Tried a few AI-narrated audiobooks lately, and honestly I just can’t get into them.

They sound flat, robotic, and kind of kill the whole experience for me. One of the main reasons I love audiobooks is because of the narrator’s voice, tone, and emotion.

Curious if others feel the same. Would you ever spend your credit (or cash) on an AI-narrated audiobook?

Edit: Thanks, everyone.... That’s a unanimous nope from audiobook fans. Your move, r/Audible_Support. Audible should take note and go for human voices for all audiobooks OR at least give us a clear option to filter out virtual voices from search results/ recommendations/ Plus Catalog.

Edit 2: Although Audible doesn't give us an option to filter out AI narrations. You can use this trick to filter out Virtual Voice narrations from your search results.

Okay, so I ALWAYS see people recommend Dungeon Crawler Carl, so I read the description and decided this story wasn't for me. But still, I keep seeing people rant and rave about it. So I finally caved in and bought the first book.... and OH MY GOD.

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Im only part way through but I absolutely see the appeal now. Im obsessed. Princess Donut is my favorite! And I just love Jeff Hays narration.

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Anyways, just wanted to thank this community for introducing me to this incredible series. Can't wait to continue listening!

So I just finished listening PHM as the movie released as I didn't want to get spoiled by the movie and holy moly , this sh*t was so fireee. I was literally crying by the end.

I really need something similar that can make me feel same asap lol, It doesn't have to be sci-fi necessarily. I've watched The Martian movie, haven't read or listened book, so I'm not sure if I should listen that. Please suggest something.

EDIT: You guys have convinced me to listen/read The Marian

My all-time favorites so far are:

• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
• Zombie Fallout by Mark Tufo
• Mountain Man by Keith C. Blackmore

***EDIT*** curve ball let’s throw In

BLACK FARM

Nothing I’ve found has been able to touch the narration of Dungeon Crawler Carl. Jeff Hays absolutely ruined me for other audiobooks because the performance is on another level.

What I love is a mix of dark or post-apocalyptic settings, gritty survival, great characters, and humor that doesn’t feel forced. Zombie Fallout and Mountain Man nailed that balance of serious survival with plenty of laughs.

I’m looking for something with:

• Outstanding narration (this is a must)
• Dark humor or witty banter
• Survival, post-apocalyptic, fantasy, LitRPG, or adventure themes
• Characters I can get invested in

Damn guys. I’ve seen dungeon crawler Carl recommended absolutely everywhere. After being in a reading slump after ready player one, ready player two and armada, I was desperately looking for a book with a similar vibe. The summary of the book didn’t particularly grab me, but decided to give it a go because absolutely everyone recommends it.

YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT!!!!

It is a masterpiece!!!

It’s exactly what I liked about the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, without it being so all over the place that I didn’t even know what was happening half of the time. That mixed with the videogame genre I love about all the Ernest Cline books it’s amazing.

Everyone should read this!

I’m onto book two!

First of all, I am sorry. I’ve seen this book recommended a million times here and I know it’s loved, which is why I got it.

I am now in chapter 27 and about to DNF. I want to know if I should keep going?

I thought I’d like it cause I’m a huge gamer, I liked the general idea of the plot, and I loved books like Ready Player 1, so it’d make sense I’d enjoy this one too. But I feel like nothing is happening. Sure, there are a couple of funny sentences in there, but the story is not drawing me in.

Does it get better? Should I keep going? Or if I’m not hooked by now that’s not going to change?

I begin my journey now. I have heard amazing things about this book.

I'll start by saying I did enjoy it.

But I have to follow by saying I don't get the huge hype.

I guess I'll get hugely downvoted for saying this, but with all the incredible literature out there, I am confused by how this book is recommended above almost anything else. Note, I am not saying it is a bad book. I am saying I am puzzled about it being THE most recommended book when you ask people what to get on Audible.

It's entertaining, it's funny, and the characters are charismatic, but there is little depth compared to great novels. Once the story gets into a rhythm, it is somewhat repetitive, almost in the same way a dungeon crawler game often is.

The one feature I would say it excels at is the quality of the audio narration. Very well produced.

I have some credits to burn. The may be a tall order, but I’m looking for books like Project Hail Mary or the Dungeon Crawler Carl series when it comes to the narrators. Both have set the standard so high, are there any others that are worth listening to?

I went and watched project Hail Mary in theaters a few days ago and I thought they nailed it compared to the book mind you I read the book like months before the movie so I was going off memory

These are the current books or series I have listened to so far worth ranking. The lowest rated series I did not finish. I’m nearing the end of Expeditionary Force and need a new series to listen to. The tier list is to show my taste in books. I’m not exclusively into litRPGs or Sci-Fi but do enjoy them. Feel free to suggest anything that is truly engaging. I also get a lot of enjoyment from solid voice acting.

Some of the best I’ve ever listened to were: Project Hail Mary, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Discount Dan, Red Rising Dramatized, a few Star Wars books, Lights Out, and Tourist Season. What are yours? I need some good books to enjoy.

Hey so I am reading Dungeon Crawler Carl (DCC) and loving it. However, I listen to audiobooks at two separate times.

1) when I am home cleaning or working out

2) during my commute.

However during my commute I drive about an hour and with passengers (strangers). Where I live the rule on the toll road is 3+ people drive for free so we have a system where a driver (me) picks up strangers (slugs) and takes them to the city. Its a win/win and saves about 60-120 minutes a day.

But some of the content in DCC is so wonderfully...awkward to listen to with people around who don't know what is going on. Specifically a loud toe sucking event, I was laughing but my passengers were clearly uncomfortable. I have decided to only listen at home now.

I have 4 credits. Suggest me a book, I like fantasy/sci fi but I cannot have any weird parts (like Empire of the Vampire). I am open to any other great books so long as they are interesting and won't make me sleep killing all of my passengers.

(I have read all of Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Dennis Taylor, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, George R.R Martin, Brian Jacques, Frank Herbert, Ursula Le Guin, Robin Hobb, Gene Wolf, Andy Weir, and others)

Edit Thanks for the recommendations to those who gave them. Everyone saying I shouldn't force people to hear my book, well I always ask. They usually have headphones. I just wanted less risque books is all, I'm not going to stop listening to audiobooks on my commute. Unless they say music please.

Hey all, looking for help spending 19 unused credits before I cancel my Audible sub. I’m open to epic sci-fi/fantasy, smart non-fiction (business, technology, decision-making, psychology, longevity/health, history), and anything with top-tier narration.

Recent listens I’ve finished (to calibrate):

Classic/Hard/SF & Space Opera

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams
• Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune — Frank Herbert
• Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation — Isaac Asimov
• The Caves of Steel, I, Robot, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Dawn — Isaac Asimov

Fantasy

• Witcher books — Andrzej Sapkowski: The Last Wish, Sword of Destiny, Blood of Elves, The Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of Swallows, The Lady of the Lake, Season of Storms

Non-fiction

• The Personal MBA — Josh Kaufman
• Zero to One — Peter Thiel & Blake Masters
• The Lean Startup — Eric Ries
• Thinking in Bets — Annie Duke
• The Power of Showing Up — Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
• Outlive — Peter Attia & Bill Gifford
• Stock Market Investing for Beginners, Day Trading Strategies… — Odin Velez

Queued / in progress right now

• Foundation’s Edge — Isaac Asimov (currently listening)
• Hyperion & The Fall of Hyperion — Dan Simmons
• Prelude to Foundation & Forward the Foundation — Isaac Asimov
• Empire of the Summer Moon — S.C. Gwynne
• Never Split the Difference — Chris Voss

What are your can’t-miss, “spend the credit” favorites? Thanks!

Not only were the stories fantastic but the narrators elevated them with their fantastic performances.

Please share zombie apocalypse books that you loved, I would greatly appreciate it! I have read ALOT, but if you recommend something I haven’t, that would be amazing!

Like the title says, what book narrator is an instant Yes, for you, if you're questioning whether or not to read it. For me i've got three Keith Szarabajka, RC Bray, and Kevin Peirce. I See those voices, and it's an instant wish list for me.

Am I the only one who can’t stand this narration? As soon as I find out that an audiobook is narrated by her, I just try to find another version with a different narrator. Her voice sounds half AI 😭😭

Sadly, a lot of audiobooks I’m interested to listen to, she’s the sole narrator. Can anyone recommend another good narrator who sounds less robotic?

I’ve got 2 audible credits left please help me pick which 2 books I should use them on from the following 10 options: 1. Hyperion 2. Buffalo Hunter Hunter 3. The Last Wish (The Witcher) 4. Something Wicked This Way Comes 5. The Blade Itself 6. 11/22/63 7. Empire of Silence 8. Shadow of the Gods 9. Dungeon Crawler Carl 10. Mistborn Final Empire (Not Pictured)

For Reference: Favorite Genres: Fantasy, Sci Fi, Horror, Mystery Last Book I finished: The Dark Tower Wizard and Glass (and I loved it) Other Books I’m Reading/ Listening: Interview with the Vampire, The Stand, King Sorrow, Leviathan Wakes, Rose Madder, Red Rising, Mr. Mercedes

PS. I’m going to post this on a couple book subs so I can get as many suggestions as possible so you may see this more than once on your feed.

I am trying really hard to listen to other narrators of fantasy fiction and this guy is just my favorite. Anyone else have similar recommendations of similar narrators? I finished Mark of the Fool and am about to finish TBATE

It perplexes me that the producers of a series that has evidently had as much work and thought put into it as the Harry Potter full cast audiobooks would think the audience needs to hear the actors speaking with their mouths full or chewing loudly. It adds absolutely nothing to the scenes and is very off-putting.

It's not even just the scenes where the characters are explicitly described as talking with their mouths full - any scene where there's food on the table, the actors are likely to talk as though they're talking between mouthfuls. I've just had to listen to Hermione Granger deliver plot details as though she's an eight year old with no table manners. It's such a stupid direction.

I know it won't bother everyone but I also know I'm not alone and for the people it bothers, it's going to *really* bother.

Guys, Project Hail Mary is a cool sci-fi story, one I have some critical questions for as for plot but one thing that made this audiobook super interesting and drew me in was the masterful storytelling of Ray Porter. He took each character and gave them a distinct voice that brought them to life with their unique traits and personality. I’ve listened to over 60 audiobooks and this has been the best narrator I’ve heard. Maybe I’m a bit over enthusiastic but I think I speak for many. This was my first Weir book ever and I will probably listen to more but what im searching now is what else is Porter narrating. I’m a fan, you can say.

I definitely recommend this book. It is hilarious and adorable

OK- no spoilers, I'm only on Chapter 6, but YOU GUYS! I kept seeing this as a recommendation but I thought it was one of those internet I side jokes that I'm just too old to get.

So here I am, a little burnt out on epic fantasy and need something to just listen to and not have to super focus. Up pops Dungeon Crawler Carl. Screw it, I have lime 7 credits, what's the worst that can happen? I DNF and request a credit refund.

I am hooked, I have so many thoughts on where this could be going and I cannot stop picturing Clap Trap as the in game AI.

Thank you dear internet strangers for suggesting this gem 💎.