Fear and Loathing

On the Campaign Trail '72

By: Hunter S. Thompson

Narrated by: Scott Sowers

Length: 17 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

An iconic and controversial figure in American literature, Hunter S. Thompson displayed a brilliance that forever changed journalism. Thompson’s follow-up to The Proud Highway, this second volume of private, never-before-published letters spans the years 1968 through 1976. Addressed to such luminaries as Tom Wolfe, Kurt Vonnegut, and Jimmy Carter, this incisive collection showcases Thompson’s raw and starkly honest thoughts on a pivotal era in U.S. history.

©1973 Hunter S. Thompson (P)2012 Recorded Books

What a great listen

A shame that both Hunter S. Thompson and Scott Sowers have both passed on. If you like Thompson, you will enjoy this political book.

Fun book!

I really enjoyed this one! At first I didn’t like the narrator but he grows on you :)!

Need new narrator.

Like many have already stated the narrator of this book sounds angry. I understand this is Hunter S Thompson so, it’s almost implied already. The narrator is inconsistent in his tones and switching from each dialogue. Look at Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas movie, Hunter S Thompson had a calmer tone to his voice. Overall, it wasn’t bad and terribly hard to follow.

Informative, and Gripping!

this was perhaps the most exciting political book I have ever written. It is easy to connect both to the author, and the subject matter he presents - in a very understandable way, I might add.

Gonzo Politics

Hunter's writing is a thing of Cynicistic Beauty & Unabashed Humor. He covers the Bullshit world of Politics with all the skepticism & frankness it deserves, Loved It!

An excellent prediction of the future.

Hunter could’ve written this book today all he would have to do is just change a few of the lead names. The resemblance to the 1972 election to the 2020 election is uncanny.
Hunter gets pretty personal in the book, which I really enjoyed. You can see his rough edges beginning to show.

Beautiful trainwreck

This book has greatness in it, in between tangents and segments where the author was too drugged to write an actual account so he just plops raw transcripts with some apologies. It's unbelievably bad, and wonderful and awesome all at once. 5 stars.

Great book ruined by over-acting narrator

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I have a lot of respect for narrators, as this is a tedious process, but the narrator was so bad I've returned the last two Hunter S. Thompson books I've ordered for refunds. I don't need to say anything snarky about his performance, he simply is over-acting, trying to effect the mood of the piece, when he should simply read the book in a calm and measured way.

Fascinating Book, Irritating Narration

I read this book years ago in paperback form, and it's still an amazing look at the dark underbelly of the American electoral system. Going through it again I was reminded of what a rare time capsule it is, and a little horrified at just how much still seems to apply to politics today. It is in turns hilarious, tragic, in-the-weeds wonkish, and completely fascinating.

However -- and it's a big however -- the narration choice is like sandpaper on your ear canal. We all know what Hunter S. Thompson sounds like. I can't imagine a single fan of his work being unfamiliar with his persona, even if only portrayed by Johnny Depp. The cadences, the low tones... they always play in my head when I read his work. So why on earth did the producers have Scott Sowers read this like a cross between Dennis Hopper in "Apocalypse Now" and a crazy hippie jacked up on too much cocaine you got stuck in line next to at a Grateful Dead show circa 1973?

And how horrified was I to discover Scott Sowers narrates nearly all of Thompson's audio books! What the proverbial f***, people?! Especially when Phil Gigante does such a fantastic job recreating Thompson on the "Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone" audiobook.

I'm sure Sowers is a consummate professional who's done a great job elsewhere, but seriously, let's erase him from all of Dr. Thompson's work and see if we can convince Johnny Depp to spend a month in the audio booth re-recording everything. Or at least Phil Gigante. I'm sure he's easier to get a hold of.

The legacy Raoul Duke deserves better.

Love the book, not the performance.

Where does Fear and Loathing rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love Thompson. He's my political guru and the flow of his words will always be lovely.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Scott Sowers?

Hunter S. Thompson himself. Sowers tries to imitate the cadence of Hunter's voice, and fails miserably.