-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
What are the most well-narrated audiobooks to check out?
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
andythinkpad
Member
I am listening to Neal stephenson's Rise and Fall of DODO. It has like 10 voice actors in it, probably the best production value for a scifi audiobook.
Polioliolio
Member
I listened to this a couple months ago. I mean it's enjoyable, but what a slog. I suppose most people who read Stephen King already know this, but I got the strong feeling that he writes whatever comes to mind at the time. Some of his established memes simply disappear 'you bet your fur' and others end up happening nonstop 'beep beep Richie'. Sometimes I felt like he forgot to write the Mike character into much of the later scenes simply because he got tired of him. I liked the narrator, but at some point, hearing him describe the terror of a werewolf with a 'dairy killing team' logo on his jacket... Whooboy.. He tries really hard to make this nonsense sound horrifying but in the end, it's goofy stuff, like giant Paul Bunyan statues coming to life and shit.
I did enjoy to some extent, but I would not really recommend for the time investment unless you're very curious about how the It book differs from its other media counterparts.
Haven't listened to yet, but last night decided to spend my credit on Sherlock Holmes narrated by Stephen Fry. Lots of praise for it, and I've never ready Sherlock Holmes that I can remember, so I'm looking forward to listening to it.
War Peaceman
You're a big guy.
11-22-63 by Stephen King narrated by Craig Wasson.
I cannot recommend it enough. I've listened to a lot of audiobooks, many recommended here. The narration of this book, by an actor with incredible range, is impeccable.
One of my favorite audiobooks of all time and it is highly regarded.
I cannot recommend it enough. I've listened to a lot of audiobooks, many recommended here. The narration of this book, by an actor with incredible range, is impeccable.
One of my favorite audiobooks of all time and it is highly regarded.
Agreed. All solid. (Pretty sure Metro will be too but I haven't gotten to it yet).
He really is fantastic. So glad they got him for all the books and collections.
I'm also a big fan of Neil Gaiman reading his own books, usually even more than the full productions. I particularly like his readings of The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Bernard Cornwell is a fantastic author (he wrote the books the show The Last Kingdom is based on, if you are familiar) but unfortunately the quality of the readers for his audiobooks is all over the place. Pretty much anything read by Jonathan Keeble is great though. The Gallows Thief is particularly good IMO. I think he also narrates The Warlord Chronicles series by Cornwell too (original take based in the Arthurian legend) but I read those books and not the audiobooks.
pirateluigi
Member
Yeah, at Summer Knight is when I really started to appreciate his work on the series.
Appropriately that's where the books themselves start to get really good, too.
RipperGrim
Member
Stephen king's IT was pretty well done in my opinion.
Machine
Member
Everyone knows the GOAT audiobook is Go the f**k to sleep as read by Samuel L. Jackson
uncelestial
Member
Tina Fey's Bossypants is pretty awesome, she has little asides and gets into the impressions. Sometimes when there's like a phone message they simulate the sound of it playing back on a little machine, etc. And her style of highly-alert, detail-bejeweled writing sounds best coming out of her mouth. It's great, and people who are just reading that one are missing out.
My GF and I are going on a 10 hour drive next month and we need a new audiobook!
Last time we did this drive we listened to "American Pastoral" narrated by Ron Silver. It was awesome. It's the only audiobook I've ever listened to so not sure how it compares to others. I can still clearly hear Silver's narration in my head though two years later.
Last time we did this drive we listened to "American Pastoral" narrated by Ron Silver. It was awesome. It's the only audiobook I've ever listened to so not sure how it compares to others. I can still clearly hear Silver's narration in my head though two years later.
The first 4 or so Dexter books had 2 versions of audioboks. Originally they were narrated by Nick Landrum. Later on Jeff Lindsey decided he wanted to narrate his own books and he did his own versions. All you can find nowadays are the Jeff Lindsey versions which are terrible. If you can find the nick Landrum versions they are amazing. He really did the character well with the dark humor.
heavy liquid
Member
Yes, he's amazing. He did quite a few Stephen King books which were great, but I don't remember which ones offhand. Speaking of which, King's Bill Hodges Trilogy and 11/22/63 audiobooks are very good audiobooks. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller is also good.
Words of Radiance also got narrated by Graphic Audio. That makes 2 versions lol
Metro 2033 is read by a Brit and he does a variety of very authentic Russian accents/characters that really impressed me. His overall reading is dripping with dread and atmosphere. It's also a great book! One of the best horror-scifi books of the 2000s, IMO.
Another thing I thought of, though not really auduobooks, are the BBC Rasio Dramas. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are amazing, like listening to movies. The actor doing Gollum was a direct influence on Serkis.
As far as I know, Will Patton did the Bill Hodges books, and Doctor Sleep!
More_Badass
Member
Hmm, I wonder if listening makes a difference in general enjoyment. I really liked the first Mistborn but still haven't finished the second
I find it does. A really good audiobook can be better sometimes. I started reading Metro 2033 but ended up listening on audio after I got a taste. The guy does the Russian voices too good. Where as I've listened to several books that I'm certain I enjoyed less because of how the reader interpreted the words.
| Praxis |
Banned
American Psycho narrated by Pablo Schreiber.
TechnicPuppet
Nothing! I said nothing!
The Red Rising trilogy is a good listen for sci-fi as is Dark Matter.
For crime Will Patton doing Stephen Kings Mr Mercedes was great.
For something different the full cast version of American Gods is great but very long.
For crime Will Patton doing Stephen Kings Mr Mercedes was great.
For something different the full cast version of American Gods is great but very long.
I'm about 15 hours into it and yeah, basically about right.
I stopped. Couldnt handle a 70 year old man re-enacting Daenarys sex scenes..
EDIT: Actually maybe it was a different narrator I heard.
AlteredBeast
Fork 'em, Sparky!
Incidentally, I thought he was mostly bad. In particular, two of his characters sound like hilarious caricatures of famous people. I won't spoil it, but I was put off by his style in many ways.
My favorite: Based On a True Story: A Memoir, written and read by Norm MacDonald. The way he reads it is like he is telling you one of his long, rambling stories where there is always the perfect punchline waiting for you. If you follow Norm, you will already have heard a handful of them, and yet, they will still sound fresh and hilarious.
The Reprisal Rape story is still one of the funniest things I've ever heard.
Unfathomability
Neo Member
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, read by the author.
Having an author read their own work can be *really* hit or miss (good writing != good performance), but Blatty nails each character, and he has a deep and rumbly voice that really fits the genre. It's not a flashy production (i think there are some music stings between chapters, but might be making that up) it is simply a very solid reading. Gave me goosebumps while mowing the lawn in sunny july.
Having an author read their own work can be *really* hit or miss (good writing != good performance), but Blatty nails each character, and he has a deep and rumbly voice that really fits the genre. It's not a flashy production (i think there are some music stings between chapters, but might be making that up) it is simply a very solid reading. Gave me goosebumps while mowing the lawn in sunny july.
You alla have already posted some of my recommendations. I would also like to add Enders Game. I really liked the audiobook version of that. Been a couple of years though so I can't remember the names of the people who did it.
I would like to give a warning about Neuromancer though. Found that to be horrible and turned it off after 5 minutes.
I would like to give a warning about Neuromancer though. Found that to be horrible and turned it off after 5 minutes.
hobblygobbly
Member
Yeah I was coming to recommend him too, he has also narrated all of Iain Banks' Culture series books which he did a great job with too. He is a good voice actor with a diverse range of voices for characters.
I personally like to listen to audiobooks later after I have read a book myself because it adds a sense of "new" to it after hearing the voices/acting of other characters by another person, sort of like when you watch a good movie/tv adaption.
Here is a sample of Peter Kenny doing the first book "Consider Phlebas".
Frankenstrat
Member
Hitchhiker's Guide with Stephen Fry was my favorite.
Back of the net.
Monocle
Member
100% this. It's perfect.
Also:
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Dune (the version with the big cast)
Blood Meridian
Harry Potter series (I actually like the version Stephen Fry didn't do. More varied and fitting voices, I thought)
any Richard Dawkins book (especially Unweaving the Rainbow. Sample here.)
I don't know if Christopher Lee did any audiobooks, but if so, I bet they were good.
This actor Phil Dragesh did a fan version of LOTR - fully unabridged with sound effects from the movies and Howard Shore's soundtrack in the background. He does separate voices for each character.
Available here
They're the best audiobooks I've ever listened to, the production is excellent. It's like a narrated version of the movies but using the full Tolkien text.
sample chapter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3br3V_9J90
the full cast of voice acting, the music, the sound effects are all top notch and make the story super immersive
Any Questions
Member
Am going to download, that sample chapter is amazing! Will make an awesome listen while at work. Thanks!!!!
As for the BBC version i had them on cassettes and then managed to download them at some point. Used to listen on YouTube till they got taken down which is why I am chuffed with the SoundCloud version. Have listened to these more times then I can count and can pretty much repeat word for word every line when am listening.
I urge everybody to give them a listen, you wont be disappointed.
Interesting to note that Ian Holme who plays Frodo also played Bilbo in the movies. And that Peter Woodthorpe who voices Gollum (as good or to some better than Sarkis) also played Gollum in the 1978 animated version as well.
I like the BBC version too, it's more of a proper radio play than a straight reading. The one I posted was up on youtube for a couple of years before it got taken down too. It's a shame cos both are excellent.
As someone who saw the films before reading (or listening) to the books, the Phil Dragesh version really helped me visualise the story in my mind as the voices, sound effects, and music help give you those mental cues. I think that really helped in what people refer to as the slower sections of the books cos I felt more invested in the story. (if that makes sense)
Zeta2Reticuli
Member
The Things They Carried read by Bryan Cranston. It's fabulous book about the Vietnam War, it is technically historical fiction. It's brutal, honest, and wonderful story. Listening to the audiobook led to me buying the real book.
Oh, and Cranston kills it.
Oh, and Cranston kills it.
Polioliolio
Member
No you probably heard it right.
I finally finished. I had read the first book, and started listening from the 2nd book through the 5th.
On one hand, he has some great voices... on the other hand, you really get tired of hearing these kind of voices coming out of ALL the characters. He has maybe 5 or 6 different voices, and they tend to characterize a character to the extreme. There's the pompous rich voice, dimwit voice, the toothless dimwit voice, the burly scottishy voice, etc.
I'd love to hear him in some shorter stories, for sure.
I think part of my fatigue also came from the stories though. Nothing seems to happen in these books but for the last few chapters of each.