There are a lot of amazing fantasy books out there, but not all of them have a really good audiobook version. Some stories are just flat out better with narrated audio attached, but a lot of the time I find myself preferring to just read the words myself. It's pretty rare for audio or a narrator to elevate a book beyond my own imagination, so I've gathered together some of the best fantasy audiobooks that have done just that to help guide you toward an amazing listening experience.
While I've listened to many of these audiobooks myself to vouch for them personally, I haven't listened to all of them. A few of these picks are based on additional research I've done online and via Reddit communities to gauge how good the actual audiobook version of the story is compared to the print version.
It makes sense to start any fantasy book list with The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien is arguably the most influential fantasy author that ever lived and his books have helped shape the entire genre into what it is today. The Lord of the Rings books have already been immortalized in film thanks to Peter Jackson, but if you find yourself wanting to dive into the original story, I highly recommend checking out the audiobooks.
The narrator for these books is actually Andy Serkis himself, who you may know as the guy who plays Gollum. He does an excellent job of doing all of the character voices without directly copying the movies. It's a great way to enjoy Tolkien's words with just your ears.
If you're a fan of fantasy novels, there's a good chance you've already read the Harry Potter books and watched the movies. You may have even listened to the Harry Potter audiobooks, but if you haven't tried the full-cast versions, you're in for a treat. In addition to a pretty stacked voice cast, there's a ton of little details that go into background sounds and sound effects that really bring the story to life in a way the books couldn't quite do.
As of May, all seven books are available with the full-cast audio treatment exclusively on Audible. If you're curious to see what a best-selling fantasy series backed by a big budget looks like in audiobook form, I promise you won't be disappointed.
Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series is one of my all-time favorite fantasy books and I am very excited that the first trilogy is being adapted into a TV series. And while I have high hopes for Sanderson's collaboration with Apple TV here, I'm planning on reading these books one more time before the trilogy hits the screen. Mistborn is a great entry point into the larger Cosmere universe and both the book and audiobook are excellent.
The audiobooks are narrated by Michael Kramer, who is well known in the industry for his incredible range and pacing. He's got a sort of gravelly voice that really draws you in and holds your attention throughout the story.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl series is one of my favorite LitRPG reads of all time, but the audiobooks are even better. Thanks to excellent narration from Jeff Hays and a story that absolutely lends itself to the audio format, Dungeon Crawler Carl is one of the most popular audiobooks available for any genre. Although the audiobooks didn't become part of the series until the author was well into book four, the collaboration between Matt Dinniman's writing and Jeff Hay's incredible voice acting has created something truly special.
There are now eight total books in the series with Parade of Horribles released earlier in May. The story itself is a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and intergalactic gameshow that you won't really understand until you dive in.
Before doing a bit of research I had never actually heard of Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy, but many folks in the fantasy book community have called it one of the best audiobook performances around. It's a gritty fantasy that deconstructs classic archetypes in interesting new ways. If you're interested in grimdark fantasy, this series is widely hailed as a must-read. I have been convinced to add it to my reading list after reading all of the praise.
The books are narrated by Steve Pacey, who is regarded as one of the best narrators in the industry thanks to a solid range of character voices that elevate the source material.
The Wandering Inn is another great LitRPG story set in a fantasy world. Although it started as a web serial, it has continued to expand into the publishing space. It's a great story largely centered around a human innkeeper named Erin Solstice who found herself pulled into an alternate universe where one can actually level up and gain skills. It's one the largest fantasy book series available with 21 books and counting.
As for the audiobooks, Andrea Parsneau does a terrific job voicing all of the characters and side stories the books take. It's also an incredible use of Audible credits with the first audiobook offering more than 48 hours of content for a single credit.
George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series continues to be one of the most popular stories available right now. Not only did it spawn the Game of Thrones TV series, it has also launched a series of spin-offs that have been very well received. If you loved the show (excluding the last season), I highly recommend you check out the source material. The audiobooks are a great way to enjoy the story without having to read through all of the finer details yourself.
The narration is done by Roy Dotrice, who did an excellent job at elevating Martin's words for audio. Dotrice has sadly passed since recording these books, so if Winds of Winter ever does get written the story will need a new narrator.
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is one of the most iconic stories in fantasy and the audiobooks are one of the best ways to enjoy the story. What makes these books so good is just how developed Jordan's characters and world becomes as the story progresses, which can be hard to truly capture with any sort of adaptation. I started reading these books when I was younger and only recently restarted the series via the audiobooks, which I've found to be excellent so far. If you like Lord of the Rings, you're probably going to like The Wheel of Time.
Considering the final books in the series were actually written in part by Brandon Sanderson after Robert Jordan's passing, it's unsurprising that Michael Kramer is also one of the narrators for this story. He does a great job alongside Kate Reading to bring the story to life.
Eragon was one of the first books I read that really drew me into the fantasy genre. Christopher Paolini's dragon fantasy is a coming-of-age story that falls somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter in all of the right ways. It's a fun read that is hard to put down as soon as you finish chapter one.
While I have all of the books in the Inheritance Cycle multiple times now, I've never actually listened to the audio versions. Based on what I was able to uncover after browsing reviews and the audiobook community, Gerard Doyle's performance is pretty widely praised. Some listeners criticized the voices he chose for the dragons, but for the most part folks enjoyed the story.
Fantasy includes a pretty wide range of subgenres, but arguably one of the hottest ones right now is romantasy. I personally love romantasy books, but these types of stories are a mix of magic and sexual situations that not every reader is going to be up for. If you are interested in romantasy, however, I highly recommend checking out the audiobooks for Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series. There's a few steamy moments in the series, but the story is more about character and worldbuilding than physical romance itself. Following Celaena's tale from slavery to champion and beyond is only made better by excellent narration from Elizabeth Evans.
If you like your fantasy to be quite a bit sexier than this, you can also check out the full-cast audiobooks for Maas' other popular series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. The author announced earlier this year that book six and seven are on their way.
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and 10 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics -- from TV series to books and the latest Pokémon games.
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