Customer Reviews

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

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"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream" by Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter Thompson practiced total immersion journalism. This form of reporting is called gonzo journalism.

Hunter Thompson drove to Las Vegas to report on a motorcycle race and ended up writing a story about himself writing a story about a motorcycle race. If he would have written a conventional report on motorcycle racing it would have been interesting to motorcycle enthusiasts for a few days. Since he wrote a gonzo story he had a very wide canvas and he used it well to create a classic.

The reader might be turned off by the obstreperous behavior, extreme self indulgence and offensive inconsiderate language. If you can look past this offensive conduct and you will see that Hunter Thompson gave us an insight into the American character of the 1970's.

See also: Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library)

I completely enjoyed this book and recommend it to others.

Hunter S. Thompson was a much celebrated American journalist and writer, and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is his most famous book. Written in a style of "gonzo journalism," this seminal book aimed to capture as much as possible the wild and reckless drug-induced adventures of Thompson and his lawyer friend over the course of two journalistic assignments in Las Vegas in the early 70s. The actual protagonists of "Fear and Loathing" were actually slightly altered from the real world personages, as is probably a big part of the actual narrative in order to create more dramatic and deliberately outrageous events.

This is perhaps one of the most entertaining and original books that I have read in my life. Some of the slang and jargon feels a bit dated, but overall the book has aged remarkably well. It is as fresh and lively today as when it was first written. I actually did laugh out loud on many occasions while reading it. Most of the time there was a total disconnect between the cognitive parts of my brain and the parts that were in charge of making me laugh - while I was positively outrageous with some behaviors and situations, parts of me couldn't help but laugh.

The book was also meant as a form of social criticism, especially of the over-the-top consumer culture as symbolized by Las Vegas on one hand, and the overly prudish middle-America in the form of small town police officers and Sheriffs. In the middle of it all Hunter S. Thompson was in a search of the American Dream, and what he finally found it was a burnt-down psychiatry club. The symbolism of it needs no further explanation.

A very funny book.. Definitely worth reading . This was my first introduction to Hunter S Thompson and I became addicted after that. If you like this you will also like his Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail

"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream" by Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter Thompson practiced total immersion journalism. This form of reporting is called gonzo journalism.

Hunter Thompson drove to Las Vegas to report on a motorcycle race and ended up writing a story about himself writing a story about a motorcycle race. If he would have written a conventional report on motorcycle racing it would have been interesting to motorcycle enthusiasts for a few days. Since he wrote a gonzo story he had a very wide canvas and he used it well to create a classic.

The reader might be turned off by the obstreperous behavior, extreme self indulgence and offensive inconsiderate language. If you can look past this offensive conduct and you will see that Hunter Thompson gave us an insight into the American character of the 1970's.

See also: Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library)

I completely enjoyed this book and recommend it to others.

This is one of my all time favorite books and got me into reading post-highschool reading adgenda. If you intend on ever reading any of HST's books please make it this one and i guarantee that it won't be the last you read by him. I will admit that this book is not for everyone, but neither is Hunter in my opinion. However, if you have seen the movie and liked it, it is like the DVD director's cut with added scences and more, or have an interest in the man or his works, please read this. You cant go wrong.

The best place to start, if your going to read Thompson, is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Would buy from them again. Received book very quickly, had an issue with the cover, seller responded quickly

The book is in perfect condition. Took a little while to get here but im okay with that.

Greatly satisfied, delivery was even early. just finished, great book. perfect condition of book. no flaws. Nice pictures from steadman.

Hunter Thompson was a journalist in the mid-late 1960's who met and interviewed many famous people, President Richard Nixon among them. He was intelligent, articulate and talented. He is credited with inventing the "gonzo" style of journalism- offbeat comments and atypical analyses which broke new ground in allowing people to see news and public figures in a new light. In "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", Thompson does a road trip and proceeds to get drunk, high and often zonked out of his mind while exploring the local sites. He takes the reader into his mind-altering episodes- and is proud of how many beers he consumes while ingesting various narcotics to enhance the effect. It's remarkable that he could function- or remember much of what he actually experienced to write a book about it.

Thompson "morphed" into the gonzo style and the world at the time loved it. The late 1960's- late 1970's was a time when barriers were coming down and new styles were being introduced in a variety of areas. Music, painting, dance, theatre- all were experimenting with new genres, different ways of portraying feelings, perceptions, moods and experiences...Thompson relished the free-flowing creativity...and let loose with his wacky style that pleased millions of readers.

One must ask whether Thompson's style truly had any meaningful long-term influences on journalism or creative writing in general. Some will argue that his gonzo exploits and commentaries "shifted the bar" to the left- where later journalists felt free to write in a way that would have shocked people in the previous generation- and thus allowed them to break new ground- leaving journalism and the public all the wiser for it. However, wild exploits and drug-consuming episodes fall flat after the initial rush- and that is what happened in the years after this book hit its' peak of popularity. By the late 1980's, Thompson was viewed almost as an anachronism- a "psychedelic relic" of a wilder time- not a serious journalist worthy of respect and admiration. Fans of the comic strip Doonesbury will know the character Duke as Thompson- and likely enjoyed his many crazy comments and adventures.

"Fear and Loathing" will likely be wonderful reading for people in the 18-25 age group who are sewing their own seeds, exploring new places and yes- trying mind-altering drugs. Yet, for the overwhelming majority of the rest of America, this book is a colorful portait of a time gone by...

-Gene Pisasale
Author, "Lafayette's Gold- The Lost Brandywine Treasure" and
"Vineyard Days"