-, 30. Juli 2000

Concise and entertaining, but the best parts are too small and often ignored because of how they're pushed around by the drugs & debauchery angle (like the search for the american dream chapter).

       Funny as hell, 4. Juli 2000

Every so often, you stumble across a true literary gem that keeps you giggling as you read it, and thinking about it long after you've returned it to the library. "Fear and loathing in Las Vegas" is one such book. The characters are hapless bozos that made me chuckle, riding across the country in a stolen car stock-piled with drugs in search of the "american dream". Thier adventures are craftily written by Thompson, one of the emminent fiction writers of our time. I'm now looking for the sequel...

       Truly Gonzo, 17. Juni 2000

Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is so far out it alomost defies criticism. Needless to say, if you are a square or a raging conservative, you will HATE Thompson's warped vision of modern America. If however, you appreciate the Thompson style of "Gonzo Jornalism," then this classic of the style, while fictional, is a must read. The plot ceneters on Thompson's alter ego, Raul Duke, and his Samoan "attorney" driving to Las Vegas to ingest as many drugs and party as hard as they can. What happens there is...well let's just say you've got to read it for yourself. Funny, outrageous and compellingly readable, this is a book that simply cannot be ignored.

       "We were somewhere around Barstow...", 9. Juni 2000

So starts this epic tale, in the middle of a roaring cadillac speeding down a desert highway, occupied by two men filled to the brim with all manner of exotic narcotics. Of all Thompson's pieces of Gonzo Journalism this perhaps serves as the greatest. Not only does it perfectly display exactly what Gonzo journalism is, but it is also just a great masterpiece. The basic and loose story of this book is hard to describe, because it focusses on many different levels. Basically, it concerns two men who go to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race. But, it infact centres more around the fact that these two men take with them, an entire suitcase full of drugs. And, furthermore, there is their subconscious search for the American Dream. All in all, this book is incredibly funny, the first page will have you rolling around the floor in hysterics. I remember that I first picked this book up at a library because I was forbidden from purchasing it, and sat down to read it there. But, I was soon laughing so loud that I was asked to leave the library. All manner of a halucinogenic LSD trips go wild, ending up in a chaotic muddle of entire insanity. If you wish to be serious for a minute, this book also holds a sociological value, because it serves as a great description of the 1960's drug scene. But who cares about that? When you're in the hands of someone who can be as amusing and brilliant as Hunter S. Thompson, there is little you can do, but sit back and enjoy the ride...

      Excess, the American Dream and a Vincent Black Shadow, 4. Juni 2000

This is HS Thompson's search for the American Dream in Las Vegas. Sent to cover a bike/Dune Buggy Race - he and his attourney check into the Mint with their case of recreational personality modifiers and several small arms and hand weapons whilst in an altered state of reality. This sets the tone for the entire book.

Thompson chronicles his trip of looking for the American Dream in Las Vegas. He is looking for the quintessential Horatio Alger character. He eventually realizes he has found it, but not until he has worked his way through the entire sixties movement to the present in his altered states and come to the conclusion that Excess is the American Way at least in Vegas.

One of the most humorous moments is when he checks into the Flamingo hotel across town to cover the District Attourney's conference for Law Enforcement agents on the Drug Culture. He feels the "other side" should be represented, but quickly realizes that he won't be doing any recruiting or mind changing in this atmosphere.

I would recommend this as a must read for anyone with the reminder that one is never certain when Hunter is writing of what is real, what is pure fiction. On the other hand the man can WRITE and while I may not always agree with his conclusions, he can put together a coherent line of thought that leaves the reader at least pondering.