Audiobooks

[Lord Voldemoo]

I'm about to embark on my first reread all at once of the Dark Tower series & have been seriously been considering the audiobook route.

First, has anyone listened to these books? If I remember correctly, whoever read them received high praise. And I BELIEVE he didn't live to finish the series out. I will look online in a little bit.

Second, anyone use or recommend Audible.com?

I've listened to all of them (mostly on Audible). There are 2 narrators: George Guidall does books 1, 5, 6 and 7. Frank Muller does books 2, 3 and 4 (Guidall took over again after Muller was injured in a motorcycle crash that disabled (and I think ultimately killed?) him).

Guidall is fine for books 1, 5, 6 and 7, but he really pales in comparison to Muller for books 2, 3 and 4. Muller did a fantastic job. It's so sad that he couldn't continue to the end of the work. King thought so much of him that he set up a foundation in Muller's name after he was hurt and wrote about it in one of his afterwords. The dip in quality is really apparent after listening to Muller for 3 books (especially when reading Eddie or Susannah), but Guidall is still serviceable in the role.

I like Audible. If you listen to enough audiobooks it's worth the money and they have a fairly good selection of what I'm typically looking for in audiobooks (sci-fi/fantasy). You need to save up credits for books that expire if you don't use them. To me it's been an ok deal but I think it's pretty heavily dependent on how you use it. Their iphone app works reasonably well. Read the fine print before you sign up though and make sure it makes sense for you.

[Ribbons]

I salute you guys who do the whole audiobook thing, especially in the car. I cannot pay attention to the narrator to save my life.

[Fievel]

The dip in quality is really apparent after listening to Muller for 3 books (especially when reading Eddie or Susannah), but Guidall is still serviceable in the role.

Really, that sums it up pretty well. I absolutely love Muller's reading/voices. So much, in fact, that I have searched out other books by King and then books by other authors (Grisham, Elmore Leonard, etc.) as well - just to hear HIM read the story. His voice is like a comfy old chair and blanket with that you just want to get comfortable and lost in.

When I first listened to the series and hit Book 2, I was pissed that the readers were switched (from Guidell to Muller). But the amount of rage and heartache I felt going from the amazing Book 4 to 5 (Guidell to Muller) was even worse. Thankfully, the story wins out and Guidell does a good enough job to get lost in.

If you do listen to the entire series, I can't recommend enough going immediately to The Talisman and Black House after. Not only do they (forcefully in Black House) somewhat link the story, but it's so Dark Tower-ish and it's Frank Muller reading it again. I don't mean to sound so damn sappy, but after hearing Guidell on books 5-7, hearing Muller reading The Talisman was like a big warm hug from a long-lost friend (Wolf!). And then came Black House..... and it was even better (for me, anyways).

Audible - I had a subscription for a while about 10 years ago. If you're going to be an active listener (which I used to be), it's absolutely worth it! If you're not, and you find your Library accumulating without much being listened to on your end (which ultimately happened to me), then you really need to think about why you're paying that monthly fee. They used to give out iPods (Shuffles, I think) when you signed up. Now all they do is give you a free book. Boooo!

[Wolfpack]

Muller has also done some John Grisham novels, Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities, and even Hamlet.

[Wolfpack]

So Ernest Cline has a new book out, Armada and of course it has been narrated by Will Wheaton. Imma download it from Audible.

[Fievel]

I just finished the audiobook yesterday.
Mini-review = entertaining, but predictable and lacking the depth of Ready Player One.
Also seemed really short compared to RP1.

[Wolfpack]

Yeah, it's about 3 1/2 hours shorter. Still, it sounds promising enough to get me through my treadmill sessions.

[Wolfpack]

The entire Harry Potter series is available on Audible. Everyone REMAIN CALM. This is not a drill.

[Fievel]

The entire Harry Potter series is available on Audible. Everyone REMAIN CALM. This is not a drill.

Interesting....they have both the Jim Dale and Stephen Fry versions available.

[Bloo]

I just finished the audiobook yesterday.
Mini-review = entertaining, but predictable and lacking the depth of Ready Player One.
Also seemed really short compared to RP1.

Perfectly summed up. Good, but not great.

I just finished Sarah Vowell's book on Marquise De Lafayette, which like all the Vowell books has a big cast, but not as big as usual. But Nick Offerman as George Washington was inspired. Patton Oswalt as Jefferson.

Just started working through the Fleming Bond books with Audible's "celebrity" reading series.

[Wolfpack]

The entire Harry Potter series is available on Audible. Everyone REMAIN CALM. This is not a drill.

Interesting....they have both the Jim Dale and Stephen Fry versions available.

Are you looking at the UK site? I'm only seeing the Jim Dale versions on the US site.

[Fievel]

Right now I'm listening to Stephen King's "It" read by Steven Weber. I have tried to read the hard copy of this so many times, but every time I'm interrupted, put it down, it gets put away, and I don't touch it for a couple years. So I started the audiobook. First off, Weber is a GREAT reader!! Possibly my favorite King reader outside Frank Muller. And secondly..... well, there is no second - I'm still listening to it, and loving it.

I'll try to post more thoughts when I'm done.


And Wolfpack - I looked at the US Audible and found Fry's readings when I searched JK Rowling.

[Bloo]

I just found out that the TuneIn Radio app, with a $7.99 premium subscription, also has audio books. You have to stream off their app, but that's an option if anyone is interested.

[Wolfpack]

I'm working on "The Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss. Not a bad little book. 42+ hours of solid, fantasy storytelling.

[Lord Voldemoo]

Right now I'm listening to Stephen King's "It" read by Steven Weber. I have tried to read the hard copy of this so many times, but every time I'm interrupted, put it down, it gets put away, and I don't touch it for a couple years. So I started the audiobook. First off, Weber is a GREAT reader!! Possibly my favorite King reader outside Frank Muller. And secondly..... well, there is no second - I'm still listening to it, and loving it.

I'll try to post more thoughts when I'm done.


And Wolfpack - I looked at the US Audible and found Fry's readings when I searched JK Rowling.

I really enjoyed Weber's reading of IT. I've been plowing through a ton of King's work on audio lately. Honestly a big part of the reason is I feel like it provides some pretty great bang for your buck (unabridged at 45 hours...).

But I've taken a break and listening to all of Harry Potter via audible. It was just remastered and released. Jim Dale reads and it's quite good. I'm on OOtP.

[Wolfpack]

Right now I'm listening to Stephen King's "It" read by Steven Weber. I have tried to read the hard copy of this so many times, but every time I'm interrupted, put it down, it gets put away, and I don't touch it for a couple years. So I started the audiobook. First off, Weber is a GREAT reader!! Possibly my favorite King reader outside Frank Muller. And secondly..... well, there is no second - I'm still listening to it, and loving it.

I'll try to post more thoughts when I'm done.


And Wolfpack - I looked at the US Audible and found Fry's readings when I searched JK Rowling.

I really enjoyed Weber's reading of IT. I've been plowing through a ton of King's work on audio lately. Honestly a big part of the reason is I feel like it provides some pretty great bang for your buck (unabridged at 45 hours...).

But I've taken a break and listening to all of Harry Potter via audible. It was just remastered and released. Jim Dale reads and it's quite good. I'm on OOtP.

Bon voyage! The entire series is almost 119 hours long!

[Maui]

I've decided to give Audiobooks another go. Back in the Bay area (California) for good and commuting to work is just a pure joy. NOT.
I'm listening to "Behind Closed Doors" by B. A. Paris. In the same vein as "The Girl on the Train" and "Gone Girl". A fluffy, interesting listen nonetheless.

[Wolfpack]

I am currently listening to "Leviathan Wakes" by James S.A. Corey. It's the first book in a currently 6 book series that aims to be this space opera-y thing to rival Star Wars. Not sure how I feel about it.

[Ribbons]

Isn't that series what the TV show "The Expanse" is based on?

[Wolfpack]

Isn't that series what the TV show "The Expanse" is based on?

It sure is!

[Wolfpack]

I'm finally doing it. I'm starting the Harry Potter series. 119 hours of Jim Dale's voice.

[Fievel]

I recently finished the third book of William Forstchen's John Matherson trilogy (One Second After, One Year After, The Final Day). I read the first two a couple of years ago. There are three points I'd like to make in regards to these books:

-The overall story is fascinating and the world Forstchen has created is one that I enjoyed getting lost in. It's about America after nukes are deployed above the country's atmosphere, rendering the country without power due to the electromagnetic pulse of the bombs. Having said that, the actual story is better than the books themselves. At times the books are so poorly written that it's laughable - bad exposition, ridiculous dialogue, ridiculous stereotypes of characters. It's just really bad at times. But the story and the created world is just too intriguing to give up on.

-There is a conservative slant to the stories. I, a lefty liberal, knew this going in. The first book contains a forward by Newt Fucking Gingrich for crying out loud. But the first two books don't really preach. The third book, however, is rather heavy-handed and it grows old quickly. There's even a part where a General goes on a rant about Government employees using private email servers rather than using official channels - an obvious dig at Hillary Clinton. Unfortunately for the story, the EMP that wipes the country out takes place in the first book - written in 2009. So by regurgitating that storyline in the final book (released late 2016), the political grudge is beyond blatant. Too many digs at the previous administration. This makes me wonder how the Trump Administration would affect further stories if written.

-The audiobook is read by Bronson Pinchot......and he is amazing. How amazing is he? He's so amazing that I had no idea who was reading until I looked it up halfway through the second book. I mean, really.....he is amazing. It sounds nothing like him. I need more Bronson Pinchot.

But as far as an actual review goes, I enjoyed it a lot. Like I said, the overall story is great. But the poor writing and preaching get old - not too old to pull me away from the story, but still an annoyance.

[so sorry]

This makes me wonder how the Trump Administration would affect further stories if written.

It'll be uuuuuge.

[Fievel]

Just wanted to say that I'm currently listening to Book 5 of the Expeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson (read by RC Bray).

This is one of the most entertaining audio book series I've listened to in a while. The reader gets as much credit as the author. It's a space opera that starts in a farm town in Maine and ends up in the deepest parts of space. There's also a snarky AI that reminds me of The Great Gazoo from the old Flintstones cartoon. Humor is the big strength of the series, but there's plenty of suspense and action as well. There's a Book 6 out and apparently that's not the series end....which troubles me some because the series is starting to tread water a little. But the main character and the AI crack me up so much (again, thanks to the reader) that I don't mind.....yet.

[Wolfpack]

Just wanted to say that I'm currently listening to Book 5 of the Expeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson (read by RC Bray).

This is one of the most entertaining audio book series I've listened to in a while. The reader gets as much credit as the author. It's a space opera that starts in a farm town in Maine and ends up in the deepest parts of space. There's also a snarky AI that reminds me of The Great Gazoo from the old Flintstones cartoon. Humor is the big strength of the series, but there's plenty of suspense and action as well. There's a Book 6 out and apparently that's not the series end....which troubles me some because the series is starting to tread water a little. But the main character and the AI crack me up so much (again, thanks to the reader) that I don't mind.....yet.

I just finished Book 1 a couple of days ago! I'm listening to the first book of a series called Spellmonger, but Book 2 of Expeditionary Force is next in the queue. Book 6 actually comes out on 9/25 according to Audible. Skippy reminded me of HK-47 from Knights of the Old Republic or K-2SO from Rogue One.