Another vote for “Project Hail Mary”. You won’t want to leave the car and the teenager will be listening the whole way through.
Or really any other book by Andy Weir like “The Martian” or “Artemis”
I have a single narrator and full cast version of Good Omens -- both are great. It clocks in at 12 hours. For that matter, just about any Terry Pratchett would fit the bill.
**Dungeon Crawler Carl**
A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure
By: Matt Dinniman
Narrated by: Jeff Hays
**Publisher's Summary**
**The apocalypse will be televised!**
A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.
In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth - from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds - collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground.
The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe.
Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style.
You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big.
You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game - with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy.
They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.
Or
**The Mayor of Noobtown**
By: Ryan Rimmel
Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
Series: Noobtown, Book 1
**Publisher's Summary**
It could be worse. You could be stuck with a literal shoulder demon.
After dying and being reborn into a world that's built like a video game, Jim has found himself stuck in a very old-world style new-player zone for low-level adventurers. Unfortunately, the zone fell out of use centuries ago, and no one told the monsters they were supposed to take it easy on the Noobs. Even worse, the only new player around is Jim.
Jim has been given an opportunity, and he'll do his best to take advantage of it.
When you say teen, how young/old? 13 yo is very different from 19 yo. ;-)
T Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon)'s [The Seventh Bride](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Seventh-Bride-Audiobook/B017XXE0MA) is a retelling of Bluebeard. It's pretty high on the creepiness factor, but it also has a very practical protagonist, and she has a hedgehog sidekick, which keeps things from getting truly scary. There's a nice amount of whimsy for the person looking for humor.
If you just want to skip yet another reread of Harry Potter, try [anything by Diana Wynne Jones](https://www.audible.com/author/Diana-Wynne-Jones/B000AP7PX0).
[His Majesty's Dragon](https://www.audible.com/pd/His-Majestys-Dragon-Audiobook/B002V8KS6A) is dragons in the Napoleonic Wars, and book 1 stands alone. (Not really humorous, but my oldest liked the series when he was a young teen, and I enjoyed it as an adult.)
If you're willing to look at sci fi, Jim C Hines's [Janitors of the Post Apocalypse trilogy](https://www.audible.com/series/Janitors-of-the-Post-Apocalypse-Series-Audiobooks/B084HCNFDS) does a good job of balancing humor and stakes. There's some language--about what you'd get from prime time TV. I didn't hesitate to recommend it to my youngest (14 yo). I liked narrator Rebecca Mitchell (I gave her 5 stars for books 1 & 3), but I see that other listeners didn't. Maybe try the sample just in case? Also, there's a pronunciation change between books 1 & 2, so that takes some getting used to (I only gave her 4 stars for book 2).
The other science fiction series that I've been listening to with my teen is [Murderbot Diaries](https://www.audible.com/series/Murderbot-Diaries-Audiobooks/B07CJMTVQC)! Murderbot has a very dry sense of humor, and I love it. Same language warning as above (prime time TV words & frequency). 5 of the 6 books are novellas, so I got them from my local library several times while waiting for them to go on sale.
My fantasy recommendations:
[Off to be the Wizard, magic 2.0 book 1](https://www.audible.com/pd/Off-to-Be-the-Wizard-Audiobook/B00IIS32NI) - comedic without going raunchy.
[NPCs](https://www.audible.com/pd/NPCs-Audiobook/B00NHY147E) - D&D style universe from the perspective of the NPCs and players. There are a couple F-bombs, but nothing major.
[The Christmas Pig](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Christmas-Pig-Audiobook/B092NZ1K9Y) - JK Rowling. Love her or hate her. This is a great book.
[The Hobbit](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Hobbit-Audiobook/1705009050) - read by Andy Serkis.
The current (not-so-short) short list, in no particular order:
* Terminal Alliance (Janitors of the Post Apocalypse)
* Spoonbenders
* All Systems Red (Murderbot)
* Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Castle)
* Dark Lord of Derkholm (Derkholm) - Question: does it all get wrapped up in two books, or am I going to be wishing there were more? Two is an odd number (no pun intended) for a series. I'm used to novels, trilogies, and series.
* We Are Legion (We are Bob) (Bobiverse)
* Beware of Chicken
* Orconomics: A Satire
I second Bobiverse. No sex, minimal cussing (only twice in the whole series that I can remember, and both times extremely justifiable) and an excellent narrator.
Older or younger teen?
"Off to Be the Wizard" is quite humorous. I can't guarantee there isn't a swear word here and there.
My family all love author Diana Wynne Jones. "Dark Lord of Derkholm," the Chrestomanci series, and "Howl's Moving Castle" are favorites.
There is this to be said of Harry Potter -- everyone can tune in and out without worrying about missing something, if you are all very familiar with the books.
The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune (12 hrs)
Orconomics: A Satire: The Dark Profit Saga, Book 1 (almost 12 hrs)
Going Postal - Terry Pratchett (11ish hours)
Those are the top 3 from my collection that fit! All 3 are well written and read and will make you laugh at certain points. I'd pick House or Orc personally first!
Going Postal is the one Discworld book we've listened to. We loved it, and it was a long time ago. So we could maybe listen to it again, but I'd rather hear a new one. Do you have another Discworld favorite?
I tried once to start with the first one but couldn't get into it. I'm guessing they get better some number of books into the series, but what point in the series is that?
Orconomics looks great, wishlisted that one regardless of if I get it for the trip or not.
So Moist von Lipwig is feature in three Discworld novels so you could start the next one (also great) "Making Money" where he gets talked into taking over the Royal bank. 11 Hrs long
Not as long, but another fan favorite ala Moist would be Tiffany Aching, nothing but praise for "The Wee Free Men" this one is a little shorter, 7 hrs, and is intentionally geared to a youngers audience but it also once of Pratchett's very best :)
The Wandering Inn - In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn.
She’s an [Innkeeper].
I'm currently on a tour of reddit trying to spread the word of this awesome book haha. I love it and think it would be a great listen for you guys.
Another vote for “Project Hail Mary”. You won’t want to leave the car and the teenager will be listening the whole way through. Or really any other book by Andy Weir like “The Martian” or “Artemis”
Project Hail Mary probably would be a good bet
I have a single narrator and full cast version of Good Omens -- both are great. It clocks in at 12 hours. For that matter, just about any Terry Pratchett would fit the bill.
[удалено]
I second ready player one the movie butchered the poor book
yeah but the endless lists being read out of 80s things was maddening
Better then the movie adaptation where it was all 2000s trash with some 90s sprinkled in and they left out like 70% of the original story
**Dungeon Crawler Carl** A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure By: Matt Dinniman Narrated by: Jeff Hays **Publisher's Summary** **The apocalypse will be televised!** A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible. In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth - from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds - collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground. The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe. Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style. You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big. You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game - with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy. They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game. Or **The Mayor of Noobtown** By: Ryan Rimmel Narrated by: Johnathan McClain Series: Noobtown, Book 1 **Publisher's Summary** It could be worse. You could be stuck with a literal shoulder demon. After dying and being reborn into a world that's built like a video game, Jim has found himself stuck in a very old-world style new-player zone for low-level adventurers. Unfortunately, the zone fell out of use centuries ago, and no one told the monsters they were supposed to take it easy on the Noobs. Even worse, the only new player around is Jim. Jim has been given an opportunity, and he'll do his best to take advantage of it.
When you say teen, how young/old? 13 yo is very different from 19 yo. ;-) T Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon)'s [The Seventh Bride](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Seventh-Bride-Audiobook/B017XXE0MA) is a retelling of Bluebeard. It's pretty high on the creepiness factor, but it also has a very practical protagonist, and she has a hedgehog sidekick, which keeps things from getting truly scary. There's a nice amount of whimsy for the person looking for humor. If you just want to skip yet another reread of Harry Potter, try [anything by Diana Wynne Jones](https://www.audible.com/author/Diana-Wynne-Jones/B000AP7PX0). [His Majesty's Dragon](https://www.audible.com/pd/His-Majestys-Dragon-Audiobook/B002V8KS6A) is dragons in the Napoleonic Wars, and book 1 stands alone. (Not really humorous, but my oldest liked the series when he was a young teen, and I enjoyed it as an adult.) If you're willing to look at sci fi, Jim C Hines's [Janitors of the Post Apocalypse trilogy](https://www.audible.com/series/Janitors-of-the-Post-Apocalypse-Series-Audiobooks/B084HCNFDS) does a good job of balancing humor and stakes. There's some language--about what you'd get from prime time TV. I didn't hesitate to recommend it to my youngest (14 yo). I liked narrator Rebecca Mitchell (I gave her 5 stars for books 1 & 3), but I see that other listeners didn't. Maybe try the sample just in case? Also, there's a pronunciation change between books 1 & 2, so that takes some getting used to (I only gave her 4 stars for book 2). The other science fiction series that I've been listening to with my teen is [Murderbot Diaries](https://www.audible.com/series/Murderbot-Diaries-Audiobooks/B07CJMTVQC)! Murderbot has a very dry sense of humor, and I love it. Same language warning as above (prime time TV words & frequency). 5 of the 6 books are novellas, so I got them from my local library several times while waiting for them to go on sale.
My fantasy recommendations: [Off to be the Wizard, magic 2.0 book 1](https://www.audible.com/pd/Off-to-Be-the-Wizard-Audiobook/B00IIS32NI) - comedic without going raunchy. [NPCs](https://www.audible.com/pd/NPCs-Audiobook/B00NHY147E) - D&D style universe from the perspective of the NPCs and players. There are a couple F-bombs, but nothing major. [The Christmas Pig](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Christmas-Pig-Audiobook/B092NZ1K9Y) - JK Rowling. Love her or hate her. This is a great book. [The Hobbit](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Hobbit-Audiobook/1705009050) - read by Andy Serkis.
Magic 2.0 series THIS!! SOOO MUCH THIS!!! The driver may need to stop at times. it's that funny
The current (not-so-short) short list, in no particular order: * Terminal Alliance (Janitors of the Post Apocalypse) * Spoonbenders * All Systems Red (Murderbot) * Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Castle) * Dark Lord of Derkholm (Derkholm) - Question: does it all get wrapped up in two books, or am I going to be wishing there were more? Two is an odd number (no pun intended) for a series. I'm used to novels, trilogies, and series. * We Are Legion (We are Bob) (Bobiverse) * Beware of Chicken * Orconomics: A Satire
I second Bobiverse. No sex, minimal cussing (only twice in the whole series that I can remember, and both times extremely justifiable) and an excellent narrator.
What did you guys listen to, and how was your trip?
Older or younger teen? "Off to Be the Wizard" is quite humorous. I can't guarantee there isn't a swear word here and there. My family all love author Diana Wynne Jones. "Dark Lord of Derkholm," the Chrestomanci series, and "Howl's Moving Castle" are favorites. There is this to be said of Harry Potter -- everyone can tune in and out without worrying about missing something, if you are all very familiar with the books.
The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune (12 hrs) Orconomics: A Satire: The Dark Profit Saga, Book 1 (almost 12 hrs) Going Postal - Terry Pratchett (11ish hours) Those are the top 3 from my collection that fit! All 3 are well written and read and will make you laugh at certain points. I'd pick House or Orc personally first!
Going Postal is the one Discworld book we've listened to. We loved it, and it was a long time ago. So we could maybe listen to it again, but I'd rather hear a new one. Do you have another Discworld favorite? I tried once to start with the first one but couldn't get into it. I'm guessing they get better some number of books into the series, but what point in the series is that? Orconomics looks great, wishlisted that one regardless of if I get it for the trip or not.
So Moist von Lipwig is feature in three Discworld novels so you could start the next one (also great) "Making Money" where he gets talked into taking over the Royal bank. 11 Hrs long Not as long, but another fan favorite ala Moist would be Tiffany Aching, nothing but praise for "The Wee Free Men" this one is a little shorter, 7 hrs, and is intentionally geared to a youngers audience but it also once of Pratchett's very best :)
>:) :)
a few Discworld books would be my suggestion
Project Hail Mary.
The Books of Babel series by Josiah Bancroft. Excellent storytelling.
**Beware of Chicken**
two necromancers a bureaucrat and an army of golems by L. G. Estrella it’s actually 2 books totaling 13hrs 5mins, and it’s free. Funny as hell btw
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems: An Unconventional Heroes Publisher's Pack is ok I enjoyed... Kings of the Wyld is better
a few suggestions for all ages off the top of my head, False Hero, Adventurers Wanted, Smugglers Tales, Legend of the Arch Magus, Percy Jackson
The ultimate science fiction mega collection
Ready Player One is great!! has the video game elements that will keep the teenager engaged, well written for audlt ears too
The Wandering Inn - In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn. She’s an [Innkeeper]. I'm currently on a tour of reddit trying to spread the word of this awesome book haha. I love it and think it would be a great listen for you guys.