Rating: 
Summary: Warning: I'm a H. S. Thompson junkie...
Review: ...so this brief review might not be entirely objective.I agree w/ many who suggest that readers of H. Thompson will get more out of this than newbies. However, there are some really entertaining aspects of this book that all will enjoy. H.T. is gettin older, in some ways funnier, in some ways wiser, but as always...meaner.
Rating:
Summary: Warning: I'm a H. S. Thompson junkie...
Review: ...so this brief review might not be entirely objective. I agree w/ many who suggest that readers of H. Thompson will get more out of this than newbies. However, there are some really entertaining aspects of this book that all will enjoy. H.T. is gettin older, in some ways funnier, in some ways wiser, but as always...meaner.
Rating: 
Summary: Episodic flashbacks
Review: A cobbled-together collection of loosely related (at best) short essays and screeds, this is a poor effort from the good doctor. Perhaps it was produced against a contractual deadline of some sort in anticipation of a much-needed check. The text jumps back and forth between decades and themes, punctuated with some cool enough black-and-white pictures of the doctor's home, person, vehicles, etc. The photo on the back of the dust jacket speaks to the joys of nude target practice with a certain visual elegance; Dr. Thompson has a fine behind. He hits his stride with reports on his stays in Castro's Cuba and post-invasion Grenada -- inserting himself into and playing off situations is when the doctor is at his best. Make yourself a Cuba Libre (Rum and coke) and disolve into episodic flashbacks.
Rating: 
Summary: GONZO GREAT!
Review: A different kind of memoir, that's for sure. One can't help wonder where the truth begins & ends, what's fact & what's fiction. But it doesn't matter. Thompson's ability to entertain with "fabled reality" is remarkable. Glad he's back spinning yarns.
Looking for other books in this vein? Try "No One's Even Bleeding" or "Delano".
Rating:
Summary: Would not reccomend unless familar with Thompson's works.
Review: After reading favorable reviews I was very excited and eagerly awaiting the arrival of this book. Upon reading it I must ask the question, "What is the purpose of this book ?" It is for the most part a gathering of ramblings and stories of sporatic occurances. At best about half of these flashback like stories are interesting. I was actually pleased to see so many (random and out of context) photos in the book, to aid me in the laborous process of finishing the book. I must say that this is the first of Thompson's books that I have read and hope that the others aren't the same. It just seemed that the book may have been put out to fulfill a contract obligation or to make a quick buck of Thompson's name.
Rating:
Summary: Libertarian ideal
Review: an exhaustively entertaining collection of writings from the quintessential rebel raconteur. The reader will laugh, feel inspired and empowered to rise to the challenge of libertarianism necessary to keep democracy on track. Makes for a nice companion to TSOG by Robert Anton Wilson. Kingdom is divided up into highly interesting sections with hilarious chapter titles. Every section contains meaty content into which you sink your mind. This is testosterone-fueled, side splitting writing by one of the immortals. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Usual Good (twisted) Humor
Review: Best thing about this book is being able to read a collection of HST's comtemporary criticism while it is actually "contemporary."
Rating: 
Summary: Documenting the grim slide
Review: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was brilliant, the seminal example of gonzo journalism. Hunter has always wielded the adjective like a double edge sword. Unfortunately it was his one and only brilliant work. Kingdom of Fear, while mildly entertaining, offers no insight into the current mess of the American Century he excoriates repeatedly. The problem with criticism is that it is invalid without offering an alternative which Hunter has never done, this book included. Criticism, lacking alternative solutions to the problems being criticized, is just whining. True fans of gonzo journalism will suck this down like aging frat boys at college reunion kegger. However, as a former connessieur of edgework myself, I find that Hunter has lost the edge, and is merely stringing as few pages together as he can, in order to make payday. Each offering, and they are getting farther and farther between, gets weaker. Hunter has become the spectacle itself, a 24x7 freak show, much like the American Media he so despises. I got this book at the library because it is not worth owning, unless it's a first edition, Hunter signs it, and you turn a nice profit on e-bay in which case you have just turned a trick so to speak. The book is schizophrenic, as all his post 1974 work is. The booze and drugs do not allow the solemn contemplation and focus necessary for serious work. Instead we get a people magazine of the famous people he parties with, the tawdry sex talkes, and a nice shot of, I assume of, his wife's butt. HST is all about missed opportunities, the American Dream is a shambles, the politicans have wreaked the dream in exactly the fashion George Washington predicted in his 1796 farewell address. HST thinks it is a post 60's conspiracy between the republican right, the moral majority and Wal-Mar, where the crux event was Nixon's stomping of George McGovern. He could have shown so brightly with the spotlight he had for over 30 years, but self-indulgence, and a dulling down of the IQ wasted both the talent and the chance. His fans are slavishly dvoted to his behavior, like aging drug addled Deadheads, not of his content since it is now devoid. What we have left is a clever party boy with nothing much to say, no matter how compellingly he says it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: For me this book sums up all i have lived through plus what my parents lived through. no one has explained things to me as HST did in this book. touching on everything from drugs to sports to politics to pranks HST has broadened my horizons and views on life and created something for me to explain my life better.... thank you Hunter S, Thompson I am in your debt.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: Hmmmm, trying to capture the essence of any Thompson book in a review is an excercise in futility. He is a tremendous writer and it shows. Although Kingdom of Fear is a great book, it is certainly not his best. His observations remain acute, but his writing has suffered some with age. However, this book is still a head above the rest, and I would eagerly recommend it to anyone interested in off-beat analysis of current events.
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