Fantasy Audiobook Recommendations | Favourite Narrators

[@FullMoonHowl2233]

My favorite is Steven Pacey and the First Law series.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I've heard his narration of the First Law is amazing

[@emroyka]

Been curious about Brent Weeks but hadn't thought that the audiobooks might be my way in!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I hope you enjoy them!

[@Mclearmountain]

What you said about having trouble retaining fantasy more steered towards epic in audiobook format rang very true for me! The truth has been spoken.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah some books work better in the physical form in my opinion

[@tomcollins2971]

Really can recommend Rosamund Pike’s reading of The Wheel of Time. She acts the book and it’s just a gripping performance

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Ooh good to know. It's Unpopular but I did not enjoy Michael Kramer's narration

[@tomcollins2971]

@@TheShadesofOrange that was meant to read can! Not can’t. It’s an excellent audiobook.

[@lisahampton4115]

This!!! Is the best video I could have found. I am the same with narrators. My daughter and I just had the conversation about what a difference it makes. What is most frustrating is binge-listening to an authors series and after 3 series, one book is by a different narrator that basically just reads … no expression, no voices, no infliction …just monotone….so frustrating!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yes narrators make all the difference

[@ckurnath]

I’m making my way through the Rivers of London series on audio right now and it’s fantastic

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Ooh those sound fun!

[@chrisconnors7418]

Ah, yes, those would be good ones to do next on audio. I've read the first four, but want to reread them so I can read the newer ones without losing anything. Rachel, those will be the next series I listen to then.

[@D-Wells0203]

Some audiobook recommendations are as follows. And FYI my favorite narrators are RC Bray, Nick Podehl, Armen Taylor, and Vikas Adam. Most of my recommendations are either fantasy or LitRPG. One or two are sci-fi and 1 is bio/comedy. The Destiny’s Crucible Series by Olan Thorenson, Life Reset by Shemer Kuznitz, The Land by Aleron Kong, The Martian by Andy Weir, Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter, Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, and Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Also anything by Kel Kade.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oh flanks for all these awesome recs. We share a lot of favourite narrators

[@Oilbleak5453]

Check out The Blacktongue Thief written and narrated by Christopher Buehlman. It’s a grimdark fantasy told from the perspective of a thief and Buehlman’s narration is spot on.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks for the rec

[@staceycakes71]

Steven Pacey, who narrates the First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie is amazing. Please try them if you haven't already!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Ah yes I've read one book he narrated (Let the Right One in) and really loved it

[@D-Wells0203]

Thank you for acknowledging Kel Kade and Nick Podehl!! Love both of them. Most booktubers ignore this format entirely. So thank you very much for talking about what the audio format can actually bring to these amazing books. I find it’s especially helpful in LitRPG the stories.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks... yes I'm a big audiobook fan so I've done several videos of audiobook recs

[@zachryder3150]

12:24 FINALLY a booktuber that discusses listening to audiobooks with the speed increased.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah I got further into the conversation in my Thursday video

[@D-Wells0203]

Going to check out Guild of Tokens and Foundryside.

[@darbyhardy1118]

Steven Pacey doing the entire first law series is an absolute masterpiece. The only bad thing about the entire series is now that I’ve finished all of the books I’m finding it hard to find something else to get anywhere near as immersed in. The Dresden Files are also amazingly done. But you said you didn’t like urban fantasy that much, so it may not be your thing.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I've heard amazing things about Steven Pacey's recommendation of First Law. I definitely need to try them out

[@DaJuanFury]

@@TheShadesofOrange Yeah you do!

[@DaJuanFury]

Dark King Tidings series.

[@darbyhardy1118]

@@DaJuanFury thanks dude. Checking it out now! 😃

[@DaJuanFury]

@@darbyhardy1118 Come back and let me know what you think.

[@khomo12]

I'll try out guild of tokens on audiobook📚. I have audiobooked an unkindness of magicians and that worked well probably due to it being urban fantasy as well

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I hope you enjoy it

[@insertnamehere8121]

The Audible Originals releases of Treasure Island & The Three Musketeers are some of the best audio storytelling I've ever sampled.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Hmm you have me intrigued

[@Audibleking]

great video! I'm an 11 year old booktuber and I love seeing other people talk about audiobooks. great job!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@Audibleking]

@@TheShadesofOrange thanks replying to me! I review just audiobooks on my channel if you wanna check it out! I review kids books and adult books too! thanks!

[@BrandonsBookshelf]

ohh i love finding good narrators and with a goal of getting into fantasy finally I know audiobooks will be a better in road. Thanks for the recs and love your channel btw. really inspiring as i figure out how to build mine out.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oh thank you! Like you, I find it hard to find narrators I love

[@arlem525]

Oh also the audiobook of Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff is quite excellent post apocalyptic vampire/fantasy fiction, I really liked it and look forward to the next book.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Good to know about the audio! I've been hearing good things about the book in general

[@aveyclub]

Ooh thank you so much for this video! I’ve wanted to get more into fantasy and I’ve had difficulty understanding them fully via audiobook because they can be so info dense so these recs came at the perfect time ❤️

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yes I find I need to physically read a lot of fantasy in order to catch all the details... but these ones worked really well for me in audio form

[@megaDwiggins]

I haven't seen many Picture Audio Books lately. Here is a new style short story fantasy book called Odyssey of Nirvana. It's in a Picture Audio Book about pirates trying to find the holy land. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rorLh2qgia1nY7M

[@haley5803]

Love these types of videos. Thank you :)

[@JessieMaeBooks]

Loveee listening to audiobooks so I really appreciate this list! Thank you!!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Awesome! And yes audiobooks are so wonderful during this early childhood years

[@JasonsWeirdReads]

I could listen to Neil Gaiman read the phone book. I’m so glad that he reads a lot of his own work. I wish he read them all. The Wizard Killer looks really great. I might check it out. Simon Vance is a favourite narrator of mine, so I might check The Black Prism out. Nick Podehl is another favourite of mine, so Fate of the Fallen is now on my tbr. Great video Rachel!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Agreed about Gaimen! I'm glad you share my love of Simon Vance

[@Darrkness]

I'm going to add Foundryside to my tbr. I really enjoyed Robert's Divine Cities trilogy years ago but wasn't aware he wrote more books. I'm also a big fan of Neil Gaiman's narration.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I hope you enjoy Foundryside... I still need to read his first trilogy

[@chrisconnors7418]

I've only recently started audiobooks (just over a year now), so can't think of any good fantasy audiobooks off the top of my head. I do want to try Elantris--I liked that story, I was surprised to hear lots of folks didn't rate it highly. And I have Foundryside on audio (and ebook); I was going to read it, but I'll listen to it instead. Still on book 8, Tiamat's Wrath, in audio. And I now have to try Neil Gaiman's book in audio too. I can just see imagine his voice based on the short clips I've seen of him talking on youtube. I'll have to revisit this video next week, so I can see if I have the audio, or if I can get the audio (getting shipped out for work for next five days, including weekend, so frantic packing is involved---I came close to leaving my Kobo behind--I spotted it lying on my desk after I thought I'd everything packed away; that was nearly a "life flashed before my eyes" moment as we'll be in a fly-in remote community and if we're stranded by snowstorms, I'd sorely miss having my eReader).

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Traveling without books would've been rough! Glad you spotted your eReader in time. And so glad you got into audiobooks. I reread the Expanse via audio this time and enjoyed the narration. Keep me posted which ones you enjoy!

[@greenknightable]

Try Michael g Manning. Embers of Illeniel

[@dusbus2384]

Steven pacey in the first law books. Best narrator ive heard.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I still need to try out the First Law on audio!

[@Kelli.Hicks.5]

I'm excited to give Hounded a try. It sounds wonderful.

[@threecorners52802]

I've read the first book and really enjoyed it!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

It's so fun!

[@detritus666]

Not fantasy, so excuse my fanperson-ism, but the Six Stories series by Matt Wesolowski fits so well with the audiobook format. Multiple narrators, in a pseudo-interview/podcast format.... Highly recommended...

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I've heard that audiobook is amazing. I just still need to invest the audible credit

[@Jzscrstsprstr]

The setup of The Ocean at The End of the Lane sounds like a perfect fit for magical realism. I'll keep this in mind. I'm generally interested in reading more Neil Gaiman books.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oh yes it really is the perfect magical realism book

[@axtell500]

Hi Rachel, for some reason audio books hasnt been a thing for me maybe its the person 'reading' to me is a distraction. I tried it once when where I stay the dreaded loadshedding started and I tried the first book in the Wheel of Time series. You mentioned Neil Gaiman and I love The Sandman which was more of an old fashioned radio play with creepy sound effects and all - that I enjoyed. Plus Neil Gaiman narrated parts of it as well

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah I totally respect that audiobooks aren't for everyone. (Although I will say I did not love the narration the wheel of time). I do adore Gaiman so I really should try the dramatizion of Sandman

[@greenknightable]

Naomi Novik. Scholomance give it a try.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks for the rec

[@Ashleybfly]

The book Autumn Castle by Kim Wilkins is a great, gritty fantasy story. The audio version is a blast. I listen to it at least once a year.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oooh gritty fantasy? I'll have to check it out!

[@bookwormdreams5182]

I'm definitely pushing the Iron Druid series up on my TBR list if the audiobooks are good. Looking forward to the SCI FI list of audiobooks. (M)

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yes it's definitely coming this year!

[@chones_]

Joe Jameson is great in RJ Barker’s Wounded Kingdom series but Jude Owusu is absolutely brilliant in Barker’s Tide Child series

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks for the recs

[@arlem525]

I just have to recommend the late great Tanith Lee's Tales from the Flat Earth (Night's Master, Death's Master, Delusion's Master, Delirium's Mistress and Night's Sorceries) narrated by Susan Duerden. Her voice is so lush and beautiful and so suited to the delicious dark fairy tales that these books are. Also The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Beuhlman narrated by the author. He does an amazing job, even singing the folk songs in the book. Also the Fairy land series by Katherynne M Valente which starts with The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her own Making. The first , third and fifth books being narrated by the author, who is amazing and the second done by her folk singer Friend SJ Tucker (who based one of her albums on the first book) and the 4th narrated by Heath Miller as that book introduces a male protagonist to the series. I especially love the first one because (a) the villain the Marquess absolutely terrifies me and (b) it deconstructs and explains the various mechanics of how the children end up in the different Fairylands of other book series likw Oz and Wonderland and Narnia end up there and how and why they get back home again.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oooh thanks for all these fantastic recs

[@suzieirby2137]

Can you recommend adult fantasies without all the war? A little war is fine, but with most of these books, it's the central theme. I love fantasy, but the wars are over my head. I think you touched on a few here. Thanks so much! Love your channel.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Very few of these books involve war. Like Ocean at the End of the Lane and Guild of Token barely even have conflict

[@suzieirby2137]

​@@TheShadesofOrange Thank you so much! KZbin did not notify me of your reply. I came looking for it. Or maybe I just missed the notification.

[@TheMike28212]

Great recommendations! 🎧

[@lizardman1303]

Haven’t listen to fate of the fallen but the other series he writes kings dark tidings is one of my favorites . Over powered clueless main character

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Sounds like I gotta check out that series!

[@andysimmons2648]

I really appreciate this video as I listen to a lot of audiobooks and this sounds like an excellent selection. I think that I’ll give The Ocean at the End of the Lane a go as I listened to Neil Gaiman narrated Norse Legends and he was very good. I also really like the sound of Fate of the Fallen as I always thought “Sam” deserved his own story. As for recommendations, I would suggest you try Drew Hayes’ audiobook NPCs as the narrator, Roger Wayne, is excellent at voice acting all the characters and the story is a very good twist on RPGs. Another book, an RPG-Lit one, that I really enjoyed is Life Reset by Shemer Kuznits narrated by Jeff Hayes; he brings such life and energy to the book that its a really enjoyable listen. Once again, thank you for the recommendations. (-:

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Glad the video was helpful! Hope you enjoy some of these

[@sharath_95]

Just hop in to say Hello 👋...I am not a fantasy reader but these are sounds interesting!!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks for popping in

[@threecorners52802]

I'm not sure how you can make a Best of list of audiobook narrator and not include Stephen Pacey who reads all of The First Law books. I also really enjoyed The Powder Mage narrator Christian Rodska

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I've heard his narration of The First Law is amazing! I originally read The Blade Itself physically but I definitely want to reread it on audiobook

[@threecorners52802]

I just wanna be clear that it was a tongue in cheek reply and not any sort of real critique. Love your content and keep up the good work.

[@michaelc8246]

I was looking for a list like this. Do you listen to them at 1x speed or faster? And I must ask, will you make the Science Fiction audiobook list next? :) Thanks!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

A scifi list is definitely coming. And yeah I've gotten so use to listening to audiobooks that my ears have gotten use to a faster speed

[@jjnewbold]

Great video idea!

[@jjnewbold]

I love Gaiman' narration too. Coraline is one of my favorite audios.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yes Gaimen is such an amazing narrator

[@reneburns5033]

💓

[@alexandruteodor3585]

Animal Farm audiobook on youtube :) .

[@MrMark-hm9lk]

Harry Potter audiobooks have the best narrator.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oh yes, I was only talking about Adult Fantasy but yes Harry Potter has amazing narration

[@zubaerchaudhari8267]

Hi

[@poodlemuffin]

The Iron Druid books were great, right up to the point the writer decided to turn all his female characters in to irrational, nasty, psychos 😔

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Lol I'll admit I lost interest mid series

[@MrMark-hm9lk]

Steven King is the worst. His voice is nails on a chalkboard

[@TheShadesofOrange]

He doesn't read his own books though