The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time (Picador Books)
by Hunter S. Thompson
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1884)
Read in July, 2008
In this collection, I finally got to read a lot of his writing that I had previously read about him writing in the letters collections. It's pretty rare and amazing to get to see both sides. The letters he was writing were to friends and collaborators, editors and publishers, talking about what he wanted to write about, his ideas, his methods, what he was aiming for. Knowing those things made reading this collection all the more interesting because it was part of a process. I got to see t...more
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Read in August, 2007
I came into reading this really long Thompson collection somewhat accidentally, but it shows that he is an extraordiary journalist with a convincing desire to pursue greater truths - an impression that really outshines the whimsical, drug-obsessed icon that he has been reduced to by the culture at large. Most of this book is about his experiences covering Richard Nixon and, given that we are at the height of another excessively arrogant conservative regime on the verge of self-destruction resul...more
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The book is a collection of his essays from the 70's. Thompson's writing style has changed the way I look at things now. He doesn't have a filter between his brain and fingers and that's where he shines. Yeah, although he uses caricatures to describe the filth, drunkenness and debauchery that happens on the infield of the Kentucky Derby (and thereby ruins the whole air of the event), it's a new way (back in the 70's) of journalism. so deal. Thompson hated Dick Nixon and he let the president and ...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
square journalists, punks, electoral junkies
The most extraordinary thing I've ever read. I inhaled this book. It would keep me up way too late at night, drinking whiskey and chamomile tea. Truly hilarious. I would laugh aloud like an old man. Gonzo's writing consumed my thoughts for the two months it took me to finish the almost 700-page monster. Aside from Lester Bangs and various punk histories (to be reviewed soon), really the only thing I had read about America in the 70s. And the first thing I had read about electoral politics...more
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Read in March, 1990
"If I followed my better instincts right now, I would put this typewriter in the Volvo and drive to the home of the nearest politician -- any politician -- and hurl the goddamn machine through his front window ... flush the bugger out with an act of lunatic violence then soak him down with mace and run him naked down Main Street in Aspen with a bell around his neck and black lumps all over his body from the jolts of a high powered "Ball Buster" cattle prod.
But old age has eith...more
But old age has eith...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Less_cunning by:
no-one.recommends it for: any-one.
pliz do not buy that crud that Hunter didn't write anything good after "Fear & Loathing: on the Campaign Trail '72." and while it does sometime read like a bloated companion book to "Fear & Loathing: on the Campaign Trail '72," the political analysis, from the rise of Jimmy Carter to the fall of Richard Nixon, is trenchant & spot-on. and of course let's not forget the scathing assessment of american political journalism that more or less still holds true today.
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Before he became a hollow cartoon of himself during the eighties, Hunter Thompson was a reckless and daring writer. Anything and everything that was within target of his pen were harpooned, lampooned and thoroughly traumatized. Just ask Ralph Steadman, illustrator and frequent captive during Thompson's various misadventures.
Regardless of your political persuasion, you would be hard pressed to not be knocked on your ass by his observations and acid wit (pun somewhat intended). The Great Shar...more
Regardless of your political persuasion, you would be hard pressed to not be knocked on your ass by his observations and acid wit (pun somewhat intended). The Great Shar...more
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Read in July, 1996
recommends it for:
nonconformists
This is the quintessential Gonzo reader, with fabulous Hunter S. Thompson stories from the early seventies, including fear and loathing bits from Las Vegas, the Kentucky Derby, Hells Angels, and time covering the Nixon campaign trail. He is so wild in his personal life as well as his writing, and it's a fascinating take on an interesting era.
And of course, The Great Shark Hunt is filled with insights into Thompson himself - I was surprised when he included an entire Jimmy Carter speech, the...more
And of course, The Great Shark Hunt is filled with insights into Thompson himself - I was surprised when he included an entire Jimmy Carter speech, the...more
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recommends it for:
Hunter S. Thompson fans
This is a good paperback, better than Fear and Loathing in America by quite a bit. It's an anthology of various articles spanning the man's career, mostly bits from Rolling Stone back when it was worth a damn. The pages are nearly bible-thin, so don't expect to finish it any time soon. I know I'm not done with it yet. It's a good book full of quick reads and if you have down time between classes or a plane ride or something its a lot better than picking up Stephen King's Cars that Kill People part XII...more
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I personally consider this one of HST's best books. The articles collected here range from the purest Gonzo to Thompson's more serious side. They're perfectly balanced, and there isn't a bad, or out of place, article in the whole bunch.
Unlike HST's last few books (Kingdom of Fear, Hey Rube), where it seemed like he was trying too hard to be his old self, to recapture who he used to be, The Great Shark Hunt is a perfect example of who HST is and his ability to write about the craziest to the ...more
Unlike HST's last few books (Kingdom of Fear, Hey Rube), where it seemed like he was trying too hard to be his old self, to recapture who he used to be, The Great Shark Hunt is a perfect example of who HST is and his ability to write about the craziest to the ...more
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Read in April, 1998
recommends it for:
every h.s.t. fan and people who want to laugh and learn
It has been such a long time since I have read this book-but it is one that really sticks out in my mind as a fabulous read. I get his pang in my heart when I think about it, not because H.S. T. has died (which is sad) but rather because I think about the course of my life and the passage of time. I guess this book is somewhat of a landmark for me. This was my very first H.S.T. book-and what a great introduction it was.
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For Thompson geeks, a great collection of work spanning from his early South American travel writing pieces to his work on the Nixon and Carter campaigns and his tragic piece on Muhammad Ali. “That was always the difference between Muhammad Ali and the rest of us. He came, he saw, and if he didn't entirely conquer -- he came as close as anybody we are likely to see in the lifetime of this doomed generation.” - HST
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
insane people and drug users or anyone who wants to learn about Nixon
My favorite part is the Kentucky Derby. The rest of this collection is just fine, but let me tell you, nothing makes me laugh harder than the thought of Chemical Billy being pumped into a crowd of drunken Southerners in the midst of a gambling binge. Somehow, the dignity of thoroughbred racing is completely knocked on its ass in this selection, and that tickles me. I bet it will tickle you, too.
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Read in January, 1990
The Hunter S. Thompson Reader. A snapshot of a manic, incisive man. The common thread: he pines for integrity, and has no problem calling bullshit when he sees it. A favorite moment of my life was having my then 12-year old daughter hand the book back to me after having it for about a month, finished, and saying "I know way too much about Richard Nixon, now."
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Read in July, 2006
recommends it for:
Thompson fans
This book is just a bunch of stuff put together, alot of it is articles from when Thompson wrote for Rolling Stone. Alot of it is political which I didn't like because it is outdated politics, however is those contain some crazy stories of Thompson covering the Kentucky Derby, Aztlan riots, the Super Bowl, and also contains Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
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Read in February, 2007
Re-reading this one again an essay at a time. It' eerie how much things are the same as they were in the late 60s and early 70s. Oh how I wish Hunter S. Thompson was here to add his insight to our current events. I guess we can just look back and take his insight from another time and apply it today. If only others would learn from our past mistakes.
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A collection of articles and essays out of the sixties and seventies. From the Watergate hearings to the Kentucky Derby: Thompson’s eye is truthful but most of all punning. The enfant terrible of Journalism strikes again. A blurb from the cover: “HST elicits the same kind of admiration one would feel for a streaker at Queen Victoria’s funeral.”
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recommends it for:
Everyone, especially those interested in journalism
This is the definitive Hunter S. Thompson book.
If you want to get into everything that made him a great writer, you'll have to plow through all 500 pages of this masterpiece.
Thompson was most in his element when writing feature pieces, as opposed to novels. This is the best collective of his most well-known works.
If you want to get into everything that made him a great writer, you'll have to plow through all 500 pages of this masterpiece.
Thompson was most in his element when writing feature pieces, as opposed to novels. This is the best collective of his most well-known works.
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Hunter S. Thompson is one of the writers I keep coming back to--he articulates the dark undercurrents of American politics and culture in a way that reminds me that there are far too many "Good Germans;" he reawakens my desire to stand up for truth and question the usual when I'm feeling a little beaten down by daily drudgery.
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Say what you will about the guy, Thompson is a good writer and this collection shows his talent/ This came out before Hunter became a bloated, self-promoting caricature of himself (and long before his bizarre suicide). This, along with F&L on the Campaign Trail, in my opinion, are his best stuff.
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