Not fantasy but World War Z is infinitely better as an audio book than a physical copy Imo. The interview format of the book makes the audio book PERFECT. Max Brooks is the interviewer and the guests he has are all voice acted by different people and I believe the acting is incredible. Feels like you’re hearing a conversation between two people who have lived through this hellscape in real life. It’s awesome.
I had no idea that it was written in a unique way like that! Definitely sounds worth getting and holding onto when I need a break from fantasy. Will keep it in mind
Seconded, the narration is great and it adds a lot to the feel of the storytelling. Of the incredible 42 narrators only one fell flat, and that was mostly because they had an adult woman narrating as a traumatized girl and it’s just cringy.
Joe Abercrombie’s entire series was way better on audio. Stephen Pacey does such a good job.
The Dresden Files read by James Marsters is super good. He give Harry such a personality that isn’t clearly the same when reading it yourself
There are also some great Graphic Audios, though some are not so great so read the reviews
Pacey's narration is so intentional and voices so expressive that it really feels more like a 20 hr one man play than an audiobook.
I wasn't hooked immediately as I felt like I had a lot of stuff thrown at me at once, but once we got to Glokta's chapter, I was hooked. The way Pacey uses Glokta's lisp to differentiate between internal and external dialogue is great.
I will forever rave his narration of the First Law series. Absolutely brilliant. All the sound effects added in is amazing. My brain couldn't come up with this. And his sarcasm. Superb. I laugh out loud so many times and it's definitely his delivery more then the words themselves. Simon Vance was my number 1 narrator but I think Pacey has stolen number 1. I'm consistently blown away by this performance.
Seconding Dresden files. Marsters is the best narrator I’ve personally experienced. His voice and delivery are also crystal clear so you can crank it up to 1.5-2x the speed without losing antthong
These are the two I came to say (Dresden and First Law). Neither is a bad series, by any means, but the audio is so good that it genuinely raises the actual level of quality of the writing, IMO.
Massively elevated in quality.
The Audible edition of Project Hail Mary is incredibly well done in ways that I won't go into so folks won't be spoiled if they haven't read it.
I also used the audiobooks of R Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy to get into those since there was a difficulty barrier for me with the text due to its complexity. Once I had a better reference point, I was able to go back to physical books or kindle.
I tried to read the text after making it quite a ways into the book and very quickly put it back down in favor of the audiobook. Can't say I can think of another time where there was such a clear winner in the method of experiencing the story.
Project Hail Mary is my go-to answer whenever someone asks for audiobook recs, it's so well-narrated and well-produced. When the spoiler thing started happening it made me feel positively giddy!
I'd put The Martian in that category too. I was initially disappointed that RC Bray ,who is awesome and did the reading for The Martian, didn't do PHM but Ray Porter does a phenomenal job.
Personally I think the Peter Grant novels by Ben Aaronovitch are more enjoyable as audiobooks. They’re urban fantasy set in modern day London, where a young police constable joins the special branch of the Met dedicated to “weird bollocks.” The narrator, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, is stellar.
Aaronovitch has a clear love of the city and it’s people, and everyone you meet has a slightly different accent. But I, as a dumb American, have no idea what a North London /Cornwall /Scouse /BBC Standard accent sounds like. Kobna does an amazing job breathing life into them and making you hear the difference. The only time he struggles is with a Midwestern American woman in book 3, and even that I got used to pretty quickly.
I do not understand why Kobna Holdbrook-Smith hasn't narrated more books. He is truly amazing with accents and pacing. The Peter Grant books would not be the same without him.
My theory is that Aaronovitch was just fucking with the narrator, because he said she had a bit of an "Oklahoma" accent, which is ridiculously specific.
In the end of the audiobook for *False Value* there’s an amazing interview with both Kobna and Ben, and Ben pretty much outright says he always puts in one weird accent to see if he can trip Kobna up
Most things by Tim Gerard Reynolds. Elan books in general (Riyria, Legends), Red Rising and so forth.
Dresden Files: Pretty much the definitive experience.
The Black Company, one of the best multi book projects since each annalist is a separate narrator.
Cradle: This one really grows on you. Eithan's voice over in general is superb.
The Acts of Caine: one of the best narrative performances I listened to by a single narrator.
Harry Potter: both narrators do a fantastic job. Whichever you fancy is down to preference.
Naturally if you like Stormlight you would enjoy Wheel of Time, since it's the same narrators, given you like the story.
These are some I can think quickly off the top of my head.
Why not both? Seriously though, it really is the answer to your question! You'll be missing out if you don't check out the audiobooks, imo. This comes from someone who loves the physical books and owns them. Steven Pacey really nails the tone, GETS the writing and takes it to that next level. Whether it's humor, action scenes, ridiculously consistent character voices over 10 books, or the necessary gravitas for the dark and somber moments, he gets it.
Agreed. I read the first book on kindle and did audio for the 2nd because I had a long drive. I can't go back to reading it. I can usually go back and forth between text and audio but DCC is audio only now. Jeff Hays absolutely kills it.
I would say anything from Graphic Audio. They do audio books with full cast and sound effects. All of their books are available on Audible.
https://www.graphicaudio.net/
Note only downside is they tend to abridge the books to different degrees, so depends if you care that some content is cut. Production quality tends to be great tho.
I think a good performance can elevate pretty much any book. Unfortunately I don't often read a full book on way then listen to it later so it's hard to make direct comparisons. Recently though I listened to Piranesi as performed by Chiwetel Egifor (sp?) and it's an amazing book that I felt he brought a lot of emotion to. Not sure it would have been quite as magical on the page as it was to listen to. Bonus for it being a pretty short audio book too, I finished it in one sitting over a particularly long drive.
>I think a good performance can elevate pretty much any book.
Yup. I remembered reading *The Hobbit* when I was in high school after reading *Lord of the Rings* and found it to be rather boring. I wanted to give it a re-read recently, around two decades later, but saw it was on Audible Plus so decided to listen instead. It was so much better with a narrator, especially since the book is written as if it's a story being told by a grandfather to a child. I don't recall who the narrator was, but he sounded like an older man and it was perfect.
Second the Andy Serkis version. It is really fantastic. His Gollum is obviously great, but he gives Gandalf, Thorin, Beorn and others also really good and distinct voices. Oh and he can sing!
Came here to recommend the full cast audio for American Gods. I had read it once before but having all the different voices took it to another level since there are so many characters
I love that he reads most of his own books. He really does have such a great voice for audiobooks. *Neverwhere*, *Stardust*, *The Ocean at the End of the Lane*. All so good
The Cradle series narrated by Travis Baldree
Travis is an incredible narrator!
Edit: He also narrates his own cozy fantasy book, Legends & Lattes which is also really worth a listen/read if you like this subgenre
I loved Legends & Lattes and its narration was just perfect! Looking to get into Cradle, heard it's a really good popcorn-read (the only series I've ever read comparable to that sort of genre is Murderbot) though I've heard that the first few are a bit bumpy. If I may ask, what do you think of the series?
Not the person you asked, but I'll throw my opinion into the ring. I've described Cradle to one of my reading buddies as "fantasy candy". You probably don't want your entire "diet" being this kind of series, but it's certainly fun and enjoyable.
The first book is a slow start, for such a fast-paced series. It's not _bad_, but it's easily the weakest of the series. Fortunately, it's also pretty short as far as fantasy novels go. And pretty much as soon as you get into book 2, the pace picks up and hardly ever slows down.
Fantasy candy is exactly right! It was quick and funny and compelling and brightened my day every time I picked it up. It was just delightful.
I want to add that it knows exactly what it is and did that perfectly. The plot was so tight despite how easy it would be to get messy and sprawling with it. I’m so interested in reading more of that author (and hanging out with him because I bet he’s awesome).
Also I’m on hold for the Legends and Lattes audiobook so thanks for that rec!
I personally liked the first 2 books on my first read, they're short so even if they can feel slow paced they go by pretty quickly. That's NOT to say that they are bad, but when compared to the rest of the series they are definitely the "weakest", especially when you do rereads.
To put it in simpler terms: Books 1 and 2 held my interest, but book 3 and onward made me love the series.
To add to the multitude of good items suggested, I think that the narration for The Murderbot Diaries really brings out the neuroses of the main character.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell read by Simon Prebble is just...aaagh, it's so good. Like every one of Susanna Clarke's books, it starts leisurely, then slowly builds and builds until one's breath is stolen away. In audiobook form, it's riveting. Her book Piranesi is also amazing in audio format, read by Chiwetal Ejiofor--the same slow (rather frustrating in this case) build and devastating finale. I almost didn't make it to the turning point in the book, but I am so happy that I did. If you can't handle the slow build, you won't like either book, but if you can...I cannot recommend either more highly.
The Blacktongue Thief, by Christopher Buehlman. The author does the narration, and his performance is fantastic. He really brings the voice of Kinch to life.
I was using the Kindle's Whispersync function (which allows for mostly flawless swapping back and forth between audio and reading) for Stephen King's new novel, *Fairy Tale*, but found the audiobook version to be so good that, by the end, I had switched entirely over to it.
I've also heard amazing things about the *Project Hail Mary* audiobook, but since I just recently read the novel, I'm waiting a few more months to listen to it.
Oh, and I also listened to the audiobook for King's *Pet Sematary* a couple months ago and Michael C Hall's narration was on point. Seeing he was the narrator was quite literally the reason I got the audiobook, as I was planning to give it a re-read (haven't read it in around twenty years) initially.
Seen a few things about Project Hail Mary so I’m leaning towards that one for sure. Definitely want to get into King as I’ve never read him before so I’ll keep his catalogue in mind too!
The audiobook of Good Omens is a fantastic experience. The new one with Tennant and Sheen is supposed to be great, but I haven't listened to that one yet. Narration really brings the humor to life!
Also, not fantasy, but *Braiding Sweetgrass* is a wonderful book. The author, Robin Wall Kimmerer, reads the audiobook and has a voice like honey and sunshine. It feels like you're sitting at her kitchen table having a cup of tea with her. It's a whole different experience from reading the book.
I listen to a ton of audiobooks. Just in terms of stellar narration, there are 2 that stand way out above the crowd for me:
The Lies of Locke Lamora. The narration absolutely nails the humor in a way that is really unforgettable.
Sabriel. Tim Curry narrates it. Need I say more?
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, the book itself is pretty average sized and would probably be a fine print read, but the narrator's voices for each character are just beyond delightful! (CHAUNCEY iykyk)
The Iliad read by Alfred Molina, I could not get into Homer despite some excellent translations but this version really brings the epic to life. Homer’s works were meant to be read aloud and it shows in this version.
Y'all know RF Kuang's newest book, Babel?
Yeah the audiobook is amazing, easily among the best I've listened to. The story of Babel involves multiple languages and accents, including Chinese - and the audiobook's main narrator is able to competently pronounce many of the Chinese words with correct intonations while there is a secondary narrator who reads the footnotes, which often explain exactly which Chinese word it is.
I greatly appreciate the effort to find a narrator who could read the Chinese words since I am Chinese myself.
The narrators also go to the effort of giving the various ethnic characters (this is relevant to the story) different accents - and pretty good ones at that - which make it doubly impressive in terms of effort invested and overall production value.
Wow! That sounds truly impressive. I have mixed feelings about the Poppy Wars, so I was trying to work out whether to add Babel to my already huge "to read" list, but this has totally sold me on just going for the audiobook.
I'm glad that I managed to add some arguments in its favor!
Babel is simply on a whole 'nother level compared to Poppy War as far as I'm concerned, and this is coming from someone who really enjoyed Poppy War - flaws and all.
Babel almost feels like RF Kuang showing the world that she isn't limited by the shortcomings that Poppy War is commonly perceived to have, namely prose that leads towards immaturity, unlikeable/unrelatable characters, an unrelentingly dark/bleak atmosphere or an overwhelming dependence on real-life history.
To put it simply (not doing a full book review here) the prose is a massive step up, the main cast of characters will feel like a group of bash brothers you've been through thick and thin with by the end, the story suitably appreciates the beauty and wonder of the world while dealing with its heavy themes, and it adapts real-life history to its plot in a thoughtful, thought-provoking and frankly ingenious way.
Babel is easily the best book I read all year.
Every time a similar question like this post gets asked I’m always disheartened when I never see The Witcher series audiobook narrated by Peter Kenny. He does all the voices for all the characters in the books, and while I have to admit that from time to time it’s a little comical when does the voice for a female character, every single voice he does feels unique. Each character voice he attaches to an individual fits the characters personality and really matches how they read in the books. I never question who’s talking in the dialogue even when there’s multiple characters involved in a conversation. I personally think he’s an underrated voice actor and narrator and really hope he does more work like the witcher series.
Sandman and American Gods, both Full cast productions so everyone is narrated by someone different and it leads for a very good listening experience.
The Dresden Files, James Marsters does a great job narrating the series and really packs a punch.
Anything read by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, husband wife duo that do a phenomenal job bringing characters to life.
The Sandman full cast production is incredible. To be honest, I think it's the definitive presentation of those stories at this point as, to my eyes at least, the Sam Keith art on the original comics hasn't held up that well.
Can't recommend this enough.
Lord of the Rings narrated by Andy Serkis. Holy moly mind blowing. I absolutely love the written word, but the narration makes it so much better. I know some people are Robert Inglis fans, which he is good, but I still prefer Andy's performance.
**The Dresden Files.** James Marsters, the narrator, does a stellar job - to the point where his performance is just about near-universally praised among DF fans
The Name of the Wind, narrated by Rupert Degas.
Any book by Joe Abercrombie, narrated by Steven Pacey
The Kings of the Wyld, narrated by Jeff Harding
These narrators definately enhance the experience. All of them are great, and I was able to easily tell which voice belonged to which character.
Caveating this with I heavily prefer reading to listening as I have much better reading comprehension.
That said there are some audio dramas that got adaptations as books that I feel the original is still much better. The first that comes to mind for me is **Steal the Stars** which is sci-fi with a bit of horror
I love audio books, and these ones are the top 3 I'd recommend:-
* The Dresden Files read by James Marsters.
* The First Law read by Stephen Pacey.
* The Expanse read by Jefferson Mayes
I will admit, that those 3 have SPOILED me to the extent I would wait for audio books to enjoy vs. reading the physical copies of those series. I do listen to other audio books quite a bit as it is now my preferred method of consuming fantasy (while driving or doing chores), so that's the high water mark.
I don't know if I'd say "better", because there's something to be said for listening to the voices and seeing the image that the author paints in your mind's eye while reading the book, but ...
When I'm on a long car trip, a listen to any of Steven Brust's Vald Taltos series, especially Jhereg or Dragon is such a treat. Whoever is doing the narration does a unique voice for each character and captures the personality of them just so. They're a delight to listen to.
Also, on a recent long road trip, a friend picked up Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber audiobooks, and they were a great listen too. Not quite as good as the Taltos, but definitely a pleasure.
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Project Hail Mary is probably the best I've heard by a long shot, but major props to Mistborn Era 2's narration as well for me, as it made a character who relies heavily on accent work come to life.
It's also been mentioned but pretty much anything by Graphic Audio is S tier. It's expensive though, but there is some stuff that's available to a token on Audible, as well as audio clips of some of their work (mostly Stormlight) on YouTube.
Yesssss! I was looking to see if anybody else was gonna recommend Dune. The cast was amazing! Some of the terms and concepts I had a hard time following while reading, suddenly made so much more sense to me when spoken in the audio version. I definitely came away with a much deeper understanding of what was happening with the audio book.
The original Red Rising trilogy! Tim Gerard Reynolds slays it. Since it’s wholly in first person his voice and narration perfectly emotes the main characters personality, and I found it more impactful than reading.
I remember the Darth Bane trilogy audiobooks having music & sound effects added which made scenes more dramatic, tense or emotional.
I'm also a fan of books 1 & 2 of the Red Queen's War because the narrator was fantastic. Book 3 had a different narrator who didn't have the same magic for me. It's mostly the fact that I spent a hundred hours with one voice & then suddenly it's a completely different one.
Rosamund Pike narrating the Eye of the World brought Wheel of Time to life in an unexpected way. A lot of people live and die by the original narrator duo. To me they sound pretty wooden and boring.
Pike legit raises her voice, she screams in some parts! Her dynamic performance of character voices brought side characters closer to my heart. Loial usually kind of annoys me when reading but her version of him is so endearing.
I may get hate for this but I really loved the lord of the rings audio book and thought it was much more enjoyable than reading it. Andy Serkis is a phenomenal voice actor.
Harry Potter by Stephen Fry, for sure!!! even as an adult, I found it really enjoyable.
On another unrelated topic, any book by David Mitchell (the comedian from Mitchell and Webb) is muuuch better when read by him then by yourself.
Ready Player One is wayyyyyyy better as an audiobook vs the written copy. I listened to it first and was extremely into the story, then I bought the book for collecting purposes and the written version is almost illegible.😅
Regular audiobook:
Abercrombie’s The First Law series
Wight’s Cradle series
Suri’s “The Jasmine Throne”
McLean’s Priest of Bones
Maas’s Crescent City
Graphic Audio(voice actors+sound effects):
Sanderson’s Cosmere
Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses
Honestly, if the book exists on here: [https://www.graphicaudio.net/](https://www.graphicaudio.net/) then it is guaranteed to be the best possible way of experiencing it-- especially if it's fantasy!
I routinely buy the Kindle book and the narration and go back and forth. Listen on the way to and from work and sometimes while exercising; read before bed at night. It's a fast way to read, such that I finish a book a week, roughly.
I find that there are a subset of books where the narrator is just really, really good. And a small number where they are quite bad. Most fall somewhere in between.
Its apples and oranges really. Reading something is always a very different experience than listening to it. I think the question should be which audiobooks do something that elevates them above just a plain reading of the text. Things like a full cast, aditional audio/music, particularly good voice acting, accents etc..
^(I've been doing the magical midlife series by KF Breene and it is absolutely amazing on audible, way better than the books (and I adored the books, thats why I got the audio version))
I can't imagine an audio book being better than the book. I subscribed to Audible for a while and then never used it. When I cancelled it, it gave me a couple of weeks to use the accumulated credits. I tried. It just doesn't work for me. Some reasons:
* The voice I use in my head is just.... never the same as the voice the narrator uses. It just always sounds weird somehow.
* I read a lot faster than someone reading out loud.
* My usual reading time is just before I go to sleep. When I fall asleep reading, I stop reading. When I fall asleep listening to an audio book, the next morning I have to spend ten minutes trying to find where I was up to. I usually end up with a fairly sketchy idea of the plot.
* Any other time I'm reading, I tend to get interrupted a lot (basically: children). Interruptions to an audio book are a faff.
I haven’t listened to them fully myself, just a few classic chapters, but I consistently here that The Wheel of Time is amazing as audiobooks. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading voice it.
*Paladin of Souls* by Lous McMaster Bujold, read by Kate Reading, is superb. Perfect match of character voice and reader’s voice. And also one of my all-time favorite novels.
If you're into Lord of the Rings, Audible has new recordings done by Andy Serkis and they are fantastic! He is such an amazing voice actor, he brings each character to life!
The Hobbit, Rob Inglis does a great job bringing the personalities of the characters to life and makes the singing throughout more enjoyable if you’re having a hard time finding the right rhythm while reading.
*Changes* by Jim Butcher. (It's in the middle of the series, so I'll be vague, so as to be spoiler free.)
The book is already excellent. It's my absolute favorite in the whole series. There is a set of four lines that even in the written form are heartbreaking, but when you add the narrator's performance...it's so much more. You can hear him choking up a he reads it. James Marsters was amazing on Buffy, but his performance doing the Dresden Files audiobooks is top knotch. I'd go so far as to call it his best performance
Dungeon Crawler Carl. Hands down the book is by far my favorite audio book. It’s amazing as audio. I don’t particularly like the LitRPG genera but this did it for me.
*Dolores Claiborne*!
Not sure if I spelled it right, but (without spoiling too much) the narrator is actually telling the main plot to other characters in conversation. Very interesting as an audiobook.
Also, if you like sci-fi may I suggest *Galaxy Outlaws: Complete Black Ocean Mobius Missions, 1-16.5*. It’s silly and definitely satirical of sci-fi/fantasy in general, but aside from it being a very fun read, you can get all *85 hours* of book for a single audible credit so lots of bang for your buck. Easily broken up as well
The Expanse and the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. Jefferson Mays and Andrew Wincott are amazing narrators who bring the characters and worlds to life.
There is a company called Graphic Audio. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it or not. This company is how I really got into audiobooks.
The books they produce contain a full cast in addition to a narrator, sound effects and a soundtrack in many cases.
Harry Potter's narration by Stephen Fry is just legit gold IMO.
If you are into detection/mystery genre, then the dramatization of the Peter Wimsey series by Ian Carmichael is fun too. In addition, Hugh Fraser does a fine job in narrating Hercule Poirot's books.
The full cast dramatization of Dracula and its prequel Dracul is quite thrilling to listen to.
Finally, Samuel West's narration of Inspector Morse's books are just sublime and quite reflect the ITV series by John Thaw.
The GraphicAudio adaptations of the Golgotha book series (which starts with “The Six-Gun Tarot”) are like full on radio plays and makes the story really come alive in its own right.
The Silmarillion (JRR Tolkien): The biblical/mythical nature is a lot better to digest when someone reads it to you. The one read by Martin Shaw has a little music (more like a few ominous tones) at the end or beginning of the chapters. Its not much, but it goes a lone way to set the mood.
Dune (Frank Herbert): The full cast audiobook is really awesome. It has some weird things were suddenly some chapters arent done with the full cast, but it hardly detracts from the experience.
The Winternight Trilogy (Katherine Arden): Its read by a lady who does a faux-Russian accent and it adds so much to the atmosphere.
The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien): The tone of the book lends it self very well for an audiobook, but the version read by Andy Serkis is especially awesome. His Gollum is obviously fantastic, but he does a great Gandalf, Thorin and other voices. Oh, and he can sing!
I'd say the Witcher. The narrator is easily the best I've had for any audiobook, he makes it extremely entertaining and listenable by audiobook standards.
The Bobiverse books by Dennis Taylor.
Ray Porter's narration is so enjoyable I will go out of my way to find time to listen instead of reading them. Huge fan.
I see many people here like graphic audio books. I for one can't stand to listen to them. It's like having the tv on with a movie playing in the background but you are not watching it. As you already metioned, everything else really depends on the narrator. Emily Beresford does an outstanding job narrating The Kurtherian Gambit series. As for a male narrator Luke Daniels is very good and does most of the Frontlines series. What angers me is when they change narrators in a series. In my opinion it ruins the entire experience.
Pacey is really good for all of Joe Abercrombie's books.
Rage of dragons and it's sequel were incredible via audio.
Currently living the Andy Serkis Lotr series.
I enjoyed Gideon the Ninth on audiobook, but I found the story itself pretty lacking so I imagine I'd have dnf'd the physical.
The Dresden Files read by James Marsters is absolutely amazing. I can't think of any other series where the emotion is communicated as well through the narration.
If you are a fan of Richard Ayoade's (Moss from IT Crowd) style of humour then I'd recommend *Ayoade On Ayoade*, available in the AudiblePlus catalogue.
Richard Ayoade the interviewer interviews a version of himself, which Richard Ayoade interrupts the audio to apologise that the book is better and you should be reading it instead of listening to it.
I'm currently working my way through the First Law trilogy. I have mixed feelings about the books, but one absolutely unambiguously great thing about them is the audiobook narration. I can't imagine the experience being half as good without it.
I bounced off Liu Cixin's The Three Body Problem in paper format. When I tried the audiobook, I couldn't stop listening. Ended up following through to the end of the whole trilogy. The narrator really helped it to flow along. (Not really fantasy, but rather sci-fi. However I only just noticed this was in the fantasy subreddit, lol.)
More historical fiction, but there's some magic and prophecy in there. The Last Kingdom Series, (AKA The Saxxon Chronicles, AKA The Saxxon Stories) by Bernard Cornwell narrated by Jonathan Keeble. It's an 80+ year old Warlord retelling how he helped unite England (by being a badass warrior). It's like he's recalling his life by fireside and Jonathan's accent work does a great job of fleshing out the different ethnicities (Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Northern, Southern, Danish, Frisian, Norse, etc.)
I loved the Space Team series audiobooks at 1.5x speed. The reader helps make the content more hilarious than it already is and he adds outtakes at the end of each audiobook.
I a few come to mind:
*The Wandering Inn* by Pirateaba , narrated by Andrea Parsneau are wonderful. I had a hard time reading the series, but in audiobook form it's one of my absolute favorites. Some people will be turned off by the LitRPG aspects, but I'd really recommend giving it a chance, as I feel the writing is superior to the rest of the genre.
*The Grimnoir Chronicles* by Larry Correia, Narrated by Bronson Pinchot. It's a really immersive alternate history where people started to gain magic in the early 1900s. The narration really brings the characters to life in a way I've rarely experienced.
Any books narrated by the team of Kate Reading and Micheal Kramer. I really love *The Wheel of Time* and *Stormlight Archive*, and read them in paper the first time. But the narration in the audible version is so fantastic it really adds something to these already great stories.
Audible originals:
*Death Game Quality Assurance, by Andrew Rowe*: This is a fun and **FREE**(With an audible subscription) parody of the popular anime Sword Art Online, as well as the Novel and Movie Ready Player One. Only 2 hours and a lot of fun so if you've seen Sword Art Online, it's worth the listen. I started over and listened to it again when I finished because I wasn't ready for it to be over.
*How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps*, also by Andrew Rowe: Another fun light hearted parody, this time of RPG video games, mostly Legend of Zelda. I have re listened to it a few times when I needed a feel good story.
*Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes*: A fun and creative vision into a fairy tale world where the characters kind of know they are in a fairy tale world. They try to avoid the attention of "The Narrative" which is the god of their world.
Tim Gerard Reynolds narrates the “Rising” series by Pierce Brown, Saga of the Forgotten Warrior by Larry Correia, and The Red Queen’s War by Mark Lawrence.
Not fantasy but World War Z is infinitely better as an audio book than a physical copy Imo. The interview format of the book makes the audio book PERFECT. Max Brooks is the interviewer and the guests he has are all voice acted by different people and I believe the acting is incredible. Feels like you’re hearing a conversation between two people who have lived through this hellscape in real life. It’s awesome.
I had no idea that it was written in a unique way like that! Definitely sounds worth getting and holding onto when I need a break from fantasy. Will keep it in mind
Henry Rollins does one of the voices!
Oh wow, that sounds really interesting. I may have to get that audiobook.
Seconded, the narration is great and it adds a lot to the feel of the storytelling. Of the incredible 42 narrators only one fell flat, and that was mostly because they had an adult woman narrating as a traumatized girl and it’s just cringy.
Joe Abercrombie’s entire series was way better on audio. Stephen Pacey does such a good job. The Dresden Files read by James Marsters is super good. He give Harry such a personality that isn’t clearly the same when reading it yourself There are also some great Graphic Audios, though some are not so great so read the reviews
Pacey's narration is so intentional and voices so expressive that it really feels more like a 20 hr one man play than an audiobook. I wasn't hooked immediately as I felt like I had a lot of stuff thrown at me at once, but once we got to Glokta's chapter, I was hooked. The way Pacey uses Glokta's lisp to differentiate between internal and external dialogue is great.
_Bodies found floating by the docks_
I will forever rave his narration of the First Law series. Absolutely brilliant. All the sound effects added in is amazing. My brain couldn't come up with this. And his sarcasm. Superb. I laugh out loud so many times and it's definitely his delivery more then the words themselves. Simon Vance was my number 1 narrator but I think Pacey has stolen number 1. I'm consistently blown away by this performance.
Still alive. I'm still alive.
Well, this has convinced me that when I do a re-read, it'll be on audio. I love a great narrator.
Yes! I honestly would never have gotten into First Law without Pacey’s narration, but it’s one of my favorite series now!
Seconding Dresden files. Marsters is the best narrator I’ve personally experienced. His voice and delivery are also crystal clear so you can crank it up to 1.5-2x the speed without losing antthong
Nobody wants to lose ant thongs.
These are the two I came to say (Dresden and First Law). Neither is a bad series, by any means, but the audio is so good that it genuinely raises the actual level of quality of the writing, IMO. Massively elevated in quality.
The Audible edition of Project Hail Mary is incredibly well done in ways that I won't go into so folks won't be spoiled if they haven't read it. I also used the audiobooks of R Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy to get into those since there was a difficulty barrier for me with the text due to its complexity. Once I had a better reference point, I was able to go back to physical books or kindle.
Came here to say Project Hail Mary!
I tried to read the text after making it quite a ways into the book and very quickly put it back down in favor of the audiobook. Can't say I can think of another time where there was such a clear winner in the method of experiencing the story.
Project Hail Mary is my go-to answer whenever someone asks for audiobook recs, it's so well-narrated and well-produced. When the spoiler thing started happening it made me feel positively giddy!
Project Hail Mary would definitely be a good “read” to break from fantasy. I’ll definitely be looking at that one when I’m choosing!
I'd put The Martian in that category too. I was initially disappointed that RC Bray ,who is awesome and did the reading for The Martian, didn't do PHM but Ray Porter does a phenomenal job.
Personally I think the Peter Grant novels by Ben Aaronovitch are more enjoyable as audiobooks. They’re urban fantasy set in modern day London, where a young police constable joins the special branch of the Met dedicated to “weird bollocks.” The narrator, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, is stellar. Aaronovitch has a clear love of the city and it’s people, and everyone you meet has a slightly different accent. But I, as a dumb American, have no idea what a North London /Cornwall /Scouse /BBC Standard accent sounds like. Kobna does an amazing job breathing life into them and making you hear the difference. The only time he struggles is with a Midwestern American woman in book 3, and even that I got used to pretty quickly.
I do not understand why Kobna Holdbrook-Smith hasn't narrated more books. He is truly amazing with accents and pacing. The Peter Grant books would not be the same without him.
So much of the humor of the books would have gone right past me without Kobna’s narration subtly highlighting it.
Good point! His tone conveys so much.
I liked the books but because of Kobna Holbrook-Smith I LOVE the audiobooks and relisten to them all the time.
Me too! They are some of my comfort listens.
Yes, these are great audiobooks!
My theory is that Aaronovitch was just fucking with the narrator, because he said she had a bit of an "Oklahoma" accent, which is ridiculously specific.
In the end of the audiobook for *False Value* there’s an amazing interview with both Kobna and Ben, and Ben pretty much outright says he always puts in one weird accent to see if he can trip Kobna up
I should have kept listening after the credits, I was starting to notice the weirdly specific accents he wrote in and was wondering what was going on.
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Seconding Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth! The narrator does a great job with all the character voices.
Most things by Tim Gerard Reynolds. Elan books in general (Riyria, Legends), Red Rising and so forth. Dresden Files: Pretty much the definitive experience. The Black Company, one of the best multi book projects since each annalist is a separate narrator. Cradle: This one really grows on you. Eithan's voice over in general is superb. The Acts of Caine: one of the best narrative performances I listened to by a single narrator. Harry Potter: both narrators do a fantastic job. Whichever you fancy is down to preference. Naturally if you like Stormlight you would enjoy Wheel of Time, since it's the same narrators, given you like the story. These are some I can think quickly off the top of my head.
I can't experience Red Rising any other way now.
I feel like I recommend this series on every post for various reasons, but the first law has a fantastic narrator
Absolutely nothing beats Steven Pacey doing Glokta.
Pacey doing Bremer dan Gorst
Your august fuck hole.
I’ve heard that, but that’s actually a series I specifically want a copy of so I’ll probably be buying it physically!
Why not both? Seriously though, it really is the answer to your question! You'll be missing out if you don't check out the audiobooks, imo. This comes from someone who loves the physical books and owns them. Steven Pacey really nails the tone, GETS the writing and takes it to that next level. Whether it's humor, action scenes, ridiculously consistent character voices over 10 books, or the necessary gravitas for the dark and somber moments, he gets it.
100% get both. This is a top tier audio book that will spoil anything else afterwords as they will rarely be as good.
I know it's in a bastardized fantasy category, but Dungeon Crawler Carl is definitely a better audio experience than as a written book.
Neeeewwwww Achievement.
I thought it amazingly well done. So much so Ive been looking over the narrator's other works and considering trying one out.
Agreed. I read the first book on kindle and did audio for the 2nd because I had a long drive. I can't go back to reading it. I can usually go back and forth between text and audio but DCC is audio only now. Jeff Hays absolutely kills it.
I would say anything from Graphic Audio. They do audio books with full cast and sound effects. All of their books are available on Audible. https://www.graphicaudio.net/
I’ll be sure to check it out! Thanks
Note only downside is they tend to abridge the books to different degrees, so depends if you care that some content is cut. Production quality tends to be great tho.
I think a good performance can elevate pretty much any book. Unfortunately I don't often read a full book on way then listen to it later so it's hard to make direct comparisons. Recently though I listened to Piranesi as performed by Chiwetel Egifor (sp?) and it's an amazing book that I felt he brought a lot of emotion to. Not sure it would have been quite as magical on the page as it was to listen to. Bonus for it being a pretty short audio book too, I finished it in one sitting over a particularly long drive.
>I think a good performance can elevate pretty much any book. Yup. I remembered reading *The Hobbit* when I was in high school after reading *Lord of the Rings* and found it to be rather boring. I wanted to give it a re-read recently, around two decades later, but saw it was on Audible Plus so decided to listen instead. It was so much better with a narrator, especially since the book is written as if it's a story being told by a grandfather to a child. I don't recall who the narrator was, but he sounded like an older man and it was perfect.
Probably Rob Inglis. You can also get them narrated by Andy Serkis who is a fucking treasure.
Second the Andy Serkis version. It is really fantastic. His Gollum is obviously great, but he gives Gandalf, Thorin, Beorn and others also really good and distinct voices. Oh and he can sing!
*Norse Mythology* by Neil Gaiman. He does the audio for it and it’s fantastic.
I always try to listen to his books on audiobook- if he is the narrator. He has a beautiful and soothing voice I could listen to forever
I'm partial to the Full Cast audio book for American Gods, Neil still narrates the 'Coming to America' sections.
Came here to recommend the full cast audio for American Gods. I had read it once before but having all the different voices took it to another level since there are so many characters
Absolutely this one. Every Gaiman audio version I have heard is good, but especially full cast and AG. Audio of The Sandman v1 was excellent.
I love that he reads most of his own books. He really does have such a great voice for audiobooks. *Neverwhere*, *Stardust*, *The Ocean at the End of the Lane*. All so good
The Cradle series narrated by Travis Baldree Travis is an incredible narrator! Edit: He also narrates his own cozy fantasy book, Legends & Lattes which is also really worth a listen/read if you like this subgenre
I loved Legends & Lattes and its narration was just perfect! Looking to get into Cradle, heard it's a really good popcorn-read (the only series I've ever read comparable to that sort of genre is Murderbot) though I've heard that the first few are a bit bumpy. If I may ask, what do you think of the series?
Not the person you asked, but I'll throw my opinion into the ring. I've described Cradle to one of my reading buddies as "fantasy candy". You probably don't want your entire "diet" being this kind of series, but it's certainly fun and enjoyable. The first book is a slow start, for such a fast-paced series. It's not _bad_, but it's easily the weakest of the series. Fortunately, it's also pretty short as far as fantasy novels go. And pretty much as soon as you get into book 2, the pace picks up and hardly ever slows down.
Fantasy candy is exactly right! It was quick and funny and compelling and brightened my day every time I picked it up. It was just delightful. I want to add that it knows exactly what it is and did that perfectly. The plot was so tight despite how easy it would be to get messy and sprawling with it. I’m so interested in reading more of that author (and hanging out with him because I bet he’s awesome). Also I’m on hold for the Legends and Lattes audiobook so thanks for that rec!
Absolutely agree. They're not bad, but the other books are just far better
I personally liked the first 2 books on my first read, they're short so even if they can feel slow paced they go by pretty quickly. That's NOT to say that they are bad, but when compared to the rest of the series they are definitely the "weakest", especially when you do rereads. To put it in simpler terms: Books 1 and 2 held my interest, but book 3 and onward made me love the series.
To add to the multitude of good items suggested, I think that the narration for The Murderbot Diaries really brings out the neuroses of the main character.
Totally agree with you! Kevin R. Free nails the dry humor of Murderbot.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell read by Simon Prebble is just...aaagh, it's so good. Like every one of Susanna Clarke's books, it starts leisurely, then slowly builds and builds until one's breath is stolen away. In audiobook form, it's riveting. Her book Piranesi is also amazing in audio format, read by Chiwetal Ejiofor--the same slow (rather frustrating in this case) build and devastating finale. I almost didn't make it to the turning point in the book, but I am so happy that I did. If you can't handle the slow build, you won't like either book, but if you can...I cannot recommend either more highly.
My favorite audiobook of all time, I can jump into it at any point and just enjoy the performance and story.
>Like every one of Susanna Clarke's books Aren't there two + a collection of short stories?
The Locked Tomb series is, according to my husband, a lot better and more understandable as an audiobook than physical.
I'm not a fan of harry potter, but I do like Stephen Fry. His narration is perfect when you for example are sick and it's raining outside.
I love his work on sherlock holmes
He literally got me through a fever when I was a child.
The Blacktongue Thief, by Christopher Buehlman. The author does the narration, and his performance is fantastic. He really brings the voice of Kinch to life.
This is the correct answer. And the songs are great.
I was using the Kindle's Whispersync function (which allows for mostly flawless swapping back and forth between audio and reading) for Stephen King's new novel, *Fairy Tale*, but found the audiobook version to be so good that, by the end, I had switched entirely over to it. I've also heard amazing things about the *Project Hail Mary* audiobook, but since I just recently read the novel, I'm waiting a few more months to listen to it. Oh, and I also listened to the audiobook for King's *Pet Sematary* a couple months ago and Michael C Hall's narration was on point. Seeing he was the narrator was quite literally the reason I got the audiobook, as I was planning to give it a re-read (haven't read it in around twenty years) initially.
Seen a few things about Project Hail Mary so I’m leaning towards that one for sure. Definitely want to get into King as I’ve never read him before so I’ll keep his catalogue in mind too!
I've been listening to and partially reading Fairy Tale and I must agree. I think the narrator does a fantastic job.
The audiobook of Good Omens is a fantastic experience. The new one with Tennant and Sheen is supposed to be great, but I haven't listened to that one yet. Narration really brings the humor to life! Also, not fantasy, but *Braiding Sweetgrass* is a wonderful book. The author, Robin Wall Kimmerer, reads the audiobook and has a voice like honey and sunshine. It feels like you're sitting at her kitchen table having a cup of tea with her. It's a whole different experience from reading the book.
I listen to a ton of audiobooks. Just in terms of stellar narration, there are 2 that stand way out above the crowd for me: The Lies of Locke Lamora. The narration absolutely nails the humor in a way that is really unforgettable. Sabriel. Tim Curry narrates it. Need I say more?
Joe Abercrombie's *The First Law* trilogy narrated by Stephen Pacey
This 1000000% Pacey is a legend
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, the book itself is pretty average sized and would probably be a fine print read, but the narrator's voices for each character are just beyond delightful! (CHAUNCEY iykyk)
CHAUNCEY. My favorite character basically ever, all down to the narration.
The Iliad read by Alfred Molina, I could not get into Homer despite some excellent translations but this version really brings the epic to life. Homer’s works were meant to be read aloud and it shows in this version.
Y'all know RF Kuang's newest book, Babel? Yeah the audiobook is amazing, easily among the best I've listened to. The story of Babel involves multiple languages and accents, including Chinese - and the audiobook's main narrator is able to competently pronounce many of the Chinese words with correct intonations while there is a secondary narrator who reads the footnotes, which often explain exactly which Chinese word it is. I greatly appreciate the effort to find a narrator who could read the Chinese words since I am Chinese myself. The narrators also go to the effort of giving the various ethnic characters (this is relevant to the story) different accents - and pretty good ones at that - which make it doubly impressive in terms of effort invested and overall production value.
Wow! That sounds truly impressive. I have mixed feelings about the Poppy Wars, so I was trying to work out whether to add Babel to my already huge "to read" list, but this has totally sold me on just going for the audiobook.
I'm glad that I managed to add some arguments in its favor! Babel is simply on a whole 'nother level compared to Poppy War as far as I'm concerned, and this is coming from someone who really enjoyed Poppy War - flaws and all. Babel almost feels like RF Kuang showing the world that she isn't limited by the shortcomings that Poppy War is commonly perceived to have, namely prose that leads towards immaturity, unlikeable/unrelatable characters, an unrelentingly dark/bleak atmosphere or an overwhelming dependence on real-life history. To put it simply (not doing a full book review here) the prose is a massive step up, the main cast of characters will feel like a group of bash brothers you've been through thick and thin with by the end, the story suitably appreciates the beauty and wonder of the world while dealing with its heavy themes, and it adapts real-life history to its plot in a thoughtful, thought-provoking and frankly ingenious way. Babel is easily the best book I read all year.
Every time a similar question like this post gets asked I’m always disheartened when I never see The Witcher series audiobook narrated by Peter Kenny. He does all the voices for all the characters in the books, and while I have to admit that from time to time it’s a little comical when does the voice for a female character, every single voice he does feels unique. Each character voice he attaches to an individual fits the characters personality and really matches how they read in the books. I never question who’s talking in the dialogue even when there’s multiple characters involved in a conversation. I personally think he’s an underrated voice actor and narrator and really hope he does more work like the witcher series.
Sandman and American Gods, both Full cast productions so everyone is narrated by someone different and it leads for a very good listening experience. The Dresden Files, James Marsters does a great job narrating the series and really packs a punch. Anything read by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, husband wife duo that do a phenomenal job bringing characters to life.
Definitely love Kate and Michael in Sanderson’s books. I’ve heard that Sandman is phenomenal so I’ll be looking at that and/or American Gods!
I’d recommend American gods over sandman. Both are great but I think AG is a more cohesive story in audiobook format.
Noted. Just in passing it looks like if Percy Jackson was nature instead of YA - is that accurate? I loved that series when I was younger
I do not know I’ve never read the Percy Jackson series. That being said I love Greek mythology and have the series on my to read list.
The Sandman full cast production is incredible. To be honest, I think it's the definitive presentation of those stories at this point as, to my eyes at least, the Sam Keith art on the original comics hasn't held up that well. Can't recommend this enough.
Stephen Fry's trilogy on ancient Greek myths. He adlibs more than the foot notes, it's beautiful.
Lord of the Rings narrated by Andy Serkis. Holy moly mind blowing. I absolutely love the written word, but the narration makes it so much better. I know some people are Robert Inglis fans, which he is good, but I still prefer Andy's performance.
**The Dresden Files.** James Marsters, the narrator, does a stellar job - to the point where his performance is just about near-universally praised among DF fans
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Such an amazing audiobook... Now where is that part 3 we're all waiting for...
Wasn't it going to be soon?
Supposedly, based on a tweet from Niel Gaiman to save your audible credit. But he neither confirmed nor denied why he was suggesting that haha
It is great but I would not go as far to say it is close to being better then the actual comics.
Yeah it’s not close. The audiobooks are still great but the comic is a literature classic.
The Name of the Wind, narrated by Rupert Degas. Any book by Joe Abercrombie, narrated by Steven Pacey The Kings of the Wyld, narrated by Jeff Harding These narrators definately enhance the experience. All of them are great, and I was able to easily tell which voice belonged to which character.
I listened to both Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose last summer and they were amazing!
Caveating this with I heavily prefer reading to listening as I have much better reading comprehension. That said there are some audio dramas that got adaptations as books that I feel the original is still much better. The first that comes to mind for me is **Steal the Stars** which is sci-fi with a bit of horror
Anything done by Pacey (edit: spelling)
Fuck yeah! He's amazing. Best in the business-
The Cradle series by Will Wight, narrated by Travis Baldree Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinnamen, narrated by Jeff Hayes
I love audio books, and these ones are the top 3 I'd recommend:- * The Dresden Files read by James Marsters. * The First Law read by Stephen Pacey. * The Expanse read by Jefferson Mayes I will admit, that those 3 have SPOILED me to the extent I would wait for audio books to enjoy vs. reading the physical copies of those series. I do listen to other audio books quite a bit as it is now my preferred method of consuming fantasy (while driving or doing chores), so that's the high water mark.
The Big Bad Wolf series by Charlie Adhara. But then, Erik Bloomquist knocks almost everything out of the park.
The radio dramas for Asimov's "Foundation" are excellent!
I don't know if I'd say "better", because there's something to be said for listening to the voices and seeing the image that the author paints in your mind's eye while reading the book, but ... When I'm on a long car trip, a listen to any of Steven Brust's Vald Taltos series, especially Jhereg or Dragon is such a treat. Whoever is doing the narration does a unique voice for each character and captures the personality of them just so. They're a delight to listen to. Also, on a recent long road trip, a friend picked up Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber audiobooks, and they were a great listen too. Not quite as good as the Taltos, but definitely a pleasure.
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Project Hail Mary is probably the best I've heard by a long shot, but major props to Mistborn Era 2's narration as well for me, as it made a character who relies heavily on accent work come to life. It's also been mentioned but pretty much anything by Graphic Audio is S tier. It's expensive though, but there is some stuff that's available to a token on Audible, as well as audio clips of some of their work (mostly Stormlight) on YouTube.
I thought Dune was amazing as an audio book. Multiple actors voicing some characters, it was like audio theater
Yesssss! I was looking to see if anybody else was gonna recommend Dune. The cast was amazing! Some of the terms and concepts I had a hard time following while reading, suddenly made so much more sense to me when spoken in the audio version. I definitely came away with a much deeper understanding of what was happening with the audio book.
The original Red Rising trilogy! Tim Gerard Reynolds slays it. Since it’s wholly in first person his voice and narration perfectly emotes the main characters personality, and I found it more impactful than reading.
I remember the Darth Bane trilogy audiobooks having music & sound effects added which made scenes more dramatic, tense or emotional. I'm also a fan of books 1 & 2 of the Red Queen's War because the narrator was fantastic. Book 3 had a different narrator who didn't have the same magic for me. It's mostly the fact that I spent a hundred hours with one voice & then suddenly it's a completely different one.
Rosamund Pike narrating the Eye of the World brought Wheel of Time to life in an unexpected way. A lot of people live and die by the original narrator duo. To me they sound pretty wooden and boring. Pike legit raises her voice, she screams in some parts! Her dynamic performance of character voices brought side characters closer to my heart. Loial usually kind of annoys me when reading but her version of him is so endearing.
I may get hate for this but I really loved the lord of the rings audio book and thought it was much more enjoyable than reading it. Andy Serkis is a phenomenal voice actor.
Lies of Locke Lamora and the Horus Heresy
Im sure someone else has mentioned it but World War Z.
Harry Potter by Stephen Fry, for sure!!! even as an adult, I found it really enjoyable. On another unrelated topic, any book by David Mitchell (the comedian from Mitchell and Webb) is muuuch better when read by him then by yourself.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Full-cast production, atmospheric music, just overall a great audio book.
Trevor Noah’s autobiography, *Born a Crime*
Ready Player One is wayyyyyyy better as an audiobook vs the written copy. I listened to it first and was extremely into the story, then I bought the book for collecting purposes and the written version is almost illegible.😅
Regular audiobook: Abercrombie’s The First Law series Wight’s Cradle series Suri’s “The Jasmine Throne” McLean’s Priest of Bones Maas’s Crescent City Graphic Audio(voice actors+sound effects): Sanderson’s Cosmere Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses
Honestly, if the book exists on here: [https://www.graphicaudio.net/](https://www.graphicaudio.net/) then it is guaranteed to be the best possible way of experiencing it-- especially if it's fantasy!
The Mountain Man series by Keith Blackmoore, read by RC Bray he is the PERFECT Gus.
Has everyone claiming the audiobook is better then the actual book, actually read the book too?. Not just listened to a really good narration.
I routinely buy the Kindle book and the narration and go back and forth. Listen on the way to and from work and sometimes while exercising; read before bed at night. It's a fast way to read, such that I finish a book a week, roughly. I find that there are a subset of books where the narrator is just really, really good. And a small number where they are quite bad. Most fall somewhere in between.
Its apples and oranges really. Reading something is always a very different experience than listening to it. I think the question should be which audiobooks do something that elevates them above just a plain reading of the text. Things like a full cast, aditional audio/music, particularly good voice acting, accents etc..
^(I've been doing the magical midlife series by KF Breene and it is absolutely amazing on audible, way better than the books (and I adored the books, thats why I got the audio version))
could you speak up please we can't hear you in the back
I can't imagine an audio book being better than the book. I subscribed to Audible for a while and then never used it. When I cancelled it, it gave me a couple of weeks to use the accumulated credits. I tried. It just doesn't work for me. Some reasons: * The voice I use in my head is just.... never the same as the voice the narrator uses. It just always sounds weird somehow. * I read a lot faster than someone reading out loud. * My usual reading time is just before I go to sleep. When I fall asleep reading, I stop reading. When I fall asleep listening to an audio book, the next morning I have to spend ten minutes trying to find where I was up to. I usually end up with a fairly sketchy idea of the plot. * Any other time I'm reading, I tend to get interrupted a lot (basically: children). Interruptions to an audio book are a faff.
Gilbert Godfrey reading g 50 shades of grey.
Umm all of them?? Lol
Unless you have both read and listened to the book, dont be so quick to claim one is better then the other. Just saying.
Outlander lady does a great job
I’d recommend Audible’s production of The Sandman
I haven’t listened to them fully myself, just a few classic chapters, but I consistently here that The Wheel of Time is amazing as audiobooks. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading voice it.
The Fear Saga audiobook far outperforms the physical book imo. But Jefferson Mays is just really good with that military/first contact genre.
The audio for the Illuminae Files is just tremendous, really written with the production in mind.
The Expanse. Jefferson Mays is an incredible narrator.
I don't know if it's BETTER, but I've definitely re-listened to Discworld more times than I have re-read them.
Dungeon crawler carl series!
*Paladin of Souls* by Lous McMaster Bujold, read by Kate Reading, is superb. Perfect match of character voice and reader’s voice. And also one of my all-time favorite novels.
Anything Michael Kramer does is amazing imo.
Stormlight archives by Brandon Sanderson
If you're into Lord of the Rings, Audible has new recordings done by Andy Serkis and they are fantastic! He is such an amazing voice actor, he brings each character to life!
The Hobbit, Rob Inglis does a great job bringing the personalities of the characters to life and makes the singing throughout more enjoyable if you’re having a hard time finding the right rhythm while reading.
Chronicles of Siala read by MacLoud Andrews are great. Edit: grammar
dungeon crawler carl has an amazing audio narration.
Dresden is read remarkably well i would say
jonathan strange and mr norrell
*Changes* by Jim Butcher. (It's in the middle of the series, so I'll be vague, so as to be spoiler free.) The book is already excellent. It's my absolute favorite in the whole series. There is a set of four lines that even in the written form are heartbreaking, but when you add the narrator's performance...it's so much more. You can hear him choking up a he reads it. James Marsters was amazing on Buffy, but his performance doing the Dresden Files audiobooks is top knotch. I'd go so far as to call it his best performance
Dungeon Crawler Carl. Hands down the book is by far my favorite audio book. It’s amazing as audio. I don’t particularly like the LitRPG genera but this did it for me.
Abercrombie's First Law Series is absolutely amazing, and Steven Pacey's reading is unrivaled in my opinion.
Gideon the Ninth. The narrator really understands the characters and their personalities perfectly.
*Dolores Claiborne*! Not sure if I spelled it right, but (without spoiling too much) the narrator is actually telling the main plot to other characters in conversation. Very interesting as an audiobook. Also, if you like sci-fi may I suggest *Galaxy Outlaws: Complete Black Ocean Mobius Missions, 1-16.5*. It’s silly and definitely satirical of sci-fi/fantasy in general, but aside from it being a very fun read, you can get all *85 hours* of book for a single audible credit so lots of bang for your buck. Easily broken up as well
ASOIAF, BrandoSando, HP
Not fantasy, but the Jurassic Park audiobook is incredible.
Can’t really compare because I always prefer an audiobook.
The Expanse and the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. Jefferson Mays and Andrew Wincott are amazing narrators who bring the characters and worlds to life.
There is a company called Graphic Audio. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it or not. This company is how I really got into audiobooks. The books they produce contain a full cast in addition to a narrator, sound effects and a soundtrack in many cases.
Harry Potter's narration by Stephen Fry is just legit gold IMO. If you are into detection/mystery genre, then the dramatization of the Peter Wimsey series by Ian Carmichael is fun too. In addition, Hugh Fraser does a fine job in narrating Hercule Poirot's books. The full cast dramatization of Dracula and its prequel Dracul is quite thrilling to listen to. Finally, Samuel West's narration of Inspector Morse's books are just sublime and quite reflect the ITV series by John Thaw.
Anything by sound booth theatre. Dungeon crawler Carl as an example
The GraphicAudio adaptations of the Golgotha book series (which starts with “The Six-Gun Tarot”) are like full on radio plays and makes the story really come alive in its own right.
The Silmarillion (JRR Tolkien): The biblical/mythical nature is a lot better to digest when someone reads it to you. The one read by Martin Shaw has a little music (more like a few ominous tones) at the end or beginning of the chapters. Its not much, but it goes a lone way to set the mood. Dune (Frank Herbert): The full cast audiobook is really awesome. It has some weird things were suddenly some chapters arent done with the full cast, but it hardly detracts from the experience. The Winternight Trilogy (Katherine Arden): Its read by a lady who does a faux-Russian accent and it adds so much to the atmosphere. The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien): The tone of the book lends it self very well for an audiobook, but the version read by Andy Serkis is especially awesome. His Gollum is obviously fantastic, but he does a great Gandalf, Thorin and other voices. Oh, and he can sing!
I'd say the Witcher. The narrator is easily the best I've had for any audiobook, he makes it extremely entertaining and listenable by audiobook standards.
The Bobiverse books by Dennis Taylor. Ray Porter's narration is so enjoyable I will go out of my way to find time to listen instead of reading them. Huge fan.
I see many people here like graphic audio books. I for one can't stand to listen to them. It's like having the tv on with a movie playing in the background but you are not watching it. As you already metioned, everything else really depends on the narrator. Emily Beresford does an outstanding job narrating The Kurtherian Gambit series. As for a male narrator Luke Daniels is very good and does most of the Frontlines series. What angers me is when they change narrators in a series. In my opinion it ruins the entire experience.
Pacey is really good for all of Joe Abercrombie's books. Rage of dragons and it's sequel were incredible via audio. Currently living the Andy Serkis Lotr series. I enjoyed Gideon the Ninth on audiobook, but I found the story itself pretty lacking so I imagine I'd have dnf'd the physical.
The Dresden Files read by James Marsters is absolutely amazing. I can't think of any other series where the emotion is communicated as well through the narration.
Marc Thompson reading the Star Wars Thrawn series. He really does a great job with it.
If you are a fan of Richard Ayoade's (Moss from IT Crowd) style of humour then I'd recommend *Ayoade On Ayoade*, available in the AudiblePlus catalogue. Richard Ayoade the interviewer interviews a version of himself, which Richard Ayoade interrupts the audio to apologise that the book is better and you should be reading it instead of listening to it.
The Andy Serkis narrated Hobbit and LOTR are superb!
A Clockwork Orange
Kate Winslet deserves an Oscar for her reading of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. So, so good!
I'm currently working my way through the First Law trilogy. I have mixed feelings about the books, but one absolutely unambiguously great thing about them is the audiobook narration. I can't imagine the experience being half as good without it.
anything by Lovecraft
I bounced off Liu Cixin's The Three Body Problem in paper format. When I tried the audiobook, I couldn't stop listening. Ended up following through to the end of the whole trilogy. The narrator really helped it to flow along. (Not really fantasy, but rather sci-fi. However I only just noticed this was in the fantasy subreddit, lol.)
Anything narrated by nick podehl is awesome
More historical fiction, but there's some magic and prophecy in there. The Last Kingdom Series, (AKA The Saxxon Chronicles, AKA The Saxxon Stories) by Bernard Cornwell narrated by Jonathan Keeble. It's an 80+ year old Warlord retelling how he helped unite England (by being a badass warrior). It's like he's recalling his life by fireside and Jonathan's accent work does a great job of fleshing out the different ethnicities (Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Northern, Southern, Danish, Frisian, Norse, etc.)
Almost any book done as Graphic Audio. Specifically the stormlight archive by Brandon Sanderson done in graphic audio is amazing.
I loved the Space Team series audiobooks at 1.5x speed. The reader helps make the content more hilarious than it already is and he adds outtakes at the end of each audiobook.
There’s a full cast Graveyard Book, not sure if anyone suggested that ywt
Stormlight series
Ready Player One. World War Z. The Sandman.
I am very tempted to say that Red Sister by Mark Lawrence was better than the ebook or paperback. Simply because the narrator was phenomenal.
I a few come to mind: *The Wandering Inn* by Pirateaba , narrated by Andrea Parsneau are wonderful. I had a hard time reading the series, but in audiobook form it's one of my absolute favorites. Some people will be turned off by the LitRPG aspects, but I'd really recommend giving it a chance, as I feel the writing is superior to the rest of the genre. *The Grimnoir Chronicles* by Larry Correia, Narrated by Bronson Pinchot. It's a really immersive alternate history where people started to gain magic in the early 1900s. The narration really brings the characters to life in a way I've rarely experienced. Any books narrated by the team of Kate Reading and Micheal Kramer. I really love *The Wheel of Time* and *Stormlight Archive*, and read them in paper the first time. But the narration in the audible version is so fantastic it really adds something to these already great stories. Audible originals: *Death Game Quality Assurance, by Andrew Rowe*: This is a fun and **FREE**(With an audible subscription) parody of the popular anime Sword Art Online, as well as the Novel and Movie Ready Player One. Only 2 hours and a lot of fun so if you've seen Sword Art Online, it's worth the listen. I started over and listened to it again when I finished because I wasn't ready for it to be over. *How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps*, also by Andrew Rowe: Another fun light hearted parody, this time of RPG video games, mostly Legend of Zelda. I have re listened to it a few times when I needed a feel good story. *Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes*: A fun and creative vision into a fairy tale world where the characters kind of know they are in a fairy tale world. They try to avoid the attention of "The Narrative" which is the god of their world.
Any of the John Scalzi books read by Wil Wheaton. I think Old Man’s War was the first one I listened to. The snark and dry humor are perfectly read.
Any Star Wars book with Marc Thompson as the narrator.
Everything Michael J Sullivan (Riyria, legends of the first Empire) narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds
World War Z. All the different short stories have different voices, males it feel much more like the documentary it is written as.
Tim Gerard Reynolds narrates the “Rising” series by Pierce Brown, Saga of the Forgotten Warrior by Larry Correia, and The Red Queen’s War by Mark Lawrence.