List of Books by Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk is one of the most talented writers in America, with a talent for writing dark, thought-provoking prose. Palahniuk’s style can be classified as a minimalist as his works are often devoid of excessive descriptions of characters or scenarios.

Although Palahniuk holds a degree in journalism, he didn’t really pursue a career in it. In fact, it’s only after establishing a successful writing career that he went back to journalism.

In this post, you will find the complete list of Chuck Palahniuk’s novels along with the date of publications. If you haven’t read any of his works yet, there are 10 popular books from Palahniuk to choose from.

You can also get a list of writers that have very similar writing styles to Palahniuk. So make sure to give it a read soon!

Let’s get started!

Complete list of Chuck Palahniuk novels

This list contains Palahniuk’s full list of standalone novels, non-fiction works, short stories along with Palahniuk’s graphic novels. If you’re wondering in what order you should read Palahniuk’s novels, I’ve got you covered!

Chuck Palahniuk standalone novels

Fight Club (1996)
Survivor (1999)
Invisible Monsters (1999)
Choke (2001)
Lullaby (2002)
Diary (2003)
Haunted (2005)
Rant (2007)
Snuff (2008)
Pygmy (2009)
Tell-All (2010)
Invisible Monsters Remix (2012)
Beautiful You (2014)
Adjustment Day ( 2019)
The Invention of Sound (2020)

List of Chuck Palahniuk’s Damned series

Damned (2011)
Doomed (2013)

Must-read books of Chuck Palahniuk

Fight Club

Palahniuk’s satirical novel follows an unnamed protagonist who is suffering from insomnia. He finds the cure for his problems by attending cancer support groups. That’s also where he learns about Tyler Durden, a fight club leader. Durden asks the narrator to hit him as hard as he can. And thus begin the late hour fight club. Essentially the novel tells how extreme violence can be liberating.

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Choke

Victor Mancini is a sex obsessed medical school dropout. While working at a historical theme park for a minimum wage, he does frequent visits to restaurants and pretends to choke on food. This allows him not only to get free meals but also to con people to treat his demented mother. The chapters are short but the story is dark and intriguing like any other Palahniuk’s novel. The book was adapted into a film in 2008.

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Zombie

Zombie is a poignant short story by Chuck Palahniuk. The story takes you to the lives of high school teenagers who use defibrillators to obliterate brains. As a result, they lose their IQ and become mentally retarded. They start to look at the world differently in a simple and carefree manner. The narrator of the book, a high school student, describes the teenage fad as “a peel and stick lobotomy”. Palahniuk relates this phenomenon in the story to a drug fad. Although, the title of the short story may seem misleading, Palahniuk crafts the story perfectly to match with the notion of a living zombie.

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Lullaby

Chuck Palahniuk’s “Lullaby” is a horror satire about a culling poem that can kill people and children when they hear it. It’s the newspaper reporter Carl Streator who discovers this tragic poem. Soon along with a realtor Helen Hoover, Streator makes a road trip to destroy all the copies of the song. Just like any other Palahniuk novel, this story handles several dark themes.

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Diary

Written like a diary, we follow the protagonist, Misty Wilmot. Once a young artist, currently working as a waitress in a hotel. Along with her job, she is also looking after her husband, a former contractor who is in a coma after a failed suicide attempt. This is also the time when Misty starts to chronicle her everyday life. Soon through her diary, we learn that Misty starts to do compulsive painting and also gets involved in a conspiracy.

Haunted

This novel consists of twenty-three inter-linked short stories told by the characters in the main narrative. Each story is introduced with a horrifying or hilarious poem or story. All stories vividly describe the world of each character and how they are all interwoven.

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Survivor

Published in 1999, “Survivor” is a satirical novel describing the life of Tender Branson, a last surviving member of Creedish Church, a death cult. The story begins with Branson on an aeroplane telling his life story to the black box. The plane is about to crash but before that, he wants to clear his name and unfold his life to the world. From his life as a compliant Creedish child to becoming the media messiah.

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Rant

From government conspiracies and zombies to time travel and religious epiphanies, Palahniuk’s eighth novel is a mix of everything and more. The story primarily follows the life of Buster ’Rant’ Casey. His bizarre childhood habits such as collecting his classmates’ teeth or attacking animals to let them bite him or his attraction to rabies. Later, when he moves to a new city, a lot of crazy things happen. Each chapter is narrated by people connected to each event.

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The Invention of Sound

The invention of Sound is a dark and suspenseful tale that predominantly follows two characters. A heartbroken father who doesn’t give up hope in finding his long lost daughter. Gates Foster is willing to do anything to keep her daughter’s memory. He scours the internet for clues. And there is a Hollywood foley artist, Mitzi Ives, known for her impeccable skill in producing famous screams, a skill she is inherited from her family. And both these characters cross their path in the most unusual circumstance.

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Invisible Monsters

Invisible Monsters was the first novel Palahniuk had written. But it was rejected by the publisher for being extremely disturbing. The story follows an unnamed woman who used to be beautiful and loved being the centre of attention. But after a tragic accident, she turns into a disfigured human. And now, she feels invisible as nobody pays any attention to her. On top of that, her fiancee leaves her. Distressed, she needs a shoulder to cry on.

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Authors similar to Chuck Palahniuk

If you’re thinking about what to read after Chuck Palahniuk’s novels here are a few recommendations.

Stephen King

Legendary author Stephen King’s novels are a must-read after Chuck Palahniuk. King mostly writes in the horror and supernatural genre. However, his recent book, Billy Summers is crime fiction. Find more King’s novels here!

William Golding

British novelist Sir William Gerald Golding is best known for his novel Lord of the Flies– an absorbing story about social disintegration. He has written many more novels including The Spire, and The Inheritors.

Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn is an American novelist best known for her critically acclaimed third novel Gone Girl. She has written three novels, all of which include themes of violence or self-harm. Find all three novels here!

Cormac MacCarthy

Cormac McCarthy is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author. He mainly writes in the Southern Gothic and post-apocalyptic genres. The Road, No Country for Old Men and Blood Meridian are his most famous novels.

Bret Easton Ellis

American author Bret Easton Ellis is known for the psychological drama, American Psycho. Ellis has written six novels, short stories and non-fiction books. His fictional novels are mostly in the satire and comedy genres. Find Bret Easton Ellis’s books in here!

Ready to start with your Palahniuk’s novel?

What’s your favorite Palahniuk novel?

Let me know in the comments!

Stephy

List of Books by Chuck Palahniuk