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Best sci-fi audiobooks

Science fiction where the narrator makes the book even better.

  1. All Systems Red by Martha Wells

    Audiobook narrated by Kevin R. Free

    Murderbot's dry, anxious voice is perfect in audio.

    + Fun, award-winning novella where Murderbot's voice gives a familiar action plot real depth.
    − Critics call the story itself pretty basic. (summed up from Wikipedia (reception))

  2. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

    Audiobook narrated by Jefferson Mays

    The start of The Expanse, with a steady, gritty delivery.

    + Accessible, action-packed space opera with a lived-in solar system, convincing politics and a noir detective.
    − Cartoonish corporate villains and weak female characters. (summed up from SFFWorld)

  3. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

    Audiobook narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds

    Intense and energetic, a favourite among listeners.

    + Cinematic, fast action blending Roman myth and science fiction, building to a gripping final act.
    − Some reviewers found it derivative of The Hunger Games, with little originality or plausibility. (summed up from Wikipedia (reception))

  4. We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor

    Audiobook narrated by Ray Porter

    Comic timing that suits Bob's nerdy humour.

    + An entertaining premise with enjoyable explorations of space tech and astrophysics.
    − Juvenile execution: cheesy dialogue, too many pop-culture references, no character growth and no subtlety or surprises. (summed up from Yevgeniy Brikman)

  5. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

    Audiobook narrated by Adjoa Andoh

    A calm, precise voice for an AI narrator.

    + Assured, gripping and stylish space opera, both fun and conceptually ambitious.
    − Not entry-level; one critic found the characters weak and the ideas simple. (summed up from Wikipedia (reception))

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