Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

By: Hunter S. Thompson

Narrated by: Ron McLarty

Length: 6 hrs

Publisher's summary

Maverick author Hunter S. Thompson introduced the world to "gonzo journalism" with this cult classic that shot back up the best seller lists after Thompson's suicide in 2005. No book ever written has more perfectly captured the spirit of the 1960s counterculture. In Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, Raoul Duke (Thompson) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (inspired by a friend of Thompson) are quickly diverted to search for the American dream. Their quest is fueled by nearly every drug imaginable and quickly becomes a surreal experience that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. But there is more to this hilarious tale than reckless behavior, for underneath the hallucinogenic facade is a stinging criticism of American greed and consumerism.

©1971 Hunter S. Thompson (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"The best book on the dope decade." (The New York Times Book Review)

Loved it

Loved the attitude and that the writer was brave enough to write it without any self censorship or he just did not give a f*.

Love it

The movie is so accurate. Hunters the best I’m reading everything by him!!! I can’t wait, not sure what can one up this thought!!?!!!

Funniest book I have ever read.

The dialogue in this book is unlike anything else I have experienced. There is no other book that has made me laugh as hard as this one. The wild things Hunter comes up with for his characters to say and do are just priceless. The humor is a bit morbid at times and the lack of it in the film adaptation is maybe why I didn’t like it any where near as much as this book. It seems like the darker elements of the book were just too crazy for the big screen.

I’ve read and reread this particular book a few times now with a substantial break in between each read. Writing this review now after my most recent reread and can not recommend it more. The book is easily in my top 5 favorites of all time.

The Point of The Story Was...

Hunter S. Thompson will quench your thirst for dark, satirical, dry and political comedy. And he'll do it well. However, if you're searching beyond those boundaries, you will walk away, still parched.

Enjoyable, but somewhat disjointed

I was a fan of the movie, so I decided to give the book a listen. While mostly entertaining, I found several chapters to be confusing and of little relevance. Overall I think it's worth a read/listen.

narrator could have respected hunter's cadence

I felt the narrator was not familiar enough with Hunter's cadence and style so parts of this were too dry

An Essential Title for All

Not only did I enjoy this book, I reveled in it.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t fear the edge.

One of the most entertaining stories ever written!

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It’s actually the book that got me interested in reading when I was in my teen years. I make it a habit of reading the book at least once every year. So needless to say I am a huge fan of Hunter S Thompson and the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I was however fairly disappointed with Ron McLarty’s narration of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He just didn’t do it the justice it deserves.

amazing book bad voicing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

the narrator made some unfortunate choices in how to voice the characters. Dr. Gonzo, a Chicano lawyer, is voiced like a older Brooklyn Italian mobster. It's very disconcerting and out of character.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Ron McLarty?

not sure but not him

Any additional comments?

amazon whisper sync version is much better. the lack of inflection actually heightens the oddball feel of the book

Drugs make and break this book

Thompson found something amazing here. Drugs make this book interesting and sometimes hard to follow. It's quite the story.