Best fantasy books on Audible.com

September 25, 2015 9:00 PM

Looking for beautifully written, beautifully performed fantasy audiobooks available on Audible.com. A skilled reader is key. If possible, I love when the book is less a reading and more a performance, like the exquisite Listening Library performance of The Golden Compass. But I will settle for a great narrator. The delightful British narrator of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, skilled in multiple accents, is my favorite so far.

Some things I look for in a fantasy book:
-Kickass female protagonists
-Queer relationships (especially between kickass women)
-Sweeping, epic storylines
-Swords, sorcery, magic
-Smart urban fairytales
-Gaiman-esque weirdness
-Immersiveness--richly drawn worlds and characters
-Young Adult genre as long as it's not too focused on boy/girl kissy-kissy.
-Classics of the genre as long as they aren't horrifyingly misogynist or racist

Thanks, MeFi!

posted by lieber hair to Media & Arts (16 answers total)

Looks like they've got most of Mercedes Lackey's books. If I were you, I'd start there.
posted by irisclara at 9:23 PM on September 25, 2015

Have you listened to the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage yet? I love the narrator's voice, Gerald Doyle. He also narrated The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones, which I also liked.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is also beautifully narrated. I have listened to it probably four times already.
posted by lizbunny at 9:42 PM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Just finished listening to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

I'm not sure I trust myself as an audio critic, but I was impressed how thoroughly each character got their own voice.

As to your other characteristics--epic sweep, strong female protagonist, strong female antagonist, sorcery, magic, and weirdness. Might be what you're looking for.
posted by mark k at 11:25 PM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

If you go to Audible, you can click on the narrator name to find other books narrated by that person. Here are Science Fiction and Fantasy books narrated by Simon Prebble, the person who narrated Jonathan Strange.

Have you read/listened to the Kingkiller Chronicles yet? First books is The Name of the Wind.
posted by willnot at 11:52 PM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

The audiobook of David Mitchell's The Bone Clocks was very well done. It features multiple narrators since each section is from a different character's POV, and they are all good. It's a big book so there are many hours of listening pleasure.

-Kickass female protagonists--yes
-Sweeping, epic storylines--yes
-magic--yes
-Gaiman-esque weirdness--yes
-Immersiveness--richly drawn worlds and characters--yes
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:15 AM on September 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

This might be slightly off target, but "Good Omens" has the benefit of being half-Gaiman (and half Pratchett), and is wonderfully narrated.
posted by jzb at 4:24 AM on September 26, 2015 [3 favorites]

This book ticks the "smart urban fairy tale" box, and has a great narrator that captures the voice of the POV character perfectly: Rivers of London. It's the first of a series of well-written books full of intriguing world building (a secret magic task force in the modern London police) and characters who draw you into their stories.
posted by harujion at 4:27 AM on September 26, 2015 [4 favorites]

Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore was wonderfully narrated. It's not sword-and-sorcerer fantasy, but based on your criteria of "Gaiman-esque weirdness", I think you might like it.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:41 AM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

I wanted to warn about the Kingkiller Chronicles. I read them (not audiobook) and found myself hate reading through most it. If you're looking for a badass lady protagonist, this is basically the antithesist of that. (not saying they aren't good books, but as someone with similar fantasy preferences who will make due with dude protagonists who are the special, I really, really struggled with it so it might not be the best option.)
posted by KernalM at 5:25 AM on September 26, 2015 [3 favorites]

Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, read by Lenny Henry. A really great audiobook performance of a fun urban fantasy book.
posted by mskyle at 5:51 AM on September 26, 2015 [3 favorites]

Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor: a disfavored youngest son comes to court to become Emperor after his father and siblings are killed in a blimp ("aircar") accident. (The blimps are the only steampunky part).
The narrator is very good. There is excellent world building, and the (male) protagonist has an interesting outsider's perspective on court life. I really enjoyed it!
posted by maryrussell at 6:47 AM on September 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

You need the audio version of Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint, stat.
posted by trunk muffins at 7:49 AM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Do you like Tamora Pierce? If so, her books have been done by Full Cast Audio and are like listening to a play. They are glorious. And they hit many of those other wants, too: kickass women, swords, sorcery & magic, and even a bit of queerness.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:22 AM on September 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Hard to pick a best answer because these are all really good suggestions. I've already started listening to Swordspoint and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is on deck!

Carrioncomfort, I have always been so interested in Tamora Pierce and I sampled a few of her audiobooks at your recommendation. They seem very promising, although she herself has a pretty unappealing reading voice! Do you recommend any of her books in particular?

Jzb, well-said. Good Omens is a favorite of mine, and I would love to hear it read aloud.
posted by lieber hair at 2:56 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Glen Cook's "Chronicles of the Black Company" books have a great narrator in Mark Vietor. He has a world-weary rasp that perfectly suits the story's narrator, Croaker.
posted by picea at 9:30 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

I've really been enjoying her most recent works: The Will of the Empress, Melting Stones, and Battle Magic, as the characters and world have really matured and the plots become more complex. And Melting Stones was actually written & produced as an audiobook first and later released as a book. I think the books are also that much more interesting when you've got the background of the earlier books, so I'd suggest picking either universe (Circle or Tortall) and start at the beginning--Circle of Magic, starting with Sandry's Book for the Circle or Alanna: The First Adventure for Tortall. The Beka Cooper series in the Tortall world is really cool partly because it jumps back in time and you learn about one of the original series' ancestors. So if you'd prefer to start with one of her newer series, I'd recommend that one, because you don't need the backstory for a prequel (even if it does enhance it).
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:27 AM on September 29, 2015 [1 favorite]