Haruki Murakami - After Dark. A good effort by Murakami, on par with Kafka on the Shore. Meaning it is a great book for those looking to read something by him, and decent for fans. Not as involved as Kafka, and not nearly as involved as Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. Almost feels like an extended short story or novella rather than a new nove. This is supernatural Murakami, not realistic murakami, and for them what need an occasional Murakami fix, it suffices. I'd rate it 7/10 compared to general fiction, 4/10 for Murakami. Story about a couple of characters which takes place during one night.
Christopher Moore - You Suck. Another merely OK novel from one of my favorite authors. Perfect beach reading material. Funny, not at all serious. Extremely entertaining. Great to see old characters. He dedicated this book to all the fans who screamed for a follow-up to Bloodsucking Fiends, and while it's nice to get "the rest of the story" (although not quite...), I wouldn't say it's even as good as his other feel-good-reminiscing-about-characters-from-books-past, The Stupidest Angel. Again, 7/10 for general fiction, 5/10 for Moore.
Chuck Palahniuk - Rant. What is it about authors mining their own backlist for novel ideas? This is like Fight Club meets Haunted, with a bit of Survivor thrown in for good measure. Again, a stalwart effort by P, just that it's more familiar than not. A for effort, C for entertaining fans with something new, different, and surprising. What is it with his penchant for pathology?
I like all these authors, they are among my favorites, but c'mon guys, how 'bout something we can sink our teeth into for a change? I would not dissuade anyone from reading any of these, they are still good books with more to them than most of the dreck being pumped out nowadays, and any of them would make for a agreat introduction to the works of these authors. Read them if you want to check out a great new author or are looking for what you like from them already. All three are kinda like a new AC/DC album--you know what you are getting, and sometimes that's a good thing.