The Great Shark Hunt : Strange Tales from a Strange Time

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Summary: Review of The Great Gonzo
Review: This book is a collection of his works for Rolling Stone and Fear and Loathing on the campaign trail of '72. He adds his usual insight on topics such as racism in Kentucky and his favorite person Richard M. Nixon. Once again Hunter may have some crazy ideas from who knows what he is drinking, and it will actually make sense to whoever is reading it!

Rating:
Summary: Review of The Great Gonzo
Review: This book is a collection of his works for Rolling Stone and Fear and Loathing on the campaign trail of '72. He adds his usual insight on topics such as racism in Kentucky and his favorite person Richard M. Nixon. Once again Hunter may have some crazy ideas from who knows what he is drinking, and it will actually make sense to whoever is reading it!

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Summary: what a ride
Review: This book was FUN. It was the first Thompson book I'd ever read, and is now precariously held together with Scotch tape- but it has been well used and well loved. The Good Doctor's writing has gotten a little flimsy as of late, at least in comparison to these fantastic works on everything from the Hippies of Haight-Ashbury to the Kentucky Derby, but it is still strong and is still fun. That's the best part about Hunter Thompson- he may be a psycho but he's OUR psycho, and no matter what degradation of the human psyche he's detailing he still manages to make you laugh and shake your head at the same time.

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Summary: I think I shall not get on the Hunter S. Thompson train
Review: This is the first work by Hunter S. Thompson I have read. Perhaps I expected too much, after reading all the rave reviews. I found this collection disjointed, only occasionally humorous, and not at all shocking. I'm not at all sure what the unifying theme is. The nice thing is that since it is a collection, it can be read in bits and pieces. I give it three stars, because there were moments of hilarity.

Rating:
Summary: I think I shall not get on the Hunter S. Thompson train
Review: This is the first work by Hunter S. Thompson I have read. Perhaps I expected too much, after reading all the rave reviews. I found this collection disjointed, only occasionally humorous, and not at all shocking. I'm not at all sure what the unifying theme is. The nice thing is that since it is a collection, it can be read in bits and pieces. I give it three stars, because there were moments of hilarity.

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Summary: The Essential HST
Review: This is truely the most Essential Collection of HST's work. From his early experiments in Gonzo (Hell's Angels, Kentucky Durby), to Fear and Loathing across the USA to wild adventures in South America, this book almost has it all... In fact, the only real downside is the lack of Ralph Steadman's art that accompanied some of the original works...

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Summary: Thompson in his element
Review: Thompson always seemed most at home with the guerilla tactics he used to re-define journalism. These brief attacks at all that Western society holds sacred demonstrate the iconoclastic impact that Thompson can have when he's at his best. I think this book's crowning jewel would be Thompson's travels through South America. It is a startlingly sympathetic look at social conditions and ways of life by an author who too often has come to be thought of as an absurd hedonist. My one minor complaint would be that I don't share Thompson's fascination with Nixon, and I found the excerpts from "...Campaign Trail," a bit tedious. They are, however, by no means unreadable, and this book is definitely a recommendation.