Rating: 
Summary: Interesting to a point
Review: If you're a fan of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, don't expect to find that same genius in Hell's Angels. Not that it's a bad book. It isn't. Some of the sordid activity of the Hell's Angels is quite an interesting read... but at other points in the book I found myself skimming, i.e. the descriptions of the cycles, etc. However, one thing I really admire about the book is it's sheer objectivity. Thompson neither loves nor hates the Angels. He obviously shows contempt for some of their loutish and criminal/psychopathic behavior, but also distinguishes them as misfits looking for a home. If you're looking for an expose on biker gangs that would reflect their modern dimensions, obviously this book wouldn't be for you, but as a history lesson in outlaws it has strong merits.
Rating: 
Summary: makes you feel like you're right there
Review: Hunter gets inside the mind set of not only a biker gang mentality, but the mentality of the rabid news media and the hyped up public it panders to. Great documentary on the country shortly before Hollywood got addicted to the biker craze (when Easy Rider would hit the big time.) More straightforward and less deranged than Thompson's later classix, this is a nice place to begin before he went truly gonzo insane.
Rating:
Summary: Period Piece
Review: It's not that much about the Hell's Angels, it's about a lot of other motorcycle gangs too. Some good historical California and Oakland stuff. It's for HST fans, for sure, and I'm one. It's a "road story" in a lot of ways, and I like that. HSY at his best? Maybe. But not as gonzo as some. Probably not the best place to start with either HST or the Angels. But good.
Rating:
Summary: Hell of a man,shame about the book
Review: Anyone looking for the same trippy magic carpet ride found in 'Fear and Loathing...' beware: Hunter S. gets a lil' bit serious in this socio-historical ride with the bad boys. Although much of the information contained in this book is relatively interesting, it somehow lacks that 'oomph' that made 'Fear and Loathing; such a great read
Rating:
Summary: Biker Gonzo Style
Review: If you are interested in HST and/or the outlaw biker movement of the 2nd half of the 20th century than this is for you. A very candid tale is told by Thompson as he submerges himself in the Hell's Angels' society for a year. This is his take ...warts and all.
Rating: 
Summary: Hell's Angels
Review: Hell's Angels is boring, boring, boring unless you enjoy reading lots of statistics. If you're really curious about how many motorcycles were registered in the U.S. in 1965, this might be the book for you. On occasion there is a paragraph or page that has some meat in it and then it's back to numbers. After all the hype I'd read about Hunter S. Thompson, I expected to read the 1970's version of "On the Road." One thing for sure Thompson is no Kerouac.
Rating:
Summary: Second best book he ever wrote
Review: It's not "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," but it shows Thompson's skill as a journalist...something that gets obscured in his later drug-frenzied accounts.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat Dated But Still A Good Read
Review: This book was written in 1966 so if you are looking to read about such things as the infamous incident involving the Hell's Angels at the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont, you will be disappointed. However, this book is a fascinating snapshot in time of the outlaw motorcycle gang just as they were gaining national notoriety. Hunter S. Thompson, who would later achieve much wider fame as a "gonzo" reporter for Rolling Stone, actually hung out with the gang for about a year or so while he was writing this book. This is not HST at his best - he would get much better later on - but nevertheless this book makes for compelling reading. The Hell's Angels in the mid-1960s were the scourge of America. Just a rumor of them coming to town would cause mass hysteria. Most of the natives would cower in their homes and many of the men would load their weapons and gather at the town square. Police would throw up roadblocks and attempt to discourage them by citing them for any violation they can think of and throwing them in jail, if they can find a good enough reason (such as an unpaid traffic ticket). But according to Thompson, the Hell's Angels didn't go out of their way to terrorize people and they just wanted to be left alone. Sure, the Angels got a kick out of "spooking the squares" with their loud choppers and their menacing dress and mannerisms but they wouldn't go out of their way to harm anybody. If you decided to lock horns with them however, all bets are off. The Angels have a code in which if you take on one Angel, you take on them all. Give any one of them some lip in a bar and you will find yourself surrounded by a dozen of them wielding chains, monkey wrenches and whatever else they can find that can serve as a lethal weapon. Also discussed is the real story behind the alleged "rapes" committed by Hell's Angels. I was amazed to read of how women would willingly "throw themselves" at the Hell's Angels in spite of their reputation for "gang-raping" any female who willingly enters their midst. Once the Angels started making the papers, groupies started coming out of the woodwork everywhere. I think Thompson does a good job explaining the circumstances behind the notorious "rapes" and when you hear the whole story, you will no longer wonder why nearly every rape charge leveled against a Hell's Angel was thrown out of court or ended in acquittal. Rule of thumb to would be Hell's Angel groupies: Don't stick your hand in a hornet's nest unless you intend to get stung many times! Don't get me wrong, I'm not making the Hell's Angels out to be nice guys. These are true outlaws who have virtually no respect for decency or law and order. Some parts of the book will gross you out (if Hunter is telling the truth). For example, when you are initiated and wear your "colors" for the first time, a pail of feces and urine is dumped over you and you are required to wear those same clothes unwashed until they fall apart. No question this is one wild bunch and this book makes fascinating, if voyeuristic reading. One gets the sense that Hunter Thompson was never really accepted into the club. Supposedly Thompson "wimped out" during a riot by locking himself in his car trunk (not mentioned in the book). This may be why he ended up being beaten to a pulp by them towards the end of the book. Also, Thompson is said to have welshed on the deal he made with the Angels for writing his book. Supposedly he offered to buy them two kegs of beer when the book was written and he never delivered. Many years later, he offered the beer but his offer was refused by club president Sonny Barger. Once you get on the wrong side of the Angels, it is for life!
Rating: 
Summary: The Devil's advocate does it again
Review: The most amazing thing about this book is that it somehow brings the reader right inside the minds and yearnings of the Angels, making their antics seem not only understandable, but almost desirable (i.e., the wrong effects for the right reasons). Another very appealing aspect of the book is its thorough discussion of Angels "stuff:" the all-important Angels logo or "colors," grease-encrusted denim, nazi helmets, green beard dye, nose-rings, iron crosses, various firearms, coffins, beheading swords, bikes, beer, and leather. Thompson makes it clear these so-called "scumbags" are not to be emulated, but they do have their code, and it's easy to understand: ride, shock, get loaded, ride, frighten, maim, drink, rape, fight, ride, and drink. And then go out and rape. This reader could not put the book down.
Rating:
Summary: Wry, smirking
Review: tragicomedy about America's best known motorcycle gang. Thompson dissects the Angel phenomenon and its effect on America with dazzling sociological precision. His first, and not his best, but I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway. Far from glorifying the excess and flamboyance of the Angels in the 60's, he instead writes them into history as heavy handed, naive outsiders with little to believe in except their own hedonism and terrfying image. All the gory details are here, drug use, sex lives, media exposure, cops,bikes, dope, booze, costumes...interesting insights into the ugly underbelly of the postwar reality.
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