Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 09 Jul 2008
Hunter S. Thompson is by far THE most entertaining writer in modern literature, it has to be said. His engrossing affilliation with substances that he swore he hadn't been taking during the writing of the major part of this novel, make this most probably the funniest piece of literature available. His quick wit and complete topsy-turvy sense of humour is only the beginning. As he travels through the desert with his attorney to "find the dark side of the American dream", they well and trully find it when they agree that any trip such as the one their making can only be made armed with a stupendous arsenal of drugs. And this they do. They engage in a completely twisted reality that is there's alone, and their journey, so infallible to their minds, leaps from one thing to the next supporting complete hysteria and laugh-out-louds situations, and I can honestly tell you there isn't a moment in this book that isn't ruthlessly fun.

Thompson manages to bring across madness in a sweet, yet shocking form, and produces simile after simile, metaphor after metaphor of true brilliance. I wouldn't go so far as to call this book a comedy, that would suggest that Thompson is attempting to be funny. But the fact is, he IS funny, whether you want him to be or not. His discriptions of the events that took place are superb, giving you the absolute feeling that you were right in the back seat of their car with the hitchhiker himself, and even more. His emotions and the feelings of his attorney are all described and somehow justified in some twisted way, and you can't help but get pulled into the story.

Apart from being hilarious, and wildly enteraining, the book also shows an overture on the scary American dream that was large during the late sixties. The malignant culture is portrayed wonderfully, and described from the standpoint of someone who got involved himself, and he describes the whole thing from things he saw. Even after the book has finished you'll find yourself hearing Hunter S. Thompson speaking in your head describing your every move in the form of one of his writings, almost like he's part of your sub-concious. His power, delivery and intoxicatingly clever witted nature makes this book what it is: a masterpiece. No wonder it became a modern classic.

The first stage for many...., 22 Jun 2008
As with a lot of people in my generation, i have found that H.S.Thompson is a very entertaining author. The first of his books i read was this (saw the film first, and this had too follow) and i really liked it. It's funny, sadistic, manic and totally absorbing.
The story followed in this book, is that of Raul Duke and his Attorney on a trip to Las Vegas, the purpose is to cover a story - of a bike race. In getting the job, Raul and The Samoan gain access to a large sum of cash, an expensive convertible sports car and a whole range of other "perks". With this, they travel through the desert to the flagship ideal of the "American dream" - Las Vegas. A place where you can ascend from rags-to-riches, from zero-to-hero and back again with nothing but a dollar in your pocket to start you off. This fact is epitomized and almost chastised through-out the book. Raul and The Samoan never pay a penny for anything (all the money they had access to was the newspaper's) and act like true animals wherever they go - using an absolute truck loads of illicit substances that are easily available and almost always right under your nose! No mater how blatant they are, no-matter un-wholesome they become, they are still allowed to let rip all over the city... and do so, never fettered...
"he who makes a beast of himself takes away the pain of being a man" - H.S.Thompson
This book is not one about drug's, about being twisted. It is not a giggly stoner book that pokes a rebellious middle finger at society. It is, however a look at how our society perceives itself... How some people can become rich & powerful, loved & hated, feared & revered and how this very privilege of our society can poison a person and twist their views. Raul's use of drugs has been championed extensively, and of course he does share these traits with his author, but what many people don't realize is that Thompson was a serious writer and a bloody good one at that. Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, and the Other Fear and Loathing titles all follow Raul Duke and follow this ebb of social dissection, Gonzo was not about Raul and his "diet" it was about how no-matter where you look, the world is god-less, selfish and un-forgiving, the balance (as it were) is quite obviously on the side that will not control it-self and how this lack of control (from up high or deep down) is almost always taken for granted. In such a world, passion is a mere pacifier, truth is an illusion and sobriety is nothing to aspire to...

This book is brilliant, the writing is cunning and smart and the narrative enthralling. If you liked to be challenged, and if you're capable of looking below the surface, this book is for you

ENJOY!!!


Buy the ticket, take the ride, 16 Jun 2008
The greatest book about the illusion of the American dream ever written. One of my all time favourite books though some people will simply not get it, not understand it at all. This is a fantastic work of literature and if you have the right kind of mind set you will thoroughly enjoy it. His words are incisive and often profound and this is a perfect introduction to a great author.

As your attorney I advise you to read this book., 30 Dec 2007
I have read this one six or seven times and it still makes me laugh. Virtually every page has something on it to make you laugh out loud. The way he uses italics to emphasize the humour is just brilliant. This is a man at the top of his game. There is a lot of drug abuse and a lot of swearing, and some things I could not mention on a site such as this, but I assure you, good reader, that you should just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. For me, the funniest book ever.

fabulous!, 24 Dec 2007
i first read this after surfing round the internet and bought it on some recommendations from various online journals. I have now finished reading it for the fifth time.
the quotes are one of a kind, the detail into the drug trips are A-Class and you can almost feel that you are sat in the same room as Raoul Duke as he trips on various drugs.
God bless Hunter S Thompson for sticking it to the masses with this book.
RIP.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 09 Jul 2008
Hunter S. Thompson is by far THE most entertaining writer in modern literature, it has to be said. His engrossing affilliation with substances that he swore he hadn't been taking during the writing of the major part of this novel, make this most probably the funniest piece of literature available. His quick wit and complete topsy-turvy sense of humour is only the beginning. As he travels through the desert with his attorney to "find the dark side of the American dream", they well and trully find it when they agree that any trip such as the one their making can only be made armed with a stupendous arsenal of drugs. And this they do. They engage in a completely twisted reality that is there's alone, and their journey, so infallible to their minds, leaps from one thing to the next supporting complete hysteria and laugh-out-louds situations, and I can honestly tell you there isn't a moment in this book that isn't ruthlessly fun.

Thompson manages to bring across madness in a sweet, yet shocking form, and produces simile after simile, metaphor after metaphor of true brilliance. I wouldn't go so far as to call this book a comedy, that would suggest that Thompson is attempting to be funny. But the fact is, he IS funny, whether you want him to be or not. His discriptions of the events that took place are superb, giving you the absolute feeling that you were right in the back seat of their car with the hitchhiker himself, and even more. His emotions and the feelings of his attorney are all described and somehow justified in some twisted way, and you can't help but get pulled into the story.

Apart from being hilarious, and wildly enteraining, the book also shows an overture on the scary American dream that was large during the late sixties. The malignant culture is portrayed wonderfully, and described from the standpoint of someone who got involved himself, and he describes the whole thing from things he saw. Even after the book has finished you'll find yourself hearing Hunter S. Thompson speaking in your head describing your every move in the form of one of his writings, almost like he's part of your sub-concious. His power, delivery and intoxicatingly clever witted nature makes this book what it is: a masterpiece. No wonder it became a modern classic.

The first stage for many...., 22 Jun 2008
As with a lot of people in my generation, i have found that H.S.Thompson is a very entertaining author. The first of his books i read was this (saw the film first, and this had too follow) and i really liked it. It's funny, sadistic, manic and totally absorbing.
The story followed in this book, is that of Raul Duke and his Attorney on a trip to Las Vegas, the purpose is to cover a story - of a bike race. In getting the job, Raul and The Samoan gain access to a large sum of cash, an expensive convertible sports car and a whole range of other "perks". With this, they travel through the desert to the flagship ideal of the "American dream" - Las Vegas. A place where you can ascend from rags-to-riches, from zero-to-hero and back again with nothing but a dollar in your pocket to start you off. This fact is epitomized and almost chastised through-out the book. Raul and The Samoan never pay a penny for anything (all the money they had access to was the newspaper's) and act like true animals wherever they go - using an absolute truck loads of illicit substances that are easily available and almost always right under your nose! No mater how blatant they are, no-matter un-wholesome they become, they are still allowed to let rip all over the city... and do so, never fettered...
"he who makes a beast of himself takes away the pain of being a man" - H.S.Thompson
This book is not one about drug's, about being twisted. It is not a giggly stoner book that pokes a rebellious middle finger at society. It is, however a look at how our society perceives itself... How some people can become rich & powerful, loved & hated, feared & revered and how this very privilege of our society can poison a person and twist their views. Raul's use of drugs has been championed extensively, and of course he does share these traits with his author, but what many people don't realize is that Thompson was a serious writer and a bloody good one at that. Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, and the Other Fear and Loathing titles all follow Raul Duke and follow this ebb of social dissection, Gonzo was not about Raul and his "diet" it was about how no-matter where you look, the world is god-less, selfish and un-forgiving, the balance (as it were) is quite obviously on the side that will not control it-self and how this lack of control (from up high or deep down) is almost always taken for granted. In such a world, passion is a mere pacifier, truth is an illusion and sobriety is nothing to aspire to...

This book is brilliant, the writing is cunning and smart and the narrative enthralling. If you liked to be challenged, and if you're capable of looking below the surface, this book is for you

ENJOY!!!


Buy the ticket, take the ride, 16 Jun 2008
The greatest book about the illusion of the American dream ever written. One of my all time favourite books though some people will simply not get it, not understand it at all. This is a fantastic work of literature and if you have the right kind of mind set you will thoroughly enjoy it. His words are incisive and often profound and this is a perfect introduction to a great author.

As your attorney I advise you to read this book., 30 Dec 2007
I have read this one six or seven times and it still makes me laugh. Virtually every page has something on it to make you laugh out loud. The way he uses italics to emphasize the humour is just brilliant. This is a man at the top of his game. There is a lot of drug abuse and a lot of swearing, and some things I could not mention on a site such as this, but I assure you, good reader, that you should just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. For me, the funniest book ever.

fabulous!, 24 Dec 2007
i first read this after surfing round the internet and bought it on some recommendations from various online journals. I have now finished reading it for the fifth time.
the quotes are one of a kind, the detail into the drug trips are A-Class and you can almost feel that you are sat in the same room as Raoul Duke as he trips on various drugs.
God bless Hunter S Thompson for sticking it to the masses with this book.
RIP.

This book,a sip of something and your imagination is all you need., 28 Jun 2008
This is such a wicked read,from the start to finish I could not put it down.
Situations where you could see yourself and react the same way pulls you in within the first chapter.
You read this before your holiday and gaurenteed you will be out to find yourself your own rum diaries.

Mixed bag....., 22 Jun 2008
I bought this book on a whim and found that it was pretty damn'd good to be fair... then there's the but! the thing is, the ending is a little of a let down - its rushed and doesn't do the rest of the enthralling story justice, it made me feel as if the book ended too soon, as if something more needed to be done....

If you're familiar with H.S.Thompson, you'll be familiar with some of the themes present in this book, the main character is a journalist, named Paul - he drinks ALOT - who has just taken a job at an English language paper in Puerto Rico. The rest of the book follows in typical Thompson style, the prose is written through the very observant eyes of Paul and is mainly concerned with social mechanisms et al.

expect a tense, thrilling and drunken ride through the hot, dusty and distant streets of Puerto Rico - this book is very enjoyable, regardless of the ending


Welcome to Puerto Rico "where men sweat 24 hours a day", 16 Jun 2008
A sweaty paranoid yet pretty laid back year in Hunter S. Thompson's life has produced this rum-soaked, beautifully written work of literature that I can't recommend highly enough.

Gonzo, 09 Jul 2007
Hunter makes you feel in this short novel that you are the protagonist, and that it is you who is experiencing the craziness of Carribbean nights and parties, the rum, the fear, the uncertainty, the laissez-faire article writing, the beautiful girl. It is an adventure, and one worth having. If you are looking for escapism, this is it. If you are looking for quality writing, this is it. If you're looking for a good story, this is it.

Get One, It Is Your Round, 21 Dec 2006
Written before Hunter became the notorious drug-addled Gonzo, when he was, well, knocking back the booze instead, 'The Rum Diary' could actually be his finest work. Chronicling a journalist's days on a doomed newspaper, the action zips through the tough streets and bars of 'boomtown' San Juan, Puerto Rico. If Paul Kemp, the narrator, can't save his job he's definitely got an eye on winning the girl - but is everything working against him? The prose is remarkable for its economy and uncompromising, lucid vision; sleazy but somehow romantic characters are but flesh before us; while the spectacular depiction of an anarchic carnival will churn the reader's innards with its candid,lovelorn recklessness.

Ok, 'Hell's Angels' might just surpass it but it is a very close race indeed.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 09 Jul 2008
Hunter S. Thompson is by far THE most entertaining writer in modern literature, it has to be said. His engrossing affilliation with substances that he swore he hadn't been taking during the writing of the major part of this novel, make this most probably the funniest piece of literature available. His quick wit and complete topsy-turvy sense of humour is only the beginning. As he travels through the desert with his attorney to "find the dark side of the American dream", they well and trully find it when they agree that any trip such as the one their making can only be made armed with a stupendous arsenal of drugs. And this they do. They engage in a completely twisted reality that is there's alone, and their journey, so infallible to their minds, leaps from one thing to the next supporting complete hysteria and laugh-out-louds situations, and I can honestly tell you there isn't a moment in this book that isn't ruthlessly fun.

Thompson manages to bring across madness in a sweet, yet shocking form, and produces simile after simile, metaphor after metaphor of true brilliance. I wouldn't go so far as to call this book a comedy, that would suggest that Thompson is attempting to be funny. But the fact is, he IS funny, whether you want him to be or not. His discriptions of the events that took place are superb, giving you the absolute feeling that you were right in the back seat of their car with the hitchhiker himself, and even more. His emotions and the feelings of his attorney are all described and somehow justified in some twisted way, and you can't help but get pulled into the story.

Apart from being hilarious, and wildly enteraining, the book also shows an overture on the scary American dream that was large during the late sixties. The malignant culture is portrayed wonderfully, and described from the standpoint of someone who got involved himself, and he describes the whole thing from things he saw. Even after the book has finished you'll find yourself hearing Hunter S. Thompson speaking in your head describing your every move in the form of one of his writings, almost like he's part of your sub-concious. His power, delivery and intoxicatingly clever witted nature makes this book what it is: a masterpiece. No wonder it became a modern classic.

The first stage for many...., 22 Jun 2008
As with a lot of people in my generation, i have found that H.S.Thompson is a very entertaining author. The first of his books i read was this (saw the film first, and this had too follow) and i really liked it. It's funny, sadistic, manic and totally absorbing.
The story followed in this book, is that of Raul Duke and his Attorney on a trip to Las Vegas, the purpose is to cover a story - of a bike race. In getting the job, Raul and The Samoan gain access to a large sum of cash, an expensive convertible sports car and a whole range of other "perks". With this, they travel through the desert to the flagship ideal of the "American dream" - Las Vegas. A place where you can ascend from rags-to-riches, from zero-to-hero and back again with nothing but a dollar in your pocket to start you off. This fact is epitomized and almost chastised through-out the book. Raul and The Samoan never pay a penny for anything (all the money they had access to was the newspaper's) and act like true animals wherever they go - using an absolute truck loads of illicit substances that are easily available and almost always right under your nose! No mater how blatant they are, no-matter un-wholesome they become, they are still allowed to let rip all over the city... and do so, never fettered...
"he who makes a beast of himself takes away the pain of being a man" - H.S.Thompson
This book is not one about drug's, about being twisted. It is not a giggly stoner book that pokes a rebellious middle finger at society. It is, however a look at how our society perceives itself... How some people can become rich & powerful, loved & hated, feared & revered and how this very privilege of our society can poison a person and twist their views. Raul's use of drugs has been championed extensively, and of course he does share these traits with his author, but what many people don't realize is that Thompson was a serious writer and a bloody good one at that. Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, and the Other Fear and Loathing titles all follow Raul Duke and follow this ebb of social dissection, Gonzo was not about Raul and his "diet" it was about how no-matter where you look, the world is god-less, selfish and un-forgiving, the balance (as it were) is quite obviously on the side that will not control it-self and how this lack of control (from up high or deep down) is almost always taken for granted. In such a world, passion is a mere pacifier, truth is an illusion and sobriety is nothing to aspire to...

This book is brilliant, the writing is cunning and smart and the narrative enthralling. If you liked to be challenged, and if you're capable of looking below the surface, this book is for you

ENJOY!!!


Buy the ticket, take the ride, 16 Jun 2008
The greatest book about the illusion of the American dream ever written. One of my all time favourite books though some people will simply not get it, not understand it at all. This is a fantastic work of literature and if you have the right kind of mind set you will thoroughly enjoy it. His words are incisive and often profound and this is a perfect introduction to a great author.

As your attorney I advise you to read this book., 30 Dec 2007
I have read this one six or seven times and it still makes me laugh. Virtually every page has something on it to make you laugh out loud. The way he uses italics to emphasize the humour is just brilliant. This is a man at the top of his game. There is a lot of drug abuse and a lot of swearing, and some things I could not mention on a site such as this, but I assure you, good reader, that you should just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. For me, the funniest book ever.

fabulous!, 24 Dec 2007
i first read this after surfing round the internet and bought it on some recommendations from various online journals. I have now finished reading it for the fifth time.
the quotes are one of a kind, the detail into the drug trips are A-Class and you can almost feel that you are sat in the same room as Raoul Duke as he trips on various drugs.
God bless Hunter S Thompson for sticking it to the masses with this book.
RIP.

This book,a sip of something and your imagination is all you need., 28 Jun 2008
This is such a wicked read,from the start to finish I could not put it down.
Situations where you could see yourself and react the same way pulls you in within the first chapter.
You read this before your holiday and gaurenteed you will be out to find yourself your own rum diaries.

Mixed bag....., 22 Jun 2008
I bought this book on a whim and found that it was pretty damn'd good to be fair... then there's the but! the thing is, the ending is a little of a let down - its rushed and doesn't do the rest of the enthralling story justice, it made me feel as if the book ended too soon, as if something more needed to be done....

If you're familiar with H.S.Thompson, you'll be familiar with some of the themes present in this book, the main character is a journalist, named Paul - he drinks ALOT - who has just taken a job at an English language paper in Puerto Rico. The rest of the book follows in typical Thompson style, the prose is written through the very observant eyes of Paul and is mainly concerned with social mechanisms et al.

expect a tense, thrilling and drunken ride through the hot, dusty and distant streets of Puerto Rico - this book is very enjoyable, regardless of the ending


Welcome to Puerto Rico "where men sweat 24 hours a day", 16 Jun 2008
A sweaty paranoid yet pretty laid back year in Hunter S. Thompson's life has produced this rum-soaked, beautifully written work of literature that I can't recommend highly enough.

Gonzo, 09 Jul 2007
Hunter makes you feel in this short novel that you are the protagonist, and that it is you who is experiencing the craziness of Carribbean nights and parties, the rum, the fear, the uncertainty, the laissez-faire article writing, the beautiful girl. It is an adventure, and one worth having. If you are looking for escapism, this is it. If you are looking for quality writing, this is it. If you're looking for a good story, this is it.

Get One, It Is Your Round, 21 Dec 2006
Written before Hunter became the notorious drug-addled Gonzo, when he was, well, knocking back the booze instead, 'The Rum Diary' could actually be his finest work. Chronicling a journalist's days on a doomed newspaper, the action zips through the tough streets and bars of 'boomtown' San Juan, Puerto Rico. If Paul Kemp, the narrator, can't save his job he's definitely got an eye on winning the girl - but is everything working against him? The prose is remarkable for its economy and uncompromising, lucid vision; sleazy but somehow romantic characters are but flesh before us; while the spectacular depiction of an anarchic carnival will churn the reader's innards with its candid,lovelorn recklessness.

Ok, 'Hell's Angels' might just surpass it but it is a very close race indeed.

not as good as Fear but still very good, 02 Dec 2007
Not as over the top or as wildly entertaining as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but still very well written and highly entertaining. You don't get bland prose from the Doctor, and does it get any better than phrases such as "young blondes with lobotomy eyes"? This book is about 40 years old, and the reader certainly gets a feel for the 1960s, but I wouldn't at all call it, or Fear and Loathing, dated. The book is anecdotally driven, there are a lot of highly amusing stories with the bikers, and the bikers don't come across to me as completely unlikeable. If you like Fear and Loathing, you'll probably like this book too, although it's not as wacky and wild. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Superb, 20 Mar 2007
HST gives a real insight into the biker culture which really took off in the 1960s, and which eventually spilled over to a degree into the UK. It is an intriguing look behind an often closed and misunderstood brotherhood, and HST does not pull his punches. He neither deifies or demonises the people he meets and parties with, he just tells it like it is, and the result is a compelling and very enlightening view of the the Angels.
I would recommend this to anyone who has preconceived ideas about the bikers and their lifestyle, good or bad, as I am sure that it will open your eyes to a sometimes uncomfortable set of truths.

Origins of Gonzo, 24 Feb 2007
I have read most published HST and this is where it all started. This is closer to traditonal reporting than most of the later books but none the worse for it. Hunter is of course the star of the book (as always)but faced with the raw outlaw behaviour of the Angels he appears as the relative straight guy, (which is pretty remarkable if you know Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). The focus of the book is actually one weekend that HST spent with the Angels and most of the remainder is entertaining analysis of the hysterical "Square" reaction in the press to other events that he did not witness. Throw in an LSD party with Ken Kesey and Allan Ginsberg just before Kesey skipped off to South America and i think you get the picture.

Excellent., 06 May 2005
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - the 'Gonzo' style of journalism, the underlying political references and the overall honesty make this a highly readable book. The time spent with the 'Angels and the trust that develops (on both sides) as a result of this, gives you a unique insight into both the Author's and the Subject's way of life. Interesting to see the 'Press / Authority as Antagonist' angle too.

H.S. Thompson., 07 Mar 2005
it was some bad crazziness, but Hunter.s. Thompson Hell's Angels happens to be one of the finest books i believe i have read. Although it does not have the harsh, riped and savage dissection of human morals that Fear and Loathing in las Vegas has and is, Thompson provides a fine exapmple of his own genre of Gonzo. the unique perseptive of American culture and the realities of a drug fueled and boozed up segment of a society to which they where an affront provided moments of great enterttianment. (The drug diet of one angel and his subsiquent consomption had me crippled.) Any way i believe it neccessary for any one who loves Thompson, or even Hemmingway or Burgess to read Hell's Angels and every other Thompson publication.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 09 Jul 2008
Hunter S. Thompson is by far THE most entertaining writer in modern literature, it has to be said. His engrossing affilliation with substances that he swore he hadn't been taking during the writing of the major part of this novel, make this most probably the funniest piece of literature available. His quick wit and complete topsy-turvy sense of humour is only the beginning. As he travels through the desert with his attorney to "find the dark side of the American dream", they well and trully find it when they agree that any trip such as the one their making can only be made armed with a stupendous arsenal of drugs. And this they do. They engage in a completely twisted reality that is there's alone, and their journey, so infallible to their minds, leaps from one thing to the next supporting complete hysteria and laugh-out-louds situations, and I can honestly tell you there isn't a moment in this book that isn't ruthlessly fun.

Thompson manages to bring across madness in a sweet, yet shocking form, and produces simile after simile, metaphor after metaphor of true brilliance. I wouldn't go so far as to call this book a comedy, that would suggest that Thompson is attempting to be funny. But the fact is, he IS funny, whether you want him to be or not. His discriptions of the events that took place are superb, giving you the absolute feeling that you were right in the back seat of their car with the hitchhiker himself, and even more. His emotions and the feelings of his attorney are all described and somehow justified in some twisted way, and you can't help but get pulled into the story.

Apart from being hilarious, and wildly enteraining, the book also shows an overture on the scary American dream that was large during the late sixties. The malignant culture is portrayed wonderfully, and described from the standpoint of someone who got involved himself, and he describes the whole thing from things he saw. Even after the book has finished you'll find yourself hearing Hunter S. Thompson speaking in your head describing your every move in the form of one of his writings, almost like he's part of your sub-concious. His power, delivery and intoxicatingly clever witted nature makes this book what it is: a masterpiece. No wonder it became a modern classic.

The first stage for many...., 22 Jun 2008
As with a lot of people in my generation, i have found that H.S.Thompson is a very entertaining author. The first of his books i read was this (saw the film first, and this had too follow) and i really liked it. It's funny, sadistic, manic and totally absorbing.
The story followed in this book, is that of Raul Duke and his Attorney on a trip to Las Vegas, the purpose is to cover a story - of a bike race. In getting the job, Raul and The Samoan gain access to a large sum of cash, an expensive convertible sports car and a whole range of other "perks". With this, they travel through the desert to the flagship ideal of the "American dream" - Las Vegas. A place where you can ascend from rags-to-riches, from zero-to-hero and back again with nothing but a dollar in your pocket to start you off. This fact is epitomized and almost chastised through-out the book. Raul and The Samoan never pay a penny for anything (all the money they had access to was the newspaper's) and act like true animals wherever they go - using an absolute truck loads of illicit substances that are easily available and almost always right under your nose! No mater how blatant they are, no-matter un-wholesome they become, they are still allowed to let rip all over the city... and do so, never fettered...
"he who makes a beast of himself takes away the pain of being a man" - H.S.Thompson
This book is not one about drug's, about being twisted. It is not a giggly stoner book that pokes a rebellious middle finger at society. It is, however a look at how our society perceives itself... How some people can become rich & powerful, loved & hated, feared & revered and how this very privilege of our society can poison a person and twist their views. Raul's use of drugs has been championed extensively, and of course he does share these traits with his author, but what many people don't realize is that Thompson was a serious writer and a bloody good one at that. Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, and the Other Fear and Loathing titles all follow Raul Duke and follow this ebb of social dissection, Gonzo was not about Raul and his "diet" it was about how no-matter where you look, the world is god-less, selfish and un-forgiving, the balance (as it were) is quite obviously on the side that will not control it-self and how this lack of control (from up high or deep down) is almost always taken for granted. In such a world, passion is a mere pacifier, truth is an illusion and sobriety is nothing to aspire to...

This book is brilliant, the writing is cunning and smart and the narrative enthralling. If you liked to be challenged, and if you're capable of looking below the surface, this book is for you

ENJOY!!!


Buy the ticket, take the ride, 16 Jun 2008
The greatest book about the illusion of the American dream ever written. One of my all time favourite books though some people will simply not get it, not understand it at all. This is a fantastic work of literature and if you have the right kind of mind set you will thoroughly enjoy it. His words are incisive and often profound and this is a perfect introduction to a great author.

As your attorney I advise you to read this book., 30 Dec 2007
I have read this one six or seven times and it still makes me laugh. Virtually every page has something on it to make you laugh out loud. The way he uses italics to emphasize the humour is just brilliant. This is a man at the top of his game. There is a lot of drug abuse and a lot of swearing, and some things I could not mention on a site such as this, but I assure you, good reader, that you should just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. For me, the funniest book ever.

fabulous!, 24 Dec 2007
i first read this after surfing round the internet and bought it on some recommendations from various online journals. I have now finished reading it for the fifth time.
the quotes are one of a kind, the detail into the drug trips are A-Class and you can almost feel that you are sat in the same room as Raoul Duke as he trips on various drugs.
God bless Hunter S Thompson for sticking it to the masses with this book.
RIP.

This book,a sip of something and your imagination is all you need., 28 Jun 2008
This is such a wicked read,from the start to finish I could not put it down.
Situations where you could see yourself and react the same way pulls you in within the first chapter.
You read this before your holiday and gaurenteed you will be out to find yourself your own rum diaries.

Mixed bag....., 22 Jun 2008
I bought this book on a whim and found that it was pretty damn'd good to be fair... then there's the but! the thing is, the ending is a little of a let down - its rushed and doesn't do the rest of the enthralling story justice, it made me feel as if the book ended too soon, as if something more needed to be done....

If you're familiar with H.S.Thompson, you'll be familiar with some of the themes present in this book, the main character is a journalist, named Paul - he drinks ALOT - who has just taken a job at an English language paper in Puerto Rico. The rest of the book follows in typical Thompson style, the prose is written through the very observant eyes of Paul and is mainly concerned with social mechanisms et al.

expect a tense, thrilling and drunken ride through the hot, dusty and distant streets of Puerto Rico - this book is very enjoyable, regardless of the ending


Welcome to Puerto Rico "where men sweat 24 hours a day", 16 Jun 2008
A sweaty paranoid yet pretty laid back year in Hunter S. Thompson's life has produced this rum-soaked, beautifully written work of literature that I can't recommend highly enough.

Gonzo, 09 Jul 2007
Hunter makes you feel in this short novel that you are the protagonist, and that it is you who is experiencing the craziness of Carribbean nights and parties, the rum, the fear, the uncertainty, the laissez-faire article writing, the beautiful girl. It is an adventure, and one worth having. If you are looking for escapism, this is it. If you are looking for quality writing, this is it. If you're looking for a good story, this is it.

Get One, It Is Your Round, 21 Dec 2006
Written before Hunter became the notorious drug-addled Gonzo, when he was, well, knocking back the booze instead, 'The Rum Diary' could actually be his finest work. Chronicling a journalist's days on a doomed newspaper, the action zips through the tough streets and bars of 'boomtown' San Juan, Puerto Rico. If Paul Kemp, the narrator, can't save his job he's definitely got an eye on winning the girl - but is everything working against him? The prose is remarkable for its economy and uncompromising, lucid vision; sleazy but somehow romantic characters are but flesh before us; while the spectacular depiction of an anarchic carnival will churn the reader's innards with its candid,lovelorn recklessness.

Ok, 'Hell's Angels' might just surpass it but it is a very close race indeed.

not as good as Fear but still very good, 02 Dec 2007
Not as over the top or as wildly entertaining as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but still very well written and highly entertaining. You don't get bland prose from the Doctor, and does it get any better than phrases such as "young blondes with lobotomy eyes"? This book is about 40 years old, and the reader certainly gets a feel for the 1960s, but I wouldn't at all call it, or Fear and Loathing, dated. The book is anecdotally driven, there are a lot of highly amusing stories with the bikers, and the bikers don't come across to me as completely unlikeable. If you like Fear and Loathing, you'll probably like this book too, although it's not as wacky and wild. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Superb, 20 Mar 2007
HST gives a real insight into the biker culture which really took off in the 1960s, and which eventually spilled over to a degree into the UK. It is an intriguing look behind an often closed and misunderstood brotherhood, and HST does not pull his punches. He neither deifies or demonises the people he meets and parties with, he just tells it like it is, and the result is a compelling and very enlightening view of the the Angels.
I would recommend this to anyone who has preconceived ideas about the bikers and their lifestyle, good or bad, as I am sure that it will open your eyes to a sometimes uncomfortable set of truths.

Origins of Gonzo, 24 Feb 2007
I have read most published HST and this is where it all started. This is closer to traditonal reporting than most of the later books but none the worse for it. Hunter is of course the star of the book (as always)but faced with the raw outlaw behaviour of the Angels he appears as the relative straight guy, (which is pretty remarkable if you know Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). The focus of the book is actually one weekend that HST spent with the Angels and most of the remainder is entertaining analysis of the hysterical "Square" reaction in the press to other events that he did not witness. Throw in an LSD party with Ken Kesey and Allan Ginsberg just before Kesey skipped off to South America and i think you get the picture.

Excellent., 06 May 2005
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - the 'Gonzo' style of journalism, the underlying political references and the overall honesty make this a highly readable book. The time spent with the 'Angels and the trust that develops (on both sides) as a result of this, gives you a unique insight into both the Author's and the Subject's way of life. Interesting to see the 'Press / Authority as Antagonist' angle too.

H.S. Thompson., 07 Mar 2005
it was some bad crazziness, but Hunter.s. Thompson Hell's Angels happens to be one of the finest books i believe i have read. Although it does not have the harsh, riped and savage dissection of human morals that Fear and Loathing in las Vegas has and is, Thompson provides a fine exapmple of his own genre of Gonzo. the unique perseptive of American culture and the realities of a drug fueled and boozed up segment of a society to which they where an affront provided moments of great enterttianment. (The drug diet of one angel and his subsiquent consomption had me crippled.) Any way i believe it neccessary for any one who loves Thompson, or even Hemmingway or Burgess to read Hell's Angels and every other Thompson publication.

political science students only, 23 Jul 2008
Having read just about the entire output of HST I can honestly say I'd rather gargle with pins than read this again.It all started off fine but soon dives off a cliff into a sea of political intrigue that I frankly found pretty dull in comparison to the rest of his works.OK so theres a few respites here and there but not enough to make it the classic people claim it to be.If you have a good understanding and interest in the American political system then it may appeal to you,if however you read this hoping for more gonzo type journalism then you'll probably be disappointed.

A Raw and Hilarious Account of U.S. Politics, 25 Jul 2006
'Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72' is a fantastic journey through a spectacle which grips the U.S. every four years. It is a journey which in the hands of other authors would be thoroughly boring. But Hunter S. Thompson (HST) succeeds in combining great intelligence and insightful commentary with shocking hilarity and the result is a great book.

'Campaign Trail '72' doesn't have the same constant flow of wacky, laugh-out-loud humour and outrageous anecdotes as some of HST's other works, but then HST wrote this book as part of a year-long assignment to cover the Presidential campaign, not a week-long bender at the Kentucky Derby. In some respects, the length of time over which Thompson was reporting helps reveal a more 'everyday' side to an author who at other times appears to lead a wholly surreal lifestyle. Even the Doctor of Gonzo has down-time and boring days.

HST undoubtedly achieves what he set out to do in December '71. He gives his readers an insider's account of what it's like to cover a Presidential campaign. He reveals some of the underhand and downright corrupt tactics of the candidates and their entourages, the fickle nature of the electorate's support, the decisive role of the media in an election, and the importance of 'perception'. Thompson reports in a way that no one else is capable of reporting. He goes with gut instinct and from page 1 refuses to write from within the journalistic confines of objectivity. He openly supports Democratic candidate George McGovern, and sees Richard Nixon as a great threat to the U.S.A. and the rest of the world. Indeed, on a few occasions, he openly likens Nixon to Hitler; something which no other journalist would dare write, no matter how strongly they felt it.

Rick Steadman's sketches provide another interesting angle on the campaign and complement HST's writing excellently. The author also offers up a few timeless maxims on the nature of politics, which will strike a chord with anyone who lives in a Western 'Democracy'. In all, despite the fact that some of the detail in this book may seem mundane and dated to a present-day reader, most of HST's writing is timeless and one gets an overall sense that U.S. politics don't appear to have changed much since '72. Post-election, Thompson considers running for the office of Senator in Colorado; after reading this book, he certainly would have had my vote.

Brilliant commentary on US politics in action, 31 Dec 2005
‘FALOTCT72’ is a series of articles originally written by Hunter Thompson for Rolling Stone magazine, in which he follows the race to elect a Democrat challenger to Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential elections. It is a classic example of Gonzo journalism, the style that Thompson made his own, in which the journalist’s views and opinions are allowed to colour the reports, and in which the journalist plays an active part in the unfolding events, and is not just an observer. Thompson clearly favours the ‘no-hope’ left wing candidate George McGovern from the outset, both as an alternative to what he saw as malignant right wing influences within the Democrat party, and also to Nixon, who had begun, to Thompson, to represent everything that had gone wrong with the ideals America was founded with.
‘FALOTCT72’ is, to me, a savage account of the death of the ‘American Dream’ (as Thompson understood it), every bit as devastating as his classic novel ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. As a journalist who is close to the election (especially to the McGovern campaign), but not actually within the approved cadre of accepted hacks, Thompson is in an excellent position to give a brutally honest account of the electoral process. Although we may accept that behind the scenes shenanigans are standard in elections, the book shows how far from the ideal of democracy modern politics has fallen, with dirty tricks abounding even within the Democrat party against its own candidates. A note of hope is provided as the idealistic, non-politico McGovern comes from nowhere to defeat the old party guard, threatening to usher in a new honesty in politics. Thompson sees hope for America in its support for McGovern until it is brutally swept away by the intrusion of old-style politics into the presidential campaign, heralding a crushing defeat to Nixon, a president almost universally recognised as untrustworthy.
This is a surprisingly touching book. Thompson still has hope for his country in ’72. Indeed that may have been the last year that he did. His feelings about an election that represented so much more than simply a win for Nixon are tragic. It is all told with his trademark savage humour, drug consumption and outrageous behaviour. It perhaps requires some knowledge of American politics to be fully appreciated, perhaps explaining its lower profile when compared to ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. It is nevertheless very much in the same vein: funny and tragic and beautiful. An observation of American life that says so much more than the text simply describes. This is Hunter Thompson at his most poignant and, for me, the best book of his that I have read to date.

Possibly his best work, 07 Jun 2005
This is a truely fantastic book, I am an avid fan and have virtually all his books, this one is one of the top.

A very interesting take on the political process in America, funny, witty and incredibly clever.

Best and rawest account of electoral politics, 08 Dec 2004
This is a great book - I have never read a better or more raw account of the low politics of election campaigns. Hunter S Thompson has an unmatched understanding of the forces that drive American politics and, although some tactics have changed, the book remains remarkably fresh over thirty years on. The historical perspective we now have on the figures (Nixon, McGovern, Humphrey, Mayor Daley, Gary Hart etc) may even add to the appeal of the book.

One minor quibble and a little warning. First, the book is a collection of dispatches written for the Rolling Stone and this inevitably means some repetition and an occasional disjointed feeling. Secondly, the book will appeal most to people with an interest in electoral politics - those who simply liked the good Doctor's style in the Rum Diaries, Hell's Angels or F&L in Las Vegas will still enjoy it but get a bit less out of it.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 09 Jul 2008
Hunter S. Thompson is by far THE most entertaining writer in modern literature, it has to be said. His engrossing affilliation with substances that he swore he hadn't been taking during the writing of the major part of this novel, make this most probably the funniest piece of literature available. His quick wit and complete topsy-turvy sense of humour is only the beginning. As he travels through the desert with his attorney to "find the dark side of the American dream", they well and trully find it when they agree that any trip such as the one their making can only be made armed with a stupendous arsenal of drugs. And this they do. They engage in a completely twisted reality that is there's alone, and their journey, so infallible to their minds, leaps from one thing to the next supporting complete hysteria and laugh-out-louds situations, and I can honestly tell you there isn't a moment in this book that isn't ruthlessly fun.

Thompson manages to bring across madness in a sweet, yet shocking form, and produces simile after simile, metaphor after metaphor of true brilliance. I wouldn't go so far as to call this book a comedy, that would suggest that Thompson is attempting to be funny. But the fact is, he IS funny, whether you want him to be or not. His discriptions of the events that took place are superb, giving you the absolute feeling that you were right in the back seat of their car with the hitchhiker himself, and even more. His emotions and the feelings of his attorney are all described and somehow justified in some twisted way, and you can't help but get pulled into the story.

Apart from being hilarious, and wildly enteraining, the book also shows an overture on the scary American dream that was large during the late sixties. The malignant culture is portrayed wonderfully, and described from the standpoint of someone who got involved himself, and he describes the whole thing from things he saw. Even after the book has finished you'll find yourself hearing Hunter S. Thompson speaking in your head describing your every move in the form of one of his writings, almost like he's part of your sub-concious. His power, delivery and intoxicatingly clever witted nature makes this book what it is: a masterpiece. No wonder it became a modern classic.

The first stage for many...., 22 Jun 2008
As with a lot of people in my generation, i have found that H.S.Thompson is a very entertaining author. The first of his books i read was this (saw the film first, and this had too follow) and i really liked it. It's funny, sadistic, manic and totally absorbing.
The story followed in this book, is that of Raul Duke and his Attorney on a trip to Las Vegas, the purpose is to cover a story - of a bike race. In getting the job, Raul and The Samoan gain access to a large sum of cash, an expensive convertible sports car and a whole range of other "perks". With this, they travel through the desert to the flagship ideal of the "American dream" - Las Vegas. A place where you can ascend from rags-to-riches, from zero-to-hero and back again with nothing but a dollar in your pocket to start you off. This fact is epitomized and almost chastised through-out the book. Raul and The Samoan never pay a penny for anything (all the money they had access to was the newspaper's) and act like true animals wherever they go - using an absolute truck loads of illicit substances that are easily available and almost always right under your nose! No mater how blatant they are, no-matter un-wholesome they become, they are still allowed to let rip all over the city... and do so, never fettered...
"he who makes a beast of himself takes away the pain of being a man" - H.S.Thompson
This book is not one about drug's, about being twisted. It is not a giggly stoner book that pokes a rebellious middle finger at society. It is, however a look at how our society perceives itself... How some people can become rich & powerful, loved & hated, feared & revered and how this very privilege of our society can poison a person and twist their views. Raul's use of drugs has been championed extensively, and of course he does share these traits with his author, but what many people don't realize is that Thompson was a serious writer and a bloody good one at that. Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, and the Other Fear and Loathing titles all follow Raul Duke and follow this ebb of social dissection, Gonzo was not about Raul and his "diet" it was about how no-matter where you look, the world is god-less, selfish and un-forgiving, the balance (as it were) is quite obviously on the side that will not control it-self and how this lack of control (from up high or deep down) is almost always taken for granted. In such a world, passion is a mere pacifier, truth is an illusion and sobriety is nothing to aspire to...

This book is brilliant, the writing is cunning and smart and the narrative enthralling. If you liked to be challenged, and if you're capable of looking below the surface, this book is for you

ENJOY!!!


Buy the ticket, take the ride, 16 Jun 2008
The greatest book about the illusion of the American dream ever written. One of my all time favourite books though some people will simply not get it, not understand it at all. This is a fantastic work of literature and if you have the right kind of mind set you will thoroughly enjoy it. His words are incisive and often profound and this is a perfect introduction to a great author.

As your attorney I advise you to read this book., 30 Dec 2007
I have read this one six or seven times and it still makes me laugh. Virtually every page has something on it to make you laugh out loud. The way he uses italics to emphasize the humour is just brilliant. This is a man at the top of his game. There is a lot of drug abuse and a lot of swearing, and some things I could not mention on a site such as this, but I assure you, good reader, that you should just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. For me, the funniest book ever.

fabulous!, 24 Dec 2007
i first read this after surfing round the internet and bought it on some recommendations from various online journals. I have now finished reading it for the fifth time.
the quotes are one of a kind, the detail into the drug trips are A-Class and you can almost feel that you are sat in the same room as Raoul Duke as he trips on various drugs.
God bless Hunter S Thompson for sticking it to the masses with this book.
RIP.

This book,a sip of something and your imagination is all you need., 28 Jun 2008
This is such a wicked read,from the start to finish I could not put it down.
Situations where you could see yourself and react the same way pulls you in within the first chapter.
You read this before your holiday and gaurenteed you will be out to find yourself your own rum diaries.

Mixed bag....., 22 Jun 2008
I bought this book on a whim and found that it was pretty damn'd good to be fair... then there's the but! the thing is, the ending is a little of a let down - its rushed and doesn't do the rest of the enthralling story justice, it made me feel as if the book ended too soon, as if something more needed to be done....

If you're familiar with H.S.Thompson, you'll be familiar with some of the themes present in this book, the main character is a journalist, named Paul - he drinks ALOT - who has just taken a job at an English language paper in Puerto Rico. The rest of the book follows in typical Thompson style, the prose is written through the very observant eyes of Paul and is mainly concerned with social mechanisms et al.

expect a tense, thrilling and drunken ride through the hot, dusty and distant streets of Puerto Rico - this book is very enjoyable, regardless of the ending


Welcome to Puerto Rico "where men sweat 24 hours a day", 16 Jun 2008
A sweaty paranoid yet pretty laid back year in Hunter S. Thompson's life has produced this rum-soaked, beautifully written work of literature that I can't recommend highly enough.

Gonzo, 09 Jul 2007
Hunter makes you feel in this short novel that you are the protagonist, and that it is you who is experiencing the craziness of Carribbean nights and parties, the rum, the fear, the uncertainty, the laissez-faire article writing, the beautiful girl. It is an adventure, and one worth having. If you are looking for escapism, this is it. If you are looking for quality writing, this is it. If you're looking for a good story, this is it.

Get One, It Is Your Round, 21 Dec 2006
Written before Hunter became the notorious drug-addled Gonzo, when he was, well, knocking back the booze instead, 'The Rum Diary' could actually be his finest work. Chronicling a journalist's days on a doomed newspaper, the action zips through the tough streets and bars of 'boomtown' San Juan, Puerto Rico. If Paul Kemp, the narrator, can't save his job he's definitely got an eye on winning the girl - but is everything working against him? The prose is remarkable for its economy and uncompromising, lucid vision; sleazy but somehow romantic characters are but flesh before us; while the spectacular depiction of an anarchic carnival will churn the reader's innards with its candid,lovelorn recklessness.

Ok, 'Hell's Angels' might just surpass it but it is a very close race indeed.

not as good as Fear but still very good, 02 Dec 2007
Not as over the top or as wildly entertaining as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but still very well written and highly entertaining. You don't get bland prose from the Doctor, and does it get any better than phrases such as "young blondes with lobotomy eyes"? This book is about 40 years old, and the reader certainly gets a feel for the 1960s, but I wouldn't at all call it, or Fear and Loathing, dated. The book is anecdotally driven, there are a lot of highly amusing stories with the bikers, and the bikers don't come across to me as completely unlikeable. If you like Fear and Loathing, you'll probably like this book too, although it's not as wacky and wild. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Superb, 20 Mar 2007
HST gives a real insight into the biker culture which really took off in the 1960s, and which eventually spilled over to a degree into the UK. It is an intriguing look behind an often closed and misunderstood brotherhood, and HST does not pull his punches. He neither deifies or demonises the people he meets and parties with, he just tells it like it is, and the result is a compelling and very enlightening view of the the Angels.
I would recommend this to anyone who has preconceived ideas about the bikers and their lifestyle, good or bad, as I am sure that it will open your eyes to a sometimes uncomfortable set of truths.

Origins of Gonzo, 24 Feb 2007
I have read most published HST and this is where it all started. This is closer to traditonal reporting than most of the later books but none the worse for it. Hunter is of course the star of the book (as always)but faced with the raw outlaw behaviour of the Angels he appears as the relative straight guy, (which is pretty remarkable if you know Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). The focus of the book is actually one weekend that HST spent with the Angels and most of the remainder is entertaining analysis of the hysterical "Square" reaction in the press to other events that he did not witness. Throw in an LSD party with Ken Kesey and Allan Ginsberg just before Kesey skipped off to South America and i think you get the picture.

Excellent., 06 May 2005
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - the 'Gonzo' style of journalism, the underlying political references and the overall honesty make this a highly readable book. The time spent with the 'Angels and the trust that develops (on both sides) as a result of this, gives you a unique insight into both the Author's and the Subject's way of life. Interesting to see the 'Press / Authority as Antagonist' angle too.

H.S. Thompson., 07 Mar 2005
it was some bad crazziness, but Hunter.s. Thompson Hell's Angels happens to be one of the finest books i believe i have read. Although it does not have the harsh, riped and savage dissection of human morals that Fear and Loathing in las Vegas has and is, Thompson provides a fine exapmple of his own genre of Gonzo. the unique perseptive of American culture and the realities of a drug fueled and boozed up segment of a society to which they where an affront provided moments of great enterttianment. (The drug diet of one angel and his subsiquent consomption had me crippled.) Any way i believe it neccessary for any one who loves Thompson, or even Hemmingway or Burgess to read Hell's Angels and every other Thompson publication.

political science students only, 23 Jul 2008
Having read just about the entire output of HST I can honestly say I'd rather gargle with pins than read this again.It all started off fine but soon dives off a cliff into a sea of political intrigue that I frankly found pretty dull in comparison to the rest of his works.OK so theres a few respites here and there but not enough to make it the classic people claim it to be.If you have a good understanding and interest in the American political system then it may appeal to you,if however you read this hoping for more gonzo type journalism then you'll probably be disappointed.

A Raw and Hilarious Account of U.S. Politics, 25 Jul 2006
'Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72' is a fantastic journey through a spectacle which grips the U.S. every four years. It is a journey which in the hands of other authors would be thoroughly boring. But Hunter S. Thompson (HST) succeeds in combining great intelligence and insightful commentary with shocking hilarity and the result is a great book.

'Campaign Trail '72' doesn't have the same constant flow of wacky, laugh-out-loud humour and outrageous anecdotes as some of HST's other works, but then HST wrote this book as part of a year-long assignment to cover the Presidential campaign, not a week-long bender at the Kentucky Derby. In some respects, the length of time over which Thompson was reporting helps reveal a more 'everyday' side to an author who at other times appears to lead a wholly surreal lifestyle. Even the Doctor of Gonzo has down-time and boring days.

HST undoubtedly achieves what he set out to do in December '71. He gives his readers an insider's account of what it's like to cover a Presidential campaign. He reveals some of the underhand and downright corrupt tactics of the candidates and their entourages, the fickle nature of the electorate's support, the decisive role of the media in an election, and the importance of 'perception'. Thompson reports in a way that no one else is capable of reporting. He goes with gut instinct and from page 1 refuses to write from within the journalistic confines of objectivity. He openly supports Democratic candidate George McGovern, and sees Richard Nixon as a great threat to the U.S.A. and the rest of the world. Indeed, on a few occasions, he openly likens Nixon to Hitler; something which no other journalist would dare write, no matter how strongly they felt it.

Rick Steadman's sketches provide another interesting angle on the campaign and complement HST's writing excellently. The author also offers up a few timeless maxims on the nature of politics, which will strike a chord with anyone who lives in a Western 'Democracy'. In all, despite the fact that some of the detail in this book may seem mundane and dated to a present-day reader, most of HST's writing is timeless and one gets an overall sense that U.S. politics don't appear to have changed much since '72. Post-election, Thompson considers running for the office of Senator in Colorado; after reading this book, he certainly would have had my vote.

Brilliant commentary on US politics in action, 31 Dec 2005
‘FALOTCT72’ is a series of articles originally written by Hunter Thompson for Rolling Stone magazine, in which he follows the race to elect a Democrat challenger to Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential elections. It is a classic example of Gonzo journalism, the style that Thompson made his own, in which the journalist’s views and opinions are allowed to colour the reports, and in which the journalist plays an active part in the unfolding events, and is not just an observer. Thompson clearly favours the ‘no-hope’ left wing candidate George McGovern from the outset, both as an alternative to what he saw as malignant right wing influences within the Democrat party, and also to Nixon, who had begun, to Thompson, to represent everything that had gone wrong with the ideals America was founded with.
‘FALOTCT72’ is, to me, a savage account of the death of the ‘American Dream’ (as Thompson understood it), every bit as devastating as his classic novel ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. As a journalist who is close to the election (especially to the McGovern campaign), but not actually within the approved cadre of accepted hacks, Thompson is in an excellent position to give a brutally honest account of the electoral process. Although we may accept that behind the scenes shenanigans are standard in elections, the book shows how far from the ideal of democracy modern politics has fallen, with dirty tricks abounding even within the Democrat party against its own candidates. A note of hope is provided as the idealistic, non-politico McGovern comes from nowhere to defeat the old party guard, threatening to usher in a new honesty in politics. Thompson sees hope for America in its support for McGovern until it is brutally swept away by the intrusion of old-style politics into the presidential campaign, heralding a crushing defeat to Nixon, a president almost universally recognised as untrustworthy.
This is a surprisingly touching book. Thompson still has hope for his country in ’72. Indeed that may have been the last year that he did. His feelings about an election that represented so much more than simply a win for Nixon are tragic. It is all told with his trademark savage humour, drug consumption and outrageous behaviour. It perhaps requires some knowledge of American politics to be fully appreciated, perhaps explaining its lower profile when compared to ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. It is nevertheless very much in the same vein: funny and tragic and beautiful. An observation of American life that says so much more than the text simply describes. This is Hunter Thompson at his most poignant and, for me, the best book of his that I have read to date.

Possibly his best work, 07 Jun 2005
This is a truely fantastic book, I am an avid fan and have virtually all his books, this one is one of the top.

A very interesting take on the political process in America, funny, witty and incredibly clever.

Best and rawest account of electoral politics, 08 Dec 2004
This is a great book - I have never read a better or more raw account of the low politics of election campaigns. Hunter S Thompson has an unmatched understanding of the forces that drive American politics and, although some tactics have changed, the book remains remarkably fresh over thirty years on. The historical perspective we now have on the figures (Nixon, McGovern, Humphrey, Mayor Daley, Gary Hart etc) may even add to the appeal of the book.

One minor quibble and a little warning. First, the book is a collection of dispatches written for the Rolling Stone and this inevitably means some repetition and an occasional disjointed feeling. Secondly, the book will appeal most to people with an interest in electoral politics - those who simply liked the good Doctor's style in the Rum Diaries, Hell's Angels or F&L in Las Vegas will still enjoy it but get a bit less out of it.

Best HST book., 20 Feb 2008
This book is quite frankly the best Hunter S. Thompson book I have ever read.
The book is comprised of many different stories (most of which are taken from his other books.) and is basically a 'best of' his work which are rolled into this one book.
It includes such excerpts from Hells Angels, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, The Rum Diary, Kingdom Of Fear and many others.

If your a big HST fan like myself then get this book you won't be disappointed- it would be an ideal first read of his work because you get a taste of everything.

Hilarious and insightful, 25 Jan 2008
Thompson's overview of the USA from(approx)1965 to 1977,with some earlier material written while travelling around South America.It's great,but you'll need to know a bit about US politics and contemporary US history-as it's journalism,it assumes the reader has some knowledge of what was happening at that time in the USA.
The downfall of Nixon,the begining of the west coast counter culture(hippies,Hell's Angels,the Diggers,psychedelia),the rise of Carter,his adventures with a crazed chicano lawyer(later to be the base of "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas")-all here in it's gory details.
The funniest sequences are when Thompson discovers that he isn't on Nixon's Enemies List,and his description of President Johnson allegedly ordering the spreading of rumours about another candidate to the effect that Johnson's opponent was in the habit of enjoying sex with farmyard animals.
If you're offended by colloquial English,drugs,radical politics,human sexuality,rock music or honesty,go elsewhere.Otherwise you'll have a whale of a time.

The king of Gonzo..., 07 Mar 2007
Well, I wouldn't suggest that you buy this book if you are unaquainted with Thompson's work, you should buy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, then, if you like that, buy The Great Shark Hunt. I say that because I have offered The Great Shark Hunt to people who haven't read any Thompson and they were put off by its sheer length and the content of some of the articles.

The reason I like this book is because it is pretty open-ended, because the book is a collection of articles you can read the ones that interest you and skip the ones that don't grab you. There is no reason why you should read it straight from cover-to-cover.

There is some pure gold in here, including excerpts from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the infamous The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved (considered to be Thompson's first gonzo article) and many other gems.

I'd say, buy this, but only if you are sure you like Thompson because it isn't the best means of getting started on him. To sum it up in one line; If you love Hunter S. Thompson's work, you'll love this...

History repeats itself, 12 Jan 2006
"When the going gets weird, the weird go pro."-Hunter S. Thompson

In a time of political peril and rancor in our countries capitol this book speaks volumes.

Hunter S. Thompson provides many snapshots into the American political system with this book. It is not a complete narrative. Rather this book is filled with high lights of Thompson's journalistic works. It is a collection of articles written for the "Rolling Stone," and various other publications.

Due undoubtedly to my youth, I have found the current state of America to be very disturbing. Reading this book has given me a chance to take a deep breath because the problems our country is facing are not new. They are just the same old problems we have always had.

If you are a person that likes to "Bush Bash," this book will give you plenty of new ammunition. Thompson's rants about Nixon are very similar to the things I have heard said about President Bush. Unfortunately, for all of us, the parallels are mostly negative. If President Clinton was a new John F. Kennedy, then "The Great Shark Hunt" has led me to believe President Bush is a new Richard M. Nixon.

An hounorable role model, 25 Mar 2004
My dad gave me this book to read, I ...eventually obliged. I am glad I did. I have quotes from it on my walls. It is filled with drugs and (so called) depravity. Politics however also plays a vital role. I apreciate the comparisons between drug addicts and politics addicts. It is an under exposed and highly damaging affliction, to society and the individual. HST's writing style cannot fail to draw one in but like all good psychoactives, it leaves you a desperate for more!

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 09 Jul 2008
Hunter S. Thompson is by far THE most entertaining writer in modern literature, it has to be said. His engrossing affilliation with substances that he swore he hadn't been taking during the writing of the major part of this novel, make this most probably the funniest piece of literature available. His quick wit and complete topsy-turvy sense of humour is only the beginning. As he travels through the desert with his attorney to "find the dark side of the American dream", they well and trully find it when they agree that any trip such as the one their making can only be made armed with a stupendous arsenal of drugs. And this they do. They engage in a completely twisted reality that is there's alone, and their journey, so infallible to their minds, leaps from one thing to the next supporting complete hysteria and laugh-out-louds situations, and I can honestly tell you there isn't a moment in this book that isn't ruthlessly fun.

Thompson manages to bring across madness in a sweet, yet shocking form, and produces simile after simile, metaphor after metaphor of true brilliance. I wouldn't go so far as to call this book a comedy, that would suggest that Thompson is attempting to be funny. But the fact is, he IS funny, whether you want him to be or not. His discriptions of the events that took place are superb, giving you the absolute feeling that you were right in the back seat of their car with the hitchhiker himself, and even more. His emotions and the feelings of his attorney are all described and somehow justified in some twisted way, and you can't help but get pulled into the story.

Apart from being hilarious, and wildly enteraining, the book also shows an overture on the scary American dream that was large during the late sixties. The malignant culture is portrayed wonderfully, and described from the standpoint of someone who got involved himself, and he describes the whole thing from things he saw. Even after the book has finished you'll find yourself hearing Hunter S. Thompson speaking in your head describing your every move in the form of one of his writings, almost like he's part of your sub-concious. His power, delivery and intoxicatingly clever witted nature makes this book what it is: a masterpiece. No wonder it became a modern classic.

The first stage for many...., 22 Jun 2008
As with a lot of people in my generation, i have found that H.S.Thompson is a very entertaining author. The first of his books i read was this (saw the film first, and this had too follow) and i really liked it. It's funny, sadistic, manic and totally absorbing.
The story followed in this book, is that of Raul Duke and his Attorney on a trip to Las Vegas, the purpose is to cover a story - of a bike race. In getting the job, Raul and The Samoan gain access to a large sum of cash, an expensive convertible sports car and a whole range of other "perks". With this, they travel through the desert to the flagship ideal of the "American dream" - Las Vegas. A place where you can ascend from rags-to-riches, from zero-to-hero and back again with nothing but a dollar in your pocket to start you off. This fact is epitomized and almost chastised through-out the book. Raul and The Samoan never pay a penny for anything (all the money they had access to was the newspaper's) and act like true animals wherever they go - using an absolute truck loads of illicit substances that are easily available and almost always right under your nose! No mater how blatant they are, no-matter un-wholesome they become, they are still allowed to let rip all over the city... and do so, never fettered...
"he who makes a beast of himself takes away the pain of being a man" - H.S.Thompson
This book is not one about drug's, about being twisted. It is not a giggly stoner book that pokes a rebellious middle finger at society. It is, however a look at how our society perceives itself... How some people can become rich & powerful, loved & hated, feared & revered and how this very privilege of our society can poison a person and twist their views. Raul's use of drugs has been championed extensively, and of course he does share these traits with his author, but what many people don't realize is that Thompson was a serious writer and a bloody good one at that. Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, and the Other Fear and Loathing titles all follow Raul Duke and follow this ebb of social dissection, Gonzo was not about Raul and his "diet" it was about how no-matter where you look, the world is god-less, selfish and un-forgiving, the balance (as it were) is quite obviously on the side that will not control it-self and how this lack of control (from up high or deep down) is almost always taken for granted. In such a world, passion is a mere pacifier, truth is an illusion and sobriety is nothing to aspire to...

This book is brilliant, the writing is cunning and smart and the narrative enthralling. If you liked to be challenged, and if you're capable of looking below the surface, this book is for you

ENJOY!!!


Buy the ticket, take the ride, 16 Jun 2008
The greatest book about the illusion of the American dream ever written. One of my all time favourite books though some people will simply not get it, not understand it at all. This is a fantastic work of literature and if you have the right kind of mind set you will thoroughly enjoy it. His words are incisive and often profound and this is a perfect introduction to a great author.

As your attorney I advise you to read this book., 30 Dec 2007
I have read this one six or seven times and it still makes me laugh. Virtually every page has something on it to make you laugh out loud. The way he uses italics to emphasize the humour is just brilliant. This is a man at the top of his game. There is a lot of drug abuse and a lot of swearing, and some things I could not mention on a site such as this, but I assure you, good reader, that you should just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. For me, the funniest book ever.

fabulous!, 24 Dec 2007
i first read this after surfing round the internet and bought it on some recommendations from various online journals. I have now finished reading it for the fifth time.
the quotes are one of a kind, the detail into the drug trips are A-Class and you can almost feel that you are sat in the same room as Raoul Duke as he trips on various drugs.
God bless Hunter S Thompson for sticking it to the masses with this book.
RIP.

This book,a sip of something and your imagination is all you need., 28 Jun 2008
This is such a wicked read,from the start to finish I could not put it down.
Situations where you could see yourself and react the same way pulls you in within the first chapter.
You read this before your holiday and gaurenteed you will be out to find yourself your own rum diaries.

Mixed bag....., 22 Jun 2008
I bought this book on a whim and found that it was pretty damn'd good to be fair... then there's the but! the thing is, the ending is a little of a let down - its rushed and doesn't do the rest of the enthralling story justice, it made me feel as if the book ended too soon, as if something more needed to be done....

If you're familiar with H.S.Thompson, you'll be familiar with some of the themes present in this book, the main character is a journalist, named Paul - he drinks ALOT - who has just taken a job at an English language paper in Puerto Rico. The rest of the book follows in typical Thompson style, the prose is written through the very observant eyes of Paul and is mainly concerned with social mechanisms et al.

expect a tense, thrilling and drunken ride through the hot, dusty and distant streets of Puerto Rico - this book is very enjoyable, regardless of the ending


Welcome to Puerto Rico "where men sweat 24 hours a day", 16 Jun 2008
A sweaty paranoid yet pretty laid back year in Hunter S. Thompson's life has produced this rum-soaked, beautifully written work of literature that I can't recommend highly enough.

Gonzo, 09 Jul 2007
Hunter makes you feel in this short novel that you are the protagonist, and that it is you who is experiencing the craziness of Carribbean nights and parties, the rum, the fear, the uncertainty, the laissez-faire article writing, the beautiful girl. It is an adventure, and one worth having. If you are looking for escapism, this is it. If you are looking for quality writing, this is it. If you're looking for a good story, this is it.

Get One, It Is Your Round, 21 Dec 2006
Written before Hunter became the notorious drug-addled Gonzo, when he was, well, knocking back the booze instead, 'The Rum Diary' could actually be his finest work. Chronicling a journalist's days on a doomed newspaper, the action zips through the tough streets and bars of 'boomtown' San Juan, Puerto Rico. If Paul Kemp, the narrator, can't save his job he's definitely got an eye on winning the girl - but is everything working against him? The prose is remarkable for its economy and uncompromising, lucid vision; sleazy but somehow romantic characters are but flesh before us; while the spectacular depiction of an anarchic carnival will churn the reader's innards with its candid,lovelorn recklessness.

Ok, 'Hell's Angels' might just surpass it but it is a very close race indeed.

not as good as Fear but still very good, 02 Dec 2007
Not as over the top or as wildly entertaining as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but still very well written and highly entertaining. You don't get bland prose from the Doctor, and does it get any better than phrases such as "young blondes with lobotomy eyes"? This book is about 40 years old, and the reader certainly gets a feel for the 1960s, but I wouldn't at all call it, or Fear and Loathing, dated. The book is anecdotally driven, there are a lot of highly amusing stories with the bikers, and the bikers don't come across to me as completely unlikeable. If you like Fear and Loathing, you'll probably like this book too, although it's not as wacky and wild. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Superb, 20 Mar 2007
HST gives a real insight into the biker culture which really took off in the 1960s, and which eventually spilled over to a degree into the UK. It is an intriguing look behind an often closed and misunderstood brotherhood, and HST does not pull his punches. He neither deifies or demonises the people he meets and parties with, he just tells it like it is, and the result is a compelling and very enlightening view of the the Angels.
I would recommend this to anyone who has preconceived ideas about the bikers and their lifestyle, good or bad, as I am sure that it will open your eyes to a sometimes uncomfortable set of truths.

Origins of Gonzo, 24 Feb 2007
I have read most published HST and this is where it all started. This is closer to traditonal reporting than most of the later books but none the worse for it. Hunter is of course the star of the book (as always)but faced with the raw outlaw behaviour of the Angels he appears as the relative straight guy, (which is pretty remarkable if you know Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). The focus of the book is actually one weekend that HST spent with the Angels and most of the remainder is entertaining analysis of the hysterical "Square" reaction in the press to other events that he did not witness. Throw in an LSD party with Ken Kesey and Allan Ginsberg just before Kesey skipped off to South America and i think you get the picture.

Excellent., 06 May 2005
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - the 'Gonzo' style of journalism, the underlying political references and the overall honesty make this a highly readable book. The time spent with the 'Angels and the trust that develops (on both sides) as a result of this, gives you a unique insight into both the Author's and the Subject's way of life. Interesting to see the 'Press / Authority as Antagonist' angle too.

H.S. Thompson., 07 Mar 2005
it was some bad crazziness, but Hunter.s. Thompson Hell's Angels happens to be one of the finest books i believe i have read. Although it does not have the harsh, riped and savage dissection of human morals that Fear and Loathing in las Vegas has and is, Thompson provides a fine exapmple of his own genre of Gonzo. the unique perseptive of American culture and the realities of a drug fueled and boozed up segment of a society to which they where an affront provided moments of great enterttianment. (The drug diet of one angel and his subsiquent consomption had me crippled.) Any way i believe it neccessary for any one who loves Thompson, or even Hemmingway or Burgess to read Hell's Angels and every other Thompson publication.

political science students only, 23 Jul 2008
Having read just about the entire output of HST I can honestly say I'd rather gargle with pins than read this again.It all started off fine but soon dives off a cliff into a sea of political intrigue that I frankly found pretty dull in comparison to the rest of his works.OK so theres a few respites here and there but not enough to make it the classic people claim it to be.If you have a good understanding and interest in the American political system then it may appeal to you,if however you read this hoping for more gonzo type journalism then you'll probably be disappointed.

A Raw and Hilarious Account of U.S. Politics, 25 Jul 2006
'Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72' is a fantastic journey through a spectacle which grips the U.S. every four years. It is a journey which in the hands of other authors would be thoroughly boring. But Hunter S. Thompson (HST) succeeds in combining great intelligence and insightful commentary with shocking hilarity and the result is a great book.

'Campaign Trail '72' doesn't have the same constant flow of wacky, laugh-out-loud humour and outrageous anecdotes as some of HST's other works, but then HST wrote this book as part of a year-long assignment to cover the Presidential campaign, not a week-long bender at the Kentucky Derby. In some respects, the length of time over which Thompson was reporting helps reveal a more 'everyday' side to an author who at other times appears to lead a wholly surreal lifestyle. Even the Doctor of Gonzo has down-time and boring days.

HST undoubtedly achieves what he set out to do in December '71. He gives his readers an insider's account of what it's like to cover a Presidential campaign. He reveals some of the underhand and downright corrupt tactics of the candidates and their entourages, the fickle nature of the electorate's support, the decisive role of the media in an election, and the importance of 'perception'. Thompson reports in a way that no one else is capable of reporting. He goes with gut instinct and from page 1 refuses to write from within the journalistic confines of objectivity. He openly supports Democratic candidate George McGovern, and sees Richard Nixon as a great threat to the U.S.A. and the rest of the world. Indeed, on a few occasions, he openly likens Nixon to Hitler; something which no other journalist would dare write, no matter how strongly they felt it.

Rick Steadman's sketches provide another interesting angle on the campaign and complement HST's writing excellently. The author also offers up a few timeless maxims on the nature of politics, which will strike a chord with anyone who lives in a Western 'Democracy'. In all, despite the fact that some of the detail in this book may seem mundane and dated to a present-day reader, most of HST's writing is timeless and one gets an overall sense that U.S. politics don't appear to have changed much since '72. Post-election, Thompson considers running for the office of Senator in Colorado; after reading this book, he certainly would have had my vote.

Brilliant commentary on US politics in action, 31 Dec 2005
‘FALOTCT72’ is a series of articles originally written by Hunter Thompson for Rolling Stone magazine, in which he follows the race to elect a Democrat challenger to Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential elections. It is a classic example of Gonzo journalism, the style that Thompson made his own, in which the journalist’s views and opinions are allowed to colour the reports, and in which the journalist plays an active part in the unfolding events, and is not just an observer. Thompson clearly favours the ‘no-hope’ left wing candidate George McGovern from the outset, both as an alternative to what he saw as malignant right wing influences within the Democrat party, and also to Nixon, who had begun, to Thompson, to represent everything that had gone wrong with the ideals America was founded with.
‘FALOTCT72’ is, to me, a savage account of the death of the ‘American Dream’ (as Thompson understood it), every bit as devastating as his classic novel ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. As a journalist who is close to the election (especially to the McGovern campaign), but not actually within the approved cadre of accepted hacks, Thompson is in an excellent position to give a brutally honest account of the electoral process. Although we may accept that behind the scenes shenanigans are standard in elections, the book shows how far from the ideal of democracy modern politics has fallen, with dirty tricks abounding even within the Democrat party against its own candidates. A note of hope is provided as the idealistic, non-politico McGovern comes from nowhere to defeat the old party guard, threatening to usher in a new honesty in politics. Thompson sees hope for America in its support for McGovern until it is brutally swept away by the intrusion of old-style politics into the presidential campaign, heralding a crushing defeat to Nixon, a president almost universally recognised as untrustworthy.
This is a surprisingly touching book. Thompson still has hope for his country in ’72. Indeed that may have been the last year that he did. His feelings about an election that represented so much more than simply a win for Nixon are tragic. It is all told with his trademark savage humour, drug consumption and outrageous behaviour. It perhaps requires some knowledge of American politics to be fully appreciated, perhaps explaining its lower profile when compared to ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. It is nevertheless very much in the same vein: funny and tragic and beautiful. An observation of American life that says so much more than the text simply describes. This is Hunter Thompson at his most poignant and, for me, the best book of his that I have read to date.

Possibly his best work, 07 Jun 2005
This is a truely fantastic book, I am an avid fan and have virtually all his books, this one is one of the top.

A very interesting take on the political process in America, funny, witty and incredibly clever.

Best and rawest account of electoral politics, 08 Dec 2004
This is a great book - I have never read a better or more raw account of the low politics of election campaigns. Hunter S Thompson has an unmatched understanding of the forces that drive American politics and, although some tactics have changed, the book remains remarkably fresh over thirty years on. The historical perspective we now have on the figures (Nixon, McGovern, Humphrey, Mayor Daley, Gary Hart etc) may even add to the appeal of the book.

One minor quibble and a little warning. First, the book is a collection of dispatches written for the Rolling Stone and this inevitably means some repetition and an occasional disjointed feeling. Secondly, the book will appeal most to people with an interest in electoral politics - those who simply liked the good Doctor's style in the Rum Diaries, Hell's Angels or F&L in Las Vegas will still enjoy it but get a bit less out of it.

Best HST book., 20 Feb 2008
This book is quite frankly the best Hunter S. Thompson book I have ever read.
The book is comprised of many different stories (most of which are taken from his other books.) and is basically a 'best of' his work which are rolled into this one book.
It includes such excerpts from Hells Angels, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, The Rum Diary, Kingdom Of Fear and many others.

If your a big HST fan like myself then get this book you won't be disappointed- it would be an ideal first read of his work because you get a taste of everything.

Hilarious and insightful, 25 Jan 2008
Thompson's overview of the USA from(approx)1965 to 1977,with some earlier material written while travelling around South America.It's great,but you'll need to know a bit about US politics and contemporary US history-as it's journalism,it assumes the reader has some knowledge of what was happening at that time in the USA.
The downfall of Nixon,the begining of the west coast counter culture(hippies,Hell's Angels,the Diggers,psychedelia),the rise of Carter,his adventures with a crazed chicano lawyer(later to be the base of "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas")-all here in it's gory details.
The funniest sequences are when Thompson discovers that he isn't on Nixon's Enemies List,and his description of President Johnson allegedly ordering the spreading of rumours about another candidate to the effect that Johnson's opponent was in the habit of enjoying sex with farmyard animals.
If you're offended by colloquial English,drugs,radical politics,human sexuality,rock music or honesty,go elsewhere.Otherwise you'll have a whale of a time.

The king of Gonzo..., 07 Mar 2007
Well, I wouldn't suggest that you buy this book if you are unaquainted with Thompson's work, you should buy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, then, if you like that, buy The Great Shark Hunt. I say that because I have offered The Great Shark Hunt to people who haven't read any Thompson and they were put off by its sheer length and the content of some of the articles.

The reason I like this book is because it is pretty open-ended, because the book is a collection of articles you can read the ones that interest you and skip the ones that don't grab you. There is no reason why you should read it straight from cover-to-cover.

There is some pure gold in here, including excerpts from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the infamous The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved (considered to be Thompson's first gonzo article) and many other gems.

I'd say, buy this, but only if you are sure you like Thompson because it isn't the best means of getting started on him. To sum it up in one line; If you love Hunter S. Thompson's work, you'll love this...

History repeats itself, 12 Jan 2006
"When the going gets weird, the weird go pro."-Hunter S. Thompson

In a time of political peril and rancor in our countries capitol this book speaks volumes.

Hunter S. Thompson provides many snapshots into the American political system with this book. It is not a complete narrative. Rather this book is filled with high lights of Thompson's journalistic works. It is a collection of articles written for the "Rolling Stone," and various other publications.

Due undoubtedly to my youth, I have found the current state of America to be very disturbing. Reading this book has given me a chance to take a deep breath because the problems our country is facing are not new. They are just the same old problems we have always had.

If you are a person that likes to "Bush Bash," this book will give you plenty of new ammunition. Thompson's rants about Nixon are very similar to the things I have heard said about President Bush. Unfortunately, for all of us, the parallels are mostly negative. If President Clinton was a new John F. Kennedy, then "The Great Shark Hunt" has led me to believe President Bush is a new Richard M. Nixon.

An hounorable role model, 25 Mar 2004
My dad gave me this book to read, I ...eventually obliged. I am glad I did. I have quotes from it on my walls. It is filled with drugs and (so called) depravity. Politics however also plays a vital role. I apreciate the comparisons between drug addicts and politics addicts. It is an under exposed and highly damaging affliction, to society and the individual. HST's writing style cannot fail to draw one in but like all good psychoactives, it leaves you a desperate for more!

loathing of the fear , 06 Jul 2007
The book wad of pages adhesive and in conclusive. The book that has an insignia on the front cover.
Kingdom of fear is the book, that every young blood, or decrepit pensioners wished they could have the guts to say, in public, as this book is the finesse of all that is political and quintessential to the growth of man and beast, as there's the sexual innuendo of an under age molestation the drug exertion to propositions that most would be intimidated by to see in print, and the pigs that were on the scent of Hunter but never really ensnared their prey to the crucifix. Hunter is informative through out the book with a razor tongue edged humorous syndicalism to Christianity and the government and who wouldn't be ah? It is a farce, but was contracted in the adroitness and benign to god.
It was gods, will that got Hunter out of some hair-raising issues; this book is not for the ignoramus.
You know that want a conclusion plot of the timeline of a human being and a fairytale nauseating
End. It is a contorted rancid passageway through choc block and never let's go and don't take your seat belt off till the end, or