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Screwjack: A Short Story
Suggesting the nascent ideas and energy of his seminal book on the 60s experience, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, "Mescalito" features Duke's first mescaline trip. "We live in a jungle of pending disasters," the author warns. Alone in a hotel room in Los Angeles in February, 1969, Duke sustains a fever-pitched bout of paranoia so dark and depraved, it would make most mortals run fast -- and far -- from this kind of suicidal experimentation.
12 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2000
78 people are currently reading
3492 people want to read
About the author
Hunter S. Thompson
110 books10.9k followersHunter Stockton Thompson (1937-2005) was an American journalist and author, famous for his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become the central figures of their stories. He is also known for his promotion and use of psychedelics and other mind-altering substances (and to a lesser extent, alcohol and firearms), his libertarian views, and his iconoclastic contempt for authority. He committed suicide in 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 284 reviews
June 4, 2025
Reminds me of the time I littered a hotel room in Missoula, Montana, with crab lice … picking them off, one by one, and hurling them around the room ...”
Uh, ok.
I should have started reading Hunter S. Thompson as a teenager, because teenage me would have worshiped Thompson. So edgy. So cool. So … drugged. Adult me, however, was rather irritated by his pill-fueled, stream-of-consciousness, manic whatever-this-is and I want the last twenty minutes of my life back.
I don't even know what that last bit was about, and at first I couldn't tell if he was talking about a cat or a man. And then I decided that I'd rather that he'd been talking about a man, especially when he got to the part about about forcing his “tongue between his fangs.” And it just got worse from there, believe it or not.
My library's blurb about this book calls it Thompson's “most searing and unnaturally poignant love story,” and first of all WTF it's (probably) a cat you sickos?? But also did I say “WTF” already because seriously WTF? And don't yell at me because I “don't understand Thompson's genius” or whatever because this was just plain stupid, sorry.
I guess there is some humor in the fact that he calls other people “dope freaks,” though? Pot, Kettle. Kettle, Pot.
Trigger warnings include: drug use, suicide, domestic violence, non-domestic violence, animal abuse, and … cat snogging? And this story is only 20-ish pages long, you guys.
So, yeah. I hated Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and I hated this even more. 0.45 stars, rounded up because Goodreads won't let me round down.
Uh, ok.
I should have started reading Hunter S. Thompson as a teenager, because teenage me would have worshiped Thompson. So edgy. So cool. So … drugged. Adult me, however, was rather irritated by his pill-fueled, stream-of-consciousness, manic whatever-this-is and I want the last twenty minutes of my life back.
I don't even know what that last bit was about, and at first I couldn't tell if he was talking about a cat or a man. And then I decided that I'd rather that he'd been talking about a man, especially when he got to the part about about forcing his “tongue between his fangs.” And it just got worse from there, believe it or not.
My library's blurb about this book calls it Thompson's “most searing and unnaturally poignant love story,” and first of all WTF it's (probably) a cat you sickos?? But also did I say “WTF” already because seriously WTF? And don't yell at me because I “don't understand Thompson's genius” or whatever because this was just plain stupid, sorry.
I guess there is some humor in the fact that he calls other people “dope freaks,” though? Pot, Kettle. Kettle, Pot.
Trigger warnings include: drug use, suicide, domestic violence, non-domestic violence, animal abuse, and … cat snogging? And this story is only 20-ish pages long, you guys.
So, yeah. I hated Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and I hated this even more. 0.45 stars, rounded up because Goodreads won't let me round down.
September 22, 2022
Our 60's prodigal son; always aware of the fact that he could never go home - because anyplace he called home was already gone. HST was a prophet of nullification: that lone voice calling out even as the crowd started to collect stones to throw. Read this book before some of his longer works; will 'prime' you for the 'Drang und Sturm' to come!
November 24, 2017
...the heck?
Some laughable parts but overall just didn't sit good with me.
Also, another audio; I really drive a lot
Some laughable parts but overall just didn't sit good with me.
Also, another audio; I really drive a lot
November 17, 2012
While people are lamenting about the short length of the book, I was happy to finish it as soon as I could. Writing without any real story.
December 19, 2011
Three short stories. The first, “Mescalito,” is a stream of consciousness account of Thompson’s first mescaline experience, alone in an LA hotel room. A fine piece of weirdness and misanthropic torment. “Goddam is there no human peaceful sound on the radio... I hear that wily old charwoman sucking on the doorknob again, goddam her sneaky ass what does she want? I have no money.”
Next, “The Death of a Poet” is a brief, dark confrontation with a deservedly doomed friend, Leach, who beats blow-up dolls to stop him from beating his wife. “Whoops, I thought. Welcome to the night train.”
The title tale, also very brief, is a truly demented tale of forbidden love, or something. The strength of these wild, funny, too brief stories is the beautiful Gonzo language. Thompson’s style is easy to parody, but it rings true; he has seen into the depraved depths of the human condition, and he will explode from the bad craziness....
Next, “The Death of a Poet” is a brief, dark confrontation with a deservedly doomed friend, Leach, who beats blow-up dolls to stop him from beating his wife. “Whoops, I thought. Welcome to the night train.”
The title tale, also very brief, is a truly demented tale of forbidden love, or something. The strength of these wild, funny, too brief stories is the beautiful Gonzo language. Thompson’s style is easy to parody, but it rings true; he has seen into the depraved depths of the human condition, and he will explode from the bad craziness....
April 4, 2019
A short trip through our cultural and literary past, which includes some foreshadowing of American domestic life. Much is packed into this little book. You can't go wrong in picking up a copy.
March 23, 2025
A gonzo indulgence I won't try again.
While I read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a while ago, I barely recall Thompson's style beyond the frenetic cultural intelligence and manic thought associations. Screwjack contains those interesting qualities but leaves a bitter aftertaste.
It features three stories. The first, Mescalito, holds together best. It tracks Thompson's first experience with the drug mescaline and how it drove him to existential crisis between professional responsibilities. It's wild but shows a vulnerability that I couldn't help but appreciate.
The second story, Death of a Poet, retains that voice but uses it to describe the violent end of a wife-beater. There is some compassion featured but this is crowded and obscured by sarcasm. The conclusion feels fitting but still lacks emotional payoff.
The third story, Screwjack, is borderline perverse. I struggled to connect with it in any way and wondered what compelled Thompson to write it, let alone use it to round off this collection. On finishing it, I wondered if the whole point was to provoke the reader while not taking up too much of their page-turning time.
Suffice to say, I didn't enjoy Screwjack the book and it's made me think twice about revisiting Thompson's oeuvre. At least I didn't need to DNF the book. If you are drawn to drug-addled interactions and unrepentant snark, Screwjack might amuse.
While I read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a while ago, I barely recall Thompson's style beyond the frenetic cultural intelligence and manic thought associations. Screwjack contains those interesting qualities but leaves a bitter aftertaste.
It features three stories. The first, Mescalito, holds together best. It tracks Thompson's first experience with the drug mescaline and how it drove him to existential crisis between professional responsibilities. It's wild but shows a vulnerability that I couldn't help but appreciate.
The second story, Death of a Poet, retains that voice but uses it to describe the violent end of a wife-beater. There is some compassion featured but this is crowded and obscured by sarcasm. The conclusion feels fitting but still lacks emotional payoff.
The third story, Screwjack, is borderline perverse. I struggled to connect with it in any way and wondered what compelled Thompson to write it, let alone use it to round off this collection. On finishing it, I wondered if the whole point was to provoke the reader while not taking up too much of their page-turning time.
Suffice to say, I didn't enjoy Screwjack the book and it's made me think twice about revisiting Thompson's oeuvre. At least I didn't need to DNF the book. If you are drawn to drug-addled interactions and unrepentant snark, Screwjack might amuse.
December 31, 2022
Zaten yeraltı edebiyatıyla çok haşır neşir olmayan bana pek hitap etmedi. Argo haddinden fazla baskın olduğunda oldukça itici geliyor ve uzak kaçıyor bana.
August 7, 2024
This is me trying to make sense of it all……
-
These three short stories allows the reader to take a glimpse into the hidden human condition that, sometimes, cannot stay hidden for long.
In the first story, Mescalito, Thompson writes through his first experience of taking mescaline as a “validated addict”. The pace of the story is quick, as it seldom uses periods in the second half as he becomes glued to his typewriter and tunes into the radio while waiting for Oscar, then all of a sudden he’s on the plane. This one was my favorite of the three.
In Death of a Poet, we are taken into the life of, presumably, his friend who, instead of him abusing his wife, beats dolls. He beats the dolls with an audience (neighbors) for long periods of time. Leach later commits suicide in front of him. An unexpected ending yet somehow all makes sense.
The final story is of his author surrogate who has an interesting relationship with his cat, Mr. Screwjack. That is all I’ll say of that.
-
How does violence penetrate the love one has for another? Is it the answer to loving something that has been defined as forbidden?
-
These three short stories allows the reader to take a glimpse into the hidden human condition that, sometimes, cannot stay hidden for long.
In the first story, Mescalito, Thompson writes through his first experience of taking mescaline as a “validated addict”. The pace of the story is quick, as it seldom uses periods in the second half as he becomes glued to his typewriter and tunes into the radio while waiting for Oscar, then all of a sudden he’s on the plane. This one was my favorite of the three.
In Death of a Poet, we are taken into the life of, presumably, his friend who, instead of him abusing his wife, beats dolls. He beats the dolls with an audience (neighbors) for long periods of time. Leach later commits suicide in front of him. An unexpected ending yet somehow all makes sense.
The final story is of his author surrogate who has an interesting relationship with his cat, Mr. Screwjack. That is all I’ll say of that.
-
How does violence penetrate the love one has for another? Is it the answer to loving something that has been defined as forbidden?
May 20, 2023
"Screwjack" is a collection of three short stories that provide a raw and unfiltered glimpse into the twisted yet fascinating mind of Hunter S. Thompson.
The stories within "Screwjack" blend dark humour, introspection, and absurdity. Each tale takes the reader on a wild ride, exploring themes of obsession, desire, and the chaos of life. Thompson's prose is punchy, gritty, and laced with his characteristic wit, captivating you from start to finish.
One of the standout stories in the collection is "Mescalito," where Thompson chronicles his hallucinogenic journey. The vivid descriptions and intense emotions he evokes in this narrative create an immersive reading experience. Thompson's ability to capture the disorienting nature of drug-induced experiences is a testament to his exceptional storytelling skills.
While "Screwjack" is a relatively short read, it packs a punch. Thompson's writing is an acquired taste, and his unapologetic and often frenzied style may not appeal to everyone. However, this book is a hidden gem for fans of his work or those seeking a literary adventure that veers off the beaten path.
The stories within "Screwjack" blend dark humour, introspection, and absurdity. Each tale takes the reader on a wild ride, exploring themes of obsession, desire, and the chaos of life. Thompson's prose is punchy, gritty, and laced with his characteristic wit, captivating you from start to finish.
One of the standout stories in the collection is "Mescalito," where Thompson chronicles his hallucinogenic journey. The vivid descriptions and intense emotions he evokes in this narrative create an immersive reading experience. Thompson's ability to capture the disorienting nature of drug-induced experiences is a testament to his exceptional storytelling skills.
While "Screwjack" is a relatively short read, it packs a punch. Thompson's writing is an acquired taste, and his unapologetic and often frenzied style may not appeal to everyone. However, this book is a hidden gem for fans of his work or those seeking a literary adventure that veers off the beaten path.
July 29, 2016
One of the few HST books I haven’t read yet, mainly due to economics – I couldn’t see paying the full trade-paperback price for a 60-page book with three short pieces. Finally I got a cheap copy, and I have to say it was worthwhile only in that it was a fast way to put me another book ahead in my 2016 Reading Challenge. The first story, “Mescalito” – about his first experience with mescaline – is actually classic HST, but it also appears in Songs of the Doomed: More Notes on the Death of the American Dream, so if you have that you don’t need this. The other two stories are slivers of flash fiction that are visceral but not necessarily in a good way, although even here HST’s writing style remains a joy for me. But I can get it elsewhere and in better quality. By no means essential.
September 10, 2016
This was the first, last, only, and everything in between for me with Hunter S. Thompson. What a wretched nightmare. I'm glad the first thing I decided to read by him was a short one. It's really, really bad when the book is only 20 pages on the Nook and I skip/scan the last 3 pages. It's *that* bad.
There was no art in this. Reads like Thompson got lit up on a random cocktail of pills and recorded the nonsense that came out of his mouth during the high. It's not art. It's a tragedy. Any idiot could do that. It does not make it good or read-worthy.
Oh, and he apparently has a nasty thing for felines.
What a waste of reading time.
There was no art in this. Reads like Thompson got lit up on a random cocktail of pills and recorded the nonsense that came out of his mouth during the high. It's not art. It's a tragedy. Any idiot could do that. It does not make it good or read-worthy.
Oh, and he apparently has a nasty thing for felines.
What a waste of reading time.
July 21, 2022
A collection of short stories. 59 pages long. First published in 1991 with only 300 editions, now republished by Simon & Schuster
.
Quick adrenaline-charged read. “Full of pills and club sandwiches and Old Crow”
.
“They’re going to kill me,” he said. “They’ll be here by midnight. I’m doomed.”
.
If you’re a fan of Hunter S. Thompson, you should add this little gem - this thrilling little ride to your collection. It’s like being punched in the face, it’s sore but there’s something exciting, something free about it!
.
Quick adrenaline-charged read. “Full of pills and club sandwiches and Old Crow”
.
“They’re going to kill me,” he said. “They’ll be here by midnight. I’m doomed.”
.
If you’re a fan of Hunter S. Thompson, you should add this little gem - this thrilling little ride to your collection. It’s like being punched in the face, it’s sore but there’s something exciting, something free about it!
August 31, 2011
Really strange, but another fanstatic example of Gonzo journalism. I had just finished researching Thompson a bit before I read this which made this short story hugely interesting to me. The bit with Screwjack his cat was quite tricky to read, and his commentary on his first trip on mescaline was very insightful!
December 11, 2011
Wtf did I just read?
March 2, 2019
WTF did I just read?? Glad it was so short!
March 24, 2022
I thought I could handle the weirdness. I was wrong.
May 10, 2021
What?
Really though. What?
I liked the first story more. It gives you and he space enough to seek out those little bits of feelings to relate, hard, to. The latter two are definitely flash fiction, and somewhat resemble the effect of a flash from a trench coat, too.
This is the first work from Thompson I've read, and it won't be the last---the man can turn a phrase or a stomach---but what a one to start with. Just dive headlong into the drugs and black humor of someone who outlived the counterculture, I guess. That's one way to acclimatize yourself.
I do kind of feel like these are more a shared experience of reading than they are communicating any meaning, which might be the point. I don't know.
Really though. What?
I liked the first story more. It gives you and he space enough to seek out those little bits of feelings to relate, hard, to. The latter two are definitely flash fiction, and somewhat resemble the effect of a flash from a trench coat, too.
This is the first work from Thompson I've read, and it won't be the last---the man can turn a phrase or a stomach---but what a one to start with. Just dive headlong into the drugs and black humor of someone who outlived the counterculture, I guess. That's one way to acclimatize yourself.
I do kind of feel like these are more a shared experience of reading than they are communicating any meaning, which might be the point. I don't know.
January 30, 2025
A short collection of three short stories:
"Mescalito:" the longest one. If you like the drug-fueled antics of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," this might be up your alley. Bit more stream of consciousness.
"Death of a Poet:" an funny(?) tale of a friend in a pickle after a gambling bet goes bad.
"Screwjack:" an oddly-sweet ode to his cat.
He has better collections, but it's fun to see a different angle of his writing.
"Mescalito:" the longest one. If you like the drug-fueled antics of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," this might be up your alley. Bit more stream of consciousness.
"Death of a Poet:" an funny(?) tale of a friend in a pickle after a gambling bet goes bad.
"Screwjack:" an oddly-sweet ode to his cat.
He has better collections, but it's fun to see a different angle of his writing.
October 1, 2025
Not bad, but hardly essential. Does not feel like this should have been the first text I read from HST. There are some flashes of something interesting in here, but I don’t know that this bite-sized collection really imparted anything that’s going to stick with me.
September 7, 2023
not even confused.com would have an answer to this
September 14, 2024
Not for me
August 5, 2025
Sincerely what the fuck did I just read
January 21, 2025
How someone so deep into this hellish cocktail of speed, booze and mescaline can collect their minds enough to write even a brief and scattered stream of consciousness such as «Mescalito» is beyond me, but aren’t we thankful for the vicarious trip. «Death of a Poet» and «Screwjack» are disconcerting and a kind of trip themselves. In the former it was difficult for me to see beyond the domestic violence. As for the latter, I may be reading too much into it, but the relationship with the tomcat, in all its what-the-hell-is-going-on glory, felt like a struggle of this sharp intellect with its impulsiveness and destructiveness.
Reading this in Vegas may have heightened my aesthetic experience.
Reading this in Vegas may have heightened my aesthetic experience.
January 31, 2023
This concise collection works as a three-part crescendo where the first two stories build to the outrageous finale that is the book’s fantastic titular story. “Mescalito” is a typical Gonzo-style, drug-induced, stream of conscious ramble. “Death of a Poet” advances this collection with a much more structured piece featuring some tokens that feel like Hunter classics: betting gone wrong, blow-up sex dolls, wife beating violence, and eerily enough when knowing Hunter’s own fate, suicide via gunshot to the head. These stories are good. They’re written by HST, so of course they’re more than good. But they do just feel like yet another story from him, especially “Mescalito.” But “Screwjack.” There aren’t enough love letters in the world to formulate how strongly I feel for the final story. How Hunter managed to create such a gorgeously melancholic love story about having a romantic and sexual relationship with a CAT!!! I will never know, but leave it to him to create actual poetry about beastiality. The man is not only obviously a hugely gifted wordsmith capable of both serious journalism as well as fiction, but is a bona-fide mastermind at work. The proof is in “Screwjack.” It makes my heart ache every time I read it. It’s one-of-a-kind, just like Hunter. 🐈⬛
My sheer love for the titular story forces me to continuously rate this 5 stars every time I read it, but realistically, I feel the first story especially could lower this score if only for paling in comparison to the last story. But this is so worth the read, especially for the finale.
Best lines (that are some of my absolute favorite ever committed to paper in all of literature):
“A wistful kind of yearning for love that would have to wait, or perhaps could never be…”
“And then he was gone, with no noise, like some ghost from my other world…”
“Like my beast and my dolphin, my perfect dream lover, like that ghost I must forget… and my beautiful little tattoo that will cost me $1500 to get burned off my shoulder with a laser needle.”
“Forgive me Lord, for loving this beast like I do, and for wanting him so deep inside me that I will finally feel him coming on the soft red skin of my own heart . . . and for wanting to lay down beside him and sleep like a baby with our bodies wrapped into each other and the same wild dream in our heads.”
My sheer love for the titular story forces me to continuously rate this 5 stars every time I read it, but realistically, I feel the first story especially could lower this score if only for paling in comparison to the last story. But this is so worth the read, especially for the finale.
Best lines (that are some of my absolute favorite ever committed to paper in all of literature):
“A wistful kind of yearning for love that would have to wait, or perhaps could never be…”
“And then he was gone, with no noise, like some ghost from my other world…”
“Like my beast and my dolphin, my perfect dream lover, like that ghost I must forget… and my beautiful little tattoo that will cost me $1500 to get burned off my shoulder with a laser needle.”
“Forgive me Lord, for loving this beast like I do, and for wanting him so deep inside me that I will finally feel him coming on the soft red skin of my own heart . . . and for wanting to lay down beside him and sleep like a baby with our bodies wrapped into each other and the same wild dream in our heads.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2024
Stupid contrived self indulgent etc etc etc. AMAZING
SKIP MESCALITO THOUGH!
SKIP MESCALITO THOUGH!
August 6, 2007
I have to admit, I'd never read any Hunter S. before...maybe this was a bad place to start. I HATED it, especially the first story, a bad trip in a hotel room. I sort of liked the second, and then hated him for the 3rd which I wanted to like but just couldn't understand. Somebody makes out with a cat.
December 27, 2017
The first story has a lot of incoherent parts, but that's what you get when you read a story about being under the influence of various drugs written by someone who is under the said influence the moment he is writing it, the second story is more paranoid, even without any drugs involved, and the third one is about a "love affair" with a tomcat. Notable, even though tiresome at times, writing.
May 21, 2017
This is a super quick read comprised of three short stories. My only problem with the book is that I wish they were laid out in the opposite order.
The first story is by far the strongest and had me howling with intense laughter out of sheer familiar nervousness. The next two stories have great poetic glide to them but lack the intensity of the first.
The first story is by far the strongest and had me howling with intense laughter out of sheer familiar nervousness. The next two stories have great poetic glide to them but lack the intensity of the first.
December 23, 2018
This was fucking wild, I can’t believe I knew so little about Hunter S. Thompson. And apparently a lot of people didn’t like this? If this is my first dip into the gonzo journalism pool, I’m very excited to read more.
After watching Naked Lunch for the first time this year I feel like I finally found something that can relate. I howled when I read “Whoops, I said. Welcome to the night train.”
After watching Naked Lunch for the first time this year I feel like I finally found something that can relate. I howled when I read “Whoops, I said. Welcome to the night train.”
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