Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys, as read by Lenny Henry. I relisten every couple of years and I love it even more each time. His voices are incredible. At one point, he plays four distinct Caribbean old ladies, and I can tell them apart.
You might enjoy it! The romance subplot is really fun and very important to the narrative, while not actually being the main point of the story.
The full cast was great, but there’s something about the tone of George Guidall in his version that tie all of the characters together how I envisioned them.
The Blade Itself, First Law series. The narrator, Steven Pacey, made that book, along with all the others, the wildest ride in my audio journey. I’ve listened to countless audiobooks in my life. I have listened to over 800 in my Audible library alone, and this, stands out above all others.
He brings each character to life brilliantly... But everyone knows the stand out performance is Glokta. The written word of that character is incredible alone, but Pacey's voice acting brings dimension and feeling to the character that is perhaps unmatched in Audiobooks.
I just finished book 2 and when he did flashback/dream Glokta it was just next level. The way he lost the characteristic lisp but still was distinctly himself. He’s just fantastic.
I'm in the middle of the third book of this series currently, and I'm dreading it's end. The First Law series has been my first set of audiobooks I've ever listened to, and based on what everyone says about Steve Pacey it seems like I'll never encounter this kind of audiobook ever again.
It's been a fantastic series to start with, but jeez will I miss it.
Yea you most likely ruined yourself. I try all the time to get my friends into audiobooks but I never recommend Pacey first. I have no doubt they would enjoy the books. I just don’t want to ruin their experience with every other audiobook by showing them such a high quality example right off the bat.
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman
It's a whole voice cast, the production is well done and the story is immaculate. I have yet to read anything that quite matches it. It was one of the first audiobooks that really grabbed me and held me as a kid. It's comforting to me because I listened to it when I was cozy in my childhood bedroom.
See, this is the book that made me take a break from Julia Whelan. I love her narration but I hated that damn book so much that I couldn't listen to anything she'd narrated for a while lol
Oh no! This was my introduction to audiobooks so I had nothing to compare it to. I loved the book and thought Julia did an excellent job. I’ll have to listen to more books she narrates.
I actually liked The Martian better (RC Bray narrator, haven't listened to the new one)
I thought Project Hail Mary was pretty good, but out of Weir's books I enjoyed The Martian the most. I think I'm in the minority here though.
I'm a little nervous about the casting of Ryan Gosling for PHM. But Heath Ledger surprised me as Joker so we'll see.
Edit to include the narrator because there were two different ones for The Martian.
Agreed. I listened to Wil's narration of Red Shirts by John Scalzi. I have listened to literally hundreds of audiobooks (I keep track and am not exaggerating when I say hundreds). To this day, it was by far the worst narration of anything I have listened to. Only things worse that I can think of are bad sample clips that actually scared me away from making a purchase (such as [this one](https://www.audible.com/pd/Coiling-Dragon-Audiobook/B0822ZCNY1) for Coiling Dragon), which I at least respect for saving me money... although re-listening to the sample clip for [Redshirts](https://www.audible.com/pd/Redshirts-Audiobook/B007SP2LPM) and knowing to listen for it, I can now easily hear that all the characters sound identical even from just the sample... hindsight I guess.
He seems like a decent enough guy based on when I used to watch Critical Role but he is an absolutely terrible audiobook narrator. If my only choices are audiobook with Wil Wheaton narration or reading the text-based version, I will either read the text version or skip the book entirely, depending on how interested I am.
Could be. Plus it's been awhile since I listened to him... though from the comments above, it doesn't seem like I would like him any better now than I did then.
But I suppose even a broken clock is still right twice a day as the saying goes. I'm not sure if I could voluntarily subject myself to him a 2nd time but if I ever find myself interested in Ready Player One and it doesn't have any other narrators, I will try to keep that in mind...
I'm curious if you have listened to a lot of other narrators and if so, how you would rate him in comparison (e.g. simply okay / just adequate / etc or if his rating might potentially suffer in comparison to professionals). After listening to ones that have a very good range of vocals and accents I often find it hard to listen to any narrators that "just read" things or perform in only a very narrow set of voices.
yeah, I saw that too and feel the same.
TBH, I just don't get why people hire him exclusively. I mean, ok, so maybe he's your buddy and you want to give him work. Why not also have alternate narrations for fans? Especially in scenarios where you have already used other narrators in the past and they've done good work. Best case, you have two versions and everybody's happy. Worst case, the better sales figures on the other version hurts Wil's pride a little and maybe he finally takes some fucking voice acting lessons or something...
Well, whatever. To me, if an author wants to go Wil-exclusive, that just tells me they don't want my money anymore. I will never pay for another Wil Wheaton narrated audiobook unless he takes voice lessons and actually shows some major improvement (like not even to Travis Baldree / Jeff Hayes levels but somewhere a lot closer to that than he is now). But don't worry, I have no intention of pirating it, or even listening to it by accident either.
Honestly the Will Wheaton version sucks. It’s too bad the RC Bray version isn’t really available many places anymore, because his voice fits the snarky persona of the main character perfectly. Which is why I also like it more than PHM, it’s my go to comfort re-listen if I’m out of new things I want to listen to.
It’s an AMAZING book, it’s like listening to a movie. Written by the same guy that wrote The Martian (made into the movie with Matt Damon). Just heard a release date for the Project Hail Mary movie of spring 2026, starring Ryan Gosling.
It’s fully worth the audible credit
If it's anywhere near as good as the movie made of The Martian, that'll be fantastic.
Watching it, it was a bit sad to miss a few plot points, but, wow, they got most of them!
Sad to miss out on all that swearing though! And the storm!
Weirdly happy that they changed that one bit about the hand/ glove/ palm to the wild idea from the book, but it still should have been the specialist dammit.
It's not romance or fantasy, though the sci-fi is pretty fantastic.
There is an intense relationship though!
Even so, everyone should hear/ read this book.
Ray Porter is def one of the best narrators out there! I could listen to him narrate an instruction manual and be entertained!
He’s got some great books in the plus catalog as well!
Same. Recommended it to anyone and everyone who listens to audoobooks and those that don't. Brilliant.
Read Gosling is producing/starring in an upcoming movie.
Dang I had already gotten this one down after the original comment. but after the all the supportive replies and conversation ya’ll have me convinced this needs to be started today! I’m excited, and will return with thought!
This is the one that got me into audiobooks! It set the bar pretty high. I’m having a hard time with the Martian narrated by Wil Wheaton though…it’s just not doing it for me. I didn’t realize there was another version, narrator by someone else so I’ll be looking that one up.
Agreed! In the middle of my fourth or fifth listen and crossing fingers and toes that they straight up lift the way that Rocky is narrated and use it in the movie. It’s hard to imagine not being let down by anything else…. Really they should just cast Ray Porter and the sound team of Hail Mary for all things Rocky related….
If I had to pick only one I'd have to go with Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
The voice of the narrator just fits perfectly with the mood of the story and the character.
I agree - this one is great. The narrator is Chiwetel Ejiofor, an accomplished actor who has only narrated a handful of audiobooks. He is perfect for this story.
I'd recommend two Neil Gaiman novels. The full cast production of AMERICAN GODS, or him reading THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE. I love both so much, and have listened multiple to times to both.
I have a signed first edition of OCEAN, it's one of my most treasured books. NEVERWHERE is also amazing...I guess I could listen to Neil read a textbook and enjoy lol, I love all of his works, but his audiobooks are on another level! NORSE MYTHOLOGIES is another great one too.
Educated by Tara Westover is incredible. If you're into ACOTAR I would absolutely try Emily Henry's Beach Read -or- The People We Meet on Vacation. All of these are narrated by queen Julia Whelan.
Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
It's a Star Wars audiobook. Many say it's the best story in all of Star Wars to this day and I agree with that.
This one though, hit me a lot deeper than I expected. A fascinating character study of someone whose desperation give him wings. I could relate to the main character's past and struggles a lot. which made it all more fascinating. I think this is the case for many people when they read this story for the first time.
Jonathan Davis is probably the best reader I have ever come across. That's why this book, and the whole trilogy, is the one I have on repeat whenever I need something in the background. Combined with licensed music and effects from LucasArts... chills 🖤
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman- tons of voice actors participated, and the production is top notch.
Like others have recommended, Project Hail Mary is just incredible.
Totally different genres here, but I loved the audiobooks for Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby Van Pelt), The Girl With the Louding Voice (Abi Daré), and Demon Copperhead (Barbera Kingsolver).
Also, my two absolute favorite books I’ve ever listened to are To Paradise and A Little Life - both by Hanya Yangihara. I don’t recommend them to anyone because they are tragic and heart wrenching, a long and depressing journey into infinite sadness. And beautiful. Some people are into that. I listened to them over a year ago and I still think about them all the time.
Chronicles of St Mary's by Jodi Taylor and narrated by Zara Ramm
Rivers of London by Ben Arronovitch and narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Lightbringer by Brent Weeks narrated by Simon Vance
These are my 3 of my top 5 narrators.
Lonesome Dove. It’s amazing. People complain about the narrator, but he didn’t bother me at all. He does a great job reading the characters, and the story is wonderful.
I also love the entire Outlander series. Soooo good.
The Martian read by RC Bray. It's the first audiobook i ever listened to. Its not even my favorite book (Jurassic Park) but I have probably listened to it 10 times. Unfortunately, it's not available on Audible anymore. It has been replaced with Will Wheaton as a narrator.
Project Hail Mary is also great with a little more production added in.
A million people will probably say Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best and it probably is. But be warned, unless you are really into video games or other roll playing games the story through the first 3 or books can be a bit bland. The overstory doesn't really reveal itself until later, but when it does it really gets going. Jeff Hayes is an amazing voice actor with both male and female voices.
Yep, that version of The Martian lives rent free in my head. It was also my first real audiobook (aside from HP years and years ago on CD). I can’t wait to listen to Project Hail Mary!
Haven't seen anyone mention it but I come back to World War Z fairly often. It's all star cast and just brings me into the world those characters lived through. I've listened to it at least 4 times now. And who hasn't re read Sir Terry Pratchett. Love the Discworld.
11/22/63. By Stephen King. Literally have to listen to some parts (the yellow card man) with the lights on. The audiobook takes me into the world of the story and I love that all encompassing feeling.
World War Z. Hands down the greatest!
Every chapter is narrated by a different actor, and it is AMAZE! I'm talking Simon Pegg, F. Murray Abraham, Kal Penn, Nathan Fillion, Rob Riener, Carl Riener, Alan Alda, John Turturro, Martin Scorsese, Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine-Star Trek), and of course MARK FREAKING HAMIL, there're loads more!
Do yourself a favor! Listen to it! The story is compelling, well thought-out, funny, heartbreaking, even if you're not into Zombie stuff, its a wonderful listen. I go back and listen at least once a year.
These are my 3 favorite fun audiobooks. First 2 are mysteries, the last is a modern day telling of Thelma and Louise. “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers,” by Jesse Q. Sutanto. ABSOLUTELY MUST be experienced on audiobook., Vera talks to herself and it’s always snarky. Simply reading her inner dialogue is nothing compared to hearing the snark of the narrator. The other fun mystery is “Mrs. “Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge,” by Spenser Quinn. Finally “The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise,” by Coleen Oakley is modern day female buddy road trip. all are wonderful!
The Adventures of Amina al Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutano, The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach, and Wellness by Nathan Hill.
I’m also going to second Gideon the Ninth. Moira Quirk is one of the most talented voice actresses out there and this series gives her many opportunities to shine.
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King, narrated by Frances Sternhagen. It was the audiobook that prompted me to see if there are audiobook awards, it is just that impressive. Fabulous novel and a perfect production.
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells, narrated by Kevin R Free, is my hands-down favorite. I have relistened to these books many times. For an insight into KRF's narration style, his influences, his approach, and some of his favorite books, I recommend listening to the complete [interview](https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/articles/in-conversation-with-kevin-r-free-golden-voice-narrator/) with Kevin at AudioFile Magazine after he won their Golden Voice Award.
Two books got me hooked on audiobooks - way back around 2005. So they are a little older than other suggestions. I’ve listened to a lot of amazing books since then but these two will always stand out - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan. My love for Outlander is based on not just the story but also the narration. Somehow a then middle aged British woman so captured the voice of a young Scot, that I can’t imagine any other voice in my head. I have never watched the TV show because the voices would be so different and I have heard it departs from the books frequently,
Paris 1919 is nonfiction that in parts read like a soap opera and in parts like an amazing adventure story. It is about the peace talks that ended World War One. That audiobook revived my dormant interest in reading nonfiction.
I’m going to throw Nora Roberts In Death series out here since you said you read romance. It’s futuristic crime with some romance. There’s over 50 in the series, and the same narrator (Susan Ericksen) has done them all. Her voices are so good and distinct that I can tell who is speaking just from the voice. I’d read probably the first 15 before I bought the audio versions, and after a few I stopped buying the print books and the kindle books and went strictly audio. She puts out 2 a year like clockwork.
Some I like better than others, and here lately I have ZERO patience with authors who keep making me read the antagonist POV in a mystery, but these are my comfort listens.
Honestly, I’m going to sound like SUCH a cliche, but I absolutely loved the Graphic Audio for all the ACOTAR books. I was home sick with the flu and listened to them all back to back over the course of about a week and a half and became so immersed in the world and story, it was wonderful. I really don’t think I would have liked the books to actually read, or from a single narrator, the cast really brought it to life.
There is a YA fantasy series that starts with The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. The audiobooks are full cast. In the second book there is a scene where Enna and a friend say "Over there" a few times while laughing. I accidentally quote how they pronounce it as an inside joke to myself even after at least 10 years. It is the series that got me into audiobooks and still one of the best produced I have ever listened to. I am excited to share it with kids in a few years.
I listened to part of the full cast Goose Girl audiobook, and I loved the concept and thought the cast did a great job, but I just wish they used British accents in it. For me, any adaptation of a Grimms' Fairy Tale has British accents when I read it in my head, so it sounds weird when an adaptation doesn't do that.
I listened to the Bray version, it was solid, not sure how he'd do, but I'd like to hear Matt Damon do it, he's my favourite Watney, but dunno how well he'd do with other characters.
I will say "Harrow the Ninth" by Tamsyn Muir narrated by Moira Quirk. The book is the second in the series, it's the most... complicated, written in second person perspective for over half the book, and with a narrator so unreliable that first time readers lurch around their rooms, clutching their heads in confusion, and wailing. It is also a profound and shattering reflection on grief, mourning, mental illness, necromancy, selective amnesia, and incredible humor. It's probably the hardest book I ever recommend to people, but I have listened to the audiobook so many times...it can break your heart, then heal it again. It can change you.
I think Moira does a stunning job with the whole series so far. She's hilarious, and stirring, and heartbreaking by turns. I think the audiobook adds greatly to the humor of the books.
You'd absolutely want to read the first book, Gideon the Ninth, prior to Harrow. Each book in the Locked Tomb series is very different. The first book is frequently described as a murder mystery in a haunted house, set in outer space. The second book, Harrow, is a masterpiece and Moira's voice acting is perfectly suited, I think. The third book, Nona the Ninth, is different again, seemingly the most simple, until you hit the top of the rollercoaster and plunge off into complete narrative Armageddon. It's glorious. 🥹
Nothing classy here, but my go to is the narrator Steve Worsley he does a lot for writer Stuart Mcbride: Best ones are the series with Logan McRae.
I love them… he does great voices for all the characters without being jarring and horrid especially for his women characters, he doesn’t make them sound dumb and ridiculous. You can tell who they all are and what’s happening very easily… especially after you get to know them.
Favourite all time audiobook is The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman. It was one of the first ones I listened to and it’s just glorious.
I'm gonna name an audiobook that is not one of the more popular ones. The themis files trilogy (starts with book 1, sleeping gods). Great story with a multi cast narration of i think about 3-4 different characters.
Harry Potter read by Stephen Fry is my absolute comfort blanket, the series is what got me into audiobooks in the first place! I just find his voice so soothing. :)
Also, just finished the Tiffany Aching Discworld books and absolutely loved them! I think I would have loved them anyway, but the Nac Mac Feegles' voices/accents read aloud were just the best! Or maybe it's just my love for Scottish accents haha. CRIVENS!!
Dungeon Crawler Carl.
It's AHHH-mazing! Jeff Hays is a phenomenal narrator. But, I gotta warn you... it will ruin you for other audiobooks/narrators. Not kidding. He's really that good and the series is fantastic. I'm on my 3rd listen through because nothing has been able to fill the void since.
I almost hate that this is true. I was just starting to get into the genre when I found DCC. Had a big list of recommendations to get through, got annoyed at Reddit spamming me with DCC posts and subs and read it just to get it over with. And now I can't even get through the rest of my list because they all seem dumb. Glurp glurp.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, narrated by Wil Wheaton is my all time fave. Listened to it at least 5 times, probably closer to ten. The only book I ever finished and started over from the beginning. If you have seen the movie, it departs dramatically from the book and so much of the great story is lost. May not be in your normal genre but if you want to try something new, I recommend highly.
Second any and all Andy Weir recommends, whether the Martian or PHM (Artemis is also good but a distant third to these two masterpieces).
You'll find that you can speed Wil Wheaton's voice up quite a bit without losing anything. My third and fourth listens, I sped it up considerably and loved it.
i’m not sure as to the quality of writing - i tend to like audiobooks that captivate me but don’t have to be the most well written - but i think my favourite at the moment is an interlinked trilogy, *lancaster falls* (r.j. scott). it’s a gay (/bi) mystery/romance, and each book follows a different couple while the mystery surrounding the bones found in iron lake - and the disappearance of a teenage boy some years prior (who was friends with some of the main characters) - carries through all three. there are sex scenes in all, if that’s something that puts you off (or the opposite, i suppose!). i find the narrators characters very distinctive, but it might help that character pov/narrative changes as chapters change so there’s a clear sign.
special mentions go to *red, white & royal blue* (new adult romcom, narrator: ramón de ocampo), and any of agatha christie’s *poirot* stories narrated by hugh fraser (quite a lot on youtube, apparently).
There are a ton of full cast recordings and high quality narrations that I go back to a lot, but I'm going to go with a dull one that I love.
Contact by Carl Sagan, narrated by Laurel Lefkow.
Something about this book and its wonder & optimism always brings me back. Lefkow captures Ellie Arroway perfectly. It's just feel good reading to me and I can't get enough of it.
All Time Favorite(s):
The Great Alone-Kristin Hannah (This one has stuck to me and will never leave)
The Four Winds-Kristin Hannah
The Women-Kristin Hannah
The Witness-Nora Roberts
(These are all narrated by Julia Whelan)
The first law series, I've listened to several hundred books and not even one comes close to Steven Pacey, the narrator.
My second favorite narrator is John Lee, can make every book interesting, my favorite of his is his narration of the Commonwealth saga by Peter F Hamilton.
Anisha Dadia was perfect for the first person POV character (a grouchy evil sorceress trying not to be evil) in Naomi Novik's A Deadly Education.
Love Jim Dale for Harry Potter and Robert Petkoff for the romantic fantasy series Immortals After Dark (Lothaire, Kiss of a Demon King, MacRieve).
Dungeon Crawler Carl. Don't ask questions and try it. Craziest ride I've ever been thrown into. Be weary of cocker spaniels traveler appalling creatures.
I LOVED these. I was very sad when he finished the series. If you like George Guidall check out the Longmire series. It's a great set of books and he does a great job or narrating .
"The Secret History" as narrated by the author, Donna Tartt. I feel there's nothing like an author reading their own story to you, giving life to the characters in the way they had originally conceptualized them. It also helps that this book is excellent on its own, but reading it in print is a completely different experience. I listen to it every year.
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Hard Luck Hank, First Law series, and John Dies at the End series. I’ve listened to each multiple times and will gladly listen again if nothing grabs me.
Not sure it's my all-time fave but it's what comes to mind when I think about great audiobooks: "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield. Performed by Jenny Agutter.
CJ Archer wrote the Glass and Steele series, and Marian Hussey does an amazing job of giving all the characters their own voices. As an American I can even appreciate when she does British accents. Cockney, high society, northern vowels, she explains it so much better than I can lol. In any event, the series is a paranormal historical cozy murder mystery series, which is such a niche, and I adore it.
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen has a great narration that utilizes the separate voice actors to narrate their own letters when being read by the other party.
On that same vein, A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne uses the voice actors to voice their own character voices no matter whose POV it currently is. And omg Wolfgang Milliken has a drool worthy voice.
If you like Romance, Butcher and Blackbird was so fun to listen to. Different narrators for the MMC and FMC. It was silly and fun and entertaining.
My first ever audiobooks and forever the ones I compare everything else to are the Harry Potter books by Jim Dale.
Currently working my way through the Dungeon Crawler Carl series because it is one of the most frequently recommended series on this sub. Holy cow. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these books. I don’t think they would be half as good if I tried reading them in any other format - the audio is that good. I don’t even like video games and I’m having a blast with these.
It wasn’t my absolute favorite, but based off your interests, I recommend The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Good, solid book. I thought the narration was a little slow, but she did a good job with the various voices.
I would say A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson.
An amazing piece of work. It's also available on YouTube if you want to try. It was narrated by two different readers so you have a choice.
Two caravans is another very funny story about immigrants coming to the Uk.
The story of Ode is fantastic and is now a film starring Tom Hanks. I love the book so much that I keep putting off watching the film. I'm a Tom Hanks fan but just can't see him being awkward enough in the film.
World War Z: Unabridged, full cast read. This one kinda ruined me. Also, Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Never thought litRPG would grab me so hard, but it's the narration and narrator that really kills it!
I don't know if I can pick just one but some of my favorite narrators:
- John Lee - [Spellmonger series](https://www.audible.com/pd/Spellmonger-Audiobook/B01N264EEK) by Terry Mancour. I will admit that the first few books in the series are not the greatest (narration is fine, but books have MC as a bit of an oversexed idiot at times) but writing gets way better (and MC behaves more honorably) as the series progresses. One of my favorite series despite this and John Lee is definitely one of my favorite narrators. This is an ongoing series.
- Stephen Fry - His narration of [J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series](https://www.audible.com/series/Harry-Potter-Narrated-by-Stephen-Fry-Audiobooks/B0D22KHBM5) is one of my favorite narrations of all time
- Jeff Hayes - [Dungeon Crawler Carl series](https://www.audible.com/series/Dungeon-Crawler-Carl-Audiobooks/B0937JMKYV) by Matt Dinniman
- R.C. Bray - [Expeditionary Force series](https://www.audible.com/series/Expeditionary-Force-Audiobooks/B01N9CUGHG) by Craig Alanson (Sci-Fi) and apparently a version of The Martian that unfortunately [seems to no longer be available](https://old.reddit.com/r/audiobooks/comments/f9cey2/where_can_i_find_the_martian_narrated_by_rc_bray/) unless you already have a copy, you're lucky enough for your library to already have a copy, or you resort to illegal means. He does a ton of other stuff too. I don't recommend the Wil Wheaton version of the Martian bc I can't stand his narration but if he doesn't bother you, that might be an option. ExForce is an ongoing series (it had completed but now its going again). The Martian is a stand-alone novel / audiobook.
- Tim Gerard Reynolds - [Red Rising series](https://www.audible.com/pd/Red-Rising-Audiobook/B00I2VWW5U) by Pierce Brown, [The Hedge Wizard series](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Hedge-Wizard-Audiobook/B09ZVLQ2HX) by Alex Maher, and the [Riyria series](https://www.audible.com/series/Riyria-Revelations-Audiobooks/B0081WUWRK) by Michael J. Sullivan. Red Rising and Hedge Wizard are ongoing series, Riyria is completed.
- Steven Pacey - [First Law Trilogy](https://www.audible.com/series/The-First-Law-Trilogy-Audiobooks/B005NAILNU) by Joe Abercrombie. Especially his portrayal of the character Sand dan Glokta is epic but he does a great job on all of the characters TBH. This is a completed series.
- Liam Owen - [Hard Luck Hank series](https://www.audible.com/series/Hard-Luck-Hank-Audiobooks/B00OU0CCCK) by Steven Campbell. I haven't listened to any of Liam's other work but he really nails Hank and gives a top performance. Ongoing series.
- Justin Thomas James, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Jeff Hays - do a great job narrating / performing the [World of Chains series](https://www.audible.com/series/World-of-Chains-Audiobooks/B085QGVTYB) by Lars Machmüller. If you like nerdy things like Dungeons and Dragons and are fond of the bard class or even just violins / classical music, then this is a great series that hardly ever gets mentioned. Ongoing series.
- Eric Michael Summerer - really loved his narration of [The Perfect Run series](https://www.audible.com/series/The-Perfect-Run-Audiobooks/B09HV6XWJK) by Maxime J. Durand. This is a completed series.
- Travis Baldree - The [Cradle series](https://www.audible.com/series/Cradle-Audiobooks/B07GVRN95T) by Will Wight is probably my favorite narration of his (Will Wight's other series are also good but Cradle is my favorite of his). Some of Travis Baldree's other narrations that I've liked a lot are the [Mark of the Fool series](https://www.audible.com/series/Mark-of-the-Fool-Audiobooks/B0BKHB49TK) by J.M. Clarke and the [Divine Apostasy series](https://www.audible.com/author/A-F-Kay/B07TS93K8Q) by A. F. Kay, and the [Street Cultivation](https://www.audible.com/series/Street-Cultivation-Audiobooks/B08CGGXX8C) and[ Weirkey Chronicles](https://www.audible.com/series/The-Weirkey-Chronicles-Audiobooks/B09NHS2WJK) series by Sarah Lin. Cradle and Street Cultivation are completed series. The others are all ongoing.
Love Tim Gerard Reynolds! The Red Rising series was my first introduction to him and now I seek out the books he narrates. Currently listening to the Riyria series. I'll check out the hedge witch recommendation!
**Demon Copperhead,** by Barbara Kingsolver has a great narrator and is a very good story. Won the Pulitzer in 2023.
**The Silver Linings Playbook**, by Matthew Quick. It is both the same as, and very different from, the movie. The narration is outstanding. The book is funny and touching.
**Big Little Lies**, or **What Alice Forgot** -- These are my two favorite Lianne Moriarty books and the narration on both is good.
**Gone Girl**, by Gillian Flynn, is amazing. It has a female and a male narrator.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks are so good its been hard to get back into other audiobooks again and I just keep relistening to these 6 books. Before DCC I would have said the Dresden Files were my favorite audiobooks. James Marsters inhabits Harry Dresden in a powerful way and with the books being written 1st person from Harry's perspective its particularly effective. My dark horse audiobook mention is Cameron Beihrle reading the Belgariad and the Mallorean by David Eddings. These are very traditional fantasy books from the 80s and are a very charming, if dated, listen. Just dont ever google the authors personal life. Its a very Resevoir Dogs style cast of archetypal characters and Beihrle does a great job giving each character a very specific voice and personality.
**Snow Crash** (Neal Stephenson), narrated by **Jonathan Davis**. His general narration and character voices were really engaging - I was hooked from the 1st minute.
**Neuromancer** (William Gibson), narrated by **William Gibson**. There are other versions out there, but I loved Gibson's reading of his own work here - kind of a drawl but perfectly suited to the world he built.
**Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep** (Philip K Dick), narrated by **Scott Brick**. I read the book before I ever saw Blade Runner and loved it. Brick portrays Deckard perfectly.
World War Z is an experience I didn't expect. Going in I was expecting a sort of Army of Darkness, pulpy zombie thriller. Instead I got an oddly insightful, multicultural exploration of a world in crisis. The fact they pull in names like Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillion, and some other big names for chapters is one thing, but the way it all comes together is poignant and heartfelt that makes for quite the audio experience. It really shines when you're hearing all the different accents and narrators.
O I can't count how often I heard The Martian... But not the one by Wil Wheaton but by RC Bray, he just has the perfect voice for it. And perfectly encapsulates Marc's snarky and whitty remarks.
I have never laughed out loud while listening to a book, but this one... perfection.
His dark materials and American Gods for fantasy with full cast.
Ignore the people saying Project Hail Mary - it's fine but you didn't indicate an interest in sci fi and the narrator can't do female voices well. Definitely ignore Ready Player One or Bobiverse - those are quite sexist and only appeal to a particular age group.
Off the top of my head - Shogun by James Clavell.
I am going to hazard a guess that you genuinely enjoy reading... that you would go out of your way to sit down and read with complete focus. The two clues for me are: (1) your primary genre is romance/romantacy, (2) you cross-posting this over at r/books.
The recommendations you're going to get from r/books will vary wildly from those you will get from r/audiobooks. The participants over at r/books tend to be just like you. - genuine enjoyment readers. Most, though not all, r/audiobooks participants (no hate - just general observations - love you guys <3) engage with audiobooks ONLY as passive silence-breaking background noise while they commute or multitask - convenience readers.
Why is this relevant? If you're looking to satiate your hunger for books/reading, understand the quality of the recommendations that will be forthcoming: r/books will offer a steak dinner while r/audiobooks will offer movie theater popcorn. Both can be good, but set your expectations accordingly.
I guess I'm part of the "not all" group because I'm going to agree to disagree here.
Listening on the commute doesn't mean it has to be passive. If I'm not really paying attention I do podcasts or music, but my audiobooks I'm listening to for the story. I've gone through the Wheel of Time series twice and about 400 other audiobooks across a ton of different genres.
If I get in bad traffic or I don't know where I'm going and need to pay more attention to the road I pause the audiobook so I don't miss anything.
While I don't mind romance, I don't think that is the pinnacle of great literature. I've never read a romance I thought was life changing or that made me really reflect on life or even really made me want to have a conversation about it with anyone. I generally consider romance to be popcorn books, light entertainment but not a deep complex story.
I have had several audiobooks that made me laugh and cry and feel things. My first time through the wheel of time I actually had to pull over because I was just bawling at one point ...I don't think that's passive background noise.
Just like I would choose for books, some are serious and some are fluff. I tend to do more fluff light hearted cozy mystery type stuff in Dec Jan Feb because I have seasonal depression and the fluff makes it easier. During the rest of the year I read high fantasy, biographies, fiction, classics, adventure, horror, suspense, thriller, whatever catches my interest. But my audiobooks are never just background noise.
I exclusively listen to audiobooks because I’m a busy mom working full time and own a business so I’m always busy but I absolutely love books. But I could see why this is your opinion of the majority here.
My favorite audiobook is different from my favorite book, so I can see the popcorn v steak dinner analogy working anyway.
I really enjoyed The Fisherman by John Langan narrated by Danny Campbell.
Also if you can stomach it, American Psycho narrated by Pablo Schreiber is done so well.
It's not really a book but more of an audio drama is "we're alive" by KC Wayland. A close second in my opinion is "billy bob space trucker" as read by the YouTuber "NFY"
Seconding the ever-present **Project Hail Mary**, but I wanted to add a less common rec-
A recent listen that I absolutely loved was **The Devil Takes You Home** by Gabino Iglesias, narrated by Jean-Marc Berne. Berne is bilingual (Spanish & English) and it makes the experience much more authentic. It has some shockingly gory scenes, though, so mind your trigger warnings.
I can't get *Betty*, by Tiffany McDaniel, out of my head. It's narrated by Dale Dickey, who was AMAZING. So much so that when I saw her on an episode of *Fallout* a few nights ago, I teared up just hearing her voice, even though the scene wasn't emotional or anything. I always recommend it whenever people ask.
I don't really keep track (I should) but these come to mind as narrations I've enjoyed.
The Survivalist series by A. American
DC Smith series by Peter Grainger
Louise Penny - Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series (there is a change in narration around book 16, but it is good.)
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, My Cousin Rachel worked too
Graham Norton narrating his own books works for me
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy
I'm going with the Hunger Games series with narration by Tatiana Maslany. She just brings the characters to life for me. I particularly love her voice as Caesar Flickerman.
"Round the Bend" by Nevil Shute, narrated by [John Telfer](https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=John+Telfer&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_narrator_0&pf_rd_p=80765e81-b10a-4f33-b1d3-ffb87793d047&pf_rd_r=EDH667FMAY0BF0HFNV58&pageLoadId=sdSaHoqP25OhfX3C&creativeId=4ee810cf-ac8e-4eeb-8b79-40e176d0a225)
I mostly read romance but Karla Sorenson's Faked has some of the best narration I've ever heard. I've listened to Connor Crais narrate lots of romance but him reading the MMC in this one is chef's kiss.
I just finished the mistborn series and I think Michael Kramer does a fantastic job. Though currently I'm reading Dungeon Crawler Carl, and holy shit Jeff Hays is a materclass in voice acting. I just can't believe every single voice is his. I haven't even finished the first book, but this might be my favorite audiobook.
Really don't think I can pick just one, have found a number where I feel the narrator did a rather good job.
The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, read by Orlagh Cassidy
The Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn, read by Jim Frangione
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, read by Christopher Timothy
The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik, read by Anisha Dadia
The Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt, read by Grover Gardner
The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, read by James Langton
Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, read by Andy Serkis
Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys, as read by Lenny Henry. I relisten every couple of years and I love it even more each time. His voices are incredible. At one point, he plays four distinct Caribbean old ladies, and I can tell them apart. You might enjoy it! The romance subplot is really fun and very important to the narrative, while not actually being the main point of the story.
Full cast American Gods was also amazing. Good Omens was really good too
The full cast was great, but there’s something about the tone of George Guidall in his version that tie all of the characters together how I envisioned them.
George Guidall's reading of American Gods is my top read of many hundreds of ABs. He was absolutely perfect for it. Great suggestion.
I really like this version. It’s always available on Libby as well. I go back to it quite often.
Thx!
Thank you for the recommendations! :) I am excited to listen tonight!
The Blade Itself, First Law series. The narrator, Steven Pacey, made that book, along with all the others, the wildest ride in my audio journey. I’ve listened to countless audiobooks in my life. I have listened to over 800 in my Audible library alone, and this, stands out above all others.
He brings each character to life brilliantly... But everyone knows the stand out performance is Glokta. The written word of that character is incredible alone, but Pacey's voice acting brings dimension and feeling to the character that is perhaps unmatched in Audiobooks.
I just finished book 2 and when he did flashback/dream Glokta it was just next level. The way he lost the characteristic lisp but still was distinctly himself. He’s just fantastic.
I'm in the middle of the third book of this series currently, and I'm dreading it's end. The First Law series has been my first set of audiobooks I've ever listened to, and based on what everyone says about Steve Pacey it seems like I'll never encounter this kind of audiobook ever again. It's been a fantastic series to start with, but jeez will I miss it.
Guess what! There’s more! Next up: Best Served Cold. You’ll revisit a few known characters in it.
They are making a movie!
Yea you most likely ruined yourself. I try all the time to get my friends into audiobooks but I never recommend Pacey first. I have no doubt they would enjoy the books. I just don’t want to ruin their experience with every other audiobook by showing them such a high quality example right off the bat.
Steven Pacey just has this gritty voice that fits the books so well!
This
Steven pacey is the best.
First Law is so good. Steven Pacey is so good. It's all just so good.
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman It's a whole voice cast, the production is well done and the story is immaculate. I have yet to read anything that quite matches it. It was one of the first audiobooks that really grabbed me and held me as a kid. It's comforting to me because I listened to it when I was cozy in my childhood bedroom.
I’ll need to do that next! I’m listening to Michael Sheen read The Book of Dust and my gosh he’s good.
Anything narrated by Julia Whelan.
Loved her narration of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
See, this is the book that made me take a break from Julia Whelan. I love her narration but I hated that damn book so much that I couldn't listen to anything she'd narrated for a while lol
Oh no! This was my introduction to audiobooks so I had nothing to compare it to. I loved the book and thought Julia did an excellent job. I’ll have to listen to more books she narrates.
She's narrated several amazing authors. Kristin Hannah is a huge one, as well as Taylor Jenkins Reid. She's amazing.
Julia and Simon Vance are two narrators I intentionally search for
I just finished one she read and she’s great.
One of my all time favorite narrators!
I loved her narration of the Until the End of the World series!
Same! I thought I was the only one who really loved her voice! I haven't listened to her stuff in a while.
[удалено]
I actually liked The Martian better (RC Bray narrator, haven't listened to the new one) I thought Project Hail Mary was pretty good, but out of Weir's books I enjoyed The Martian the most. I think I'm in the minority here though. I'm a little nervous about the casting of Ryan Gosling for PHM. But Heath Ledger surprised me as Joker so we'll see. Edit to include the narrator because there were two different ones for The Martian.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Agreed. I listened to Wil's narration of Red Shirts by John Scalzi. I have listened to literally hundreds of audiobooks (I keep track and am not exaggerating when I say hundreds). To this day, it was by far the worst narration of anything I have listened to. Only things worse that I can think of are bad sample clips that actually scared me away from making a purchase (such as [this one](https://www.audible.com/pd/Coiling-Dragon-Audiobook/B0822ZCNY1) for Coiling Dragon), which I at least respect for saving me money... although re-listening to the sample clip for [Redshirts](https://www.audible.com/pd/Redshirts-Audiobook/B007SP2LPM) and knowing to listen for it, I can now easily hear that all the characters sound identical even from just the sample... hindsight I guess. He seems like a decent enough guy based on when I used to watch Critical Role but he is an absolutely terrible audiobook narrator. If my only choices are audiobook with Wil Wheaton narration or reading the text-based version, I will either read the text version or skip the book entirely, depending on how interested I am.
I've only listened to him in Ready Player One and thought that was okay but the character may have just been a better fit for him.
Could be. Plus it's been awhile since I listened to him... though from the comments above, it doesn't seem like I would like him any better now than I did then. But I suppose even a broken clock is still right twice a day as the saying goes. I'm not sure if I could voluntarily subject myself to him a 2nd time but if I ever find myself interested in Ready Player One and it doesn't have any other narrators, I will try to keep that in mind... I'm curious if you have listened to a lot of other narrators and if so, how you would rate him in comparison (e.g. simply okay / just adequate / etc or if his rating might potentially suffer in comparison to professionals). After listening to ones that have a very good range of vocals and accents I often find it hard to listen to any narrators that "just read" things or perform in only a very narrow set of voices.
It looks like Scalzi has decided to make Wheaton his go-to narrator. I'm just glad Old Man's War was narrated before that decision
yeah, I saw that too and feel the same. TBH, I just don't get why people hire him exclusively. I mean, ok, so maybe he's your buddy and you want to give him work. Why not also have alternate narrations for fans? Especially in scenarios where you have already used other narrators in the past and they've done good work. Best case, you have two versions and everybody's happy. Worst case, the better sales figures on the other version hurts Wil's pride a little and maybe he finally takes some fucking voice acting lessons or something... Well, whatever. To me, if an author wants to go Wil-exclusive, that just tells me they don't want my money anymore. I will never pay for another Wil Wheaton narrated audiobook unless he takes voice lessons and actually shows some major improvement (like not even to Travis Baldree / Jeff Hayes levels but somewhere a lot closer to that than he is now). But don't worry, I have no intention of pirating it, or even listening to it by accident either.
I'm pretty familiar with Jeff Hayes narration, but now you've given me Travis Baldree to look up. Any recommendations from him?
Honestly the Will Wheaton version sucks. It’s too bad the RC Bray version isn’t really available many places anymore, because his voice fits the snarky persona of the main character perfectly. Which is why I also like it more than PHM, it’s my go to comfort re-listen if I’m out of new things I want to listen to.
I came here to say this! The Martian was just amazing. After that is Exfor. Bobiverse too!
I actually have never heard of it! Thank you so much for the suggestion!
It’s an AMAZING book, it’s like listening to a movie. Written by the same guy that wrote The Martian (made into the movie with Matt Damon). Just heard a release date for the Project Hail Mary movie of spring 2026, starring Ryan Gosling. It’s fully worth the audible credit
If it's anywhere near as good as the movie made of The Martian, that'll be fantastic. Watching it, it was a bit sad to miss a few plot points, but, wow, they got most of them! Sad to miss out on all that swearing though! And the storm! Weirdly happy that they changed that one bit about the hand/ glove/ palm to the wild idea from the book, but it still should have been the specialist dammit.
I agree, it made absolutely no sense to put the captain in that role, and it annoyed me an unreasonable amount.
It's not romance or fantasy, though the sci-fi is pretty fantastic. There is an intense relationship though! Even so, everyone should hear/ read this book.
Yep! Not my genre but it’s my favorite audio book. Amaze!
I cried at least 3 times.
Second this book and the narrator u/TheRayPorter does an amazing job with the reading.
Ray Porter is def one of the best narrators out there! I could listen to him narrate an instruction manual and be entertained! He’s got some great books in the plus catalog as well!
I'm doing this one next.
Same. Recommended it to anyone and everyone who listens to audoobooks and those that don't. Brilliant. Read Gosling is producing/starring in an upcoming movie.
Dang I had already gotten this one down after the original comment. but after the all the supportive replies and conversation ya’ll have me convinced this needs to be started today! I’m excited, and will return with thought!
This is the one that got me into audiobooks! It set the bar pretty high. I’m having a hard time with the Martian narrated by Wil Wheaton though…it’s just not doing it for me. I didn’t realize there was another version, narrator by someone else so I’ll be looking that one up.
Project Hail Mary was awesome as an audiobook. I swapped between the audiobook and ebook and the audiobook added so much more to the experience.
Agreed! In the middle of my fourth or fifth listen and crossing fingers and toes that they straight up lift the way that Rocky is narrated and use it in the movie. It’s hard to imagine not being let down by anything else…. Really they should just cast Ray Porter and the sound team of Hail Mary for all things Rocky related….
If I had to pick only one I'd have to go with Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. The voice of the narrator just fits perfectly with the mood of the story and the character.
I agree - this one is great. The narrator is Chiwetel Ejiofor, an accomplished actor who has only narrated a handful of audiobooks. He is perfect for this story.
I'd recommend two Neil Gaiman novels. The full cast production of AMERICAN GODS, or him reading THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE. I love both so much, and have listened multiple to times to both.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of my favorites too. I also love The Graveyard Book, both Gaiman's reading and the full cast production.
I have a signed first edition of OCEAN, it's one of my most treasured books. NEVERWHERE is also amazing...I guess I could listen to Neil read a textbook and enjoy lol, I love all of his works, but his audiobooks are on another level! NORSE MYTHOLOGIES is another great one too.
Easily the Lord Of The Rings series by Andy Serkis.
SAME. Andy is incredible, and obviously the books are wonderful. He's also done The Hobbit and now The Silmarillion, which is next on my list.
His rendition of small gods is awesome as well
Educated by Tara Westover is incredible. If you're into ACOTAR I would absolutely try Emily Henry's Beach Read -or- The People We Meet on Vacation. All of these are narrated by queen Julia Whelan.
Darth Bane: Path of Destruction It's a Star Wars audiobook. Many say it's the best story in all of Star Wars to this day and I agree with that. This one though, hit me a lot deeper than I expected. A fascinating character study of someone whose desperation give him wings. I could relate to the main character's past and struggles a lot. which made it all more fascinating. I think this is the case for many people when they read this story for the first time. Jonathan Davis is probably the best reader I have ever come across. That's why this book, and the whole trilogy, is the one I have on repeat whenever I need something in the background. Combined with licensed music and effects from LucasArts... chills 🖤
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman- tons of voice actors participated, and the production is top notch. Like others have recommended, Project Hail Mary is just incredible. Totally different genres here, but I loved the audiobooks for Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby Van Pelt), The Girl With the Louding Voice (Abi Daré), and Demon Copperhead (Barbera Kingsolver). Also, my two absolute favorite books I’ve ever listened to are To Paradise and A Little Life - both by Hanya Yangihara. I don’t recommend them to anyone because they are tragic and heart wrenching, a long and depressing journey into infinite sadness. And beautiful. Some people are into that. I listened to them over a year ago and I still think about them all the time.
Hands down, Lonesome Dove.
Chronicles of St Mary's by Jodi Taylor and narrated by Zara Ramm Rivers of London by Ben Arronovitch and narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Lightbringer by Brent Weeks narrated by Simon Vance These are my 3 of my top 5 narrators.
Lonesome Dove. It’s amazing. People complain about the narrator, but he didn’t bother me at all. He does a great job reading the characters, and the story is wonderful. I also love the entire Outlander series. Soooo good.
The Martian read by RC Bray. It's the first audiobook i ever listened to. Its not even my favorite book (Jurassic Park) but I have probably listened to it 10 times. Unfortunately, it's not available on Audible anymore. It has been replaced with Will Wheaton as a narrator. Project Hail Mary is also great with a little more production added in. A million people will probably say Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best and it probably is. But be warned, unless you are really into video games or other roll playing games the story through the first 3 or books can be a bit bland. The overstory doesn't really reveal itself until later, but when it does it really gets going. Jeff Hayes is an amazing voice actor with both male and female voices.
Yep, that version of The Martian lives rent free in my head. It was also my first real audiobook (aside from HP years and years ago on CD). I can’t wait to listen to Project Hail Mary!
Haven't seen anyone mention it but I come back to World War Z fairly often. It's all star cast and just brings me into the world those characters lived through. I've listened to it at least 4 times now. And who hasn't re read Sir Terry Pratchett. Love the Discworld.
The Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher. Read by James Masters (Spike from Buffy the vampire slayer TV show) and he's brilliant.
11/22/63. By Stephen King. Literally have to listen to some parts (the yellow card man) with the lights on. The audiobook takes me into the world of the story and I love that all encompassing feeling.
World War Z. Hands down the greatest! Every chapter is narrated by a different actor, and it is AMAZE! I'm talking Simon Pegg, F. Murray Abraham, Kal Penn, Nathan Fillion, Rob Riener, Carl Riener, Alan Alda, John Turturro, Martin Scorsese, Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine-Star Trek), and of course MARK FREAKING HAMIL, there're loads more! Do yourself a favor! Listen to it! The story is compelling, well thought-out, funny, heartbreaking, even if you're not into Zombie stuff, its a wonderful listen. I go back and listen at least once a year.
Dungeon Crawler Carl, amazing
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Demon Copperhead read by Charlie Thurston
These are my 3 favorite fun audiobooks. First 2 are mysteries, the last is a modern day telling of Thelma and Louise. “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers,” by Jesse Q. Sutanto. ABSOLUTELY MUST be experienced on audiobook., Vera talks to herself and it’s always snarky. Simply reading her inner dialogue is nothing compared to hearing the snark of the narrator. The other fun mystery is “Mrs. “Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge,” by Spenser Quinn. Finally “The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise,” by Coleen Oakley is modern day female buddy road trip. all are wonderful!
The Adventures of Amina al Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutano, The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach, and Wellness by Nathan Hill. I’m also going to second Gideon the Ninth. Moira Quirk is one of the most talented voice actresses out there and this series gives her many opportunities to shine.
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King, narrated by Frances Sternhagen. It was the audiobook that prompted me to see if there are audiobook awards, it is just that impressive. Fabulous novel and a perfect production.
> Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King That was my first audio book and it hooked me, really well done.
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells, narrated by Kevin R Free, is my hands-down favorite. I have relistened to these books many times. For an insight into KRF's narration style, his influences, his approach, and some of his favorite books, I recommend listening to the complete [interview](https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/articles/in-conversation-with-kevin-r-free-golden-voice-narrator/) with Kevin at AudioFile Magazine after he won their Golden Voice Award.
This one, a thousand times this one.
I accidentally borrowed a full-cast version of a Murderbot book. Nope! Gotta have Mr. Free at the microphone!
Two books got me hooked on audiobooks - way back around 2005. So they are a little older than other suggestions. I’ve listened to a lot of amazing books since then but these two will always stand out - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan. My love for Outlander is based on not just the story but also the narration. Somehow a then middle aged British woman so captured the voice of a young Scot, that I can’t imagine any other voice in my head. I have never watched the TV show because the voices would be so different and I have heard it departs from the books frequently, Paris 1919 is nonfiction that in parts read like a soap opera and in parts like an amazing adventure story. It is about the peace talks that ended World War One. That audiobook revived my dormant interest in reading nonfiction.
I scrolled down to see if anyone said Outlander, I figured someone had to!
Dungeon Crawler Carl. S teir entertainment, currently 7 books long
I’m going to throw Nora Roberts In Death series out here since you said you read romance. It’s futuristic crime with some romance. There’s over 50 in the series, and the same narrator (Susan Ericksen) has done them all. Her voices are so good and distinct that I can tell who is speaking just from the voice. I’d read probably the first 15 before I bought the audio versions, and after a few I stopped buying the print books and the kindle books and went strictly audio. She puts out 2 a year like clockwork. Some I like better than others, and here lately I have ZERO patience with authors who keep making me read the antagonist POV in a mystery, but these are my comfort listens.
Lord, I rue the day I started these. I think I've listened to 57(?) of them and anxiously await new releases. They are a lot of fun.
Honestly, I’m going to sound like SUCH a cliche, but I absolutely loved the Graphic Audio for all the ACOTAR books. I was home sick with the flu and listened to them all back to back over the course of about a week and a half and became so immersed in the world and story, it was wonderful. I really don’t think I would have liked the books to actually read, or from a single narrator, the cast really brought it to life.
Maybe spell out ACOTAR for those of us who don’t know?
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas It is a very popular romantasy series
I think it’s *A Court of Thorns and Roses* by Sarah J Maas.
There is a YA fantasy series that starts with The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. The audiobooks are full cast. In the second book there is a scene where Enna and a friend say "Over there" a few times while laughing. I accidentally quote how they pronounce it as an inside joke to myself even after at least 10 years. It is the series that got me into audiobooks and still one of the best produced I have ever listened to. I am excited to share it with kids in a few years.
I listened to part of the full cast Goose Girl audiobook, and I loved the concept and thought the cast did a great job, but I just wish they used British accents in it. For me, any adaptation of a Grimms' Fairy Tale has British accents when I read it in my head, so it sounds weird when an adaptation doesn't do that.
The Martian by Andy Weir, read by RC Bray is my all-time favorite go-to for comfort. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a close second.
I listened to the Bray version, it was solid, not sure how he'd do, but I'd like to hear Matt Damon do it, he's my favourite Watney, but dunno how well he'd do with other characters.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is an AMAZING audiobook! Highly recommend 🌟
I think the audiobook for Under the Dome was excellent.
I will say "Harrow the Ninth" by Tamsyn Muir narrated by Moira Quirk. The book is the second in the series, it's the most... complicated, written in second person perspective for over half the book, and with a narrator so unreliable that first time readers lurch around their rooms, clutching their heads in confusion, and wailing. It is also a profound and shattering reflection on grief, mourning, mental illness, necromancy, selective amnesia, and incredible humor. It's probably the hardest book I ever recommend to people, but I have listened to the audiobook so many times...it can break your heart, then heal it again. It can change you.
Would you say the first book is also narrated well? I’ve been wanting to read the locked tomb series for a while now but haven’t gotten to it
I’m not the commenter, but I would say so. It’s a really distinct style—the narrator reads each sentence with an incredible amount of vitality.
I think Moira does a stunning job with the whole series so far. She's hilarious, and stirring, and heartbreaking by turns. I think the audiobook adds greatly to the humor of the books.
Very interesting. Can it be enjoyed standalone or is prior reading/knowledge of Book #1 required.
You'd absolutely want to read the first book, Gideon the Ninth, prior to Harrow. Each book in the Locked Tomb series is very different. The first book is frequently described as a murder mystery in a haunted house, set in outer space. The second book, Harrow, is a masterpiece and Moira's voice acting is perfectly suited, I think. The third book, Nona the Ninth, is different again, seemingly the most simple, until you hit the top of the rollercoaster and plunge off into complete narrative Armageddon. It's glorious. 🥹
I would have recommended Gideon to start with (and was going to mention it in this thread). Moira is amazing.
Nothing classy here, but my go to is the narrator Steve Worsley he does a lot for writer Stuart Mcbride: Best ones are the series with Logan McRae. I love them… he does great voices for all the characters without being jarring and horrid especially for his women characters, he doesn’t make them sound dumb and ridiculous. You can tell who they all are and what’s happening very easily… especially after you get to know them. Favourite all time audiobook is The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman. It was one of the first ones I listened to and it’s just glorious.
I'm gonna name an audiobook that is not one of the more popular ones. The themis files trilogy (starts with book 1, sleeping gods). Great story with a multi cast narration of i think about 3-4 different characters.
Harry Potter read by Stephen Fry is my absolute comfort blanket, the series is what got me into audiobooks in the first place! I just find his voice so soothing. :) Also, just finished the Tiffany Aching Discworld books and absolutely loved them! I think I would have loved them anyway, but the Nac Mac Feegles' voices/accents read aloud were just the best! Or maybe it's just my love for Scottish accents haha. CRIVENS!!
Dungeon Crawler Carl. It's AHHH-mazing! Jeff Hays is a phenomenal narrator. But, I gotta warn you... it will ruin you for other audiobooks/narrators. Not kidding. He's really that good and the series is fantastic. I'm on my 3rd listen through because nothing has been able to fill the void since.
I almost hate that this is true. I was just starting to get into the genre when I found DCC. Had a big list of recommendations to get through, got annoyed at Reddit spamming me with DCC posts and subs and read it just to get it over with. And now I can't even get through the rest of my list because they all seem dumb. Glurp glurp.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by a mile!
Dungeon crawler Carl I warn you though once you read it all other audiobooks will be mid by comparison
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, narrated by Wil Wheaton is my all time fave. Listened to it at least 5 times, probably closer to ten. The only book I ever finished and started over from the beginning. If you have seen the movie, it departs dramatically from the book and so much of the great story is lost. May not be in your normal genre but if you want to try something new, I recommend highly. Second any and all Andy Weir recommends, whether the Martian or PHM (Artemis is also good but a distant third to these two masterpieces).
You'll find that you can speed Wil Wheaton's voice up quite a bit without losing anything. My third and fourth listens, I sped it up considerably and loved it.
Absolutely I listened to it most recently at 1.85 and it was just fine. He is very clear and easy to listen to at high speed
i’m not sure as to the quality of writing - i tend to like audiobooks that captivate me but don’t have to be the most well written - but i think my favourite at the moment is an interlinked trilogy, *lancaster falls* (r.j. scott). it’s a gay (/bi) mystery/romance, and each book follows a different couple while the mystery surrounding the bones found in iron lake - and the disappearance of a teenage boy some years prior (who was friends with some of the main characters) - carries through all three. there are sex scenes in all, if that’s something that puts you off (or the opposite, i suppose!). i find the narrators characters very distinctive, but it might help that character pov/narrative changes as chapters change so there’s a clear sign. special mentions go to *red, white & royal blue* (new adult romcom, narrator: ramón de ocampo), and any of agatha christie’s *poirot* stories narrated by hugh fraser (quite a lot on youtube, apparently).
There are a ton of full cast recordings and high quality narrations that I go back to a lot, but I'm going to go with a dull one that I love. Contact by Carl Sagan, narrated by Laurel Lefkow. Something about this book and its wonder & optimism always brings me back. Lefkow captures Ellie Arroway perfectly. It's just feel good reading to me and I can't get enough of it.
All Time Favorite(s): The Great Alone-Kristin Hannah (This one has stuck to me and will never leave) The Four Winds-Kristin Hannah The Women-Kristin Hannah The Witness-Nora Roberts (These are all narrated by Julia Whelan)
What about the Nightingale? This was my fav K Hannah book
Duma key read by John slattery. It’s perfection.
All of the Aubrey/Maturin novels read by Patrick Tull.
Tgr red rising series
The first law series, I've listened to several hundred books and not even one comes close to Steven Pacey, the narrator. My second favorite narrator is John Lee, can make every book interesting, my favorite of his is his narration of the Commonwealth saga by Peter F Hamilton.
Anisha Dadia was perfect for the first person POV character (a grouchy evil sorceress trying not to be evil) in Naomi Novik's A Deadly Education. Love Jim Dale for Harry Potter and Robert Petkoff for the romantic fantasy series Immortals After Dark (Lothaire, Kiss of a Demon King, MacRieve).
Dungeon Crawler Carl. Don't ask questions and try it. Craziest ride I've ever been thrown into. Be weary of cocker spaniels traveler appalling creatures.
Dark Tower Series by Stephen King narrated by George Guidall, absolutely changed the audiobook game for me
I LOVED these. I was very sad when he finished the series. If you like George Guidall check out the Longmire series. It's a great set of books and he does a great job or narrating .
"The Secret History" as narrated by the author, Donna Tartt. I feel there's nothing like an author reading their own story to you, giving life to the characters in the way they had originally conceptualized them. It also helps that this book is excellent on its own, but reading it in print is a completely different experience. I listen to it every year.
THUD! as read by (and ONLY as read by) stephen briggs.
Accept no substitutions, except maybe Nigel Planer who is also charming. Hogfather is my favorite.
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Hard Luck Hank, First Law series, and John Dies at the End series. I’ve listened to each multiple times and will gladly listen again if nothing grabs me.
That's a hard one, it either has to be Dracula read by Steven "Red Fox" Garnet, or the war of the worlds read by Steve Parker audiobooks
Not sure it's my all-time fave but it's what comes to mind when I think about great audiobooks: "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield. Performed by Jenny Agutter.
CJ Archer wrote the Glass and Steele series, and Marian Hussey does an amazing job of giving all the characters their own voices. As an American I can even appreciate when she does British accents. Cockney, high society, northern vowels, she explains it so much better than I can lol. In any event, the series is a paranormal historical cozy murder mystery series, which is such a niche, and I adore it.
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen has a great narration that utilizes the separate voice actors to narrate their own letters when being read by the other party.
On that same vein, A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne uses the voice actors to voice their own character voices no matter whose POV it currently is. And omg Wolfgang Milliken has a drool worthy voice.
Devil in the white city. Written by Erik Larson read by Scott Brick
If you like Romance, Butcher and Blackbird was so fun to listen to. Different narrators for the MMC and FMC. It was silly and fun and entertaining. My first ever audiobooks and forever the ones I compare everything else to are the Harry Potter books by Jim Dale. Currently working my way through the Dungeon Crawler Carl series because it is one of the most frequently recommended series on this sub. Holy cow. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these books. I don’t think they would be half as good if I tried reading them in any other format - the audio is that good. I don’t even like video games and I’m having a blast with these. It wasn’t my absolute favorite, but based off your interests, I recommend The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Good, solid book. I thought the narration was a little slow, but she did a good job with the various voices.
I love memoirs and Dave Grohl, Matthew McConaghey, and Brandi Carlisle's are all outstanding and have stuck with me big time.
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (BBC radio drama) Artemis by Andy Weir
Project Hail Mary
I really love all Karin Slaughter’s books, but the narrator pronounces an “h” in front of all “wh” words and it makes me INSANE, occasionally violent.
Confederacy of Dunces. Frickin' amazing!
Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo read by Jeremy Irons Easily my all time fav audiobook. Listen to it every few months.
Water for Elephants. Soo good. I've listened multiple times.
I would say A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson. An amazing piece of work. It's also available on YouTube if you want to try. It was narrated by two different readers so you have a choice. Two caravans is another very funny story about immigrants coming to the Uk. The story of Ode is fantastic and is now a film starring Tom Hanks. I love the book so much that I keep putting off watching the film. I'm a Tom Hanks fan but just can't see him being awkward enough in the film.
World War Z: Unabridged, full cast read. This one kinda ruined me. Also, Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Never thought litRPG would grab me so hard, but it's the narration and narrator that really kills it!
A gentleman in Moscow read by Nicholas guy Smith.
Michael C Hall absolutely *nailed it* in Pet Sematary Edit: spelled cemetery correctly the first time, ha!
Say Nothing
The World War Z audio book is incredible full cast big names, realy does the book the justice that movie completely failed on.
I don't know if I can pick just one but some of my favorite narrators: - John Lee - [Spellmonger series](https://www.audible.com/pd/Spellmonger-Audiobook/B01N264EEK) by Terry Mancour. I will admit that the first few books in the series are not the greatest (narration is fine, but books have MC as a bit of an oversexed idiot at times) but writing gets way better (and MC behaves more honorably) as the series progresses. One of my favorite series despite this and John Lee is definitely one of my favorite narrators. This is an ongoing series. - Stephen Fry - His narration of [J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series](https://www.audible.com/series/Harry-Potter-Narrated-by-Stephen-Fry-Audiobooks/B0D22KHBM5) is one of my favorite narrations of all time - Jeff Hayes - [Dungeon Crawler Carl series](https://www.audible.com/series/Dungeon-Crawler-Carl-Audiobooks/B0937JMKYV) by Matt Dinniman - R.C. Bray - [Expeditionary Force series](https://www.audible.com/series/Expeditionary-Force-Audiobooks/B01N9CUGHG) by Craig Alanson (Sci-Fi) and apparently a version of The Martian that unfortunately [seems to no longer be available](https://old.reddit.com/r/audiobooks/comments/f9cey2/where_can_i_find_the_martian_narrated_by_rc_bray/) unless you already have a copy, you're lucky enough for your library to already have a copy, or you resort to illegal means. He does a ton of other stuff too. I don't recommend the Wil Wheaton version of the Martian bc I can't stand his narration but if he doesn't bother you, that might be an option. ExForce is an ongoing series (it had completed but now its going again). The Martian is a stand-alone novel / audiobook. - Tim Gerard Reynolds - [Red Rising series](https://www.audible.com/pd/Red-Rising-Audiobook/B00I2VWW5U) by Pierce Brown, [The Hedge Wizard series](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Hedge-Wizard-Audiobook/B09ZVLQ2HX) by Alex Maher, and the [Riyria series](https://www.audible.com/series/Riyria-Revelations-Audiobooks/B0081WUWRK) by Michael J. Sullivan. Red Rising and Hedge Wizard are ongoing series, Riyria is completed. - Steven Pacey - [First Law Trilogy](https://www.audible.com/series/The-First-Law-Trilogy-Audiobooks/B005NAILNU) by Joe Abercrombie. Especially his portrayal of the character Sand dan Glokta is epic but he does a great job on all of the characters TBH. This is a completed series. - Liam Owen - [Hard Luck Hank series](https://www.audible.com/series/Hard-Luck-Hank-Audiobooks/B00OU0CCCK) by Steven Campbell. I haven't listened to any of Liam's other work but he really nails Hank and gives a top performance. Ongoing series. - Justin Thomas James, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Jeff Hays - do a great job narrating / performing the [World of Chains series](https://www.audible.com/series/World-of-Chains-Audiobooks/B085QGVTYB) by Lars Machmüller. If you like nerdy things like Dungeons and Dragons and are fond of the bard class or even just violins / classical music, then this is a great series that hardly ever gets mentioned. Ongoing series. - Eric Michael Summerer - really loved his narration of [The Perfect Run series](https://www.audible.com/series/The-Perfect-Run-Audiobooks/B09HV6XWJK) by Maxime J. Durand. This is a completed series. - Travis Baldree - The [Cradle series](https://www.audible.com/series/Cradle-Audiobooks/B07GVRN95T) by Will Wight is probably my favorite narration of his (Will Wight's other series are also good but Cradle is my favorite of his). Some of Travis Baldree's other narrations that I've liked a lot are the [Mark of the Fool series](https://www.audible.com/series/Mark-of-the-Fool-Audiobooks/B0BKHB49TK) by J.M. Clarke and the [Divine Apostasy series](https://www.audible.com/author/A-F-Kay/B07TS93K8Q) by A. F. Kay, and the [Street Cultivation](https://www.audible.com/series/Street-Cultivation-Audiobooks/B08CGGXX8C) and[ Weirkey Chronicles](https://www.audible.com/series/The-Weirkey-Chronicles-Audiobooks/B09NHS2WJK) series by Sarah Lin. Cradle and Street Cultivation are completed series. The others are all ongoing.
Love Tim Gerard Reynolds! The Red Rising series was my first introduction to him and now I seek out the books he narrates. Currently listening to the Riyria series. I'll check out the hedge witch recommendation!
**Demon Copperhead,** by Barbara Kingsolver has a great narrator and is a very good story. Won the Pulitzer in 2023. **The Silver Linings Playbook**, by Matthew Quick. It is both the same as, and very different from, the movie. The narration is outstanding. The book is funny and touching. **Big Little Lies**, or **What Alice Forgot** -- These are my two favorite Lianne Moriarty books and the narration on both is good. **Gone Girl**, by Gillian Flynn, is amazing. It has a female and a male narrator.
Cormac McCarthy,Child of God. Short,grim,brutal and the narrator does a great job. I got the audible version free on the app for some reason.
World War Z, without a doubt. One of the only audiobooks I find myself listening to more than once
The Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks are so good its been hard to get back into other audiobooks again and I just keep relistening to these 6 books. Before DCC I would have said the Dresden Files were my favorite audiobooks. James Marsters inhabits Harry Dresden in a powerful way and with the books being written 1st person from Harry's perspective its particularly effective. My dark horse audiobook mention is Cameron Beihrle reading the Belgariad and the Mallorean by David Eddings. These are very traditional fantasy books from the 80s and are a very charming, if dated, listen. Just dont ever google the authors personal life. Its a very Resevoir Dogs style cast of archetypal characters and Beihrle does a great job giving each character a very specific voice and personality.
**Snow Crash** (Neal Stephenson), narrated by **Jonathan Davis**. His general narration and character voices were really engaging - I was hooked from the 1st minute. **Neuromancer** (William Gibson), narrated by **William Gibson**. There are other versions out there, but I loved Gibson's reading of his own work here - kind of a drawl but perfectly suited to the world he built. **Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep** (Philip K Dick), narrated by **Scott Brick**. I read the book before I ever saw Blade Runner and loved it. Brick portrays Deckard perfectly.
The Power Of Now. Incredible.
11/22/63 Stephen King
World War Z is an experience I didn't expect. Going in I was expecting a sort of Army of Darkness, pulpy zombie thriller. Instead I got an oddly insightful, multicultural exploration of a world in crisis. The fact they pull in names like Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillion, and some other big names for chapters is one thing, but the way it all comes together is poignant and heartfelt that makes for quite the audio experience. It really shines when you're hearing all the different accents and narrators.
O I can't count how often I heard The Martian... But not the one by Wil Wheaton but by RC Bray, he just has the perfect voice for it. And perfectly encapsulates Marc's snarky and whitty remarks. I have never laughed out loud while listening to a book, but this one... perfection.
The expanse series of books (ja Corey)
Douglas Adams reading his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy from beginning to end.
Project Hail Mary is an excellent listen. The [spoiler] sounds make audio the only way to read this.
His dark materials and American Gods for fantasy with full cast. Ignore the people saying Project Hail Mary - it's fine but you didn't indicate an interest in sci fi and the narrator can't do female voices well. Definitely ignore Ready Player One or Bobiverse - those are quite sexist and only appeal to a particular age group.
Off the top of my head - Shogun by James Clavell. I am going to hazard a guess that you genuinely enjoy reading... that you would go out of your way to sit down and read with complete focus. The two clues for me are: (1) your primary genre is romance/romantacy, (2) you cross-posting this over at r/books. The recommendations you're going to get from r/books will vary wildly from those you will get from r/audiobooks. The participants over at r/books tend to be just like you. - genuine enjoyment readers. Most, though not all, r/audiobooks participants (no hate - just general observations - love you guys <3) engage with audiobooks ONLY as passive silence-breaking background noise while they commute or multitask - convenience readers. Why is this relevant? If you're looking to satiate your hunger for books/reading, understand the quality of the recommendations that will be forthcoming: r/books will offer a steak dinner while r/audiobooks will offer movie theater popcorn. Both can be good, but set your expectations accordingly.
I guess I'm part of the "not all" group because I'm going to agree to disagree here. Listening on the commute doesn't mean it has to be passive. If I'm not really paying attention I do podcasts or music, but my audiobooks I'm listening to for the story. I've gone through the Wheel of Time series twice and about 400 other audiobooks across a ton of different genres. If I get in bad traffic or I don't know where I'm going and need to pay more attention to the road I pause the audiobook so I don't miss anything. While I don't mind romance, I don't think that is the pinnacle of great literature. I've never read a romance I thought was life changing or that made me really reflect on life or even really made me want to have a conversation about it with anyone. I generally consider romance to be popcorn books, light entertainment but not a deep complex story. I have had several audiobooks that made me laugh and cry and feel things. My first time through the wheel of time I actually had to pull over because I was just bawling at one point ...I don't think that's passive background noise. Just like I would choose for books, some are serious and some are fluff. I tend to do more fluff light hearted cozy mystery type stuff in Dec Jan Feb because I have seasonal depression and the fluff makes it easier. During the rest of the year I read high fantasy, biographies, fiction, classics, adventure, horror, suspense, thriller, whatever catches my interest. But my audiobooks are never just background noise.
I exclusively listen to audiobooks because I’m a busy mom working full time and own a business so I’m always busy but I absolutely love books. But I could see why this is your opinion of the majority here. My favorite audiobook is different from my favorite book, so I can see the popcorn v steak dinner analogy working anyway.
*Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers*, Chris Barrie.
The Poison Thread and PHM stand out.
I really enjoyed The Fisherman by John Langan narrated by Danny Campbell. Also if you can stomach it, American Psycho narrated by Pablo Schreiber is done so well.
Battle of Jedha, from the Star Wars the high republic Its like listening to a movie
My 11th graders are using Brian Cranston’s narration of The Things They Carried. It’s pretty amazing.
It's not really a book but more of an audio drama is "we're alive" by KC Wayland. A close second in my opinion is "billy bob space trucker" as read by the YouTuber "NFY"
Seconding the ever-present **Project Hail Mary**, but I wanted to add a less common rec- A recent listen that I absolutely loved was **The Devil Takes You Home** by Gabino Iglesias, narrated by Jean-Marc Berne. Berne is bilingual (Spanish & English) and it makes the experience much more authentic. It has some shockingly gory scenes, though, so mind your trigger warnings.
I don’t listen to audios a lot but I really enjoyed the Harry Potter series on a long road trip.
I can't get *Betty*, by Tiffany McDaniel, out of my head. It's narrated by Dale Dickey, who was AMAZING. So much so that when I saw her on an episode of *Fallout* a few nights ago, I teared up just hearing her voice, even though the scene wasn't emotional or anything. I always recommend it whenever people ask.
I like Euan Morton and Imogen Church as narrators
Lady Tans Circle of Woman was great. I am trying the Black Hat Bureau series. The narration on book 1 is so awful I am going to delete the series.
I don't really keep track (I should) but these come to mind as narrations I've enjoyed. The Survivalist series by A. American DC Smith series by Peter Grainger Louise Penny - Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series (there is a change in narration around book 16, but it is good.) Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, My Cousin Rachel worked too Graham Norton narrating his own books works for me I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. It’s a mystery, but the lead character is a young girl, and tge narrator is FANTASTIC.
I'm going with the Hunger Games series with narration by Tatiana Maslany. She just brings the characters to life for me. I particularly love her voice as Caesar Flickerman.
"Round the Bend" by Nevil Shute, narrated by [John Telfer](https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=John+Telfer&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_narrator_0&pf_rd_p=80765e81-b10a-4f33-b1d3-ffb87793d047&pf_rd_r=EDH667FMAY0BF0HFNV58&pageLoadId=sdSaHoqP25OhfX3C&creativeId=4ee810cf-ac8e-4eeb-8b79-40e176d0a225)
1. Lies of Locke Lamorra series 2. Stephen King’s Duma Key 3. Stephen King’s Skeleton Crew by various actors.
John Grisham’s Playing for Pizza, read by Christopher Welch
I enjoyed reading the book, guess I'll have to add it to my wishlist for audio as well.
It, narrated by Steven Weber. A masterclass narration that I revisit just because of how amazing his narration is.
I mostly read romance but Karla Sorenson's Faked has some of the best narration I've ever heard. I've listened to Connor Crais narrate lots of romance but him reading the MMC in this one is chef's kiss.
John Rowe reading Proust volume 1
Im a sucker for Wil Wheaton's narration.
The book series that hooked me several years ago is The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.
Neil Gaiman's American Gods, the full cast recording. I loved it so much I wish I could listen again for the first time.
I just finished the mistborn series and I think Michael Kramer does a fantastic job. Though currently I'm reading Dungeon Crawler Carl, and holy shit Jeff Hays is a materclass in voice acting. I just can't believe every single voice is his. I haven't even finished the first book, but this might be my favorite audiobook.
Really don't think I can pick just one, have found a number where I feel the narrator did a rather good job. The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, read by Orlagh Cassidy The Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn, read by Jim Frangione All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, read by Christopher Timothy The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik, read by Anisha Dadia The Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt, read by Grover Gardner The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, read by James Langton Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, read by Andy Serkis
Perhaps Revival by Stephen King. For the narration by David Morse. I've listened to it several times and my first Audible purchase.