Palahniuk’s ‘Rant’ tells story of U.S. bioterrorist

“Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey,”

by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday, 336 pages, $24.95)

Raw and unblinking, Chuck Palahniuk’s novels often feel like primal scream therapy, unloading into the void and holding back very little.

His deadpan, withering social commentary has spawned legions of fans who anticipate his works with a fervor generally reserved for rock stars.

“Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey” continues the author’s penchant for toying with conventions of form – 2005’s “Haunted” was a novel masquerading as a collection of short stories; 2000’s “Survivor” unfolds in reverse.

Palahniuk renders brief, punchy narratives that demand attention; “Rant,” in particular, isn’t a book to be consumed at leisure. Relying on interviews with those who met the mythic Buster “Rant” Casey during his brief, violent life, a portrait of a tortured, confused martyr emerges – or seems to, anyway.

It’s not giving much away to reveal that Rant is infected with a potent strain of rabies and prone to freely sharing his sickness. The concept of a homegrown bioterrorist, an all-American “patient zero,” is merely an opening salvo in what becomes a misanthropic thrill ride, culminating in a temporally dislodged religious fervor.

“Rant” may too strongly recall “Fight Club” for some, but Palahniuk has more on his mind here than simple titillation. A white-knuckled what-if, “Rant” is the author’s most idiosyncratic work to date, a piercing plea to push the galactic reset button.