Product Description

This book drags you into Mr Bill's Neighbourhood, a world full of fear that stretches from the White House to Hollywood, where power-crazed monsters like Oliver North seize control of a nation and wallow unashamed in a Palace of Power where the only governing ethic is raw lust under a President who Thompson describes as having "the loyalty of a lizard with its tail broken off and the midnight taste of a man who'd double-date with the Revd Jimmy Swaggert". It is an ugly and disillusioning spectacle, one that only the merciful death of Richard M. Nixon explored here in all its glorious symbolism - could defuse.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78764 in Books
• Published on: 1995-11-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Back Cover
From the legendary author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Better than Sex is famed political analyst Hunter S. Thompson's breathtaking and escapading saga of what happens to campaign junkies behind the scenes of a victorious American presidential campaign.

It drags you into Mr Bill's Neighbourhood, a world that stretches from the White House to Hollywood, where power-crazed monsters like Oliver North seize control of a nation, and where the only governing ethic is raw lust under a President who Thompson describes as having 'the loyalty of a lizard with its tail broken off and the midnight taste of a man who'd double-date with the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart'.

Dr Thompson has again wandered into the savage vortex of political power, and emerged, barely, with this bizarre tale of life within the Belly of the Great American Beast.

About the Author
Hunter S Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson, the most feared political journalist in America, lives in a walled compound on the outskirts of Woody Creek, Colorado. He travels frequently, usually by small jet, and maintains constant communications with the White House, Moscow, and other foreign capitals by means of a vastly complex New Age electronic network. His reporting and essays appear in numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, where he has long been the National Affairs Desk. He is the author of Hell's Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72, The Great Shark Hunt, The Curse of Lono, Generation of Swine, Songs of the Doomed, Screwjack and Better Than Sex.

Customer Reviews

Excellent, HST delves into the unholy depths US politics....
An excellent read. Through his unique hap-hazard style HST delves into the murky waters of the US presedential campaign. An intrigueing insight into the underhanded, crooked campaign tactics employed, Drunken bar fights, drugs, tales of infidelity and make believe scandals, ... the ferocious nature of the campaign trail is presented here in all its glory. A fantastic insight into ruthlessness of Amercican politics, making our own political rivalries look limp-wristed and pitiful in comparison. After reading this book the presidential campaign, and indeed politics, will never seem the same again...

Absolutely Fantastic!
Political humour at its mightiest, and probably HST's best book since _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_, _Better than Sex_ is an absolute charmer. The ever-skeptical HST takes on William Jefferson Clinton, little George Stephanopoulous, Big Daddy Dubbya and still has time to take the p**s out of his favourite nemesis, Richard Milhous Nixon. HST even seems to like Clinton despite himself, which makes this book even more a winner.

I raced right through this book, laughing all the way. I can't wait until Hunty has a crack at Bush Jr. . .

Is This Gonzo?
It has taken him 40 years, but finally, here is the essence of Gonzo journalism. Although Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is held up (justafiably) as Thompson at the peak of his powers, even the good Doctor himself acknowledges the fact that as a piece of Gonzo journalism, it failed. Everything to do with the campaign, and Thompson's coverage is here; faxes, letters, buttons, everything. This is the realisation of a style that gives the reader Hunter's experience of the events, as they happened. It can be difficult to follow at times, with pages of fax reproductions, and notebook extracts, but this is exactly the reason why the book works. You sense the confusion, the sudden turn of events, and the fact that all those involved in the campaign are trying just as hard as you to make sense of what is going on.

For those who enjoyed the linear style of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, or the Rum Diary, this may be a big shock, however it is well worth buying to see the method behind the madness.

Thompson at the icy summit of Gonzo.