Join the giveaway for the exclusive miniatures from He Who Fights With Monsters: litrpg.podiumentertainment.com/giveaway Don't forget book 11 releases July 23rd! Thank you to Podium Entertainment for sponsoring the video! Let me know your favorite audiobooks!
I just need to add that when Steven Pacey is voicing Glokta's inner monologuing, he doesn't have the lisp like when he's actually speaking. Blew my mind when i realized and truly shows how amazing of a narrator Pacey is. I mention this to most people who've listened to First Law, and people are always blown away when they realize it as well. Steven Pacey is on a whole other level.
His narration actually got me to stop listening to this book. My wife and I still stay his "CONFESSSSS" in his voice every time that word comes up. I need to give it another shot.
I listening between 15 to 20 audiobooks on audible per year. I like everything Micheal Kramer does, but I think my favourite was Nick Podehl narrating Wise Man's Fear.
100% agree, Kramer is so so good. Nick Podehl narrating Kingkiller Chronicles is masterful. Just finished listening to them for the fourth time and blown away at how talented he is
I’m so glad that I’m not the only person who reads along and listens to books at the same time. I love the tern “immersion.” I’ve never heard that expression before. Thanks for all the good info and advice!
James Marsters does such a good job on the Dresden Files series. He brings such emotion to Harry Dresden, especially in the later books. Also, Toby Longworth is amazing in all the Warhammer 40k books he does. I'm on the last Guant's Ghost book, and I love them all.
I just started listening to the first dresden book, I like the story so far but I found his writing of women really cringy, does this improve over the span of the first book (or is the story worth it to a point where I should push through)?
@Lorenz398 yes, definitely. The stories are more local detective stories the 1st 2 or 3 books before expanding in scope. They have 2 of the best villains to me. Dresden ends up working with Marcone, unwilling, when the stakes get higher. I get the cringy part. Dresden does come off as somewhat misogynistic early on. He knows this and even kinda gives himself grief layer on about it. The thing is the emotional part of the character just builds each story and Marsters does such a great job with it. The doubt, uncertainty, and pain he feels later really comes across. The 3rd book is when it really starts to take off. Even Butcher admits the 1st 2 were him finding himself as a writer. Book 2 is a werewolf story that's ok, but it introduces recurring characters. Stick with it.
@@Lorenz398 I think Marsters is the WORST - I just don't get why people love him so much. I haven't gotten through the 3rd book because of this. Apparently he gets better?
Congrats on the 400th video! You do amazing work and you have the best editing of any fantasy channel I've seen - thank you for the amazing audiobook recommendations!
First law audiobook is GOAT for me. I've finished the first trilogy and now i'm reading "The Heroes" and what can I say...Bremer Dan Gorst, if you know you know.
Just a small comment about the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. The radio show is actually the original source material that aired in '78 in a series of episodes that were then later turned into a book in '79 because of how popular and well received the radio show was. There is a snippet added to a lot of the radio show repositories explaining some of the making of the original radio shows and how chaotic Douglas Adams and the rest of the actors were in putting together the series!
They're somewhat hard to track down now, but Douglas Adams also recorded audiobooks of the books in the Hitchhiker's series, and they are absolutely marvelous! Worth a listen for sure.
Project Hail Mary was a audiobook I listened to when I drove 2 minutes to the grocery store, I had to put in as much time as possible, it was so hard to stop listening to it.
The spoiler is that the book works better as an audiobook for...reasons. Oddly I really prefer the audiobook of The Martian as the log entries really work that way for me.
Totally agree on the Phil Dragash version of LotR. You mentioned it on a previous audiobook video you made so I tracked it down. Really phenomenal. Uses music from the movies and some sound effects that actually add to the experience unlike graphic audio productions where you can barely hear the narration.
The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba narrated by Andrea Parsneau - one of the best narrators I've come across. Literraly listened to her 12 books in a row and never got bored. The amount of different voices she does is incredible.
I think anyone who's reading The Wandering Inn *without* the audiobooks is REALLY missing out! Parsneau is OUTSTANDING! Those characters not only have different accents, each species has distinct ways of speaking. Keeping track of SO MANY different characters and all of the different species must be incredibly difficult!
Some of my favorites: Colin Mace - Bloodsworn Trilogy by John Gwynne; Stephen Pacey - First Law by Joe Abercombie; Michael Page - Gentleman Bastards by Scott Lynch; Andy Serkis - LOTR; Simon Vance - Millenium Series by Steig Larson, Dune by Frank Herbert; Michael and Kate - WoT and the Cosmere; Wil Wheaton - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline; Tim Gerard Reynolds - Red Rising Series by Peirce Brown; Suzy Jackson - How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe, Skyward Series by Brandon Sanderson; Samual Roukin - Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio; Rosamund Pike - WoT by Robert Jordan
This is an EXCELLENT recommendation list. Audiobook recommendation lists found online tend to feel like they are simply favorite book lists. You are SO on point focusing on the best sff narrators out there. Steven Pacey consistently amazes me, he really is the goat. I can also second your recommendations of Ray Porter's Hail Mary Project (if you love Ray, listen to Bobiverse!!!), Tim Curry reading Sabriel (also a childhood favorite of mine), and James Masters in Dresden Files (he's a big portion of why I got through the first few books and read the whole series). I'm looking forward to some of these new recommendations, and you got yourself a subscriber. Hope you make more audiobook content!
I'm finishing listening to my first audiobook, and it's Project Hail Mary. I chose a random book from my TBR to try a new format for myself, and it's great! I love the experience! Thank you for other great recommendations!
What a great first audio book to start on. I Honestly think Project Hail Mary should be consumed as an audio book first for obvious reasons. (not to spoil anything for those that haven't read / listened to it)
I’m on the second book of The Gentleman Bastards thanks to you good sir! I shall save this video for later for I seem to enjoy any book you are enthused about! 💕
I love and agree with so many of these. I do want to mention that Andrea Parsneau's narration of The Wandering Inn audio books is amazing. She deserves to be high up on this list.
Love audiobooks, and love this video! Red Rising, First Law and any Neil Gaiman is fantastic in audiobook form :). I definitely want to check out Harry Potter, Project Hail Mary and Riyria Revelations!
Thanks for the recommendations. I really like when you let us know if the books are grim or uplifting, since I’m nowadays avoiding the grimmer ones. ☺️
I LOVED listening to the entire Hitchiker's Guide series. I've been thinking of First Law and Red Rising as new series to start, and this has helped solidify that choice.
I often listen to audiobooks on the 45-1hr drive back up to my parents every week for work on the weekends and have loved the mushoku Tensei audiobook.
This is a fun and delightful video- thank you so much for it!!!!! 🎉 Some of my favorite audiobooks are: anything by Agatha Christie, read by Hugh Fraser and Richard Armitage; Little Eve by Catriona Ward, read by Carolyn Bonnyman; the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman (Dirk Maggs), read by a full cast; Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal, read by W. Morgan Sheppard; The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich, read by Charlotte Parry and Christian Coulson; and The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, read by Christopher Ragland!!! Your content always puts a smile on my face 😀: the editing, the colorful 🌈 images, the background music, the in-depth, fun repartee... I absolutely LOVE it!!!!! 💗 Keep the fabulousness coming, and until next time!!!!! 🌌🎆😎
Love Riyria!! I love going back to Royce and Hadrian. I listened to The Rise of the Ranger on Audible it was great! The Echoes Saga is a new favorite for me.
I really want a Dresden adult animated show with Marsters as Dresden. It would be amazing. DCC is pretty much my favorite narration ever. The only ones I would add is the combo of NK Jemisin and Robin Miles for both the Broken Earth trilogy and the Great Cities duology. Broken Earth are probably better books overall, but Robin goes to town in Great Cities; one of my favorite villain narrations ever.
My recent favorite audiobook narration was for The Shadow of the Wind. Absolutely enchanting, the narrator really captures the naïveté of the main character and the eerie vibes of Barcelona. So much so that while listening to the sequels I kept thinking that I wanted the original narrator back. An all time favorite for me is Pet Sematary narrated by Michael c hall. Idk if it’s because I was so used to his voice from watching Dexter over the years. he has a soothing and haunting voice that really brought out the agony and heartbreak of the main character
I can not stop listening to Project Hail Mary! I listen to new books all of the time, but I always end up listening to Project Hail Mary when I'm shopping or going to sleep. It's become a comfort for me.
Fantastic video! So often I listen to a reviewer, and I still want them to mention if he or she think the book would work in the audio format. So this is perfect. AND, couldn’t agree with you more the red rising is done to perfection in an audio and first law. Especially Glokta….wow 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Dear Captured In Words, a HUGE THANK YOU !!!!! I have listened to Project Hail Mary because of you and this is my favorite book of 2024! The audiobook is so good. I am now actively recommending the book and audiobook to everyone I know
Two sort of tangents to some of your suggestions 1.) The Blacktongue Thief is narrated by Christopher Buehlman (the author of Between Two Fires) and does this Irish like accent despite being American and 2.) Tim Curry does an absolute incredible job on A Series of Unfortunate Events
You have some great recommendations on here. I completely agree with you on Between Two Fires. It deserves much more love. Thanks for mentioning the Neil Gaiman situation. It was such a gut punch to hear about, and I feel like most BookTubers are pretending it didn’t happen.
Fantastic list. Agree with essentially every one. +Bonus points for HWFWM, Dungeon Crawler Carl and the Sabriel/Abhorsen books. Love your taste man! Subbed
okay I am stopping mid video because Steve West is one of my top favs, and I just had the honor/privildge of listening to "The West Gate" which is coming out in a few days by now. There are a lot of times as much as I adore him, I feel that the work falls a little flat to give him teh credit I think he deserves. but THAT book, That book is what I've been waiting YEARS for. It allows him room for the dramatic, but also has a sense of levity/ snarkiness and has an INSANE cast size that really allows him to show off his character work abilities that normally only pop up in 'sillier' works. Thanks for the heads up on that one-- it sounds fascinating! Sandman is one of the few multicast that I've ever REALLY fell entirely for. THeir take on LOcke and Key was how I knew that. For star wars--- anything by Jonthan Davis, another top fav of mine. Sabriel is on my eventual TBR
Great list! If I was to add another Scifi in there, I'd definitely recommend the Bobiverse Trilogy by Denis E. Taylor. Great balance of action and humor
I’m a Jim Dale fan as that’s the only one I’ve listened to… as for audio books I love… I really love the audio dramas done by focus on the family for Narnia! These are some of my faves to listen to!
My guess why it isn't here is because you listened to Nick's version of the Kingkiller chronicles, but Rupert Degas is why I have listened to KKC 13 times in a row, he is absolutely amazing, great range and you can barely tell it's him on some characters.
Great recommendations especially Andy Serkis narrating The Lord of the Rings. Graphic Audio is sometimes a little hit or miss, but I really enjoyed their version of the Stormlight Archives and the Kate Daniels series.
The first couple books of the Dresden Files had some recording quality issues but those go away after a couple of books. And James Marsters is amazing.
I am on the 4th book of John Gwynne's The Faithful and the Fallen series, and I finished most of the books on audio. Definitely worth listening to the audio. I think the narrator also did the Empire of the Vampire series.
MY HOF Audiobooks 1. Superpowerds Year 4 Drew Hayes 2. United as One (i am number 4) Pitticus Lore 3. Words of Radiance Brandon Sanderson 4. Morning Star - Pierce Brown 5. Recursion - Blake Crouch 6. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline.
Thanks, Graphic Audio sounds promising! I hate Micheal Kramer‘s narration and he really ruined Way of Kings for me. It’s a pity as Stormlight Archives are such chunky books they take forever to get through without being able to listen to the audio. I still havent got around to RoW so I will check it out on Graphic Audio!
@@SuperPuddingcat I've not listened to Kramer for the first 3 Stormlight books, but I honestly prefer listening to him over Kate Reading, her voice goes through my head like a drill. She's so dry and monotone and robotic, it literally kills me. At least Kramer's voice is unique enough and he can do multiple voices without making me cringe, Kate can't do other voices if her life depended on it. Way of Kings sounds amazing by Graphic Audio, it's probably why the book is my favourite book of all time. I will warn you, the Graphic Audio Audiobooks do tend to skip a lot of description, it prioritises dialogue more to make it sound like actually conversations, so there won't be any "he said" or "she said", you'll recognise the voices and be able to easily know who's talking, also the mucis and sound effects never fails to give me chills. They're quite expensive and sold in parts, I'm sure there are other ways of listening to them cough cough
@@SuperPuddingcat I'd still recommend trying out the first 3 books. Maybe it's just because I really didn't like RoW, but I felt like the first 3 books were produced better. The price is pretty steep, so you can always pirate it first to try it out. I loved them so much I actually paid for them afterwards.
‘Rupert Degas reading of The Name Of The Wind is still the all time great for me. I listened to the American version and I thought it was a fan reading at first. If you’re a fan of the books and you’ve only heard the American narration then it will blow you away.
Project Hail Mary was indeed a very good listen for me. Enjoyed the atmosphere the narrator has created. I can also recommend "The Dispatcher" by John Scalzi, narrated by Zachary Quinto. Short listen but worth your time with great, unique idea enhanced by awesome narration.
I’ve been listening to The Warlord Chronicles lately and the narrator of that series Jonathan Keeble has been absolutely stellar, dude scares me sometimes with how intense his performance gets lol
The family Corleone is my number 1 favorite audiobook….Bobby Cannaval did a phenomenal job with the narration….. this book is so underrated…. The Godfather is my second favorite with Joe Mantegna doing a great job pulling you in….
Oh at last! Someone else. I thought it was just me! The way she said “Dalinar” like an 80 year old woman! I’m afraid as a British woman, I need my audiobook read in English, NOT American. It’s like reading American text with different spellings, punctuation and grammar - ohhhhh it does grate!!!
I only listen to audiobooks while driving or sometimes walking, so I finish about one a month. Favourites of mine in terms of narration are Robin Miles for N.K.Jemisin's books and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith for the Rivers of London series. I like the books, but he elevates them so much for me. James Marsters for Dresden Files is also perfect. And the Sandman Audio Production is fantastic. And Stephen Fry can read anything to me. Dungeon Crawler Carl is on my list to listen to soon. I heard great things about the narration
Brave and bold claim about Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. I agree, though. They're great. I've listened to hundreds of hours of them. But I've never thought they were quite as perfect as their repute. They often miss emotional beats to me. Also, Sandman is literally the most beautiful audio experience I've ever heard. It inspired me to finally make my own full cast audio drama, something I'd been dallying with forever.
My 2 favorite audiobooks are “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” written by George RR Martin (readers call it “Dunk & Egg”). It’s narrated by Harry Lloyd who played Daenerys’ brother Viserys II Targaryen in Game of Thrones. Also, the narrator of “The Witcher” series, Peter Kenney, is AMAZING. The sheer number of different voices and personalities for all the many characters and sometimes monsters is unmatched in my opinion.
When are you going to read "The Deed of Paksenarrion"? Also, the audio books narrated by Jennifer Van Dyck are surprisingly good given the age of the books themselves. I have read the books so many times that I have had to re-buy them multiple times because the books become so worn and start to fall apart. I was hesitant at first to get the audiobooks, but after the first listen I was hooked and have listened to them several times now; probably the most read series for me. Though I do have to say that I am surprised there was no mention of Nick Podehl, and his narration of both the King Killer Chronicles and King's Dark Tidings' book series.
These sound like great suggestions, I’ll be adding most of these to my audible wish list! I do wish you included more female authors though - only 3/22 recommendations had female authors & Madeline Miller’s was the only name that was mentioned in the video (Claudia Gray & JK Rowling weren’t named). Would love to see more women in the future!
I am surprised you didn’t mentioned the name of the wind- Nick Poedehl. Recommendations: one hundred years of solitude- John Lee Don Quixote-George Guidall Carrion Comfort-Mel Foster, Laura Merlington A gentleman in Moscow-Nicholas Guy Smith To kill a mockingbird- Sissy Spaceck Among others….
Dude, I’ve listened to the entire First Law series and standalone books several times. The writing is excellent but Steven Pacey is an absolute treasure. I can’t understand why he isn’t used more by top authors. I’m currently listening to The Way of the Renegades by Steve D Wall only because Pacey is narrating. It’s pretty good so far. Lastly, I truly hope someone brings Abercrombie’s characters to the small screen, live action or animated, very soon.
Tim Gerard Reynolds narrates the Red Rising books as well as the Riyria books. When you were talking about Red Rising you called him Gerard Reynolds and when you were talking about Riyria you called him Tim Reynolds. Making sure you know that's the same guy. The guy who narrates most of the Star Wars books is Marc Thompson and he's one of the best ever, I really wish he'd do more non-Star Wars stuff. Nick Podehl is also an incredible narrator who does the Kingkiller Chronicles.
Pacey is the GOAT. Best audiobooks of all time hands down. Project Hail Mary is probably my favorite book of the last ten years and the audiobook is a big reason for it. Phenomenal story with heart and a stirring performance. I just finished Serkis’ renditions of LotR and they are really wonderful. Although the Treeebeard chapter in two towers was a bit rough with him going for the realism to perhaps too much of a degree. I just finished the first Dresden book and it was wonderful. Looking forward to splicing those into my schedule when I need a fun and quick listen. I am listening to Mistborn right now which is my first Michael Kramer book and I have to say I feel the same as you do. He certainly is professional and does a fine job but it is definitely not up to part with the evolution of audiobooks in recent years. Lastly, one series I would add is the recent recoding of the Hunger Games by Tatiana Maslany. Fabulous performance all around.
slowly started nodding my head as I read the title then saw the thumbnails lol Steven Pacey is a bloody legend. "what about the wall sir???? THE WALLS???" A random minor character line I'd forget in any other book I literally think at the most random times and can recall his exact delivery lol DAMN THIS INDIGESTION
1. The entire Witcher series read by Peter Kenny 2. Any of the Star Wars books read by Marc Thompson 3. Hyperion read by Marc Vietor 4. Norse Mythology read by Neil Gaiman 5. 1984 read by Andrew Garfield
I'm very surprised that you don't have KKC on here. Specifically (for me) Nick Podhells narration is god tier. A lot of people seem to like the UK narration as well, but for me Nick's is just so damn good and comfy.
You’ve gotta check out daisy jones and the six! It’s presented as a documentary interview with band members. And each character has their own narrator. Fantastic! Also shout out to graphic audio
The Game of Thrones narrated by Roy Dotrice were amazing because he did so many different voices. Except for how he changed the pronunciation of Brienne between books, they were perfect.
IT read by Steven Weber is incredible. There are so many characters and so much dialogue in that book and he has a distinct voice for every character. Dude knocked it out of the park! Highly recommend. 40 hours of listening pleasure!
Michael Kramer goes HARD in Stormlight Archive. He was like a totally different narrator to me just coming off listening to Wheel of Time by him and Kate.
So many of my favorites on here (First Law, Fairy Tale, Neverwhere, etc.), but especially happy to see Between Two Fires. Buehlman is a fantastic author and this is (IMHO) not only his best book, but best audio production.
Join the giveaway for the exclusive miniatures from He Who Fights With Monsters: litrpg.podiumentertainment.com/giveaway Don't forget book 11 releases July 23rd! Thank you to Podium Entertainment for sponsoring the video!
Let me know your favorite audiobooks!
I just need to add that when Steven Pacey is voicing Glokta's inner monologuing, he doesn't have the lisp like when he's actually speaking. Blew my mind when i realized and truly shows how amazing of a narrator Pacey is. I mention this to most people who've listened to First Law, and people are always blown away when they realize it as well. Steven Pacey is on a whole other level.
You know of any other audiobooks Pacey has done worth listening too?
His narration actually got me to stop listening to this book. My wife and I still stay his "CONFESSSSS" in his voice every time that word comes up. I need to give it another shot.
+1 for Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Plus 100- for real Jeff hays ruins audio books for me… he’s that amazing
Yeah I even had a hard time with James mf-ing Masters after Jeff
The only problem with those is they are so short. Doesn't feel worth it to spend the money or audible credit on an 11 hour story.
@@dash4800 First of all, they are, in order:
13:31
11:28
16:54
18:03
23:33
26:46
Second, they are all worth it.
Jeff Hays the GOAT!
I listening between 15 to 20 audiobooks on audible per year. I like everything Micheal Kramer does, but I think my favourite was Nick Podehl narrating Wise Man's Fear.
Great choice
I really like Rupert Degas narrating The Wise Man's Fear! I got into audiobooks through Rupert's narrations.
100% agree, Kramer is so so good. Nick Podehl narrating Kingkiller Chronicles is masterful. Just finished listening to them for the fourth time and blown away at how talented he is
I was very mixed on The Wise Man’s Fear, but his narration carried me though the book to the end, great stuff!
I LOVE Nick Podehl with those books.
I’m so glad that I’m not the only person who reads along and listens to books at the same time. I love the tern “immersion.” I’ve never heard that expression before. Thanks for all the good info and advice!
I speed up the audio and pound my way through so many books this way.
oh actually i do it when on a re-read
@@erenjeager6583 I oddly find it easier to retain a little sped up. The most I usually do is 2X speed.
James Marsters does such a good job on the Dresden Files series. He brings such emotion to Harry Dresden, especially in the later books. Also, Toby Longworth is amazing in all the Warhammer 40k books he does. I'm on the last Guant's Ghost book, and I love them all.
I just started listening to the first dresden book, I like the story so far but I found his writing of women really cringy, does this improve over the span of the first book (or is the story worth it to a point where I should push through)?
@Lorenz398 yes, definitely. The stories are more local detective stories the 1st 2 or 3 books before expanding in scope. They have 2 of the best villains to me. Dresden ends up working with Marcone, unwilling, when the stakes get higher. I get the cringy part. Dresden does come off as somewhat misogynistic early on. He knows this and even kinda gives himself grief layer on about it. The thing is the emotional part of the character just builds each story and Marsters does such a great job with it. The doubt, uncertainty, and pain he feels later really comes across. The 3rd book is when it really starts to take off. Even Butcher admits the 1st 2 were him finding himself as a writer. Book 2 is a werewolf story that's ok, but it introduces recurring characters. Stick with it.
Marsters IS Dresden. I will never be able to read one without his voice in my head. 🔥
I really wish Marsters could re-record the first 3 books. They seem low effort when compared to the masterful performance of the later books.
@@Lorenz398 I think Marsters is the WORST - I just don't get why people love him so much. I haven't gotten through the 3rd book because of this. Apparently he gets better?
The Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King is truly a work of art in Audio book form. Narrated by Will Patton.
Congrats on the 400th video! You do amazing work and you have the best editing of any fantasy channel I've seen - thank you for the amazing audiobook recommendations!
Amazing timing, I was literally looking for audio books these last couple days. This is great!
Same
First law audiobook is GOAT for me. I've finished the first trilogy and now i'm reading "The Heroes" and what can I say...Bremer Dan Gorst, if you know you know.
Bro I'm so jealous you're reading it for the first time
“Your August Fuckhole”
Just a small comment about the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. The radio show is actually the original source material that aired in '78 in a series of episodes that were then later turned into a book in '79 because of how popular and well received the radio show was. There is a snippet added to a lot of the radio show repositories explaining some of the making of the original radio shows and how chaotic Douglas Adams and the rest of the actors were in putting together the series!
They're somewhat hard to track down now, but Douglas Adams also recorded audiobooks of the books in the Hitchhiker's series, and they are absolutely marvelous! Worth a listen for sure.
loving the dresden files series and the audio makes it even better!
So happy you mentioned Circe. Perdita Weeks’ narration is enchanting.
Project Hail Mary was a audiobook I listened to when I drove 2 minutes to the grocery store, I had to put in as much time as possible, it was so hard to stop listening to it.
Ray Porter was just incredible. All the sound effects were great too.
Listen to it while working in landscape. Was always looking forward to hearing more
The spoiler is that the book works better as an audiobook for...reasons. Oddly I really prefer the audiobook of The Martian as the log entries really work that way for me.
Absolutely love Peter Kenny reading the Witcher series. Some of the first audiobooks I listened to and I still think about them.
Yes!!!! He is such an amazing narrator!
I'm not usually an audiobook person, but Andy Serkis narrating LOTR? I feel like that's a plan for next road trip.
Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed! And thank you, I appreciate the super chat :D
James Marsden with the Dresden series makes the breathing noises work so well with the characters!
I’m addicted to that series thanks to his amazing performance. It’s a comfort series now.
Totally agree on the Phil Dragash version of LotR. You mentioned it on a previous audiobook video you made so I tracked it down. Really phenomenal. Uses music from the movies and some sound effects that actually add to the experience unlike graphic audio productions where you can barely hear the narration.
The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba narrated by Andrea Parsneau - one of the best narrators I've come across. Literraly listened to her 12 books in a row and never got bored. The amount of different voices she does is incredible.
I think anyone who's reading The Wandering Inn *without* the audiobooks is REALLY missing out! Parsneau is OUTSTANDING! Those characters not only have different accents, each species has distinct ways of speaking. Keeping track of SO MANY different characters and all of the different species must be incredibly difficult!
@@jessezigg She is amazing and deserves all the credit in the world. She should get an award for her Antinium voice alone. Phenominal!
Andrea made me realize the importance of good narration when it comes to audio books.
Some of my favorites: Colin Mace - Bloodsworn Trilogy by John Gwynne; Stephen Pacey - First Law by Joe Abercombie; Michael Page - Gentleman Bastards by Scott Lynch; Andy Serkis - LOTR; Simon Vance - Millenium Series by Steig Larson, Dune by Frank Herbert; Michael and Kate - WoT and the Cosmere; Wil Wheaton - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline; Tim Gerard Reynolds - Red Rising Series by Peirce Brown; Suzy Jackson - How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe, Skyward Series by Brandon Sanderson; Samual Roukin - Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio; Rosamund Pike - WoT by Robert Jordan
Wheaton was also really good on Red Shirts.
This is an EXCELLENT recommendation list. Audiobook recommendation lists found online tend to feel like they are simply favorite book lists. You are SO on point focusing on the best sff narrators out there. Steven Pacey consistently amazes me, he really is the goat. I can also second your recommendations of Ray Porter's Hail Mary Project (if you love Ray, listen to Bobiverse!!!), Tim Curry reading Sabriel (also a childhood favorite of mine), and James Masters in Dresden Files (he's a big portion of why I got through the first few books and read the whole series).
I'm looking forward to some of these new recommendations, and you got yourself a subscriber. Hope you make more audiobook content!
As an audiobook narrator I love to see these types of videos. Thanks for drawing attention to audiobooks and such a well done video. 😃
Phil Dragash's LOTR really is the peak of audiobooks. It weaves in the music and sound effects perfectly, and he is soooo good at all the voices.
This was a brilliant segment!!! Thank you for guiding me on my first audiobooks and getting to dive into new stories/worlds.
I'm finishing listening to my first audiobook, and it's Project Hail Mary. I chose a random book from my TBR to try a new format for myself, and it's great! I love the experience! Thank you for other great recommendations!
What a great first audio book to start on. I Honestly think Project Hail Mary should be consumed as an audio book first for obvious reasons. (not to spoil anything for those that haven't read / listened to it)
I’m on the second book of The Gentleman Bastards thanks to you good sir! I shall save this video for later for I seem to enjoy any book you are enthused about! 💕
I've been waiting for another audiobook video.🤙
I love and agree with so many of these. I do want to mention that Andrea Parsneau's narration of The Wandering Inn audio books is amazing. She deserves to be high up on this list.
Love audiobooks, and love this video! Red Rising, First Law and any Neil Gaiman is fantastic in audiobook form :). I definitely want to check out Harry Potter, Project Hail Mary and Riyria Revelations!
I almost exclusively listen to audiobooks and steven pacey's work is second to none
I strongly agree. It's so good that at times I could swear there is more than one narrator.
I highly recommend Wandering Inn. The narrator is super talented and has such distinct voices you won't be ever confused who is who.
Thanks for the recommendations. I really like when you let us know if the books are grim or uplifting, since I’m nowadays avoiding the grimmer ones. ☺️
Rosamund Pike is just something else, she blew me away within the first minute. Big fan and I soooo hope she will narrate ALL "Wheel of time" books :)
I LOVED listening to the entire Hitchiker's Guide series. I've been thinking of First Law and Red Rising as new series to start, and this has helped solidify that choice.
Tim Gerard Reynolds nails the Cycle of Arawn and Cycle of Galand, he captures the author's humor perfectly, its like listening to a movie.
He’s also excellent in the Riyria books by Michael Sullivan. I love those books too.
@@chd8318 The whole Daylax thing in the Galand series had me laughing my ass off
I often listen to audiobooks on the 45-1hr drive back up to my parents every week for work on the weekends and have loved the mushoku Tensei audiobook.
This is a fun and delightful video- thank you so much for it!!!!! 🎉 Some of my favorite audiobooks are: anything by Agatha Christie, read by Hugh Fraser and Richard Armitage; Little Eve by Catriona Ward, read by Carolyn Bonnyman; the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman (Dirk Maggs), read by a full cast; Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal, read by W. Morgan Sheppard; The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich, read by Charlotte Parry and Christian Coulson; and The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, read by Christopher Ragland!!! Your content always puts a smile on my face 😀: the editing, the colorful 🌈 images, the background music, the in-depth, fun repartee... I absolutely LOVE it!!!!! 💗 Keep the fabulousness coming, and until next time!!!!! 🌌🎆😎
Totally agree with new The Wheel of Time audiobook!
Glad I'm not the only one!
Love Riyria!! I love going back to Royce and Hadrian. I listened to The Rise of the Ranger on Audible it was great! The Echoes Saga is a new favorite for me.
I really want a Dresden adult animated show with Marsters as Dresden. It would be amazing. DCC is pretty much my favorite narration ever. The only ones I would add is the combo of NK Jemisin and Robin Miles for both the Broken Earth trilogy and the Great Cities duology. Broken Earth are probably better books overall, but Robin goes to town in Great Cities; one of my favorite villain narrations ever.
My recent favorite audiobook narration was for The Shadow of the Wind. Absolutely enchanting, the narrator really captures the naïveté of the main character and the eerie vibes of Barcelona. So much so that while listening to the sequels I kept thinking that I wanted the original narrator back.
An all time favorite for me is Pet Sematary narrated by Michael c hall. Idk if it’s because I was so used to his voice from watching Dexter over the years. he has a soothing and haunting voice that really brought out the agony and heartbreak of the main character
I can not stop listening to Project Hail Mary! I listen to new books all of the time, but I always end up listening to Project Hail Mary when I'm shopping or going to sleep. It's become a comfort for me.
Fantastic video! So often I listen to a reviewer, and I still want them to mention if he or she think the book would work in the audio format. So this is perfect. AND, couldn’t agree with you more the red rising is done to perfection in an audio and first law. Especially Glokta….wow 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Phil Dragash's unabridged Lord of the Rings is just perfection
Dear Captured In Words, a HUGE THANK YOU !!!!! I have listened to Project Hail Mary because of you and this is my favorite book of 2024! The audiobook is so good. I am now actively recommending the book and audiobook to everyone I know
I was looking forward to this!
I took your advice and listened to 'Between two Fires" and I must say I loved it! Thanks for the recommendation. Now on to the "Lies of Locke Lamora".
Two sort of tangents to some of your suggestions 1.) The Blacktongue Thief is narrated by Christopher Buehlman (the author of Between Two Fires) and does this Irish like accent despite being American and 2.) Tim Curry does an absolute incredible job on A Series of Unfortunate Events
I agree with so many of these! I’m 2/3 of the way through Sabriel right now and Tim Curry totally blows my mind! So much love 💕
Awesome list! Red Rising and First Law are my favorites.
You sold me on Between Two Fires so that’ll be up next
You have some great recommendations on here. I completely agree with you on Between Two Fires. It deserves much more love.
Thanks for mentioning the Neil Gaiman situation. It was such a gut punch to hear about, and I feel like most BookTubers are pretending it didn’t happen.
Fantastic list. Agree with essentially every one. +Bonus points for HWFWM, Dungeon Crawler Carl and the Sabriel/Abhorsen books. Love your taste man! Subbed
okay I am stopping mid video because Steve West is one of my top favs, and I just had the honor/privildge of listening to "The West Gate" which is coming out in a few days by now. There are a lot of times as much as I adore him, I feel that the work falls a little flat to give him teh credit I think he deserves. but THAT book, That book is what I've been waiting YEARS for. It allows him room for the dramatic, but also has a sense of levity/ snarkiness and has an INSANE cast size that really allows him to show off his character work abilities that normally only pop up in 'sillier' works. Thanks for the heads up on that one-- it sounds fascinating!
Sandman is one of the few multicast that I've ever REALLY fell entirely for. THeir take on LOcke and Key was how I knew that.
For star wars--- anything by Jonthan Davis, another top fav of mine.
Sabriel is on my eventual TBR
Great list!
If I was to add another Scifi in there, I'd definitely recommend the Bobiverse Trilogy by Denis E. Taylor. Great balance of action and humor
I’m a Jim Dale fan as that’s the only one I’ve listened to… as for audio books I love… I really love the audio dramas done by focus on the family for Narnia! These are some of my faves to listen to!
My guess why it isn't here is because you listened to Nick's version of the Kingkiller chronicles, but Rupert Degas is why I have listened to KKC 13 times in a row, he is absolutely amazing, great range and you can barely tell it's him on some characters.
Great recommendations especially Andy Serkis narrating The Lord of the Rings. Graphic Audio is sometimes a little hit or miss, but I really enjoyed their version of the Stormlight Archives and the Kate Daniels series.
The first couple books of the Dresden Files had some recording quality issues but those go away after a couple of books. And James Marsters is amazing.
I am on the 4th book of John Gwynne's The Faithful and the Fallen series, and I finished most of the books on audio. Definitely worth listening to the audio. I think the narrator also did the Empire of the Vampire series.
MY HOF Audiobooks
1. Superpowerds Year 4 Drew Hayes
2. United as One (i am number 4) Pitticus Lore
3. Words of Radiance Brandon Sanderson
4. Morning Star - Pierce Brown
5. Recursion - Blake Crouch
6. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline.
Man, you really need to try Graphic Audio's version of Stormlight Archive. Full cast, sound effects and music.
God tier shit
Those are u like anything over ever heard! Have yous heard their Red Rising adaptations? Also God Tier!
Thanks, Graphic Audio sounds promising! I hate Micheal Kramer‘s narration and he really ruined Way of Kings for me. It’s a pity as Stormlight Archives are such chunky books they take forever to get through without being able to listen to the audio. I still havent got around to RoW so I will check it out on Graphic Audio!
@@SuperPuddingcat I've not listened to Kramer for the first 3 Stormlight books, but I honestly prefer listening to him over Kate Reading, her voice goes through my head like a drill. She's so dry and monotone and robotic, it literally kills me. At least Kramer's voice is unique enough and he can do multiple voices without making me cringe, Kate can't do other voices if her life depended on it.
Way of Kings sounds amazing by Graphic Audio, it's probably why the book is my favourite book of all time.
I will warn you, the Graphic Audio Audiobooks do tend to skip a lot of description, it prioritises dialogue more to make it sound like actually conversations, so there won't be any "he said" or "she said", you'll recognise the voices and be able to easily know who's talking, also the mucis and sound effects never fails to give me chills. They're quite expensive and sold in parts, I'm sure there are other ways of listening to them cough cough
@@SuperPuddingcat I'd still recommend trying out the first 3 books. Maybe it's just because I really didn't like RoW, but I felt like the first 3 books were produced better. The price is pretty steep, so you can always pirate it first to try it out. I loved them so much I actually paid for them afterwards.
So glad you mentioned Riyria revelations. It’s one if my favs and underrated I feel.
‘Rupert Degas reading of The Name Of The Wind is still the all time great for me. I listened to the American version and I thought it was a fan reading at first. If you’re a fan of the books and you’ve only heard the American narration then it will blow you away.
Project Hail Mary was indeed a very good listen for me. Enjoyed the atmosphere the narrator has created. I can also recommend "The Dispatcher" by John Scalzi, narrated by Zachary Quinto. Short listen but worth your time with great, unique idea enhanced by awesome narration.
The Dispatcher and Lock In are two great Scalzi series.
I’ve been listening to The Warlord Chronicles lately and the narrator of that series Jonathan Keeble has been absolutely stellar, dude scares me sometimes with how intense his performance gets lol
WAAAAAYYYY OF KIIIIIINGS
The family Corleone is my number 1 favorite audiobook….Bobby Cannaval did a phenomenal job with the narration….. this book is so underrated….
The Godfather is my second favorite with Joe Mantegna doing a great job pulling you in….
I can't be the only one who can't stand the way Kate Reading reads in the Stormlight Archive?
You're not alone! I eventually got use to it, but it annoyed me for a long time
Oh at last! Someone else. I thought it was just me! The way she said “Dalinar” like an 80 year old woman!
I’m afraid as a British woman, I need my audiobook read in English, NOT American. It’s like reading American text with different spellings, punctuation and grammar - ohhhhh it does grate!!!
I only listen to audiobooks while driving or sometimes walking, so I finish about one a month. Favourites of mine in terms of narration are Robin Miles for N.K.Jemisin's books and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith for the Rivers of London series. I like the books, but he elevates them so much for me. James Marsters for Dresden Files is also perfect. And the Sandman Audio Production is fantastic. And Stephen Fry can read anything to me.
Dungeon Crawler Carl is on my list to listen to soon. I heard great things about the narration
Brave and bold claim about Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. I agree, though. They're great. I've listened to hundreds of hours of them. But I've never thought they were quite as perfect as their repute. They often miss emotional beats to me.
Also, Sandman is literally the most beautiful audio experience I've ever heard. It inspired me to finally make my own full cast audio drama, something I'd been dallying with forever.
My 2 favorite audiobooks are “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” written by George RR Martin (readers call it “Dunk & Egg”). It’s narrated by Harry Lloyd who played Daenerys’ brother Viserys II Targaryen in Game of Thrones.
Also, the narrator of “The Witcher” series, Peter Kenney, is AMAZING. The sheer number of different voices and personalities for all the many characters and sometimes monsters is unmatched in my opinion.
Phil Dragash...All-time favorite Audiobook!
Been waiting for this!
When are you going to read "The Deed of Paksenarrion"? Also, the audio books narrated by Jennifer Van Dyck are surprisingly good given the age of the books themselves. I have read the books so many times that I have had to re-buy them multiple times because the books become so worn and start to fall apart. I was hesitant at first to get the audiobooks, but after the first listen I was hooked and have listened to them several times now; probably the most read series for me. Though I do have to say that I am surprised there was no mention of Nick Podehl, and his narration of both the King Killer Chronicles and King's Dark Tidings' book series.
These sound like great suggestions, I’ll be adding most of these to my audible wish list! I do wish you included more female authors though - only 3/22 recommendations had female authors & Madeline Miller’s was the only name that was mentioned in the video (Claudia Gray & JK Rowling weren’t named). Would love to see more women in the future!
I am surprised you didn’t mentioned the name of the wind- Nick Poedehl.
Recommendations: one hundred years of solitude- John Lee
Don Quixote-George Guidall
Carrion Comfort-Mel Foster, Laura Merlington
A gentleman in Moscow-Nicholas Guy Smith
To kill a mockingbird- Sissy Spaceck
Among others….
Where to find the audiobooks?
Dude, I’ve listened to the entire First Law series and standalone books several times. The writing is excellent but Steven Pacey is an absolute treasure. I can’t understand why he isn’t used more by top authors. I’m currently listening to The Way of the Renegades by Steve D Wall only because Pacey is narrating. It’s pretty good so far.
Lastly, I truly hope someone brings Abercrombie’s characters to the small screen, live action or animated, very soon.
Tim Gerard Reynolds narrates the Red Rising books as well as the Riyria books. When you were talking about Red Rising you called him Gerard Reynolds and when you were talking about Riyria you called him Tim Reynolds. Making sure you know that's the same guy.
The guy who narrates most of the Star Wars books is Marc Thompson and he's one of the best ever, I really wish he'd do more non-Star Wars stuff.
Nick Podehl is also an incredible narrator who does the Kingkiller Chronicles.
Pacey is the GOAT. Best audiobooks of all time hands down.
Project Hail Mary is probably my favorite book of the last ten years and the audiobook is a big reason for it. Phenomenal story with heart and a stirring performance.
I just finished Serkis’ renditions of LotR and they are really wonderful. Although the Treeebeard chapter in two towers was a bit rough with him going for the realism to perhaps too much of a degree.
I just finished the first Dresden book and it was wonderful. Looking forward to splicing those into my schedule when I need a fun and quick listen.
I am listening to Mistborn right now which is my first Michael Kramer book and I have to say I feel the same as you do. He certainly is professional and does a fine job but it is definitely not up to part with the evolution of audiobooks in recent years.
Lastly, one series I would add is the recent recoding of the Hunger Games by Tatiana Maslany. Fabulous performance all around.
slowly started nodding my head as I read the title then saw the thumbnails lol
Steven Pacey is a bloody legend.
"what about the wall sir???? THE WALLS???"
A random minor character line I'd forget in any other book I literally think at the most random times and can recall his exact delivery lol
DAMN THIS INDIGESTION
Steven Pacey was just in house of the dragon
The blade itself is hands down the best narrating I’ve ever heard!
Now, what can I do to get on this list 😜
Highly recommend the Warhammer audiobooks about the adventures of Gotrek and Felix! The narrator is a genius.
1. The entire Witcher series read by Peter Kenny
2. Any of the Star Wars books read by Marc Thompson
3. Hyperion read by Marc Vietor
4. Norse Mythology read by Neil Gaiman
5. 1984 read by Andrew Garfield
I'm very surprised that you don't have KKC on here. Specifically (for me) Nick Podhells narration is god tier. A lot of people seem to like the UK narration as well, but for me Nick's is just so damn good and comfy.
Love Nick Podehl! “Drink your drink!” He does a great job with those books
Riyria"s narration was incredible, but after reading book one of Dungeon Crawler Carl, I tried the second book in audio and it came to life for me.
How come graphic audio of the Stormlight not make it here!!? Really suprised.
My favorite book UA-camr 🐐🐐
You’ve gotta check out daisy jones and the six! It’s presented as a documentary interview with band members. And each character has their own narrator. Fantastic!
Also shout out to graphic audio
Dresden Files are my favourite audiobooks of all time, but Stormlight, First Law, Red Rising, and LOTR are absolutely amazing too
The Game of Thrones narrated by Roy Dotrice were amazing because he did so many different voices. Except for how he changed the pronunciation of Brienne between books, they were perfect.
IT read by Steven Weber is incredible. There are so many characters and so much dialogue in that book and he has a distinct voice for every character. Dude knocked it out of the park! Highly recommend. 40 hours of listening pleasure!
My favorite way to read a book is reading a physical copy while listening to the audiobook. First Law was crazy good
Michael Kramer goes HARD in Stormlight Archive. He was like a totally different narrator to me just coming off listening to Wheel of Time by him and Kate.
I would add The Murderbot Diaries to that list. You can't read the books without hearing the voice of Kevin R Free after. So good
So many of my favorites on here (First Law, Fairy Tale, Neverwhere, etc.), but especially happy to see Between Two Fires. Buehlman is a fantastic author and this is (IMHO) not only his best book, but best audio production.
I think one of the best audio books I've ever heard is One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest narrated by actor John C. Reilly, truly amazing!
Great recommendations 👏🏼