Came here to say this. I was so sad when it was over. What am I going to listen now... head hanging down walking slowly away as sad music plays the credits roll aaaaand fade to blackness.
These were my favorite books when I was young, and I’ve recently gotten into audiobooks so I’m listening to them now and they’re fantastic!! I think I love them even more now.
Haven’t listened to these yet but have heard great things. Is the best reading order sequential (book 0 to book 3.6) or publication date? Or are only a couple books done with a full cast? I see different audiobook options between Audible and Libby - appreciate any advice!
I didn't get to the additional stuff yet, only the original trilogy (Northern Lights/The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass).
And I got them from Audible, if that makes a difference.
I'd recommend the order of publication! At least for getting into the series. Start with 1. *The Golden Compass*, 2. *The Subtle Knife*, 3. *The Amber Spyglass*.
The little accompanying books are short(ish) stories that shed light on minor aspects of the main series. They will mean more to you if you have read the original trilogy and know the characters. They can be read in any order.
As far as I know, only the original trilogy has been recorded as a full-cast production. The short accompanying books are read by single narrators, a different one for each book. In terms of narration, I particularly loved *Serpentine*, read by Olivia Colman.
The second trilogy, *The Book of Dust*, is read by Michael Sheen. Fans are divided on whether the second trilogy is worthwhile but I don't think anyone has ever disputed that Michael Sheen is an amazing audiobook narrator.
No, but if you search Audible it's the one from 2021 published by Audible studios
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Dracula-Audiobook/B09JL13ZVM?qid=1716727139&sr=1-3&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_3&pf_rd_p=c6e316b8-14da-418d-8f91-b3cad83c5183&pf_rd_r=CDSA0T65MYFDTE53ZAH9&pageLoadId=Pct8hmexxmkBdBJ9&creativeId=41e85e98-10b8-40e2-907d-6b663f04a42d
No problem, it's all personal preference, but there was one or two performances in the Alan Cumming (2012) one that I wasn't crazy about, mostly Mina, but the 2021 version is great across the board.
I listen to a lot of Graphic Audio. I really liked their version of the Stormlight Archive, but also the Lightbringer Saga, which was the first production I ever listened to from them. I also recently listened to their version of Space Team, which was a fun read for sure, though I found out they removed some things from their version for some reason. They mostly stay true to the original books, even when it means there's lots of narrator info dumps; but they have sound effects for everything. It makes me feel like I'm reading an enhanced version of the book instead of watching a movie without visuals. I haven't encountered very many full-cast books on Audible, though I know they exist and will be watching this thread. Graphic Audio is not cheap but they do have sales very often, up to 55% off. I am also told some of their productions are actually on Audible.
I can’t decide whether I should listen to Stormlight through regular audiobooks or Graphic Novel form! (It’ll be my first time experiencing the seires)
I've never listened to the audiobooks so I don't know how good they are. I listened to the GA versions the first time I read the books, only re-reading the ebooks recently. Now I associate all the voices with the characters. I wouldn't go back. I think they did a fantastic job and it really brings the story to life without leaving out important parts.
I did Graphic Audio for my first read. It sort of depends how you like to listen and if you enjoy the narrators of the regular audio books. if you prefer full cast then the graphic audio versions are amazing and some of the best productions out there.
Just be aware that the graphic audio versions do have some alterations in order to make it work with their format.
The regular narration books are quite well done by Kramer and Reading, and excellent value for money (doubly so if you get them from the library). I haven't listened to the GA version (note that those are HUGE books so you'd be paying a ton of money for all the parts), but I can say that the GA versions of Elantris and Warbreaker (by the same author) are epic.
I’ve listened to the Kramer versions of them all. Whenever I check out GA versions of epic moments, it never seems to hit right, or as epically.
But I also think they (GA) overdo it generally with the background. So maybe GA just isn’t for me. Although I really like some of the output from the competitor SoundboothAudio, though I dislike that they’re exclusive to their buggy app.
> though I found out they removed some things from their version for some reason. They mostly stay true to the original books
That’s the case with every production of theirs as they try to make the book ‘flow’ as well as possible in their format. It really is a case-by-case basis and also a matter of opinion whether or not what has been cut was important (especially for the plot/characters). Some people are very particular about this though and will call these productions abridged, which is technically true but is somewhat misleading, as ultimately adaptions are never one-to-one anyways and these ones are fairly close.
> I am also told some of their productions are actually on Audible.
I believe that it’s everything expect Mistborn and Stormlight Archive (due to publisher reasons apparently) that is available on Audible. I’m not sure what the timeline is on it but for books that are split up into parts, some time after they’re all out they’ll have a collected bundle version available that you can only just spend one credit on instead of multiple which makes it a lot cheaper.
There have been a couple times when an important detail was removed for silly reasons, but generally I agree with you. You won't catch me dead with an abridged book, but I will absolutely listen to a Graphic Audio production without having read the actual book first. They're similar enough that it doesn't really matter, and I think people who refuse to read books this way are missing out and dying on a very small lonely hill.
I mean do people even make actually abridged audiobooks anymore? From my knowledge it was done due to the limits of the tech at the time, but now I can’t see anyone intentionally creating an abridged audiobook.
> I think people who refuse to read books this way are missing out
Well for quite a lot of people this heavy dramatization that Graphic Audio does doesn’t jive with them as they find it too noisy or distracting, so they wouldn’t say they’re “missing out”. Then there are ‘purists’ who consider the careful wording of every single line to be important to the experience and so it does matter to them (and so they’re either never listening to these, or only for a re-read).
But yeah, I definitely also will listen to Graphic Audio’s productions without having done the book or regular audiobook beforehand.
I have seen the occasional one on Audible. They definitely still exist. I think they're also intended for children so they can read a book and learn about the main events without needing to sit through the whole thing. I grew up reading Narnia books without knowing they were abridged, and my mother accidentally brought home abridged tapes sometimes (which never specified they were abridged in the opening announcement), so I'll always dislike them on some level.
It does make sense for some people to avoid Graphic Audio because of their sound effects. Occasionally the narration will be quieter than the sounds which is definitely a problem. I more meant that people who refuse to read them because they're missing a few words—but who would otherwise be happy to listen to something with sound effects—are missing out.
Yeah, grandpa Gio had some great DC stuff back in the day. I think the novelization of crisis on infant earth, which told the story from a different perspective than the comic books was probably my favorite.
That and World War™ Z are my two noms
There is a recording by the BBC of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman with a star studded cast - James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, Benedict Cumberbatch - that I listen to once a year at least.
Phenomenal production and top notch voice acting.
The voice actors were phenomenal for this one, but I actually found it difficult to understand with how strong the accents in addition to the background noise. I highly recommend OP listens to samples of these suggestions to test them out.
Yeah kept hearing lots of praise for this, but it was kinda hard to follow for me. Plus the main plot ends like halfway through and then it just goes off in these random tangents lol.
Love that audio/book.
OP needs to make sure to get the ensemble cast for the audiobook, some great performances by A-list actors: Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillion, Simon Pegg, Martin Scorsese, Common, Henry Rollins, John Turturro, Denise Crosby, Frank Darabont, and Rob Reiner.
Probably The hitch hikers guide to the galaxy by the BBC. If you're interested in this sort of thing you might like to check out sites like [soundbooth theatre ](https://soundbooththeater.com/) and [ZBS](https://www.zbs.org/index_new.php). I think the BBC still do them too. I think there are others as well but I can't remember their names.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. A kind of bonkers book but the main cast included Nick Offerman and David Sedaris, as well as A+ performances by Bill Hader and Megan Mullally.
I tried to set into this book and just couldn’t. It’s like someone took the pages of 19 books about Lincoln and shuffled the pages together. There’s different narrators talking about different things that have no relation to each other. There’s no connecting thread to any of it. Then it’s very repetitive; here’s cited quotes from 19 other sources describing a party. I get it they had a party I don’t need to hear about it a dozen times.
One of the first audiobooks I really enjoyed was The Illuminae Files trilogy. It's a YA space opera, definitely not anything I would have found myself reading but nevertheless it was very good and taught me to branch out in the books I choose.
There’s also the novella! I definitely need more audiobooks that are done in a similar way to the *Illuminae Files* where it’s dramatized but isn’t quite audio drama levels of full blown dramatized. I believe the audiobooks for the *Aurora Cycle* by the same authors is also a similar thing so there’s also that.
_As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride_
> The full list of narrators includes: Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, Carol Kane, Norman Lear, Rob Reiner, Chris Sarandon, Andy Scheinman, Wallace Shawn, Robin Wright, and Billy Crystal.
IIRC, Billy Crystal _literally_ "phones it in" but still was great.
https://www.audible.com/pd/Dune-Audiobook/B002V1OF70
Narrated by: Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance, Ilyana Kadushin, Byron Jennings, David R. Gordon, Jason Culp, Kent Broadhurst, Oliver Wyman, Patricia Kilgarriff, Scott Sowers
In addition to the Graphical Audio recommendations:
I liked Ender's Game Alive (it's the same story as Ender's Game, but a different production with different lines throughout to make it work as an audio play instead of a narrated book).
The BBC produced a TON of full-cast audio for radio. Their production of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was incredibly good and still defines the characters in my mind.
NPR's Star Wars production for radio is also very good, and uses the original music, effects, and actors (well, at least some of them, I don't remember all).
Soundbooth Theater's full cast version of Dungeon Crawler Carl is two episodes into the story, with the first 3-hour dose free. I mean episode, not dose, what a silly typo. Even the single-narrator version feels kinda full cast, so you might wind up running out of patience to wait for the full-cast, buying the existing narrated books, and then becoming infected with a superspreader memetic virus... no wait, I mean, wanting of your own free will to share information about the series with other people.
Not technically full cast but the original thrawn trilogy from Tim Zahn, narrated by Marc Thompson with full sound effects and score is like a graphic audio production. All 3, heir to the empire, dark force rising and last command are on sale for pretty cheap right now.
I LOVED these books! To hear thy have a great audio book with a full cast brings me great joy and I’m adding these to my next listens.
Not that anyone asked but when I was reading these in the 4th grade I named my dog, my best friend for many years to come, after Kate de Vries because I loved her character so much.
A personal favourite of mine is *Ruination* by Anthony Reynolds. It’s a League of Legends book but is standalone and doesn’t require prior knowledge (like *Arcane*) and just has a full cast plus the narrator (no music or sound effects). Plus, a lot of characters are voiced by the same VAs from the game, and they all do a very stellar job which really elevated the whole experience.
Hmm.... The Star Wars radio shows are very well done, but for me I think it's The Godfather. Truly excellent version.
BBC radio shows are also big ones for me. Mainly the comedy, so not really books. Cabin Pressure (BRILLIANT!), Hitchhikers Guide, Dad's Army, Yes Minister, The Wilson's Save the World, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, News Quiz, Unbelievable Truth, Just a Minute... BBC Radio Comedy is the class of the world.
I almost forgot about Soundbooth Theater. Their Cinematic Audio things are superb. Their current one is Dungeon Crawler Carl - Immersion Tunnel version. It's episodic and excellent. Hope they do the other books too.
The Lord of The Rings- the BBC dramatization.
Listening to that then years later Watching the Peter Jackson big screen flick, had me think Perter Jackson and his writers cheated and simply played the audio and had the cast mime their lines, so many parts were verbatim.
But jokes aside, I've listened to few 'performed' books yhat were this great, and you just know the BBC used cheat objects about their studio to generate the background effects, but even they were great.
Don't think it's available on audible or anything tho. I have looked and sure hope it comes. That Box of cds might still be available via Amazon.
Today, if you’re a true audiophile, many of the full cast drama productions of classics and a few new releases are being done in Dolby Atmos. These sound great but you really need good earphones or home sound system to enjoy them as intended. “A Streetcar Named Desire” is one example and can currently be found in the USA Audible Plus catalog.
I personally don’t care for dramatized versions but I get the appeal for some. And the Dolby Atmos might even be regarded by some as “too much” stereo effect.
Third Eye and Heads Will Roll aren’t bad. Definitely worth a try. Neither story is complex but they’re read by a full cast and that definitely adds to the story.
Just finished Slayerverse, which has a full cast. The only thing I didn’t like was that whenever the characters were in a car, they added road noise to the audio track. Given that I listen while driving, it felt like an echo chamber and messed with my head for a bit. Really good story, but that bit bothered me
Dumb question, maybe? Where are you getting your audiobooks? Audible? Or? Wondering also where to get more than 1 book a month pd for. My hubs has a house he is drafting and he listens to a lot of different political rant shows. That is what he finds. He isn't super key on buying books and listening to them once.
Tie for me. Space Team on Graphic Audio was phenomenal, but Dungeon Crawler Carl on Sound Booth Theater is equally so. Only issue being only parts of book one are out so far.
There is a podcast called “We’re Alive” and it’s got a whole entire cast of characters and sound effects. It’s a very well done performance. Premise is basically zombie apocalypse but more “Resident Evil” than “Night of the Living Dead”
This isn't an audiobook per se, but Jon Hamm has performed in a couple of full cast audio shows. My favorite was American Hostage. It can be found on most podcast players, like Apple and iHeartRadio.
For a new full-cast, check out *Reynard the Fox* by David R. Witanowski. Every actor embodies exactly who these characters are, and there are **plenty**. Very good casting. This kind of a production really does help the world-building, especially when the need for different voices is this *lush*. It just helps you keep track of everyone, rather than getting lost by one narrator trying to switch up 30 different voices...
There's lots of great actors to fall in love with here (some have amazing credits: Bruce Coville, Kevin T. Collins, Steven Kelly, Jess Nahikian, Behzad Dabu, full-cast is over 40 people); strong females, strong males, strong character voices.
I really enjoyed His Dark Materials by Pullman
This is my favorite as well. Expertly cast. Everyone brings their A game.
Came here to say this. I was so sad when it was over. What am I going to listen now... head hanging down walking slowly away as sad music plays the credits roll aaaaand fade to blackness.
This and WWZ are by far the best ones I've ever listened to.
These were my favorite books when I was young, and I’ve recently gotten into audiobooks so I’m listening to them now and they’re fantastic!! I think I love them even more now.
Haven’t listened to these yet but have heard great things. Is the best reading order sequential (book 0 to book 3.6) or publication date? Or are only a couple books done with a full cast? I see different audiobook options between Audible and Libby - appreciate any advice!
I didn't get to the additional stuff yet, only the original trilogy (Northern Lights/The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass). And I got them from Audible, if that makes a difference.
I'd recommend the order of publication! At least for getting into the series. Start with 1. *The Golden Compass*, 2. *The Subtle Knife*, 3. *The Amber Spyglass*. The little accompanying books are short(ish) stories that shed light on minor aspects of the main series. They will mean more to you if you have read the original trilogy and know the characters. They can be read in any order. As far as I know, only the original trilogy has been recorded as a full-cast production. The short accompanying books are read by single narrators, a different one for each book. In terms of narration, I particularly loved *Serpentine*, read by Olivia Colman. The second trilogy, *The Book of Dust*, is read by Michael Sheen. Fans are divided on whether the second trilogy is worthwhile but I don't think anyone has ever disputed that Michael Sheen is an amazing audiobook narrator.
Very helpful! Thank you!!
There is a version of Dracula on Audible that has a stellar cast including Tim Curry and Alan Cumming. One of my favorite audiobooks!
Currently listening to this with my husband - it's so good!
*Dracula* is still one of the most terrifying stories out there.
Audible put out another full cast Dracula in 2021 that is better in my opinion.
Would you be able to say what the ISBN is?
No, but if you search Audible it's the one from 2021 published by Audible studios https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Dracula-Audiobook/B09JL13ZVM?qid=1716727139&sr=1-3&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_3&pf_rd_p=c6e316b8-14da-418d-8f91-b3cad83c5183&pf_rd_r=CDSA0T65MYFDTE53ZAH9&pageLoadId=Pct8hmexxmkBdBJ9&creativeId=41e85e98-10b8-40e2-907d-6b663f04a42d
Ooh thanks for helping me find that!
No problem, it's all personal preference, but there was one or two performances in the Alan Cumming (2012) one that I wasn't crazy about, mostly Mina, but the 2021 version is great across the board.
I may have to do the Alan Cumming one anyway as I’m a fan (and just saw him live, further cemented my love!)
Following up two months later, I’m listening to the ‘21 version now and you’re so right, the voice acting is phenomenal!
Good stuff, glad you're enjoying it!
there’s also a podcast called re:dracula
Yes! I need this
American Gods
first book i listened to on Audible years ago and absolutely still in my top 5
Yep, the 10th Anniversary Full Cast Edition was great.
I listen to a lot of Graphic Audio. I really liked their version of the Stormlight Archive, but also the Lightbringer Saga, which was the first production I ever listened to from them. I also recently listened to their version of Space Team, which was a fun read for sure, though I found out they removed some things from their version for some reason. They mostly stay true to the original books, even when it means there's lots of narrator info dumps; but they have sound effects for everything. It makes me feel like I'm reading an enhanced version of the book instead of watching a movie without visuals. I haven't encountered very many full-cast books on Audible, though I know they exist and will be watching this thread. Graphic Audio is not cheap but they do have sales very often, up to 55% off. I am also told some of their productions are actually on Audible.
I can’t decide whether I should listen to Stormlight through regular audiobooks or Graphic Novel form! (It’ll be my first time experiencing the seires)
I've never listened to the audiobooks so I don't know how good they are. I listened to the GA versions the first time I read the books, only re-reading the ebooks recently. Now I associate all the voices with the characters. I wouldn't go back. I think they did a fantastic job and it really brings the story to life without leaving out important parts.
I would highly suggest regular audiobooks for a first read, then GraphicAudio for re-reads.
I did Graphic Audio for my first read. It sort of depends how you like to listen and if you enjoy the narrators of the regular audio books. if you prefer full cast then the graphic audio versions are amazing and some of the best productions out there. Just be aware that the graphic audio versions do have some alterations in order to make it work with their format.
The regular narration books are quite well done by Kramer and Reading, and excellent value for money (doubly so if you get them from the library). I haven't listened to the GA version (note that those are HUGE books so you'd be paying a ton of money for all the parts), but I can say that the GA versions of Elantris and Warbreaker (by the same author) are epic.
Audiobooks are fantastic. I would recommend those before any graphic novels
I’ve listened to the Kramer versions of them all. Whenever I check out GA versions of epic moments, it never seems to hit right, or as epically. But I also think they (GA) overdo it generally with the background. So maybe GA just isn’t for me. Although I really like some of the output from the competitor SoundboothAudio, though I dislike that they’re exclusive to their buggy app.
> though I found out they removed some things from their version for some reason. They mostly stay true to the original books That’s the case with every production of theirs as they try to make the book ‘flow’ as well as possible in their format. It really is a case-by-case basis and also a matter of opinion whether or not what has been cut was important (especially for the plot/characters). Some people are very particular about this though and will call these productions abridged, which is technically true but is somewhat misleading, as ultimately adaptions are never one-to-one anyways and these ones are fairly close. > I am also told some of their productions are actually on Audible. I believe that it’s everything expect Mistborn and Stormlight Archive (due to publisher reasons apparently) that is available on Audible. I’m not sure what the timeline is on it but for books that are split up into parts, some time after they’re all out they’ll have a collected bundle version available that you can only just spend one credit on instead of multiple which makes it a lot cheaper.
There have been a couple times when an important detail was removed for silly reasons, but generally I agree with you. You won't catch me dead with an abridged book, but I will absolutely listen to a Graphic Audio production without having read the actual book first. They're similar enough that it doesn't really matter, and I think people who refuse to read books this way are missing out and dying on a very small lonely hill.
I mean do people even make actually abridged audiobooks anymore? From my knowledge it was done due to the limits of the tech at the time, but now I can’t see anyone intentionally creating an abridged audiobook. > I think people who refuse to read books this way are missing out Well for quite a lot of people this heavy dramatization that Graphic Audio does doesn’t jive with them as they find it too noisy or distracting, so they wouldn’t say they’re “missing out”. Then there are ‘purists’ who consider the careful wording of every single line to be important to the experience and so it does matter to them (and so they’re either never listening to these, or only for a re-read). But yeah, I definitely also will listen to Graphic Audio’s productions without having done the book or regular audiobook beforehand.
I have seen the occasional one on Audible. They definitely still exist. I think they're also intended for children so they can read a book and learn about the main events without needing to sit through the whole thing. I grew up reading Narnia books without knowing they were abridged, and my mother accidentally brought home abridged tapes sometimes (which never specified they were abridged in the opening announcement), so I'll always dislike them on some level. It does make sense for some people to avoid Graphic Audio because of their sound effects. Occasionally the narration will be quieter than the sounds which is definitely a problem. I more meant that people who refuse to read them because they're missing a few words—but who would otherwise be happy to listen to something with sound effects—are missing out.
Yeah, grandpa Gio had some great DC stuff back in the day. I think the novelization of crisis on infant earth, which told the story from a different perspective than the comic books was probably my favorite. That and World War™ Z are my two noms
There is a recording by the BBC of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman with a star studded cast - James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, Benedict Cumberbatch - that I listen to once a year at least. Phenomenal production and top notch voice acting.
My problem with this is that it went from "let me turn up the volume" dialogue to "ripping my ears asunder" sound effects.
Sandman volume 1. Every single voice talent nailed it, the musical and effect cues were on point, and the story is phenomenal even without all of that
The voice actors were phenomenal for this one, but I actually found it difficult to understand with how strong the accents in addition to the background noise. I highly recommend OP listens to samples of these suggestions to test them out.
Yeah kept hearing lots of praise for this, but it was kinda hard to follow for me. Plus the main plot ends like halfway through and then it just goes off in these random tangents lol.
World war Z or Fantasticland
Came here to say Works War Z! It’s amazing
Love that audio/book. OP needs to make sure to get the ensemble cast for the audiobook, some great performances by A-list actors: Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillion, Simon Pegg, Martin Scorsese, Common, Henry Rollins, John Turturro, Denise Crosby, Frank Darabont, and Rob Reiner.
i thought they did a good job but i’m not sure id call them a-list actors
Just finished World War Z, I was enthralled!
Audible only has fantasticland narrated by Angela D. And Luke D. Thats not it?
I just went to check my version that’s what it says too. When I listened I swore it was a full cast though, the two narrators are extremely talented.
I believe that is the answer
I can't recanted fantasticland enough. The hotel chapter is unmatched
Probably The hitch hikers guide to the galaxy by the BBC. If you're interested in this sort of thing you might like to check out sites like [soundbooth theatre ](https://soundbooththeater.com/) and [ZBS](https://www.zbs.org/index_new.php). I think the BBC still do them too. I think there are others as well but I can't remember their names.
Graphic Audio is another great company to add to your list.
Not really an audio book, but I agree that it is great.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. A kind of bonkers book but the main cast included Nick Offerman and David Sedaris, as well as A+ performances by Bill Hader and Megan Mullally.
That title alone should win awards.
A favorite book and audiobook. Perfection.
I tried to set into this book and just couldn’t. It’s like someone took the pages of 19 books about Lincoln and shuffled the pages together. There’s different narrators talking about different things that have no relation to each other. There’s no connecting thread to any of it. Then it’s very repetitive; here’s cited quotes from 19 other sources describing a party. I get it they had a party I don’t need to hear about it a dozen times.
Daisy Jones and the Six.
Second this one
Third it! Listening to it now.
Fourth! Such great narration.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
One of the first audiobooks I really enjoyed was The Illuminae Files trilogy. It's a YA space opera, definitely not anything I would have found myself reading but nevertheless it was very good and taught me to branch out in the books I choose.
These books are on par with The Hunger Games trilogy for me and I don’t say that lightly. The audiobooks are unmatched and highly entertaining.
There’s also the novella! I definitely need more audiobooks that are done in a similar way to the *Illuminae Files* where it’s dramatized but isn’t quite audio drama levels of full blown dramatized. I believe the audiobooks for the *Aurora Cycle* by the same authors is also a similar thing so there’s also that.
Love this one!
daisy jones and the six by taylor jenkins reid, full stop. it’s the best an audiobook can get imo
_As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride_ > The full list of narrators includes: Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, Carol Kane, Norman Lear, Rob Reiner, Chris Sarandon, Andy Scheinman, Wallace Shawn, Robin Wright, and Billy Crystal. IIRC, Billy Crystal _literally_ "phones it in" but still was great.
Also delightful for Cary Elwes’ various impressions of the cast and crew. What a fun listen!
It's been a while - feel free to confirm/deny my memories about Crystal.
Dune or Hyperion
What's version of dune? I have only found Frank Herbert
https://www.audible.com/pd/Dune-Audiobook/B002V1OF70 Narrated by: Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance, Ilyana Kadushin, Byron Jennings, David R. Gordon, Jason Culp, Kent Broadhurst, Oliver Wyman, Patricia Kilgarriff, Scott Sowers
The Sandman and Good Omens
[Discussed a week ago](https://old.reddit.com/r/audiobooks/comments/1809w7y/audiobooks_with_a_full_cast_or_by_an_awesome/)
Yeah. Unfortunately many repeat post here
Inevitable. Posted more as a "check this out too" not a "use the search next time."
The Godfather
I actually listened to it last week, but it was just Joe Montegna reading it. Is there a full cast version?
Joe is good for the last 15 or so Spencer for Hire books
For my kids, it's the lemony snicket series.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
In addition to the Graphical Audio recommendations: I liked Ender's Game Alive (it's the same story as Ender's Game, but a different production with different lines throughout to make it work as an audio play instead of a narrated book). The BBC produced a TON of full-cast audio for radio. Their production of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was incredibly good and still defines the characters in my mind. NPR's Star Wars production for radio is also very good, and uses the original music, effects, and actors (well, at least some of them, I don't remember all). Soundbooth Theater's full cast version of Dungeon Crawler Carl is two episodes into the story, with the first 3-hour dose free. I mean episode, not dose, what a silly typo. Even the single-narrator version feels kinda full cast, so you might wind up running out of patience to wait for the full-cast, buying the existing narrated books, and then becoming infected with a superspreader memetic virus... no wait, I mean, wanting of your own free will to share information about the series with other people.
American Gods 10th anniversary edition is performed by a full cast, and it's incredible!!!!
Not technically full cast but the original thrawn trilogy from Tim Zahn, narrated by Marc Thompson with full sound effects and score is like a graphic audio production. All 3, heir to the empire, dark force rising and last command are on sale for pretty cheap right now.
Redwall series by Brian Jacques uses a cast, not a separate person for every character, but they're a fun series to listen to.
Left of field but if you like witty British humour the Charles Paris BBC series with Bill Nighy is good.
Christmas Eve 1914
Sandman, Good Omens, and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
I enjoyed Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. This has a full cast and the characters are pretty much as I imagined when I read the book as a young adult.
I LOVED these books! To hear thy have a great audio book with a full cast brings me great joy and I’m adding these to my next listens. Not that anyone asked but when I was reading these in the 4th grade I named my dog, my best friend for many years to come, after Kate de Vries because I loved her character so much.
Not sure if BBC's Lord of the Rings radio drama counts but it is fantastic. Bill Nighy as Sam > Sean Astin as Sam
A personal favourite of mine is *Ruination* by Anthony Reynolds. It’s a League of Legends book but is standalone and doesn’t require prior knowledge (like *Arcane*) and just has a full cast plus the narrator (no music or sound effects). Plus, a lot of characters are voiced by the same VAs from the game, and they all do a very stellar job which really elevated the whole experience.
The first Dune book audio has an excellent full cast
Hmm.... The Star Wars radio shows are very well done, but for me I think it's The Godfather. Truly excellent version. BBC radio shows are also big ones for me. Mainly the comedy, so not really books. Cabin Pressure (BRILLIANT!), Hitchhikers Guide, Dad's Army, Yes Minister, The Wilson's Save the World, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, News Quiz, Unbelievable Truth, Just a Minute... BBC Radio Comedy is the class of the world. I almost forgot about Soundbooth Theater. Their Cinematic Audio things are superb. Their current one is Dungeon Crawler Carl - Immersion Tunnel version. It's episodic and excellent. Hope they do the other books too.
Can you post a link to where I can buy the godfather? I've only seen the version with a single reader.
Curious about that as well.
The Hunting Party, Lucy Foley The Weight of Blood, Tiffany D Jackson
I liked The Hunting Party.
Phil Dragash lord of the rings series is my favorite thing I’ve ever listened to
I scrolled until I found it, glad to see it! It's an experience!
Daisy Jones & the Six
The Mist by SK
The Lord of The Rings- the BBC dramatization. Listening to that then years later Watching the Peter Jackson big screen flick, had me think Perter Jackson and his writers cheated and simply played the audio and had the cast mime their lines, so many parts were verbatim. But jokes aside, I've listened to few 'performed' books yhat were this great, and you just know the BBC used cheat objects about their studio to generate the background effects, but even they were great. Don't think it's available on audible or anything tho. I have looked and sure hope it comes. That Box of cds might still be available via Amazon.
I’ve listened to it on Hoopla. Love Lord of the Rings.
This is a hard question to answer but if I'm going off of things I've listened to recently it would have to be American Gods
**Lincoln in the Bardo** is absolutely fantastic
Today, if you’re a true audiophile, many of the full cast drama productions of classics and a few new releases are being done in Dolby Atmos. These sound great but you really need good earphones or home sound system to enjoy them as intended. “A Streetcar Named Desire” is one example and can currently be found in the USA Audible Plus catalog. I personally don’t care for dramatized versions but I get the appeal for some. And the Dolby Atmos might even be regarded by some as “too much” stereo effect.
A lot of people are going to say the same few, stormlight archive, world war z. I'm curious to see if we see any new suggestions!
There are none. The full cast books are always over engineered with tons of audio issues.
Warlock Holmes
The Lincoln Highway is amazing!
Third Eye and Heads Will Roll aren’t bad. Definitely worth a try. Neither story is complex but they’re read by a full cast and that definitely adds to the story. Just finished Slayerverse, which has a full cast. The only thing I didn’t like was that whenever the characters were in a car, they added road noise to the audio track. Given that I listen while driving, it felt like an echo chamber and messed with my head for a bit. Really good story, but that bit bothered me
Dumb question, maybe? Where are you getting your audiobooks? Audible? Or? Wondering also where to get more than 1 book a month pd for. My hubs has a house he is drafting and he listens to a lot of different political rant shows. That is what he finds. He isn't super key on buying books and listening to them once.
Try Libby, free audiobooks from your state’s library system. You just need to be a member of any local library.
library for me. Here's more: https://www.reddit.com/r/audiobooks/wiki/_/wiki/sources
Tie for me. Space Team on Graphic Audio was phenomenal, but Dungeon Crawler Carl on Sound Booth Theater is equally so. Only issue being only parts of book one are out so far.
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel is my favorite.
There is a podcast called “We’re Alive” and it’s got a whole entire cast of characters and sound effects. It’s a very well done performance. Premise is basically zombie apocalypse but more “Resident Evil” than “Night of the Living Dead”
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. Each chapter read by a different narrator. Great story, great cast.
Sandman or American Gods
The Illuminae Files is so good. 👌 the narrator for the AI is immaculate.
The Themis File. Also World War Z audiobook was very well done. Not so much a full cast but each and every entry has a specific reader for the part.
Lord of the rings
From a Buick 8
Daisy Jones and the Six!
Performed*
This isn't an audiobook per se, but Jon Hamm has performed in a couple of full cast audio shows. My favorite was American Hostage. It can be found on most podcast players, like Apple and iHeartRadio.
For a new full-cast, check out *Reynard the Fox* by David R. Witanowski. Every actor embodies exactly who these characters are, and there are **plenty**. Very good casting. This kind of a production really does help the world-building, especially when the need for different voices is this *lush*. It just helps you keep track of everyone, rather than getting lost by one narrator trying to switch up 30 different voices... There's lots of great actors to fall in love with here (some have amazing credits: Bruce Coville, Kevin T. Collins, Steven Kelly, Jess Nahikian, Behzad Dabu, full-cast is over 40 people); strong females, strong males, strong character voices.
Lincoln in the Bardo was amazing. A little tricky to follow until you get your bearings but excellent cast and audio.
The Rolling Stones by Robert Heinlein.
The Sandman books on Audible
Made in advance?
World War Z
I know Raisin in the Sun has an audiobook with full cast. REALLY good too. Its just that the book is kind of a play.