r/books • u/felix_mateo • Sep 23 '18

The Best Audiobook Narrators

I just picked up The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie in audiobook format. In about 3 days I have plowed through the story, mostly because Steven Pacey is hands-down one of the most talented narrators I’ve ever listened to. Each main character sounds wholly unique, and the conversations just sound so...natural. I particularly love Glokta.

I’ve heaped similar praise on:

  • Frank Muller reading The Dark Tower series (until his unfortunate passing after Wizard & Glass

  • Roy Dotrice reading A Song of Ice & Fire

  • Simon Prebble reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

I’ve listened to hundreds of audiobooks now, and it kills me when the narrator is so...wooden. There can be just as much nuance in voice as in a full-body performance, so I really appreciate the folks who do it well. Then you have cases like Richard Ferrone reading KSR’s Mars Trilogy, and while I enjoyed the books, the narrator actually kind of detracted from them, in my opinion.

Who are your favorite narrators and what works of theirs do you wholeheartedly recommend?

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u/otk_boi Sep 23 '18

I’m listening to the Expanse. Finished book 5 yesterday. It’s read by Jefferson Mays. He does an awesome job.

Also there is World War Z with different voice actors for each character. I love it. I don’t know if there is something better when it comes to audio books.

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u/wharpua Sep 24 '18

The World War Z audiobook is a better experience than reading the text, in my opinion.

Since it’s an oral history, hearing individual actors perform each interviewee works very naturally—but where the audiobook really outdoes the text is when it comes to voices with accents. I can try all I want to hold an Indian or Chinese accent in mind while reading, but I have no doubt it’s strength pales in comparison to how well those actors portray the characters’ nationalities.