Eating Smoke - One Man's Descent Into Crystal Meth Psychosis in Hong Kong's Triad Heartland Kindle Edition

In one single seating on a flight from the East Coast back to the West Coast, I finished "Eating Smoke". I put down the book and took a sip of the cold coke, but couldn't take my mind off the mental and visual journey I had just been taken through.Hong Kong is a familiar land to me. I lived in Shenzhen for 7 years, visiting Hong Kong a few times a year on business. Chris Thrall's Hong Kong is both familiar and strange. The culture, the language, the people are so vividly brought back by the book, mirroring my memory. But the dark and dingy alleys, the roof tops, elevators of cheap hostels - those were places I only experienced in films. Chris Thrall, the talented painter with words, brought every sound, smell, debris, face... vividly to my mind, adding even a new dimension from the eyes of an expat.Just that was real treat.All at the same time, I was following the ex-marine's downward journey to the bottom of the bottom. Curiously, it was not all doom and gloom. Chris has a talent in making you laugh for the saddest moment. I found my eyes swell with tears from both the heart-wrenching turns of events and the humor that so naturally flows out of his pen.Chris - I'm so glad you decided to write about your true story. It is such an unusual tale and you told it so well! I have only one question: When will we see the movie?

I've read many books on drugs and drug addicts; some good, some not. This book happens to be great. This is the true story of a young man who moves to Hong Kong, hoping to make his fortune. Instead, he discovers crystal meth, and pretty much becomes immediately addicted. Anyone who has ever been addicted to meth knows that it pretty much gets a hold of you almost immediately. Chris Thrall, the author of this book, was no exception. He holds back nothing on his roller coaster ride of smoking meth, plus some other drugs to fill in between meth fixes.This is a terrifically written book, with lots of extremely interesting whom people he meets at the many jobs he works over his 13 months in Hong Kong.I really loved this book because the author just tells us what happened to him, and why it did. If you enjoy drug memoirs, like I do, I highly recommend EATING SMOKE!! This is a solid 5 star book.Thank you, Mr. Thrall, for writing such an honest book. You have a lot of guts, and I wish you nothing but the best!!

When Chris Thrall left England for Hong Kong in search of his fortune and fame, the outcome he received was most likely not the one that he had hoped for. Leaving a career in the military, he hurried out to Hong Kong to capitalize on a booming business, ready to entertain the wealthy and make a fortune. While he found a fun-loving group of friends, he also found the potent and dangerous drug, crystal meth. This blunt and entertaining read is the story of Mr. Thrall's coming of age the hard way, and I mean hard.Filled with ambition and the confidence that he could succeed in a new country, Chris begins his career in the business world only to realize that his need for adventure is not being met. He turns to the nightclub world, doing stints as a DJ as well as a doorman. During this time, Chris gives an honest and heartfelt impression of the inside of Hong Kong ethos, throwing little tidbits in while he's making every effort to remain respectful of a culture in which he is the ex-pat. However, the drug takes a deeper hold on him and makes it impossible for him to remain long in each job, and his friends come and go. He ends up working for a club run by triads, and as his addiction increases he plays a dangerous game of inadvertently offending the most feared group in Hong Kong.Chris does an exceptional job portraying his decline into the deepest forms of addiction. Once a self-assured go-getter, he becomes a shell of the man he once was to the point where his friends begin to fear him, his employers have no choice but to release him, and the locals all know of him. His confused and paranoid thoughts leave the reader confused and paranoid as well, all the while hoping that things will eventually get better for our hapless hero. Ever the survivor, Chris takes matters into his own hands, standing up to the triads' games, facing his problem and fighting to take control back. We are left cheering on our tormented protagonist as he stands on the ledge of death or survival, eagerly praying he makes the right choice.This is a great, fast-paced and engaging read where one will laugh, cry and shiver with fear right along with Mr. Thrall all the way through.

As someone who loves Hong Kong for its vibrant energy and steers clear of the dubious elements, this was a knowledge filled confirmation of the seedy, grimy HK you always knew of but always ignored. What an eye-opener on the city and the mind of a 'junkie'.

Complete nonsense. Like others, I purchased this book hoping to learn about Triad activities (even in a limited sense) in Hong Kong. Not sure if Thrall ever makes it to the Triads because after ~150 pages I have given up. Painful to read, repetitive, no value. Don't waste your time.

Chris' genuine story and experience exposed the under-belly of HKG during the boom years right before the Communist take-over, and the darker side of the expat community. Accurate, personal and observant, his narrative provides a unique and multi-faceted view of the Pearl of the Orient, which is an eye-opener for both natives and visitors alike.It also takes real courageous to battle and win over personal demons, and even more to share one's failures with the world.Thank you, Chris.Disclosure: I am a native and of the former British colony, left over 30 years ago and have not been back since '89.