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Summary: This Is The Real Thing!
Review: Hunter S. Thompson writes a truthful, unsentimental and ultimately sad story of the Hell's Angels in the mid 60's. After describing the activities of the outlaws, exploits which we are mostly familiar with and which pale by comparison to today's youth gangs, he concludes that the Hell's Angels are losers; lonely and uneducated.I was surprised at H. S. Thompson's ability to describe the personalities behind the outlaw biker facade. He makes the sad point that the HA's would be the first group eradicated by the very political factions they reflected, if those factions ever came to power. Of course, the Angels weren't remotely aware of this. Thompson writes with a simple, hilarious style. I found myself laughing out loud at sentences of brilliant understatement. I had no intention of reading this book, which was loaned to me by a friend, but once I started, I couldn't stop reading.
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Summary: Hog Wild
Review: Roll up your sleeves boys and girls, if you read Hell's Angels the Doctor is going to inject you with a dosage of Outlaw Reality and Hog Rage as it were. The Hell's Angels are the last vestiges of the American Outlaw, 1%'s they're called, outside the outside, committed to a life of Freedom, punctuated by violence, booze, barbituates, indiscriminate sex and of course cruising the Amercian Wastelands on their Great Metallic Steeds, stripped down Harley Davidson's known affectionately as Hogs. Hunter S. is in his own right a one percenter. This book shows the Dr. of Gonzo's journalistic zeal, as he braves the world of the Angels, driving not a Hog as he should but a Dark Shadow. This is only too perfect as Hunter is the dark specter following the dastardly deeds of these bastard bikers. This book displays Hunter's ballsy journalism, as well as allowing him to focus on a central theme that would go on to pervade his other works: the outlaw and his importance to American society, a society that is dredged to the hilt with phonies, gutless wonders, souless greedmongers, hypocrites, cowards, politicians and other scum, capitalisitc, bureacratic, pig-like and otherwise. Hell's Angels is the journalistic calm that precedes the storm of hallucinagenic brilliance that was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. So one way or the other let the Doctor of Gonzo vaccinate your mind from the mindless surge that makes up the money grubbing, TV watching majority of this Great Country of Ours. (...)
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Summary: Hells Angels
Review: I really should like Hunter Thompson more than I do, I mean he did ride a BSA and he is from my hometown of Louisville, Ky but to be honest he's always seemed kind of faggy to me with that gay filtered cigarette thing hanging from his mouth, plus there's that whole bizarre chapter he dedicated to finding a link between outlaw bikers and homosexuality. Hey what can I say, the guy sets my gaydar off. But I will give him credit, he did write a true classic in Hell's Angels. I've heard grumblings that he sacrificed reality for entertainment value by making some of the HA's into exagerated caricatures of themselves in this book, but whether thats true or not this is a great read.
Rating:
Summary: a well written sociological piece of journalism
Review: Hunter Thompson brings us underground journalism. Hunter Thompson brings us gonzo journalism. But he can be serious, while not losing that 'underground' quality. No, Hell's Angels isn't the wild ride Fear and Loathing was, but a more serious study of the Hell's Angels, and who and what, and more importantly, why they are. There is plenty of drugs and alcohol in the book, but not is the style of writing. Thompson writes very straightforward, very serious (and very entertainingly). You can tell he took his topic seriously, and wants us to do so as well. All the way through his 'ending': the beating he took that ended his time with the Hell's Angels. If you are interested in outlaws, or if you are interested in Thompson's work, or if you liked Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests, then you'll love this book. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Scary Look Into the Lives of the Hell's Angels
Review: I expected this book to be exciting and trippy like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I was surprised to find that it is actually a pretty serious book about what really happens when the Hell's Angels hit the road and bring their version of Brotherly Love to a town near you. The ideas and beliefs of the Hell's Angels are far from the mainstream and Thompson tells about them in a way that is easy to understand. Thompson portrays the Hell's Angels not as heroes or villans, but as a disorganized rabble of people who are basically losers. People who need a group to get along in this world. This book helped me get a perspective on just a piece of the turmoil that was the 60's.
Rating: 
Summary: Hunter S. Thompson is an a$$hole.
Review: This guy is a self-inflating ballon. No one and nothing is as important in his eyes as he is. His opinion of himself and the world around him is all that really matters. His ability to cunningly insinuate himself into the minds of others dramatically increases the danger he poses. If you have the misfortune to be assigned one of his books in a college class, lament that no one has made "Cliff Notes."
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Summary: I wanted more...
Review: ...first hand accounts of Dr. Thompson's personal dealings with the Angels. Much of the book is written as an essay on the topic of the Hell's Angels. It includes many facts and quotes of everyone involved, from the Angels themselves, to quotes of police officers and politicians. Included throughout are Hunter's analysis of press coverage of the Angels and how the press nearly glorifies criminals. Too much facts. When I bought the book, I was hoping to learn of the Angel's reputation not by reading someone's studies (because anyone could do research), but by living it through the author's eyes. Hunter makes it clear that he studied/mingled with the Hell's Angels for about a year. Where are all the crazy stories? There were a couple personal accounts sprinkled here and there, but there he also a lot of general statements in the piece without giving me the experience I was hoping for. For example, he'd say something to the effect of... and no one wanted these modern day Huns coming into their town, raping, pillaging, and chain-whipping anyone in their path. Did the Angels actually do these sorts of things? Did they go through towns ravaging and raping everything in site? After reading "Hell's Angels" I still can't answer these and similar questions.
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Summary: Hell Yes
Review: This was the book that got me into Hunter S. Thompson. Back when I was living in the Bay Area, I was on the verge of buying a Triumph Bonneville. I figured that this book would give me some inspiration, and get me to go through with my purchase. What I found was a book that pays great respect to a fantastic machine, and an outlaw culture that surrounded it. Sex, violence, LSD, politics, and counter cultural icons like Keasey and Gingsberg all pop up in this book. I also found this book interesting becuase of it's historical insight into the Bay Area during one of the most exciting decades.
Rating: 
Summary: HST at his (almost) best
Review: This is a fun read, with more info on biker gangs than you probably wanted to know. Generally considered a classic within most HST fan circles. I really like it.
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.
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