Audiobooks have completely revolutionized how we read in the 21st century. Rather than staring at words for hours, forcing ourselves to maintain concentration, and reading only at our mind’s pace, we can now let others do the work for us while we drive, do the dishes, or walk the dog. A dyslexic person, someone who is facing a reading slump, or even someone who is visually impaired can now enjoy the beauty of books like others do.
Recently, audiobook productions have only gotten better, becoming more and more cinematic, from hiring professional actors and voiceover artists to adding subtle soundtracks in the background that can completely whisk the reader away and dump them in the world of the book. In an online discussion, participants discuss audiobooks with the best reading experience. Here are some of their comments.
1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Wier
Winner of the 2022 Audie Awards’ Audiobook of the Year, this audiobook brings to the ears all the beauty and interesting scientific details that author Andy Weir packs into this stunning novel. Project Hail Mary itself generated a lot of buzz and had many readers talking about the scientifically accurate information in the book.
Now, combine all of that with the narration of Ray Porter, and what you have on your hands is a masterpiece. Protagonist Ryland Grace’s story becomes more engaging and realistic in this version of the book.
2. The Expanse by James S.A. Corey
The Expanse audiobooks are definitely something readers will want to come back to after the first listen. This is because narrator Jefferson Mays does a fantastic job of keeping listeners engaged with well-timed inflections and a perfect tone. He does so well with the story, that it becomes difficult to imagine someone else recording the series.
The series by James S.A. Corey is a staggering take on the future of humanity long after they’ve left Earth and colonized other planets. The book is magnificent, and the audiobook is even better.
3. The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie’s gritty, grim, dark, high fantasy trilogy, The First Law, takes a turn for the better in the audiobooks narrated by the amazing Steven Pacey. At 70+ hours for the series, this beast of a trilogy would have listeners captivated from the first hour to the last.
Just allow Joe Abercrombie’s masterful character work and worldbuilding to get whispered into your ears through the awesome narration of Steven Pacey, and, best believe the story of Jezal, the Bloody Nine, Dog Man, and the rest of the characters would never leave your memories.
4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
How else to come into the immersive virtual world in this novel than be led into it through masterful narration? Experience the beauty of the Oasis through the storytelling of one of the greats in the game, Wil Wheaton. For 15 hours and 14 minutes, he’d manage to keep you invested in the story. This #1 New York Times bestselling novel has been described as ‘Willy Wonka meets the Matrix”, and if you haven’t read (or listened) to it by now, then you can imagine what that combination would look like.
5. Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Winner of the 2023 Audie Award for Best Male Narrator, the audiobook of this #1 New York Times bestselling novel is sure to enchant listeners. The narration was done by King himself and the fantastic Seth Numric. Seth’s narration is fascinating and can enthrall readers as the story delves into the fantastic world of Stephen King’s mind. Fairy Tale shows us how far a boy is willing to go to save his dog and all the places he’s willing to enter.
6. World War Z by Max Brooks
This book, World War Z, was given the full cast treatment, and it worked well. The zombie apocalyptic horror novel released in 2006 was a sensation, taking the book world by storm and earning itself a live-action adaptation.
Its audiobook, released in 2007, was performed by a full cast of over 20 artists, including Mark Hamill, John Turturro, and Alan Aldee. It also won an Audie Award for Multi-Voiced Performance in 2014.
7. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
For 8 hours and 44 minutes, Trevor Noah takes listeners through his touching coming-of-age story that begins with him being thrown out of a moving van by his mother. A true-life tale set in a time when apartheid was deeply entrenched in South Africa, Trevor’s comical yet assured voice shines through in this audiobook.
His story is tragic and at the same time, funny, and yet again, Trevor shows he’s not just a good speaker but a fine writer, too. It won Audible’s Best of 2016 Celebrity Memoirs.
8. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
James Marsters illuminates the inner life of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, the protagonist of Jim Butcher’s novel Grave Peril. He puts listeners directly in the story with his acting, subtle voice changes for different characters and general enthusiasm.
Being an actor himself and featured in the popular TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, James puts in a brilliant performance. The story is enjoyable and adds another layer of brilliance to Jim Butcher’s bestselling series.
9. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Pierce Brown’s Red Rising, the first book in the series, has plenty of cinematic scenes that can be visualized while reading or listening. So it’s easy for narrator Tim Gerard Reynolds to activate the cinema of the mind while performing.
The story is a brutal tale of survival in a Hunger Games-like world where segregation and discrimination are the culture. Pierce Brown’s immersive worldbuilding and incisive prose, performed by Tim Gerard, beautifies every minute of this 16-hour-long story.
10. His Dark Material by Philip Pullman
This modern fantasy classic has been named “All-time Greatest Novel” by Entertainment Weekly, and the audiobook version deserves as much praise. Few audiobooks immerse the reader as this series does, the ensemble cast all bringing their A-game to give the book a movie feeling.
11. Pines by Blake Crouch
Another smash hit from the brilliant author of Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade. Pines follows the character Ethan Burke on his search for answers in a world where nothing seems as it is.
Blake Crouch has a knack for creating wildly imaginative stories that sometimes move from one reality to another, and in this audiobook, narrator Max Meyers translates all of that into his performance.
12. The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
One of the best, well-done audiobook productions out there is none other than Neil Gaiman’s iconic comic book series, The Sandman.
This fantastic audiobook version features an ensemble cast boasting actors like James McAvoy, who voices Dream, Riz Ahmed as The Corinthian, Andy Serkis as Mathew the Raven, and more. The immersive sound effects and cinematic scores make for a movie experience.
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