# Great Audiobook Performances **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 21, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442 "2024-01-21T17:06:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/1 "2024-01-21T17:06:05Z")
I thought I’d list a few audiobooks that aren’t just good books, but also feature the best performance by the audiobook artist. I think that in some cases, these audiobooks are almost the best way to experience the book because the audiobook performer does such a great job. Here are the ones that impressed me: **Bud, Not Buddy** - James Avery died 10 years ago, but I still hear him every year in my job as a teacher and I am in the thin minority that remembers him mainly for his reading of Bud, Not Buddy. He was Uncle Phil on Fresh Prince and also Shredder in TMNT, but I would recommend everyone listen to him read Bud, Not Buddy. It’s top notch. **Lord of the Rings** - Phil Dragash did all the voices and also mixed in Howard Shore’s score to the best version of Lord of the Rings you can find. He did not get the rights and did not charge, but it was pulled off his site anyone. It exists legally, I presume, on the Internet Archive. I consider this the ultimate way to re-read and experience the book. It’s that good. [You can find it here.](https://archive.org/details/the-fellowship-of-the-ring_soundscape-by-phil-dragash/01+-+A+Long-Expected+Party+(2014).mp3) **Harry Potter Series** - Stephen Fry is simply amazing on these. I don’t think of Fry as an actor first, but his acting/performing on the Potter books is unbelievable. **Stargirl** - John Ritter. What a loss John Ritter was to us as well. Here is a book that I think is often overlooked by people, but Ritter’s performance on it is incredible. He could have just read it straight, but he acted out the whole thing amazingly. I hear him every year with my students and like James Avery, it’s become the main thing I associate him with. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/2 "2024-01-21T17:19:06Z")
The voice **cast for Neil Gaiman’s American Gods** was absolutely amazing. Edward Hermann also does an awesome job on **The Boys in the Boat**. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/3 "2024-01-21T17:26:34Z")
Simon Prebble did a great job on _Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell_. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/4 "2024-01-21T17:31:29Z")
**The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy** was originally a BBC Radiophonics Workshop production (the book came later). It is not one person but a cast acting it out and sound effects and music. It is absolutely fantastic. Superb for a long road trip…you’ll enjoy the whole 6+ hours. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/5 "2024-01-23T08:23:23Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > The voice **cast for Neil Gaiman’s American Gods** was absolutely amazing. I came in to say that any of Neil Gaiman’s books that he reads himself are a tremendous pleasure. There is a good sample of his readings of many different things at Open Culture [Hear Neil Gaiman Read Aloud 15 of His Own Works, and Works by 6 Other Great Writers: From The Graveyard Book & Coraline, to Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven & Dickens’ A Christmas Carol](https://www.openculture.com/2019/02/hear-neil-gaiman-read-aloud-15-of-his-own-works.html) ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/6 "2024-01-23T08:45:49Z")
Simon Slater’s reading of Hilary Mantel’s _Wolf Hall_ is one of the best audiobook performances I have ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/7 "2024-01-23T09:15:10Z")
The absolute standout for me is the author **Frank McCourt** reading _Angela’s Ashes_. **Peter Kenny** is superb for the Iain M Banks _Culture_ novels, I can’t just read them now, his voice _is_ that world to me. He’s also perfect for the deadpan humor of the fabulous Jonas Jonasson books. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/8 "2024-01-23T13:57:12Z")
Rupert Degas did a great job narrating Dmitry Glukhovsky’s _Metro: 2033_. Creepy, foreboding and speaking smoothly over the Russian names that tripped me up when trying to read it. The back half of the story suffers from some narrative issues but I can listen to Degas read the first half of the book many times. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/9 "2024-01-23T14:35:47Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I came in to say that any of Neil Gaiman’s books that he reads himself are a tremendous pleasure. He’s a great narrator, and contributes to the full cast recording of **The Sandman,** which is one of the only full cast recordings I’ve ever enjoyed. A truly stunning recreation of the comic. **Mel Brooks** is a delight in his autobiography. ---
**Author:** ![hopesperson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e95f7d/32.png) [@hopesperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hopesperson)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/10 "2024-01-23T14:52:15Z")
Jonathan Cecil was absolutely perfect as narrator for many PG Wodehouse Jeeves & Wooster books. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/11 "2024-01-23T14:53:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Stephen Fry is simply amazing on these. Check out his **Mythos** series. A phenomenal listen even if you’re already familiar with the source material. Well researched and often laugh out loud funny. I’m very eager for him to do The Odyssey, which in think is next up for him. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/12 "2024-01-23T15:42:32Z")
> [@hopesperson](#): > > Jonathan Cecil was absolutely perfect as narrator for many PG Wodehouse Jeeves & Wooster books. Correct. And I wouldn’t limit it to just the Jeeves & Wooster books, although those are arguably the ones that work best as audiobooks, because of the first-person POV. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/13 "2024-01-23T15:54:18Z")
Anything narrated by **[Wanda McCaddon](https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/narrators/wanda-mccaddon/)**, aka Nadia May. I’ve discovered great books I wouldn’t otherwise have heard of, just browsing through titles she’s read. On the flip side there are unfortunately a lot of audiobooks which are absolutely unlistenable due to their narration – either inexperience/unprofessionalism (mumbling, slurring), or strange affectation. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/14 "2024-01-23T16:43:53Z")
Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne do a fantastic job for _Gone Girl_. The book is written as alternating diary entries from the two protagonists, and neither character is even close to a reliable narrator. The late David McCullough could read a dictionary and I’d listen. I particularly enjoyed _The Wright Brothers_, even if he glossed over how much their litigiousness screwed themselves and hampered early American aviation. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/15 "2024-01-23T16:54:00Z")
I thought Dennis Quaid did a great job with _The Right Stuff_. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/16 "2024-01-23T19:49:34Z")
One of the most moving and profound audiobook listening experiences I’ve ever had was Joe Morton’s reading of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ _The Water Dancer._ > **[The Water Dancer (Oprah’s Book Club)](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Water-Dancer-Oprahs-Book-Club-Audiobook/0525494855?eac_link=NwN2X48FkaYw&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=0525494855&qid=JUhOm0vWjm&eac_id=137-4188844-5578728_JUhOm0vWjm&sr=1-1)** > > Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Number one New York Times best seller Oprah’s Book Club Pick From the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me, a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a devastating loss,... Morton’s voice is like dark, sweet honey. His acting ability is unmatched. He even sings some of the working songs of the “tasked” (Coates’ word for enslaved people). I walked in my neighborhood while listening to the long (14-hr) book and many times stopped with tears running down my face. There was a moment so surprising and gratifying near the end of the book that I stopped short and cried out, “Holy shit!” and then turned around to see if anyone had heard me. If anyone is wondering…there are no detailed scenes or descriptions of violence, beatings, or abuse. For those who have been burned by graphic scenes in other books about slavery. The undercurrent of fear is always in the background and the all-encompassing oppression of slavery is there but the reader (listener) is not subjected to episodes of graphic violence. Some in my book club read it, but those of us who listened enjoyed it a whole lot more. I fell in love with Morton’s voice. He’s an actor we’ve all seen on TV or in movies a time or two. > **[Joe Morton | Actor, Producer, Director](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0608012/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1)** > > Known for: Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Eureka, Speed ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/17 "2024-01-25T00:38:18Z")
> [@hopesperson](#): > > Jonathan Cecil was absolutely perfect as narrator for many PG Wodehouse Jeeves & Wooster books. I think of him (and Simon Prebble) as the quintessential British readers. And often choose their books to fall asleep to (or, at 3 am, to fall BACK asleep to…). . On my library’s audiobook app (“ **Libby** ”), or on **Libro.fm** (a paid site for when I don’t want to wait 27 weeks for an audiobook, thank you very much), I often search for a favorite narrator’s name. . For deeper-voiced books, I search for Scott Brick, Simon Vance, George Guidall\*, or the late Frank Muller … oh, and Dick Hill, for the Jack Reacher books. . . \*Had an odd experience picking up a print version of ‘The Cat Who Smelled a Rat’. It seemed so… pedestrian. And I realized that “The Cat Who…” books really need to have newspaper man Jim Qwilleran voiced by George Guidall (at his most laconic and curmudgeonly). ---
**Author:** ![pseudograph](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pseudograph/32/19768_2.png) [@pseudograph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudograph)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/18 "2024-01-25T23:02:34Z")
Stephen Pacey does a fantastic job narrating Joe Abercrombie’s books, especially the First Law series. Very distinct and evocative character voices. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-audiobook-performances/996442/19 "2024-01-27T17:59:23Z")
I just finished The Mirror and the Light on audiobook last week. Stunningly good series…