I'm pretty sure I couldn't last LOTR in straight narration - dramatic re-enactment ftw with some stories.
-- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.
Recommend me a good Audiobook... • Page 2
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MetalDog 23,448 posts
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Razz 57,931 posts
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Registered 11 years agoOnly a good mystery novel. The other genres are too overbearing if dramatically narrated--------------------------------------------------------------------
Steam/PSN/XBOX: Razztafarai | 3DS: 1246-9674-8856
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JayPee 1,488 posts
Seen 3 months ago
Registered 7 years agoMetalDog wrote:
The guy who narrates it (sings oll the songs etc etc) is absolutely ace, to be fair.
I'm pretty sure I couldn't last LOTR in straight narration - dramatic re-enactment ftw with some stories.
Can't remember his name, but he does a fantastic job.
But still, yeah, it's a slog. Not nearly as bad as "War and Peace" though, which is narrated by some woman in a posh-accented monotone drone that has me losing the plot some 20 minutes in (the tome weighs in at around 2.6 days' worth).
Generally I stay away from dramatisation too. I like to have some kind of feel of actually reading, despite all the voices accents etc being filled in and various words emphasised which you get with even a neutral audio reading.
Oh which reminds me that crime thrillers make good audiobooks too. A lot of Michael Connelly's stuff is available.
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MetalDog 23,448 posts
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Registered 11 years agoMatter of taste, probably. Books that are very heavy on scenery description don't narrate well for my ears.
Trying to listen to Koontz's 'Fear Nothing' at the moment and by the time he's finished decribing the moon, the mist, the graveyard, the protagonist's mood, the protagonist's dog's mood (all with lots of very clever similies and metaphors that would work great on their own, but get lost in the deluge) then tells you for the four hundreth time that the protagonist can't go into certain types of light - I've usually forgotten why they were in the graveyard anyway.
I would imagine Koontz's work would benefit greatly from being dramatised.-- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.
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MetalDog 23,448 posts
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Registered 11 years ago@jaypee
Yeah, a narrator or director can make or break pretty much anything. Needful things is straight read and really, really long, but it works for me. On the other hand, I thought the dramatisation of The Mist was a bit pants.-- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.
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JayPee 1,488 posts
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Registered 7 years agoOddly enough, non-fiction works pretty well in general. I have enjoyed suck geeky books as "The Google Story" and the Steve Jobs book (though that one is a bit repetitive). I do think the Google book has come a bit early though, but that's no the fault of the audio.
The thing about dramatisation is that I often find it a bit jarring. Like if a book describes you a scene and they substitute that with some kind of creative soundscape that just doesn't sit right. The odd bit of music or use of a different narrator for certain characters can work quite well though, and I suppose is the most basic form of dramatisation. -
MetalDog 23,448 posts
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Registered 11 years agoSo long as the actors aren't constantly saying things like...
"He's picking up the car, my God! Now he's throwing it - it's hit a woman! Now he's running towards us!"
=)-- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.
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JayPee 1,488 posts
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Registered 7 years agoMetalDog wrote:
/Flashbacks of Every BBC Dramatisation Ever
So long as the actors aren't constantly saying things like...
"He's picking up the car, my God! Now he's throwing it - it's hit a woman! Now he's running towards us!"
=).gif)
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MetalDog 23,448 posts
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Registered 11 years agoHeh, fair play, some of the beeb dramatisations have been incredibly good. LOTR, HHGTTG (not strictly a dramatisation as a serialised play in its own right), they did a good Kidnapped, I recall. August 2026 was a weird mix of narration and freaky noises, which worked really well.
If you want almost uninterrupted actor speech used as direction, try out some of the old Mystery Theatre stuff, it's hilarious =)
"I've been bitten by a snake! My... face... is ... turning... black - ack! Tongue... protruding! Ggghhth! Dying!"-- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.
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JayPee wrote:
Not keen on dramatisation myself. I agree, it is jarring. I think it's less intimate than a single narrator. I tried the new version of Dune, heavily dramatised, and couldn't get into it.
Oddly enough, non-fiction works pretty well in general. I have enjoyed suck geeky books as "The Google Story" and the Steve Jobs book (though that one is a bit repetitive). I do think the Google book has come a bit early though, but that's no the fault of the audio.
The thing about dramatisation is that I often find it a bit jarring. Like if a book describes you a scene and they substitute that with some kind of creative soundscape that just doesn't sit right. The odd bit of music or use of a different narrator for certain characters can work quite well though, and I suppose is the most basic form of dramatisation.
I have recently started into non-fiction, namely Freakonomics and Charlie Wilson's War. Still think I prefer good old make believe stuff, but it's a welcome distraction at the gym. -
Oh, and I would suggest the BBC's version of 'I Am Legend' by Richard Matheson. Can't remember who narrated it - but damn, it was a good read/listen!
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Micro_Explosion 9,695 posts
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Registered 7 years agoI am America and so can you - Stephen Colbert.
Funny and educational. -
dr_swin 4,674 posts
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Registered 8 years agothe long walk to freedom. nelson mandela. It is the only audiobook i've ever listened to. it was very good though. -
bignose 81 posts
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Registered 9 years agoAny of the "Flashman" books by George Macdonald Fraser. -
Psychotext 49,221 posts
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Registered 7 years agobumpity bump
I'm looking for something which wont require any of my brain to listen to / understand etc. I want something to listen to when I'm exercising on my turbo trainer as I've pretty much run out of dvds to watch.
Any suggestions?This post is sponsored by Apple and the iPhone 4S. Think different.
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S.J.Rogers 3,477 posts
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Registered 7 years agoThe Bible, see if you can find one read by Alan Carr..gif)
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TechnoHippy 14,256 posts
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Registered 10 years agoFree audio books here (I thought I had posted this before, but apparently not):
http://www.audiobooktreasury.com/free-audio-books.htmThe Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]
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PearOfAnguish 6,576 posts
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Registered 8 years agoWhat about comedy, any recommendations? I've got all the Mitchell and Webb series and Red Dwarf. Any others worth trying?
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Psychotext 49,221 posts
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Registered 7 years agoTechno Hippy wrote:
That should do nicely. I think I'll do Divine Comedy first... it's not like I'll understand it anyway.
Free audio books here (I thought I had posted this before, but apparently not):
http://www.audiobooktreasury.com/free-audio-books.htmThis post is sponsored by Apple and the iPhone 4S. Think different.
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MetalDog 23,448 posts
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Registered 11 years agoPearOfAnguish wrote:
Sofa of Time, Old Harry's Game, Nebulous - all much fun.
What about comedy, any recommendations? I've got all the Mitchell and Webb series and Red Dwarf. Any others worth trying?-- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.
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TechnoHippy 14,256 posts
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Registered 10 years agoPsychotext wrote:
Divine comedy is reasonably easy going as far as classics go. Inferno is where it's at, I found the rest a little boring.Techno Hippy wrote:
That should do nicely. I think I'll do Divine Comedy first... it's not like I'll understand it anyway.
Free audio books here (I thought I had posted this before, but apparently not):
http://www.audiobooktreasury.com/free-audio-books.htmThe Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]
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macksed 3,789 posts
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Registered 8 years agoThis here
...and once you've got it, rip it and send it to me...? I can't believe how expensive these things are; perhaps I shall stick it on the christmas/birthday list. -
iokthemonkey 4,664 posts
Seen 11 months ago
Registered 5 years agoI've got The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James, read by David ('Silver in Sapphire & Steel') Collings, Volumes 1 and 2 and they're excellent. Collings reads them as straight, verbal tales (as they were meant to be) and adds little 'Ooh, well zir I be goin' now' accents where needed.
James wrote them to be read aloud and they work very well, especially as most run a about 15-20 minutes or so. -
Went to buy Terry Pratchett's Unseen Academicals on iTunes, only to realise it's the abridged version. Only way to get the unabridged version? Torrent.
Even when I want to buy, I can't. Ridiculous. -
Onny 5,697 posts
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Registered 8 years agoJust finished Ender's Game Unabridged 20th Anniversary edition. It was fantastic! And I'm about to start the unabridged Starship Troopers. Woo! -
hiddenranbir 5,476 posts
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Registered 7 years agoRob Inglis is the LotR narrator. Top stuff, btw.
I would love to get my hands on some Jules Verne audiobooks and of course THE TERRY PRATCHETT's. -
localnotail 21,456 posts
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Registered 4 years agoPlaying all the right notes— but not necessarily in the right order.
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Blaketown 4,442 posts
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Registered 6 years agoJust been told I'm going to be doing a lot of driving for work. Last time this happened I got into audio books in a big way. Getting through 2 a week (15 hours or so).
I will be working my way through some of the suggestions in this thread starting with The Road.
Actually, this might be a good opportunity for me to work through some of the Aubrey/Maturin novels.
Edit: To keep in the spirit of the thread. The books I listened to, from memory, were:
And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie
My favorite Christie story and very well read.
Salmon Of Doubt - Douglas Adams (read by Steven Fry)
Bit of a piecemeal collection of writings including a lacklustre unfinished Dirk Gently story but funny enough in places.
Shatter - Michael Robotham
Well read and quite compelling serial killer novel.
River Out Of Eden - Richard Dawkins
Interesting stuff read by the author too. Almost an idiots guide to his other books.
The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo - Stieg Larsson
Took a long time to get going and I nearly gave up but when it kicked into top gear I was hooked. I was pulling behind lorries on the motorway to get a few more minutes in the car because I didn't want to stop.
A couple I didn't like:
Ulysses - James Joyce
Every bit as impenetrable as people say it is. With the added bonus that in audio form you can't re-read sections when you don't get them. Made me read the book though.
Postmortem - Patricia Cornwell
Decent enough crime novel ruined by the narrators voice being really annoying.
Mort - Terry Pratchett
Rubbish. Jokes just fall totally flat. Don't know if it's because of the narrator or because I've grown out of Terry Pratchett.Brap, brap, old chap.
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black_mage26 1 posts
Seen 2 years ago
Registered 2 years agoTwilight Saga (Books 1-4) by Stephenie Meyer.
At the core of it, Twilight is a story of forbidden love.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
A story about the view of death in our lives in general. A funny, terrific at the same time heartbreaking piece.
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.
This book actually seem more of a comic novel than a fantasy inclined one, but one thing is for sure: this book is appealing to any type of readers out there. This is also one of the best-sellers in the audio book shops.
Live at Cernegie Hall by David Sedaris.
This last piece is only a short one that others may consider it as not one of the "indulgence" type, but I beg to differ--this is one amazing piece!
Visit [url=http://downloadaudiobooksfree.net/]download audio books free[/url] today and you might get a [url=http://downloadaudiobooksfree.net/free-audio-book/]free audio book[/url]!
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Blaketown wrote:
Terry Pratchett is still brilliant (although I don't like his earlier books as much). Was it read by Tony Robinson? if so, he doesn't read them well
Mort - Terry Pratchett
Rubbish. Jokes just fall totally flat. Don't know if it's because of the narrator or because I've grown out of Terry Pratchett. -
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