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** spoiler alert ** Short of hiring a spiritual medium, for insights into the raging ball of contradictions that was Hunter S. Thompson, this is as good as it will get. Unless you're already a fan of the Gonzo journalist, though, the painfully-detailed portrait that emerges here might just turn you off of Thompson forever. As the man himself once said, "Buy the ticket, take the ride."

GONZO: the LIFE OF HUNTER S. THOMPSON is an oral biography. That is, it consists of the recollections of Thompson relatives, lovers, friends and associates spanning the course of the writer's 67 years on Earth. The book is edited by Rolling Stone founder Jann S. Wenner and former HST assistant Corey Seymour. Contributors include: Thompson's first wife, Sandy, his son Juan, Gonzo illustrator Ralph Steadman, novelist William Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp, Don Johnson and George McGovern. A more eclectic and insightful group you're not likely to find.

So who was Hunter S. Thompson? A passionate romancer of women. . .who was also a wife-beater. A generous and loyal friend. . .who could shut people out of his life in an instant. A ground-breaking writer, tossing genius prose seemingly off the top of his head. . .who then willingly destroyed his muse in an unabashed pursuit of celebrity. A true believer in the idealistic vision of the 1960s. . .who dumped those high ideals to wallow in the excesses (booze, drugs, sex) of the 1970s and beyond. And at last, a heart-breaking suicide.

Chock full of anecdotes which run the gamut from funny to eye-opening to sad, GONZO is a real page-turner. This is one of those books that unspools in your mind like a film---so much so, that you look up only to realize that you've read 75-100 pages or so in one sitting. I would recommend putting it on the nightstand for bedtime reading. . .but then, you'd never get any sleep.

If biography can be an art, this is an example of it. GONZO is one ride that is well worth the price of its ticket. Do yourselves a favor and take it.