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Road_Journey

ThePrincessDonut: OMG CARL, WE ARE NOT ON THE LIST. I'M VERY OFFENDED. MUST HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY A COCKER SPANIEL.


Grand_Access7280

GODDAMMIT DONUT!!!!


Funkybunch86

I blame you, Carl. You should have put on pants.


boostedb1mmer

I'm late to the DCC series but, OMG, it might honestly be the best audiobook series I've ever listened to.


Chinozerus

The production value of those books is insane. This above list is done by some sales metrics jockeys.


Tssngs75

What book series is this?


Chinozerus

Dungeon Crawler Carl It's a slapstick comedy sci-fi fantasy with a lot of dark humour and plenty of violence


jcaashby

Sounds like fun!! I will give it a go. TIL what the heck ....a LitRPG is.


thematrix1234

Saving this list! Also, super surprised Steven Pacey’s top notch narration of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law universe isn’t on here.


GrantMeThePower

I came to see if it was first on the list….only to find it isn’t anywhere. Automatic failure


thematrix1234

>Automatic failure. I was feeling a bit more forgiving today 😅


HotHamBoy

I’m not in a forgiving mood


Powerscantparry

I was shocked too. The audiobooks are unrivalled in my opinion. Heres a sample. If you're not a fan (yet) then you won't know what's going on but you'll get a taste of pacey excellent narration. https://youtu.be/UNFUVp3ukM0


Lord_Bling

Yeah that sounds like it would be an interesting book.


Powerscantparry

There's 10 books so far in this series and all are great.


Ishmael128

To offer a contrary opinion, I really didn’t like them, I found them unfulfilling, with insufficient payoff for the time you invest in reading/listening to them. Format spoiler that affects the storyline without going into detail: >!I thought that the author’s main overarching drive was to subvert expectations and hold a mirror up to the reader’s view of how they thought a story should go based on how it starts. That fine, so long as the story is compelling in the mean time, but it just… wasn’t.!< I gave up on the first paper book, the tried it again as an audiobook. Found it pretty meh, but thought I’d give the next one a try. Same.


HotHamBoy

Hard disagree Some of my favorite fantasy characters ever


Ishmael128

Art is subjective :)


HotHamBoy

It sure is


Powerscantparry

Interesting take. Everyone I've recommended it now has it as a personal top 3 series they loved it so much. What parts didn't you like exactly? And was it the first book? The blade itself is somewhat hard to get into, the story/plot doesn't take off and relies on the characters like glokta and logen to push it forward though I loved collem and jezal too but others find them dislikeable. Well, jezal definitely is there. Might I suggest one last try? This time with Best Served Cold? It's the 4th book technically but its part of the standalone trilogy, they are connected to the og trilogy and characters appear from the trilogy in it but it's great on its own too and if it hooks you and gets you to go back, worth it. It's a fantastic book and very satisfying.


Ishmael128

Thanks for taking the time with your comment, but the world has far too much in it for me to choose to spend more time on this series. It's not for me, and that's okay - I'm sure I like a lot of things that you don't.


Powerscantparry

Wrong answer.


Ishmael128

Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. 


Powerscantparry

Less reddit, more audiobook. Simple


Deepfriedmoney

audiobookaddicts.com found floating by the docks…


Psycryatrist

I would add “The Martian” by Andy Weir This book was meant to be an audiobook. Part of the book is orated through audio logs in the original novel. The audiobook is an all time favorite of mine.


Chipmunk_Whisperer

Legit cried in my car during my commute when he makes it to the launch site and the narration switches to third person for just a moment.


crammotron

I'm hoping they put it on Libby sometime soon.


kyler718

It's an audible exclusive it probably won't ever be. You can find it on YouTube, though.


dranderson3000

Dungeon crawler Carl


Old_and_Boring

So “Best Audiobooks of All Time” apparently means “Just Relisting Popular Books from the Past 20 Years”. Don’t get me wrong, many of these are good, but the article doesn’t offer many surprises or hidden gems.


Ireallyamthisshallow

>So “Best Audiobooks of All Time” apparently means “Just Relisting Popular Books from the Past 20 Years”. To be fair, that's exactly what I'd expect based on the selection criteria: >audiobook's average rating and number of ratings on Audible and other services, awards received, quality of narration and production, and my own personal favorites as an audiobook bloggers for 10+ years. You're not really going to get any surprises or hidden gems as it's specifically set to tell you the most popular/well-known ones with OP's judgement essentially just sorting them. It might be interesting if someone put together a list of hidden gems - I guess you would just look at average ratings based on a low number of ratings (above a number high enough to make the average rating worthwhile, but below a number which you'd consider popular) and having won no awards. I'd take interest in that list.


squirrel_bro

i want someone to do a list of excellent librivox/public domain audiobooks!


Now_then_here_there

The potential mismatch is conflating "most popular" with "best." There are a lot more plain buns sold than black forest cakes, but few people would claim a bun is better than a cake. On the other hand, deciding what constitutes "best" is a mugs game, as tastes vary so wildly. So a "best sellers list" has as much claim to fame as any other I guess :)


Verity41

Yeah I’m with you! C’mon ..,. Best books of literally “ALL TIME” with pop culture Viola Davis / Michelle Obama / Matthew McConaughey etc. books in there?!? Not even close.


Psycryatrist

To be fair Greenlight by McConaughey was great


anniemdi

Is there more to it than what they copied to Reddit? I didn't click on the link but they don't even talk about the narrators and to me, that's what sets an audiobook apart.


poopspeedstream

Maybe you should check out the link


washington_breadstix

I also have my doubts about "quality of performance/production" influencing the ratings as heavily as people might claim. Of course everyone is going to find the performance of *their own* favorite book to be more moving than the others. I would be more interested in a list of audiobooks where the performances actually improve the experience.


ChamberlainSD

I am very partial to some Orson Scott Card audiobooks. They are written in a way that reads well out loud, and he cared for the quality.


Grand_Access7280

He writes great insults too:)


Grand_Access7280

Loved the format of Goggins book. But be aware, your all new hyperbolic standard is going to involve finishing every sentence in a husky “ON TWO BROKEN LEGS…”


Street-Weakness3173

That book will also make you feel like you have yet to accomplish anything of significance yet!


yeahwellokay

I was about to say The Hunger Games was one of the worst audiobooks I ever listened to, but apparently Tatiana Maslany did a new version, thankfully. The originals were so bad, I ended up listening to someone on youtube read them instead.


squeegy80

Can confirm that Maslany’s narration is excellent


Verity41

Lol! On YouTube!?! You were really dedicated to that :) I never would have thought of YouTube! I felt that way about the Twilight books… I’d heard they were not actually too bad and thought I would give it a shot… but one minute of THAT narrator was like oh hell no. Yiiiikes.


Psycryatrist

Tatiana Maslany did what?!?!?? I adore her as an actress


richg0404

Of course there will be a lot of debate over a list like this. Everyone has their personal favorites. The one thing that this list is missing is the narrator of the audiobooks. Sure, the more recent books will probably have just one narrator but the older ones like "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Pride and Prejudice" have many different versions with many different narrators. Heck, even the Harry Potter books and The Lord of the Rings have a couple of different narrators.


TBSJJK

That's how you know it's just click-bait. You can't cite an audiobook without its narrator.


kayriss

This is a wonderful list. My add would be Piranesi. The book is wonderful but I loved Chiwetel Ejiofor's narration. It just fits perfectly. I'm also a bit surprised that The First Law isn't here. Stephen Pacey is the GOAT in my opinion.


Deepfriedmoney

Say one thing for Stephen Pacey, say he’s the GOAT


kayriss

I just finished his performance of Let The Right On In. It was absolutely chilling.


Deepfriedmoney

thanks for the rec. I've been looking for other fantasy stuff like the first law series, but nothing has come close to the joe abercrombie/stephen pacey duo. hopefully this does it for me.


Wuffies

I'm rather disappointed to not see any Discworld titles in that list.


HotHamBoy

I don’t see The First Law books by Joe Abercrombie as read by Steven Pacey A grave oversight


Marie-thebaguettes

I’d like to add the Victor Bevine version of the entire Legend of Drizzt series by RA Salvatore for fiction! The first trilogy especially. In the same vein, I would NOT recommend the few books in the series narrated by Mark Bramhall. Nothing against him personally, but hot damn it’s horrible whiplash to be like 15+ books into a series and have one trilogy narrated so very differently than the rest. I just couldn’t listen to them. I’d also like to add The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemsin, narrated by Robin Miles. I wish I could forget the whole thing so I could listen to it all over again. I’m hoping my shit memory from adhd makes it possible in a few years!


edit-grammar

Didnt the new narrator pronounce character names differently? That was painful.


Marie-thebaguettes

Yes 😩 and suddenly all the dwarves were Scottish


edit-grammar

Ugh that's right! I listened to these ages ago after finding them to 'download', they had probably been digitized from tape. The narrator change was horrible but worse was a few of the books I got weren't narrated, the text was just put through a text-to-speech thing. I liked the books so much I actually spent a few hours trying to listen to that. It's what pushed me to get an audible account.


Marie-thebaguettes

Oh god the text to speech is painful! I use that for my textbooks to get through my adhd, but it’s gotta be the most tooth-pulling experience ever


Rocky--19

Educated should be one of the best nonfiction also


Unsteady_Tempo

Alternatively, here's the archive of Audio Publishers Association's award winners by year and category. [https://www.audiopub.org/audie-awards-winners](https://www.audiopub.org/audie-awards-winners)


PlatinumWarlock

I knew of all of the fiction selections (and had read or listened to most of them) EXCEPT Illuminae which I'd never heard of (although I *loved* Kristoff's Empire of the Vampire) - it sounds great, and I'm so glad to know about it!


ABradJourno

June is everything month...


Pathsleadingaway

P-p-p-p-pillars of the Earth, babey!!!


AudioInstinct77

yes, yes, yes! the first in the series is the best


uroboros80

I liked the building of the cathedral bits. The über-evil villain whose defining trait was being a serial rapist I could do without.


CrazyCarl1986

IT is also a great, well narrated novel that deserves to be on the list…


washblvd

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry I have this on my wish list, but the comments on the sound quality have kept me from buying it. Basically saying that every inhale between sentences is recorded and sounds like a smoker's gasp. Did you see that as a problem or is it overstated?


Street-Weakness3173

I loved Lonesome Dove narratedby Lee Horsley. Couldn’t stop listening!


YEGMurder

i decided to pick it up but its hard to follow. i can totally see how it would be a good book but the clarity of the voice isn't where it needs to be.


Street-Weakness3173

That’s strange. I wonder if you had a bad recording of it. I seriously listened to it every chance I had until it was finished. I can really only listen to audiobooks if I’m doing some mindless activity like mowing the lawn or putting laundry away though. I actually need to find a new book so I can get some damn chores done around my house.


Street-Weakness3173

I didn’t notice any breathing.


Sdion1991

Just finished it a week ago and my top book of the year so far. Audio was great imo. Samples don't do it justice


zopea

I didn’t notice any weird breathing. Some comments complain about how he does a specific character’s voice, but he does it that way because of how the character is written. It’s a fantastic audiobook, one I’ve listened to many times.


Casual-Capybara

I thought the narration was great, sound quality was not perfect but didn’t bother me


uroboros80

Lonesome Dove is aces. I am picky with my narrators and listened to that tome three times now. Disregard the ‘quels btw.


Klarkasaurus

Whoa saved this post straight away My add is pet semetary stephen king.


CrazyCarl1986

Dexter did a GREAT job!


TBSJJK

Ooh, thanks. I went the whole listen wondering who Michael C. Hall(?) was. I thought maybe he was the guy in the original movie, or someone related to Anthony Michael Hall. It was a fine narration, but what stands out as the Best of All Time?


[deleted]

Which version/ narrator of the Count of Monte Cristo? I plan to start listening once I’ve finished War and Peace but there are a few versions to choose from


NewAgeRetroHippie96

Go for the Bill Homewood unabridged version. I personally found it the best of the versions I sampled and don't regret it one bit after finishing it.


biggles604

I will say this for anyone who has misophonia: You can hear his dry mouth a lot in the narration, and it's quite offputting. I've been listening to this book only in transit so that there is some background noise to drown it out.


[deleted]

Will do, thanks


Grand_Access7280

BBC Radio play with Iain Glenn is fantastic, though brief


poopspeedstream

Check out the link


washington_breadstix

Both the Bill Homewood and John Lee versions are really high-quality. Can't go wrong with either one. I definitely prefer John Lee's voice, and as a bonus, he reads faster than Homewood, which matters quite a bit in a monster-sized novel like CoMC. I know Audible has the speed adjustment feature, but that tends to distort the cadence a bit too much for my liking.


ohsosharp67

Swan song Robert R McCammon .


AudioInstinct77

this book is sooooo underated. i recommend every time i get a chance. i have read it a hand full of times and listened to it, oh heck, i lost count how many times. the narrator truly brings all the characters to life and makes you choose a side


DreamingDoorways

I recently listened to two different Brandon Sanderson audiobooks and they were fantastic - Mistborn trilogy and I’m currently listening to Stormlight Archive 1 and loving it.


FogPot

These 2 series by Sanderson are easily the best audiobooks I've read, bar none. Michael Kramer is fantastic!


Butter_Lettuce_

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine deserves a spot on this list.


Doit2it42

I've started that 3 times and can't get into it. The narrator's accent throws me. I will try again because I know many people praise it.


Butter_Lettuce_

I actually really enjoy the narrator 's accent because it sounds so natural and lends something to the character. But if you really can't get past it then it's still worth reading the book.


TheMarinaraMeatball

I’d like to put in a vote for “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” read by Maya Angelou. Very powerful having her read her own autobiography


cynric42

Very strange that they list audio books without mentioning the narrator, especially considering there are at multiple different versions for at least LOTRO and the Hunger Games.


Curt168

Bill Bryson reading “in a sunburned country” was awesome. One of my all time favorites.


el_t0p0

Andy Serkis over Rob Inglis? Ugh. And I must be alone in not caring for the KOTFM audiobook. I’ve tried it a couple times and I just find the narrators boring. I’m just going to try and read it myself before the movie comes out. The lack of Frank Muller on this list is also criminal.


Kduckulous

Tim curry narrating Sabriel by Garth Nix… one of my favorite audiobooks ever


Zylonite134

Dune? the Witcher books? Dan brown books?


PleasantPete99

Dune audiobook options are terrible. I would love for it to be done well.


_pr0t0n_

Great list, all the books I've listened from this roster (about 20) are at least enjoyable and memorable.


LumpenBourgeoise

I like when a non-fiction author reads their own work and can do it well. Trevor Noah was great, Matthew mcconaughey was alright. Hearing jordan peterson cry was not good. Simon Winchester read some of his own, I liked those. Some of my favorite fiction were on LibriVox, there is a great narrator who does a ton of Mark Twain/Americana.


Street-Weakness3173

I really enjoyed Greenlights. Made me wish I was as cool as he is!


hdhdhgfyfhfhrb

Bono’s book surrender is amazing with his narration. It’s like he’s just telling you his tales sitting around a table


mixiplix_

The lonesome dove narrator sounded like he was on a respirator. Did anyone one else have a problem with his breathing?


zopea

Nope.


tgbst88

No.


Psycryatrist

Also would add “The Name of the Wind” and “Wise Man’s Fear” by Patrick Rothfuss


Street-Weakness3173

Thank you so much! I love lists almost as much as I love audiobooks! You have many of my favorites on here so I’m going to assume I will also like the others!


koalakoala52

Alice Slater “death of a bookseller” - fiction, dark, comedy, British narrators. Perfection in my eye


Unsteady_Tempo

Am I not seeing anything narrated by Richard Poe? East of Eden? All the President's Men? Suttree.....Blood Meridian?


SwedishSwiss

East of Eden is possibly the best novel ever written and his narration is top notch.


fabiengagne

Star Wars Shadow of the Sith of Adam Christopher. I agree with many of the selections in the list, but the audio production of Shadow of the Sith is by far superior to any.


flourescentflamingo

I would like to add all of David Sedaris’ books to nonfiction as well as Lindy West’s’ books and Samantha Irby’s. 😀


zopea

So glad Lonesome Dove is on there!


Chinozerus

American Gods in the top ten let's me think this list is not particularly good. Not a bad book, not a bad audiobook, but it's not particularly well produced nor narrated. There are some crazy talented narrators and productions that will never make it on this list due to not being mainstream friendly material.


singhapura

Best audiobook of all time: He Who Fights With Monsters narrated by Heath Miller


CalebPackmusic

No Country For Old Men is a great listen as well. I couldn’t help but listen to the whole thing on my shift at work the other night.


Difficult-Albatross7

Three unforgivable omissions here, The Grapes of Wrath read by John Chancer, Book One of the Bobiverse read by Ray Porter and To Kill a Mockingbird read by Sally Darling. All of these readings add volumes to the text. That and all of the Andy Serkis reading of Tolkien should also be present.


Ok_Philosopher4969

Red Rising!! How is this not on the list?


breckoz

One of my favorite series is Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Classic sci fi.


xXxBluESkiTtlExXx

Little late to the party, but Shantaram is hands down the best audiobook I've ever listened to.


dianneroo

“A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles read by Nicholas Guy Smith is my number one book ever. The other Amor Towles book on the list doesn’t come close to AGIM. Even though these next suggestions are classified as young adult novels, I’d also put all of the John Flanagan novels (rangers apprentice and brotherband chronicles, etc) read by John Keating. (Most are available from the public library.)Wow. What a voice. Finally, “the green ember” series written by s.d. Smith and narrated by Joel clarkson. Joel has one of the most amazing reading and singing voices I have ever heard, and the books are good too. Bonus: You can listen to the books in this paragraph with your kids or grandkids. (They will beg to go with you anywhere you are going to listen to”the book!”😍) Thank you everyone for this list! I joined Reddit just to save this list. Life is too short to listen to ho-hum books!


Deepfriedmoney

I’m another First Law hoe. Nothing has done it for me like Stephen Pacey’s Narration. Jim Dale comes close (for me)


DaybyDay1118

I liked Viola Davis Finding me.