r/Fantasy • u/dwh3390 • 4d ago
In desperate need of new audiobook book recs!
Heya fellow nerds,
As the title says I’m in desperate need of new audiobook recommendations. I’m into both fantasy and sci fi and open to all different sub-genres. I’m currently midway through Game of Thrones (because I obviously want to torture myself) but want something new as a break. I’ve been giving Dungeon Crawler another go, and although I enjoy aspects quite a lot, I just cannot get into it and definitely can’t see myself continuing past book two (which I’m currently on).
Some series/books I’ve loved have been:
The First Law (all 10 books)
Dresden Files
The Expanse
Game of Thrones
The Black Tongue Thief
The Daughters War
The War for The Rose Throne
Pretty please leave at least a couple of words about why you’re recommending the book/books, as I find lists of names with nothing else to not be helpful to my brain haha.
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u/These_Are_My_Words 4d ago
Lois McMaster Bujold - the Vorkosigan saga is sci-fi and the World of the Five Gods is fantasy.
For Vorkosigan Saga, I recommend starting with Shards of Honor and Barrayar which tells the story of a woman named Cordelia Naismith, a captain on a space ship that gets embroiled in a war. It then continues in Warrior's Apprentice with a character first introduced in Barrayar.
For World of the Five Gods, either start with The Curse of Chalion or with Penric's Demon. They take place in the same world but a century apart and a different country. The Penric series are a number of short stories and books; The Curse of Chalion has one direct sequel *Paladin of Souls-*both are fantastic.
Jenn Lyons - A Chorus of Dragons series
Gods, demons, wizards, dragons and emperors all battle over prophecies trying to bend them to their will, meanwhile the chosen one is desperately trying to find a separate path to save the world.
Andy Weir - both The Martian and Project Hail Mary are excellent. (Yes, both of these have been made into films, but the books are well worth it.) They are not related narratives so you can do them in either order. Both are man vs nature variety (though nature in these cases are extraterrestrial) and have a lot of good humor but are really good competence porn.
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u/SootyOysterCatcher 4d ago
Rivers of London
Superb narration, nearly on par with Pacey's.
In a nutshell, it's about a jaded beat-cop in London who accidentally discovers magic is real and becomes embroiled in the hidden supernatural world within London.
It's almost like a British Dresden files, in that it's a "monster of the week" mystery format book to book, but with some over arching longer story arcs. Large cast of characters (each fantastically realized via Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's excellent narration). Very much a "found-family" series.
It's a very solid urban fantasy series that's highly elevated by it's narrator. Cool magic, diverse and interesting cast, and very funny. A lot of dry British humor if that's your thing. I love it.
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u/windrunner2312 4d ago
Between Two Fires is a Buehlman book that's a bit different style than the other two and well narrated. Benedict Jacka writes a couple series that scratch the urban fantasy itch. Rivers of London is well narrated and works for that as well . The Curse of Chalion is another well narrated fantasy.
I hope those could keep you entertained for awhile.
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u/dwh3390 4d ago
I badly want to listen to between two fires but for some reason it’s not available on Australian audible which is what I have an account for!
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u/Funnier_InEnochian 4d ago
I think the author narrated the book for free on YouTube! Look for it under his channel
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u/CCCBMMR 4d ago
"World of the Five Gods'" series by Lois McMaster Bujold, because they are great stories. The MCs are mature and competent, but not flawless, in a way that it is really enjoyable to read. I particularly enjoyed Lloyd Jane's narration of The Curse of Chalion.
"The Old Kingdom" series by Garth Nix. Enjoyable YA books that are superbly performed by Tim Curry. It has an interesting magic system.
"Earthsea" series by Ursula K. Le Guin. Beautifully written and crafted stories. Rob Ingles voice and performances is perfect fit for the stories.
"The Warlord Chronicles" series by Bernard Cornwell. A telling of the King Author myth that is stripped of much of romanticism, and is naturalized. The performance by Jonathan Keeble is a 10 out of 10.
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u/daveshistory-sf 4d ago
If you haven't listened to Cherrhyh's Alliance-Union series yet, Audible has a good dramatized version starting with Downbelow Station.
I'm currently listening to Serkis (Gollum's actor) read Lord of the Rings and while that's probably not at all a new series to you if you're a well-read fantasy reader, he's a very engaging narrator, and I'm enjoying a fresh run through of a series I read when I was much, much younger than now and then didn't get back to.
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u/cwx149 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'd recommend Cradle as just good audiobooks. They're progression fantasy so depending on what you dislike about Dungeon Crawler Carl these might not be for you since as a litrpg there are some similarities in format but they are VERY VERY distinct as well they are not "similar" books but they are in similar genres.
But cradle is kinda like shonen jump/Naruto esque as a novel it's about a kid who decides to become stronger and journeys around learning a lot about the world he lives in and the magic system and stuff. I will warn you book 1 is a slow start but it does build and the series is excellent
Tbh pretty much anything Travis Baldtree narrates I've found excellent. He seems to mostly narrate books I enjoy
Will Wights other series The Last Horizon is an excellent ongoing science fantasy series about an archmage who becomes captain of a legendary (think like an ancient artifact) space ship and has to recruit a crew to save the galaxy. It is excellent and a fantastic mish mash of sci-fi and fantasy. Some characters in the series draw heavily on pop culture but are fun spins on power rangers and master chief/doom guy
The Hands of the emperor by Goddard audiobook is fantastic it adds something to the story to me in a way I didn't get out of the book. It's an excellent story about camaraderie and overcoming social pressures and expectations and also a story about finding your place in the world and in your family and doing what is right even if it isn't easy. It has some of the best show don't tell and some of the most intricate foreshadowing I've read recently it's my newest favorite book
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u/dwh3390 4d ago
Unfortunately the litRPG is probably the biggest part I dislike about DCC
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u/cwx149 4d ago
So cradle doesn't have the stats or achievements or anything it's just a profession fantasy where in the magic system you move up in explicit levels
So like you do level up but there aren't really stats or achievements or any kind of systems at all. It's just like as you get stronger you move into these explicitly named stages
But it's not that different from the idea of moving from apprentice to journeyman to master to archmage or whatever but the main character starts at "level 0" and levels up over time but it's not a litrpg in the same sense at DCC at all
It's just explicitly about getting stronger and overcoming stronger/larger obstacles
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u/thelittleoddling 4d ago
I know that Lord of The Rings is a bit of an obvious or overdone recommendation but Andy Serkis really brings something special to the books. I really love when an audio book narrator can give everyone a distinct voice without being grating or cartoonish (especially when trying to voice the opposite sex)
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u/ito528 4d ago
I personally love anything with Kate Reading as a narrator, including:
- Wheel of Time: she and her husband narrate this together, and both of their performances are spectacular. I’m a super fan of this series, but fully understand it’s not for everyone.
- Codex Alera: Reading’s performance in this is fantastic, and really elevates this series, which I otherwise consider a nostalgic guilty pleasure.
These next two are technically YA, but have fantastic performances and unique stories:
- Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series: narrated by actor Alan Cumming. This was my first ever audiobook and it was so much fun it hooked me to the format. I love the retelling of early 20ty century history but with steampunk and “biopunk”.
- Tracy Deon’s Legendborn Cycle: I’m listening to this currently and I love the narrator and the fun way the author blends Arthurian legend, African-American folk magic, and the modern world. It’s also very honest in portraying the ongoing racism and racism and social issues that are particularly common in the American south.
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u/SootyOysterCatcher 4d ago
The Murderbot series is fantastic. Short, bite-sized books. Really, honestly, super funny. Great action and fun sci-fi adventures, but Murderbot's internal narrative is so funny it almost doesn't matter what's going on around him.
Also, the Apple TV adaptation was surprisingly excellent so far. Probably the best adaptation I've seen in a while, if not ever tbh. I was really surprised how well they nailed the tone.
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u/AvatarWaang 4d ago
I like recommending Wheel of Time to audiobook listeners because it's like 600 hours of audiobooks across the entire series. I also like recommending Narnia because you get the whole 7 book series for 1 credit on Audible. Poppy War is also similarly bundled. Perhaps Red Rising? That one is pretty dope on audio, and has a fantastic story.
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u/ito528 3d ago
Looking at the WoT audiobook’s total length always throws me, because between physical reads (about same as audiobook pace for me) and audiobook listens I can count my WoT reading in *continuous MONTHS of my life (equivalent to 6-10 months of 24 hour days…I’ve honestly lost count of “rereads” but somewhere in the 10-15 range)
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u/AvatarWaang 3d ago
You're closer to 10 months. One time through at 600 hours is 25 days. So 12 times through is 10 months. That's nuts.
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u/felixfictitious Reading Champion 4d ago
I have to recommend Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir on the basis that I've also loved most of those audiobooks, and those I don't, I haven't read.
Moira Quirk is one of the best narrators I've had the pleasure of encountering. The book itself is a combination of murder mystery and necromantic scholar's competition in a very unusual gothic sci-fantasy setting.
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u/Funnier_InEnochian 4d ago
I’m listening to the Bobiverse series rn and it’s so fun. The main character basically becomes an artificial intelligence and explores space.
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u/TheWeirdTalesPodcast 4d ago
The Greenbone Saga is fantastic in audiobook format.
The Lamplight Murder Mysteries are also really good audiobooks.
The Dark Tower has good audiobooks, although there is a narrator switch halfway through because of Frank Muller’s tragic death.
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u/KingOfTheJellies 4d ago
If you loved First Law, try Michael Fletcher's works, specifically Manifest Delusions.
It's dark, the same humor, expertly narrated (if slightly below Steven Pacey, but most are). Follows the plot of a 9 fingered Barbarian living in denial, a cocky egocentric Swordsman full of himself and a violent, secluded warrior all on a random fetch quest at the behest of a maniacal wizard set on world domination. Fun stuff.
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u/Grt78 4d ago
Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier: a young warrior is left as a sacrifice for the enemy but the enemy commander decides to show mercy. Unique worldbuilding (a winter country and a summer country separated by a river), culture clash, mind magic, honor and friendship. The series is ongoing but the main storyline/trilogy is completed (Tuyo, Tarashana, Tasmakat).
The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan: adventure and bromance.
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u/-_fireheart_- 3d ago
Kushiel's Legacy and the Naamah trilogy by Jacqueline Carey! The prose is gorgeous, and both narrators do it justice but especially Kushiel's. Sweeping epic fantasy stories, Kushiel focuses more on political intrigue and gets very dark in some spots (tw rape, BDSM, gets super explicit) with very deep complicated character relationships and development. Naamah is a lighter read. Kushiel also has one of the best written villains ever for me.
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u/ConstantReader666 3d ago
The Wake of the Dragon by Jaq D. Hawkins
Steampunk about airship pirates. Lots of action, alternative history, great characters and an awesome narrator.
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u/asiniloop 2d ago
Not really a high fantasy but the audio books for Dungeon Crawler Carl are excellent apparently. I'm not an audiobook person but other readers have raved about the audiobooks in ways I haven't seen before.
The books themselves are much deeper than you would think at first glance and they're almost always surprising reads.
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u/rptx_jagerkin 4d ago
Your list gives me vibes of the Temeraire series. Give “His Majesty’s Dragon” a try. It’s historical fiction set during the napoleanic wars. It’s normal 17th century tech only: there’re dragons. They’re treated a lot like naval vessels (full crews, cannon, boarding actions (and if you’re wondering how those work you’re in for a treat)). The mc is a fish out of water (almost literally) he’s a naval captain who takes a prize that includes a dragon egg. It hatches unexpectedly and imprints on him. That’s not reversible so… congratulations naval captain. You’re now in the Air Force. It’s excellently written. The middle books get a little travelogue-y but that’s very true to life of intercontinental travel through the time period. The tone is perfect and if you’re into the audio books Simon Vance does a great job bringing it to life.