The audiobook was better (Fantasy/Sci-fi)

A highly unscientific list of Fantasy and Sci-fi books where the audiobook leveled up the reading experience. I’ve either listened to them or they’ve come highly recommended. Input always welcome!

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created by Madalore

last updated August, 2026

23 books

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Walking Practice

Dolki Min

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Max Brooks

The Compound

Aisling Rawle

The Blade Itself

Joe Abercrombie

Illuminae: The Illuminae Files 01

Amie Kaufman

Sleeping Giants

Sylvain Neuvel

Red Rising

Pierce Brown

Ancillary Justice

Ann Leckie

Someone You Can Build a Nest In

John Wiswell

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Heather Fawcett

Engines of Empire

Richard S. Ford

The Blacktongue Thief

Christopher Buehlman

Piranesi

Susanna Clarke

Sabriel

Garth Nix

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Becky Chambers

Leviathan Wakes

James S.A. Corey

Gideon the Ninth

Tamsyn Muir

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir

The River Has Roots

Amal El-Mohtar

Dungeon Crawler Carl

Matt Dinniman

Blood Over Bright Haven

M.L. Wang

All Systems Red

Martha Wells

How High We Go in the Dark

Sequoia Nagamatsu

Comments

medievalgirl

Have you listened to the Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman? It is full cast. The book is made up of emails, journal entries, descriptions of videos etc and was thought impossible to do in audio.

MadaloreOP

Added, thanks! I've heard Sleeping Giants is written similarly (in a series of interviews and logs), and that its audiobook is well done. I'm curious to try them now

Myth.Ink

•

Edited

you must have Walking Practice by Dolki Min on here.
Daisy Jones & The Six is not Fantasy nor Sci Fi? It's just Lit Fic

MadaloreOP

I’ll add it! And thanks for catching that, I clearly wasn’t paying attention hahah

Liz.E.Bear222

The Compound by Aisling Rawle had me in a chokehold for 2 days.

MadaloreOP

I added it, thank you~

Serafel

First Law by Abercrombie, narrated by Steven Pacey is widely regarded as an excellent audiobook. Any thread about "best fantasy audiobooks" always includes it.

MadaloreOP

Got it! I haven't tried Abercrombie yet but it sounds like I'm missing out

bluelien

What makes Emily Wilde's encyclopedia of fairies a good audiobook in your opinion?

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