Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971)

HST is one crazy mofo. ( )

On page 40 or so, and so much America in this book. Overwhelmingly amazing and America. ( )

This book was a trip, in sort of the same way [b:On The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21E8H3D1JSL._SL75_.jpg|3355573] was. You just have to marvel at the guy. Actually, what I really liked about this book was that, as the Modern Library edition, it also included "other American stories" - the original jacket copy, "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan" (my favorite), and "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved". ( )

This is a book which I have looked forward to reading for a while and now I've done so I feel rather deflated because if truth be told I just did not get it, in truth this is one of the very few occasions where I felt that the film was better than the book. Then I guess that it is what I like to refer to as a marmite book, you either love it or hate it.

Those who don't know the story it is a semi-journalistic, semi-fictional account of a trip that the author made to Las Vegas with his attorney at the height of the Vietnam War, flower power and amidst a burgeoning drugs culture.

This was supposed to be an expose on the death of the 'American Dream' and the blurb talked of "perilous, chemically enhanced confrontations with casino operators, police officers and assorted Middle Americans" so I was expecting some close encounters with thugs and red-necks. Instead we seem to have two characters who seem to lack any aim other than be totally boorish while striving to stay out of prison. Both are selfish, arrogant, obnoxious and irresponsible individuals who go around terrorizing maids and waitresses.

Perhaps it is down to a lack of taking illegal drugs in my youth but I really failed to connect with the characters or the story, such as it was, and while I did smirk on a few occasions if it were not for the originality of the book and the ease of the author's prose this would probably have scored less. If you want an enjoyable, crazy weekend I suggest you get some friends and go out and live it rather than read about someone else doing so. I suggest that it will probably create a more lasting memory, failing that try having half a dozen cans of Special Brew first. ( )

Smug, dated, boring authorial masturbation with no literary merit whatever--indistinguishable from the hordes of hacks and comp 101 deep thinkers who’ve copied it. ( )