Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Hunter S. Thompson's roman à clef sends Raoul Duke, a stand-in for the author, and his attorney Dr. Gonzo to Las Vegas, nominally to cover a motorcycle race. Fueled by nearly every drug imaginable, the assignment turns into a surreal hunt for the American Dream that blurs reality and fantasy, while Duke broods on the failure of the 1960s counterculture. Under the excess runs a sharp critique of American greed and consumerism. Illustrated by Ralph Steadman, the story first ran in two parts in Rolling Stone in 1971 and popularized the mix of fact and fiction known as gonzo journalism. Terry Gilliam turned it into a film in 1998.

Bill Earner, founder of Connect Ventures, counts it among his favorite novels.