personalities which tempted them to abuse the power but at the same time had a side to them which made them question their abuse of the lullaby. This contradiction within the characters was what I believed created urgency within the story. One wonders which side of the character will be dominant and who will display the courage to let their good side be the dominant side. It could be Carl who has a past history with this lullaby which causes him to have anger but to his defense he seems to have a good conscience in place as well. It could be Helen who also has a past history but unlike Carl she hides her anger and her conscience is also in question. And it could be either Oyster or Mona because they seem to have a plan of what they want to do with lullaby but luckily for the world one of them seems to have a better conscience.
The possibility of the truth of the lullaby spreading across the world in this story is another attention catcher. What if more people found out about the lullaby? We all know what would happen if the lullaby did get out. Instead of a noisy world like today it would be a silent world where speech, music, and noise were banned. Quite a scary thought! Thankfully, this story is not real and there is no chance of this ever happening but the fact that the author acknowledges this possibility within the story is another example of his ability to make the story seem real.
Another evident theme in the story was trust which is played out through the characters of Helen and Carl. Both of them have different goals in mind with the lullaby but both have to work together. In other words, both have to restrain themselves from killing each other off because they need each other. I found it funny how both of them knew they needed each other but did not want to admit it until they were sure it was safe to do so (198). And although they were quite certain they could trust each other throughout the story the author always keeps the possibility of one of them not being trustworthy planted in the back of the readers mind.
Overall, this was one book I would suggest others to read. If one is looking for a quick read which also contains a matter of depth to it, then this is one book I highly suggest. It is fast paced, action packed, and filled with a lot of twists and turns. In other words, this is a good book. A book which you will find you want to reread over and over again.

To be completely honest, it is quite difficult to comprehend Palahniuk novels unless you read them in the chronological order he wrote them in. I find it difficult to understand that many people who have read this novel were so-called "first time" Palahniuk readers. To understand Palahniuk and where he is coming from, you have to begin with Fight Club. This isn't Fight Club though, but ranks up there among his greatest efforts. I can understand how some readers would be come frustated with the style this novel is written in. I myself had trouble understand some portions of the novel, but come on? Aren't books supposed to make you think? You expect to just read a book and not be required to even ponder the least bit? Lullaby will REALLY make you think. And hard too. So if you're not into that sort of deal, then don't bother.

Palahniuk has a gift for creating a thought provoking read while maintaining a fast pace laced with sarcasm, wit and intellect. `Lullaby' is no exception. Truth be told, I am not as in love with this novel as I am with `Invisible Monsters' or even `Fight Club' but I am impressed with his prose and development, and that is something that speaks volumes. As any fan of his previous work will know, Chuck loves to create characters from the lowest walks of life with this strangest of hobbies and put them in the weirdest of situations. Here, in `Lullaby', he does the same thing with haunting results.

The main characters, four of them, are all distressed in their own ways, all suffering from something. Carl Streator, a newspaper reporter, has lost both his wife and child and is dealing with that on his own terms. When he's assigned to write an article on SIDS, what killed his child, he's sent on a strangely gratifying journey for some answers. This is when he meets Helen Hoover Boyle, a real estate agent who sells possessed homes in order to assure an instant turnover. She herself lost a child to SIDS and it's her knowledge of what `really' killed their children that begins this witch-hunt so-to-speak.

The killer here is called a `culling song', an ancient lullaby that was sung to the dying to ease their journey to the other realm. Unbeknownst to parents, when they sing this song to their children they are in affect killing them. After hearing this Carl and Helen become determined to find every copy of this song and dispose of them. Helen's secretary Mona and her boyfriend Oyster decide to accompany the duo, but as the novel progresses we, the reader, become aware that intentions are shady (on the part of almost everyone) and no one is really who they seem.

Palahniuk's writing style is engrossing, and here he ups the ante almost with mesmerizing imagery and impressive character development. Chuck constantly wants to make a statement, and here is no exception as he rips apart the media and their constant impact in our lives and their grip on our decisions. Whether or not you buy into his views rarely makes a difference for the talented web he weaves here is worth the ride either way. With characters that will both endear and repel you, `Lullaby' is classic Palahniuk and thus should make it's way into any avid readers lap. Sit back and be mesmerized!

Palahniuk has a gift for creating a thought provoking read while maintaining a fast pace laced with sarcasm, wit and intellect. `Lullaby' is no exception. Truth be told, I am not as in love with this novel as I am with `Invisible Monsters' or even `Fight Club' but I am impressed with his prose and development, and that is something that speaks volumes. As any fan of his previous work will know, Chuck loves to create characters from the lowest walks of life with this strangest of hobbies and put them in the weirdest of situations. Here, in `Lullaby', he does the same thing with haunting results.

The main characters, four of them, are all distressed in their own ways, all suffering from something. Carl Streator, a newspaper reporter, has lost both his wife and child and is dealing with that on his own terms. When he's assigned to write an article on SIDS, what killed his child, he's sent on a strangely gratifying journey for some answers. This is when he meets Helen Hoover Boyle, a real estate agent who sells possessed homes in order to assure an instant turnover. She herself lost a child to SIDS and it's her knowledge of what `really' killed their children that begins this witch-hunt so-to-speak.

The killer here is called a `culling song', an ancient lullaby that was sung to the dying to ease their journey to the other realm. Unbeknownst to parents, when they sing this song to their children they are in affect killing them. After hearing this Carl and Helen become determined to find every copy of this song and dispose of them. Helen's secretary Mona and her boyfriend Oyster decide to accompany the duo, but as the novel progresses we, the reader, become aware that intentions are shady (on the part of almost everyone) and no one is really who they seem.

Palahniuk's writing style is engrossing, and here he ups the ante almost with mesmerizing imagery and impressive character development. Chuck constantly wants to make a statement, and here is no exception as he rips apart the media and their constant impact in our lives and their grip on our decisions. Whether or not you buy into his views rarely makes a difference for the talented web he weaves here is worth the ride either way. With characters that will both endear and repel you, `Lullaby' is classic Palahniuk and thus should make it's way into any avid readers lap. Sit back and be mesmerized!

If you are a fan of Chuck Palahniuk, you'll really love this book. If you haven't read any of his books, start with something a little more accessible, like Fight Club or Survivor. This story is so twisted and sick, I have to give it five fat shiny stars. His writing style is also refreshingly brilliant.

i loved this book. Choke and Lullaby are two of the best book i've ever read. This book Explores topics of death, the Medias effect on the world, and having the power to play God. I don't want to give the story away by going into details. But I will say that the book centers around a writer named Carl who while investigating sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) comes across a culling song that kills people.

As a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan I found Lullaby to be lacking when compared to his previous work. Much of his biting wit, twist and turns, and dark humor are missing when compared to other works, such as Haunting, Fight Club, and Choke. To best sum it up, I'd call Lullaby 'Palahniuk Lite;' if you find his other work disturbing, or just have a tough time with cynical humor, this is a better read for you. For those of us who enjoy our humor pitch black, Lullaby just does not provide.

When talking about Lullaby with other fans, it can be a bit difficult to actually place your finger on what is different. Yes, tabooed subjects are touched upon as in similar works, but only briefly where as if you read Choke you'll find an in-depth, uncomfortable look at sex addiction. The story, while random, is also predictable and by the middle you have a good idea of the end, where once again Fight Club is hard to imagine the end even in the last few pages.

Ultimately, Lullaby is not a bad book and you may enjoy it, but don't expect that same style and wit you will find in other Palahniuk books. Left by itself, Lullaby is a quick read that may leave the average reader a little squeamish. Compared to his other books, Palahniuk fans will be left wanting for more.

This was the first book I had read by Chuck Palahniuk... and sadly, it might be my last. I started reading this book about four different times in the last two years, and FINALLY sat down and rerereread it. Ughh... why did I do such a thing? Lullaby has some interesting points, some visually entertaining moments, but as a cohesive story- my god, it's irritating! Nothing "really" develops, it goes from slightly believable and lifelike, to really bizarre and annoying. There are changes in narration that make it hard to follow at times, which only adds to the "ughhhh" factor. You could see how if a hundred pages shorter, it might make a good story, but at 260 pages, it just gets frustrating.

Chuck Palahniuk's "Lullaby" is a total waste of time. Talk about style over substance. The jacket blurbs talk of the subversiveness and nihilism of this book. What a joke. It's repetitive, hard to follow, and only "disturbing and dark" to the Upper Westside cocktail party crowd. Palahniuk obviously aspires to be a shocking and funny satirest but it comes across as posturing. A bunch of minimalistic sound bites that are used over and over ("his password is password" for example) really are not funny the fiftieth time you read it. The characters in Lullaby are so poorly drawn that stick people have more depth in comparison. Stream-of-conciousness riffing only goes so far. Eventually there has to be a story to tell. Palahniuk's silly tale of a culling song that can kill the people who hear it and the quest to rid every library and home of this song is just stupid. Not funny in either a conventional or even absurdist way. Plot holes big enough to drive this author's oversized ego through abound. Not frightening either because every thing about this book rings false. What Palahniuk thinks of as clever witticisms are really just vacuous wordplay designed to take the reader's mind off the fact that he just wasted $14 and a few hours time. Don't waste your money too.

Lullaby is a fast read, full of magic and movement. The premise is unique and it captures the reader's attention with ease. The book moves as quickly as its characters. His charatcer, Carl, Helen, Oyster and Mona, are full bodied but different to each other in ways that complement each other.

In true Palahniuk style, it is an allegory, but it is not so obvious that the reader is distracted. His style is smooth, yet somehow choppy, so Palahnuik fans will get their dose of his writing through this book.

The story is a powerful one, and I recommend this book highly to those looking for a 24 hour fix.

Lullaby is amazing, like all his books.
Great characters, compelling story, perfect pacing.
A must read, pick it up.

It took me a while, but I finally got around to reading Lullaby. Overall, I was disappointed by the book. Compared to his other works, I think Lullaby is clearly a weaker story (a culling spell - you read it and people die - is discovered and 4 people set out to try and destroy/exploit it), and more importantly filled with less interesting characters than we usually get from Chuck.

It does contain alot of the same anti-consumerism message that was so prominent in Fight Club - but this time around there is no powerful Tyler Durden type character capable of really championing the cause.

All in all, if this book had been written by anyone else I would have enjoyed it more. But coming from Palahniuk - I expected a lot more.

This is the first novel by Palahniuk I have read (have seen the movie adaptation of Fight Club of course), and I must say I was impressed. Palahniuk's writing style is lucid, sharp-witted, and fast. I burned through Lullaby in a few days and loved most every minute of it. It made me laugh out loud at times. Palahniuk's writing reminds me somewhat of Mark Leyner: intelligent, sarcastic, bitter, but with a bit more heart.

He just gets better with every book. Better at what? Why, at being Chuck Palahniuk, of course. If you've read any of his books, you know I'd need a whole lot of words to explain what that means. You'd be much better off reading HIS words. They're excellent. I'm not saying a lot, but I am highly recommending this book. Highly. I'll keep it and read it again. Yes I will.

If anyone else had written this book I would have given it five stars based on the incredible originality and the awesome writing style that I have never come across with another author. However, Palahniuk wrote this book and I have read better by him. And so, it gets a four.

I will not summarize the novel.. that has already been done for you. But I will say that Palahniuk uses such good descriptions in his story that I actually had to stop reading to cringe (teeth & expensive jewels & blood). The whole culling song thing is also very very interesting and not something that you read of very often. Just the idea of a culling song is pretty fascinating. And, as always, Palahniuk's characters are intriguing. They're real, and they certainly aren't there to make you like them.

Either Palahniuk is incredibly intelligent or he extensively researches before writing his novels - probably both. You can tell the man knows what he is talking about and he does not falter on his facts. This is one of the reasons why I love him.

This book was very good and I would probably read it again. But I enjoyed "Diary" and "Survivor" the best (by him) so far, so check them out too!

Wow! How does one describe "Lullaby"? How does one describe Chuck Palahniuk? His stories take on descriptive tones that I don't believe have ever been matched. What might on the surface appear to be constant trivial facts, are in fact, highly intelligent examples of symbolism. The man is a genius. In this story, our hero (if a man that is responsible for numerous deaths can be called that) is trying to cope with an imperfect and horrible world. Pure misery is his life and has been for close to twenty years. However, a macabre assignment presents him with a tool that might allow him to affect great change on society. Well, as Palahniuk points out, the world was perhaps ruined more by people hoping to promote positive change, than from anything else. This book has it all, humor, witchcraft, culling spells, characters named Oyster, etc.. I feel it would be ridiculous to attempt to go into any real detail on the plot. Just let me say, that the story is coherent and makes a great deal of sense and will make even more sense when you read Chapter 1 again after you are finished.

LULLABY_was, for me, the ultimate Mr. P. book. Having read_FIGHT CLUB_and some other great reads (McCrae's_KATZENJAMMER_) I thought I had reached the top. But not so. This book is every bit as good, if not better. The twisted world of Chuck Palahniuk is not one for everybody. He deals with themes that would make the average person quite sqeamish--as does Jackson McCrae--and he handles the material beautifully. The story of_LULLABY_is based on a "culling song" which is an African poem read to the sick and dying to try and kill them peacefully (see what I mean about odd themes?). Car Streator, a main character in the book, is out to stop the poem, and this is the impetus for the novel moving forward plot-wise. I can't recommend this book enough. But be warned: If this is your first Chuck Palahniuk book, it won't be your last!

How can memorizing a poem written in semen be attractive? Because the poem can kill whenever and whoever the poet wants. Just focus in on a particular someone and think of that poem. Instant murder without the evidence. That's the power Carl Streator, an article writer, has obtained. At first the thought of murder is disturbing, but power does corrupt and no one person can deny that killing without consequence is a tempting power indeed. Thus it is up to Streator and a witch disguised as a real estate agent to destroy every copy of that spell. In the process they may kill more people than they save. This novel is fabulous. I'd say one of Palahanuik's best.

When I read Stephen King's `Cell', I found his editorializing irritating. After reading `Lullaby' I realize it wasn't the fact that King wanted to make a point that rankled. It wasn't the opinions that he was putting forward either. It was the peevishness. Palahniuk's message is robust and subversive. He doesn't have a `pet peeve' - he's making a social indictment and backing it up.

By twisting the role of Big Brother into that of a distracter, Palahniuk makes Orwell's creation more relevant, but it just goes to show that Huxley's concept of a `Brave New World' was more prescient than `1984'. Keeping the masses distracted by something so they lose their focus on the real issues is timeless. The Romans used war, Huxley was particularly astute and used sex and drugs: there's ideology, abortion; and organized religion always makes a good red herring. There's even the concept of manipulating the perception of reality by linking the profit motive to the presentation of world events (oops).

In `Lullaby', the reality disruptor is sound; and Palahniuk doesn't just set up a cardboard stereotypical rapper polluting the neighbourhood with his `Yo!s' and turn the plot into a revenge fantasy by killing the offending black misogynist off slowly and painfully thus providing secret satisfaction to closet racists everywhere. That would make him a 'sell-out,' as the hippies used to say. In `Lullaby' the many uses of sound are explored intelligently, and relatively subtly.

King's a master craftsman whose wellspring of ideas has run dry, and it shows in the way he paints himself in the corner by the end of `Cell'. Palahniuk's brain is an electric generator that's produced so much wattage by the close of `Lullaby' that he's got options aplenty, and he manages to nail the ending.

One could go on dissecting this book for a while, but I don't have time: I'm dying to start reading another book by this guy!

In this book by Chuck Palahniuk, you better believe silence is golden. The plot revolves around a culling song. A culling song is described as a song that was used in ancient times to put warriors, the sick, or those suffering from wounds or disease out of their misery. It also was used to kill off some of the extra popluation when a tribe started getting too large or during times of short supplies of food and water.

Fast forward to modern times and this song, now a poem, gets placed into a children's book of poetry. When the poem starts causing deaths, labeled as SIDS, a reporter makes the link. Only he finds out that through the words written in that poem he can control life and death. Marked with memorable characters and page turning adventure and mystery, the reader is thrust into a new world where magic still exists.

At the end of the book, reading to your children any poem requires an act of faith for fear of accidentally giving them the boot to the next world. This book hits home psychologically by making one aware of the power of words and their reacing effects.

When you close the book and place it on the table next to you, you realize that "sticks and stones may break bones, but words can most definitely hurt you". Palahniuk has shown us that words do speak and what we say is heard.

I could not put down this book
It was very well written
Great Plot
Great Characters
And the Endeng was
AWESOME
I Highly Recommend this to all

Reading this book makes me want to read Fight Club, Choke and Haunted asap.
Lullaby is the first book I have read by Palaniuk and I enjoyed his writing style tremendously.
He mixes a sort of dry-witt with sneaky little twists and turns and absorbing plots. If Lullaby was this good... I can't even imagine Fight Club which was a phenomenal movie... hmmm...
I am immediately pulled in to his world, and wiped out like a chuck-flu! I didn't want to put the book down, even though I had to...

Everyone who has read him seems to love him and I heard Lullaby was a nice creepy read.

On his site: Chuck Palaniuk's quote for Lullaby... \"It makes Fight Club look like Little Women\".
That's a truth. It's creepy, about a Lullaby in a book called Poems and Rhymes from Around the World. Turns out the lullaby is a 'culling song'. ( culling; to remove or bind together). So, anyone who hears the song dies. -- it takes the reader on a journey with a reporter who stumbled across the Lullaby while researching SIDs deaths for an article.

It's a good book. Sad at times and the struggles to determine right from wrong. Good read. 4.5 out of 5 Stars!

i read this book a few years back. upon picking it up i realized how much i was missing by not having read any of chuck palahniuks work. this dark tale of the urgent mission to destroy all copies of a book containing a mysterious and deadly "culling song" moves fast and provides many thought provoking questions and ideas. as with all of palahniuks books there are many suprises, many twists and turns, and much beautifully descriptive language. i wont go into the story because no.1 this is a review, not a synopsis and no.2 i dont want to ruin anything for anyone that may pick this book up. i will say this though, palahniuk is a master of dark satire who laughs in the face of taboo and always leaves the reader with something to think about after the story is told. i have read all of his books and this one is, although it is a very tight race, my favorite of all. the questions of power structures, self control, and todays constant media bombardment leave the reader both enlightened and asking questions of themselves that they may not have thought of before. five stars

Among many things about this book that I enjoyed was the issue of morality that Palahniuk tackled in his own unique way. Written in his unique prose, Palahniuk takes us into the mind of a man who knows a lullaby that, by simply thinking the lyrics, can kill.

The character struggles to keep his new found knowledge from taking the lives of those who simply annoy him on a day to day basis. Soon he becomes a remorseful killer trying to rid the world of the copies of the lullaby that plagues his mind. The book indirectly posses the question to the reader, if you could kill on a whim by simply passively thinking about a song, never get caught, never face the consequences, would you be able to control yourself?

Not as good as "Fight Club". But creative none the less. Recommended

Being a huge fan of Palahniuk, I was excited to start this book. The beginning was alright, not too bad. But as the rest of the book proceeded, I couldn't keep with the story. It took me a very long time to finish this book, and I had to read other books in between just to give myself a break. But as you hit the ending, it all starts feel like this book was worth reading.

This is not one of Palahniuk's best. For the first time, I didn't feel like I knew the characters. For people first trying to get into Palahniuk, I do not recommend "Lullaby". I suggest "Fight Club" or "Survivor", then ease your way into "Lullaby". It's a worthy read, lots of symbolism--just the way I like it!--but it is not up to Palahniuk's usual standards.

I think what makes this book and all of Chuck's novels unique and good is not just the interesting plot and characters, but also much of his books hinges upon the philosophy he puts into them. He writes about his ideas and philosophy about things that encompass social, political and spiritual which revolves around the main story of each of his books. Its interesting to read it because there's always new ones in every chapter which motivates you to keep reading because his thoughts and personal philosophy are so true and one can relate with it. Lullaby is all about power and the need to acquire power. It's good novel, but not quite as enticing or deep as CHOKE or SURVIVOR. Must also recommend KATZENJAMMER by McCrae for another riveting and totally bizarre book.