The Curse of Lono

by Hunter S. Thompson
The Curse of Lono  
published 2005 by Taschen
first published 1983
binding Hardcover
isbn 3822848972   (isbn13: 9783822848975)
pages 208
description The Curse of Lono is to Hawaii what Fear and Loathing was to Las Vegas: the crazy tales of a journalist's "coverage" of a news event that en...more
date added
02-01-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 492)



Zan
Zan rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/24/07

Read in April, 2007
recommends it for: Fans of H.S. Thompson and/or Ralph Steadman
I had seen this lying around the local Half-Price Books and snagged it with a coupon diminishing the hefty price tag. This is a gigantic book with huge beautiful prints by Steadman as well as the usual crazed drunken rambling of Thompson.

The whole thing is about a trip to Hawaii to cover the Honolulu Marathon that goes awry a la la Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and degenerates into a mescaline-fueled marlin hunt with a smattering of interesting pre-American Hawaiian history. The art is grea...more
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Graig
Graig rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/15/08

Read in May, 1995
Aside from his SF Chronicle works from the 80s(Generation of Swine, etc.) I think this is as fun as HST gets. It is notable that HST is able to sprinkle/disperse accurate lessons on the history of Hawaii throughout his misadventures on the islands. I think it could be said this is typical of many of his works. A great mixture of comedy, history, and commentary on American society. Although, as a caveat I have to admit that the history part may not as prevalent as the comedy and commentary.

Al...more
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Matt
Matt marked it as to-read
05/02/07

bookshelves: to-read
This is the only Hunter S. Thompson I haven't read. Probably because it used to be extremely rare. A few years ago, the publisher released a limited 2000 copy edition of this, signed by Hunter and Ralph Steadman, for $400. Then, two months later, Hunter killed himself. And although I had pre-ordered a reserve copy from amazon, soon after I received a letter from them saying something along the lines of "sorry, but we just gave your book to someone else for more money." I got a fiv...more
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Greg
Greg rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/23/07

Read in August, 2007
A good friend of mine owns a copy... maybe second of third edition-- still cost him a fortune. We were talking recently about our love of the south pacific and plans for buying time share on the big island of hawaii or possibly kauai. He asks me if i've ever read Lono. I had read F&L in Las Vegas many moons ago and never went deeper into HST. So I located a copy of this sucker and enjoyed the ride tremdously. I just connected with the rambling, psychotic saga on many many levels. This acted ...more
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Scott
Scott rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
04/25/08

Read in April, 2008
recommended to Scott by: It's Hunter Thompson
recommends it for: PETA
When your helping babysit, and you find this on the shelf, read it. Turns out it is (or was) hard to get ahold of, and is still pretty expensive. This is a hard book to put down, and short enough that most people could finish it in one sitting. HST goes to Hawaii and does the type of things you expect him to do between insightful passages about the island and the U.S. in 1980; then he goes fishing. As good as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but the ugly streak runs deeper and will likely kee...more
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Duchess
Duchess rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/29/07

I think this is my fave HST book. Coupled with Steadman's delicious gonzo art, the writing and story really comes alive.
Its a crazy romp through Hawaii which no Thompson or Steadman fan should go without reading!
*If you're a fan of Steadmans art, as I am in a big way - look for a recently published version of Lono. Its a huge oversized hardback printed on high quality pages where Steadman's art really is given center stage. I keep it on display at all times!
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Erica
Erica rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
12/07/07

Read in October, 2007
Part of a conversation about this book:

E: Just ate a sub-par dinner, reading Hunter S. Thompson, avoiding cleaning....I'm doing pretty good.
P: Fear and Loathing?
E: The Curse of Lono. Hawaii in the 80s, marathons, botched fishing excursions, mescaline.
P: Right up there with brown copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Exactly.
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Beau
Beau rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/15/07

Read in January, 2001
A great HST book. It's mostly unknown because it did not have many copies made and distributed but it is a fun book to read if you can get your hands on a copy. Details Hunter's trip to Hawaii to cover a sporting event (sound familiar?) and he ends up on a serious drug trip and curses the island the entire time. Loved it!
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Robyn
Robyn rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
01/03/08

bookshelves: library-fiction
Read in January, 2008
Sort of like Fear and Loathing but set in Hawaii, and not nearly as good (but then again *nothing* can compare to Fear and Loathing). Thompson once again brings to life crazy and bizarre characters though and Steadman's drawings add to the feeling of insanity.
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Rick
Rick rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/23/07

OK, I love all the HST stuff. Well, some of the old political writings are a bit out of date for my tastes. The illustrations were magnificent.

I'm bummed he's gone. Where's the authors with balls these days!?
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Nicole
Nicole marked it as to-read
10/15/07

bookshelves: to-read
Beautiful, coffee-table sized book with gorgeous illustrations by Ralph Steadman. Ah, Gonzo... lovely irreverence. I can't wait to ship all of my books to my current digs. I'll be happier than a pig in ish.
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Joe
Joe rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/30/07

A bit slipshod, which is understandable, considering how it was written, but that doesn't make it any easier to enjoy. The few passages that come together, however, do so in spectacular style and force.
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Kate
Kate rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
02/11/08

Read in July, 2003
Whoa this book is weird. I tracked down a copy and bought it before I read it - I just knew this was a book I wanted to own.

Weird, weird, weird book. I f'n love it.
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Joe
Joe rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
01/22/08

bookshelves: hst
The adventures of HST with his cover artist Ralph Steadman covering the Honolulu marathon in the early 80's and getting themselves in all sorts of weird shenanigans.
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Sheena
Sheena rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/04/07

the best literary purchase i've made in quite awhile. steadman illustrations like no other, and hunter's text, to boot!
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Brian
Brian rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
10/15/07

Read in January, 1992
recommends it for: Ralph Steadman fans
The illustrations are almost more disturbing than the text. Not quite as funny as the Las Vegas trip, but it's close.
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Erk
Erk rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/23/08

Read in July, 2005
Downloaded a copy because cannot find this book in print without special ordering. Good read but not his best...
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Matt
Matt rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/11/07

bookshelves: toughguylit
You get a great Hunter S. story in this one, plus museum quality Steadmans - the whole package is worth owning.
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Shawn
Shawn rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
02/25/08

Read in August, 2007
recommends it for: People interested in the History of Hawaii
Finally re-released. Beautiful Taschen edition. Decent, but HST is on the brink of caricature at this point.
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Ben
Ben rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
02/14/08

Hunter in my home state. My favorite, after F&L in Las Vegas, and for me more entertaining cover to cover.
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 4.11 (407 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 4.11 (392 ratings)
number of reviews: 34






other editions

The Curse of Lono (Paperback)
Curse of Lono, a (Paperback)
The Curse of Lono (Hardcover)