• I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Seconding the Discworld series, but specifying that while the Random House Audio version narrated by Nigel Planer is excellent- The newer version by Penguin Audio with Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy and either Indira Varma or Collin Morgan are absolutely top shelf.

      I was put off before I started them because I assumed it was the “Narrated by a full cast” type of thing which is usually terrible. This is one main narrator (either Collin or Indira if it’s a wizard or witch heavy book, respectively) and then a new voice for the “author’s asides” that makes you feel like Sir Terry Pratchett is telling you little secrets himself and then one special character gets their own voice actor who is just perfect and adds even greater depth to the magic of these books.

      Bobiverse is also fantastic.

      AND The audio version of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir gets a little extra something by being an audio version. If you haven’t read that I recommend going in completely blind with no spoilers at all if possible, don’t read a single thing about it first.

      (Edit: just saw that Chainweasel just edited to also add Project Hail Mary… maybe we should be in a book club together, lol. )

      Edit 2: The Children of Memory series by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a very special one that has stayed with me and I still get misty thinking about it. Just wonderful.

      • SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de
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        5 months ago

        AND The audio version of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir gets a little extra something by being an audio version. If you haven’t read that I recommend going in completely blind with no spoilers at all if possible, don’t read a single thing about it first.

        agreed. went in without spoilers, and even the book version is surprising in what you’re likely refering to

        • I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Oh, right! I heard that the book version has an illustration on the inside front cover that totally spoils. How stupid.

      • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I have all of the Nigel Planer versions of discworld and have been putting off the new versions for exactly the same reason lol. And maybe we should look into a book club lol I saw roadkill by Dennis e Taylor is likely to get a sequel too, I enjoyed that one as well

    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I second this! Project Hail Mary.

      I genuinely think the audiobook is the best version of this book. There are things that work best in audio, I’ll avoid spoilers and leave it at that.

      It’s the same reader that does the bobiverse books, and they’re pretty great.

    • androogee (they/she)@midwest.social
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      5 months ago

      I enjoyed bobiverse a lot when it was about science.

      I could not be less interested in the metaphysics of the soul direction it’s been taking :(

  • SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de
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    5 months ago

    Hitchhikers Guide series read by Adams himself. His voice is just so good. Stephen Fry a close second.

    Children On Time trilogy. Together with Three Body Problem generally the best Scifi I’ve read or listened to.

  • ingalls@lemmy.today
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    5 months ago

    The Lord of the Rings series read by Rob Inglis is awesome. That’s probably my favorite way to consume the series.

    • Grayox@lemmy.mlOP
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      5 months ago

      Never thought about listening to it in audiobook form, ill have to check it out on libby!

    • Drusas@kbin.run
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      5 months ago

      Ooh, thanks for the reminder. I haven’t listened to this since it first came out ages ago and I’ll bet it will be great a second time around.

  • Bruncvik@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    The Hyperion books by Dan Simmons. Hyperion has full cast, the rest doesn’t, but still very high quality narration.

    Honourable mentions:

    • Alastair Reynolds and John Lee collaborations. Lee has the perfect voice and tone for Reynolds’ precise (and somewhat aloof) language.
    • Neil Gaiman books. Gaiman does his own narration, and I can’t imagine his books without his voice.

    Dishonourable mention:

    • John Scalzi, read by Will Wright. Wright reads as if every line in Scalzi’s works was hillarious. Scalzi is a very funny writer, but his books have somber set pieces, and Wright ruins the immersion there.
      • Bruncvik@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Sorry; you are right. I never saw that reader with any other authors, so it’s not something that’s really stuck in my memory.

  • hactar42@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Anansi Boys narrated by Lenny Henry

    Normally I like it when Neil Gaiman narrates his books, but Lenny Henry does a phenomenal job with the Anansi Boys characters.

  • all-knight-party@kbin.run
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    5 months ago

    Probably Mythos, Heroes, and Troy written and read by Stephen Fry. He writes Greek Mythology in a digestible, entertaining, but still information dense way, and he’s an excellent narrator, of course.

  • Johnny Wishbone@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    There are so many I really enjoy, these are all great stories with superb narration.

    The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher are awesome Narrated by James Masters

    The Mitch Rapp Series By Vince Flynn Narrated by George Guidall

    The Walt Longmire Series By Craig Johnson also narrated by George Guidall

    The Victor the Assassin Series By Tom Wood The Rob Shapiro ones are narrated the best there is another narrator depending on region

    The Riyria Series By Michael J Sullivan Narrated by Tim Gerrard Reynolds

    The Night lord Series By Garon Whited Narrated by Sean Runnette

    The Witcher Series By Andrzej Sapkowski narrated by Peter Kenny

    Bobbiverse as previously mentioned

    Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinimon narrated by Jeff Hayes

    I have listened to some of these series 3 or 4 times and would highly recommend them all.

    Also

    Skunk works by Ben R Rich Narrated by Pete Larkin

    And project hail Mary as previously mentioned for stand alone titles.

    • Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      Plus one for dungeon Crawler Carl and I’ll add the Wandering Inn as another in a similar vein.

      I’m currently enjoying Beware of Chicken. It’s funnier than one would expect.

        • Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          5 months ago

          I can see why, some story lines don’t interest me as much like the king of destructions or the clowns but as a whole I really enjoy it and the voice acting imo is phenomenal. Andrea Parsneau is absolutely amazing in her range. From female to male to magical races she’s just so good at doing voices and expressing emotions with them.

          Shout out to my blind boy getting that trollussy. They both deserve each other.

  • Mad_Punda@feddit.org
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    5 months ago

    The Scholomance series. I can’t count how many times I’ve listened to those books.

  • conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.works
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    5 months ago

    Anything by Karen Rose. Since we’re talking audiobooks, I’d say the Cincinnati series, read by Hillary Huber, and specifically Into the Dark, because the female lead is my favorite of her characters. (You usually want to read from the start of a city, though.) These are suspense novels set in the real world, with pretty dark villains doing pretty evil shit, with characters that are damaged, but work through it in the romance part of the arc.

    Another series that specifically is great in audiobook format are any of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series read by Lorelei King. They’re all complete and utter nonsense with wild characters, but the writing and King’s reading nail the tone of just taking it all in stride (mostly), and the result is a fun read.

    For one more, Dick Hill reading Jack Reacher. These always feel like a light read, which is kind of weird with how brutal Reacher is, how dark some of the organizations he opposes are, and the fact that some of the conspiracies are deep and involved. But Reacher’s methodology of steamrolling through any and all takers while protecting the innocent and systematically taking down bad shit that he comes across just feels inevitable. Scott Brick is fine for the later books, and some of the modern crimes are really well portrayed, but Dick Hill is special. I’ve recently borrowed older books that they re-recorded with someone else, and it just killed the experience for me, partly because it’s just worse, partly because I know what greatness sounded like.

  • Usernameblankface@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    The Helldivers series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, as read by R.C. Bray. It’s the perfect voice to tell the story of the protagonist.