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The best fantasy audiobooks: 5 series openers and their narrators
Five fantasy series openers that listeners recommend most for the narration, picked from listener recommendation threads.
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Audiobook narrated by James Marsters
Chicago's only wizard for hire takes a double murder case; listeners single out the wry lead performance.
+ A quick, compelling read with real charm, and smart ways of undercutting Harry's worldview through Murphy and others.
− A tad predictable and familiar now, and Harry's attitude to women sometimes verges on chauvinistic. (summed up from Shut Up, Heathcliff)Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Audiobook narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
A London constable becomes an apprentice wizard; a listener favourite for its narration.
+ A fun mix of modern policing with wizards, ghosts and vampires, plus dry British humour as the hero takes magic in stride.
− The plot is quite convoluted, and the largely undefined, unrestrained magic leans on deus ex machina. (summed up from Yevgeniy Brikman)Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Audiobook narrated by Jeff Hays
An alien game show turns Earth into a dungeon; one narrator voices a huge, chaotic cast.
+ A wild, funny, action-packed ride with heart that never gets boring; the audiobook narration wins praise.
− One reviewer found some jokes miss and the story repetitive. (summed up from Wikipedia (reception))The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Audiobook narrated by Peter Kenny
The Witcher short stories that started the saga, linked by Geralt's recovery at a temple.
+ Very easy to read in a translation that barely feels like one; its linked episodes set the stage well and prove moreish.
− Not entirely satisfying on its own, and its take on sorceresses as resentful former ugly girls feels reductive. (summed up from The Bibliophibian)The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Audiobook narrated by Michael Kramer
A crew plans a heist against an immortal emperor; the start of Mistborn.
+ Allomancy is a genuinely fresh magic system that delivers Matrix-like fights, backed by strong characterisation and intrigue in an ash-choked world.
− Indiscriminate detail stalls the pace for pages at a time, and defeating a fallen hero with another hero feels lazy. (summed up from Graeme's Fantasy Book Review)
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