Customer Reviews

Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have only read two other HTS books and thoroughly enjoyed this one. A lot of reviews have complained that this book is
a rehash of a lot of stories that have been told before. I'm not familiar enough with his other books to tell so can only judge this book on its own merits. And it works great.

The publisher has been billing this book as a biography or a memior, but it really isn't. Although the book is organized around incidents and stories in the life of HST by the end of the book it became clear to me that all of the stories have one theme and purpose - to illuminate HST's view that American culture is making an authoritarian shift in what HST calls the "Final Days of the American
Century."

HST describes himself as a "fifteen year old girl in the body of a 65 year old junkie." A writer who came out the 1960's counterculture, he is now a libertarian who calls September 11th "the day the fun stopped."

For HST since then America has been gripped by fear and worry. He doesn't see the country in a state of war but having a nervous breakdown.

The result is a crackdown on freedom and behavior which is seen as a threat to the system and an overzeolous justice system. Almost every single story in the book touches on this. That's why I don't think it is really a biography. There is a reason why he chose the stories that he did.

HST is the only author I know of who is talking about this great shift in American post Sept-11th right now. America has changed and the country is at a fork in the road. George Bush is not going to be able to kill all of the terrorists or stop them. A choice is going to be made. Our country is either going to have to accept the possibility of terrorism as a fact of life and just move on with the understanding that no matter how bad an act of terrorism is it isn't the end of the world or else we are going to have to have the government take away many of our freedoms in order to protect us. It's a choice that needs to be made.

It is one or the other and HST shows us in this book some of the consequences of the second path. Unfortunately this is an issue that no one is talking about or debating over. As a result the Justice Deparment is increasing its power by the power of default.

HST forces you to at least briefly glimpse at this serious topic in this book by getting you to enj oy doing so through his humorous and frenzied writing style. He quotes Muhummad Ali as saying - "there are no jokes, truth is the funniest joke of all" - and shows us that the Champ is right.

This is an important book.

Unlike many reviewers of this book, this was my first experience reading one of Hunter S. Thompson's books. Having seen the bizarre and hilarious film, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, however, I had some idea of what to expect (I look forward to reading that book). So the fact that some of this material may have been in previous books did not bother me. On the other hand, not being familiar with the well known episodes of Thompson's life made the erratic and disjointed style of the book -he jumps from one time period to another without warning-- harder to follow than if I'd had some background. You simply cannot read an author like Thompson expecting a conventional style, and I appreciated his unique, if often drug-induced perspective. With Thompson, all of the usual barriers are meaningless, such as those that separate fact from fantasy, the humorous from the serious and even past from present. There is simply a barrage of words, emotions, perceptions and anecdotes, revealed in a seemingly random order.

Yet Kingdom Of Fear is not entirely without theme or structure. There is an underlying message, as the title suggests, that the nation is moving into a dark period that seriously jeopardizes our privacy and civil liberties. Thompson relates this post-Sept. 11, 2001 environment to episodes in his own life when authorities violated his rights. Unlike a book by the average political commentator or activist, however, Thompson makes his case with emotional verbal outbursts and poetic observations more than logical arguments. This is refreshing; Thompson's style is an anachronistic challenge to the overly regulated, homogenized and conforming culture that has been building, not only since 9/11, but over the last few decades.

This Book is one hell of a ride in todays fischer price pre packaged world. We need this infusion to make us look at ourselves and realize what a real individualist is.

Our proud doc laces his own personal experiences with his dire outlook on todays world. Hopefuly this voice can be heard louder up and down the food chain and can influence another generation to see something besides the processed meilieu on the news today.

Its scary to see things were freer under President Nixon than today. It opens your eyes.

All and All a brilliant script to the whirlwind life of the Grand Pubah of Gonzo.

Many More to come, PLEASE!

Mr Thompsons autobiography is somewhat lacking compared to his other works. It seems, that he in his later years didn't have that much new to say, and this volume shows it very clearly. It deals with the legend of HST, not the man Hunter Stockton Thompson, and only plays the same tune that we've been hearing since F&L in Las Vegas, only in a strongly diluded form.

A great drawback is that he recycles a lot of stuff from his earlier work, which if you're a fan/reader of his you can't help but feel a bit cheated about. The book isn't that long as it is, but when half the material already has been printed before, and therefore probably, for fans at least, is on your shelf already, it gives the feeling of the good Mr Thompson not really making an effort writing this volume.

It's not all bad though. There are highlights in the book. His description of his childhood is enjoyable and very biographical. The last chapter is also very enjoyable, although not that good as biographical material, it does for a good reading.

It starts out legitimate enough, but quickly turns to his rambling and at times incoherent style of writing. Worth reading if you're a completist. I would recommend the compilations of his letters "The Proud Highway" and "F&L in America" as biography instead. They are much better.

On one hand, it's true that this is not Hunter's crown jewel. On the other hand, this one is not to be dismissed. While there are parts of this that are certainly slower than others, it is clear that HST is still a lover of the language so that his prose never fails to entertain, even when the subject matter becomes occasionally less intriguing.

What makes this book indespensible (to me) is some of Thompson's anecdotes about his childhood. One revelation in particular, relating to a situation where the FBI tried to haul him away while he was in his early teens, explains things about his adulthood that make it seem only natural for Thompson to become the outlaw he is.

I've passed on Thompson's books over the last 10-12 years. Maybe he didn't seem to have the devil in him anymore. Having said that, though, there are a lot of quotable moments in this particular book. He's got some devil back and when he is on he is ON, and when he is funny he is DAMN FUNNY. This one is hit and miss, but let's face it, even welterweight Thompson is hard to top.

I think the reviewer who called this book a "Big Dissappointment" is too concerned with politics and not concerned enough about keeping the buzz alive.
Which is what this book is all about. I would much rather read Fear and Loathing in Elko over Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail.

As for some of his old writings being rehashed, what's wrong with that? Considering that HST has documented most of his life, and this book is supposed to be a memoir, isn't it natural that some of his old work would show up again?

Whip out this book at night over a cold beer, and you'll be glad you did.

Did anyone else find the poem that was included on page 242 (Knock, Knock--Who's There?) to be exceptionally beautiful?
I did a search for this Edward T. Cross fellow but came up with nothing...If anyone can contribute some info about the man I would appreciate it.

HST is bitingly funny in his recounting of episodes fighting against the System. In "The Witness" a has been well known porn star tries her damndest to set Hunter up for a BIG fall on drug charges and sexual assault. Thompson embarasses and shames the District Attorney and LEO's of Pitkin County (here in Colorado where he lives in Aspen).Thompson is, as always, his own person. Describing his days in SF working as Night Manager for the Mitchell Brothers famous O'Farrell Theater - THE center of pornography in it's heyday. Long running legal battles with Diane Feinstein and the leading edge of Freedom of Expression involving Sex in America. Oh enough BS! Thompson loved hanging out with strippers and other free spirits!

This is Thompson's first book since the September 11 attacks. He (accurately, in my opinion) feels that life in America will never be the same. Our generation and todays children, will be in a state of war for our lifetimes. He speculates that, for the first time in recent American history, the next generation will be less well off than the current generation. And America will relearn the sacrifices of previous generations. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Kingdom of Fear is a series of funny, irreverent memoirs describing events in Hunter S Thompson's life. He admits that some embellishing took place. A bit of what he writes about takes place in Aspen with quite a bit of Colorado "references" and landmarks, and personalities. Which (as a long time resident) I found enjoyable. The Ducati blast through "ranch" traffic and close calls with the "sausage maker" are hilarious.
The book has quite a few photographs including the back cover of Hunter buck naked except his famous hat firing a shotgun.
To sum up: As HST's good friend Warren Zevon wrote: "lawyers, guns and money"

A fun read from a guy who has led an interesting life!

Hunter was a lot of things to Americans of all stripes, but is abundantly clear in hindsight that he was a true American patriot, a canary in the mine-shaft. He knew, as he wrote, that Sept 11, 2001 was "the day the fun stopped". That George W. Bush, "the goofy child-President, has been chosen by fate and the Global oil industry...He will declare a National Security Emergency and clamp down Hard on Everybody, no matter where they live or why. If the guilty won't hold up their hands and confess, he and the Generals will ferret them out by force... September 12, 2001."

That kinda sums up the last 4 plus years in Gulag Americana, and the rest of the world that is suffering along with us. Hunter saw it coming the very next day, and we have been unwilling participants in the so-called "Global War On Terror", the GWOT, ever since.

Kingdom of Fear is certainly one of his best books, and it is an important book. He saw very clearly the America that George Bush would create, invoking 9-11 every time he stretched the limits of his presidential authority, or whenever one of his disastrous misfires threatened to overcome the MSM's blockade and wake up the chumps who voted for him, afraid that they might get a glimpse of the truth and demand some real changes. The true Kingdom of Fear is George W. Bush's kingdom, that of the appointed president, the unelected dweeb that thrives on violence and has made America a reflection of his inner monsters, the most feared and hated country on earth.

Doc saw things with a clarity that is denied most people, & he had the gift of being able to write about it in a way that was unique, that pulled us in and made us passengers on his literary flights. Gonzo journalism is what it was called and we sure could use a lot more of it, real soon, because the Doc checked out on February 21, 2005, one year and two days ago. He is sorely missed. I don't blame him for leaving, I often wish I could get out of the nightmare Bush has created with his GWOT, but I don't have the guts that Hunter had. He choose his exit on his schedule, and on his terms. There are a hell of a lot of American soldiers and Marines who didn't get to choose; Bush made their choice, along with God knows how many innocent Iraqi's.

This book (2003) and "Hey Rube" (2004) appear to be the last of HST's books. While "Hey Rube" contains lengthy discussions of gambling on professional football and basketball (including "March Madness"), this book is more far-ranging, containing everything from Thompson's reminiscences of his youth to his (highly negative) thoughts on George W. Bush. There's even a chapter from "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972," one of the finest political books ever written.

The quality of the writing on the recent pieces is not quite up to that of his best from the past, but is still infinitely better than the mindless slop produced by other contemporary "writers." The man was an artist.

As always, one of the disturbing things about Thompson is his ability to assess politics correctly in real time. Reading back, you think "Why didn't people take this man seriously at the time?"

"Indeed," as Doc would say.

HST once again fires up the selectric and shows us all the skinny...Much like a Ducati that is sitting motionless in a garage, yet still appears to be going 90 an hour - this book sat on my table, and I thought I could anticipate the ride that was to ensue once I opened the jacket...but I had no grasp of the torque that lay inside. His stranglehold of life is pure. One hand clapping was worth the price of admission. Thanks Hunter!