Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

books:

	• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories (Modern Library) Hunter S. Thompson Modern Library, 1998 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 49 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

"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.

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A great compilation!

I have read Fear and Loathing before, and find it to be a classic that is not only fun, but portrays Hunter S. Thompson's journalistic genious. For true Thompson fans, this is a great book to add to the collection not only for the story of "Fear and Loathing", but for his commentary as to why and how he wrote the story that is included after. I almost liked his commentary better than the story itself! Personally, I did not find the other story included quite as interesting, but it gives a good flavor of an interesting piece of history and shows off Thompson's more straightforward journalistic side. I would definitely suggest this read!

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very funny book

Up there with Bukowski as "must read but be prepared", I've been avoiding Fear and Loathing for a while for no particular reason. I'm glad I finally broke down and read it, it's really a great book!

A savagely FUN journey

I went into this novel thinking about all of the other publicly spoken peer reviews I have heard. Of course the drug crazed part sounded hilarious, but also after my very brief prior knowledge to Thompson's writing, i knew it would have some redeeming literate values. Picking up strong from the start, the novel made me laugh in disbelief at some of the experiences the reporter and his lawyer went through. Some of them even made me question reality.I am not a psychadelic enthusiast so I cannot judge if it is actually possible to hallucinate to the point of actually seeing huge lizards devouring humans.

This piece works in very strange ways, almost putting you in the journalist's position. It made me feel very "strange" to say the least. Overall, this novel is a fine choice whether you are looking for anything from a bathroom read all the way up to an analysis. A warning though is to not be too closed-minded when reading this novel. Expand your thought train and think about what the 2 are going through, whether you approve or you don't. My best comparison would be to read this tale as you would listen to Dark Side of the Moon.

Pick this visionary piece up and enjoy it for yourself.
there are so many things in this book that you can stretch out and mold in your mind to better suit your imagination. It was a great read.

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One of the great books

This is one of the great books. This Modern Library hardcover edition is beautifully made - good paper, clear font.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

First published in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is Hunter S. Thompson's savagely comic account of what happened to this country in the 1960s. It is told through the writer's account of an assignment he undertook with his attorney to visit Las Vegas and "check it out." The book stands as the final word on the highs and lows of that decade, one of the defining works of our time, and a stylistic and journalistic tour de force. As Christopher Lehmann-Haupt wrote in The New York Times, it has "a kind of mad, corrosive prose poetry that picks up where Norman Mailer's An American Dream left off and explores what Tom Wolfe left out."
This Modern Library edition features Ralph Steadman's original drawings and three companion pieces selected by Dr. Thompson: "Jacket Copy for Fear and Loath-
ing in Las Vegas," "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan," and "The Kentucky Derby Is Deca-
dent and Depraved."

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