Ranking My Favorite Audiobook Narrators

A narrator can make or break a book, plain and simple. I've dropped series I probably would've loved because the narration just wasn't it. But when someone nails it, they can turn a mediocre book into something you can't shut up about. Here's who's earned a permanent spot on my headphones.

1. Jeff Hays — Dungeon Crawler Carl

Top of the list, no contest. This guy does full-cast energy completely solo, which is insane when you actually stop and think about it. Every character gets its own voice and he never sounds tired, not even seven books deep. Dude's got some kind of bottomless well of enthusiasm for this series and it shows every damn time.

2. Michael Kramer & Kate Reading — Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere

These two usually team up on Sanderson's Cosmere books, and their whole back-and-forth thing is brilliant. They trade off POV chapters and somehow keep a massive ensemble cast consistent the entire way through. If you're tackling Sanderson, these are the two voices you want in your ears.

3. Robb Moreira — Victor of Tucson

Robb's narration on Victor of Tucson is dead on. He brings that story to life in a way that makes it feel like more than just words being read at you — the guy's part of why that book hit as hard as it did.

4. Nick Podehl — The Name of the Wind

Podehl's the whole reason Rothfuss's prose doesn't just sit flat on a page — the guy turns Kvothe's "let me tell you my own damn legend" narration into something that actually hits instead of feeling like a dude reading a book report at you. His pacing on the slower, denser stretches is what keeps you locked in instead of zoning the fuck out, and that's not nothing when half that book is just Kvothe talking. Easy spot on this list.

[General rule] A shitty narrator can ruin a genuinely great book. A great one can save a book that's just okay. Good narration feels like a friend telling you a story who actually gives a damn about it.

I'm always hunting for narrators who can pull that off. So seriously, hit me up — who's blown you away? New or veteran, doesn't matter. You never know when you're gonna stumble onto the next Jeff Hays or Kramer-and-Reading duo. Narration's its own art form, and I'm here for anyone who actually gets that.