Narrator Ratings

[sun surfer]

This is a thread to post your thoughts on different narrators and to give them a rating.

The idea is to give a narrator a rating from 1 (the worst) to 5 (the best) and/or your assessment of them.

If there's enough response, I will try to update this OP with a list of the narrators mentioned and rating given, so that you can easily see in one place what other MobileReaders think.

While this thread could be good even if there were other resources for this kind of thing, it struck me that there is no good place for this sort of thing. The closest is Audible ratings on narration, but they're combined within a book's rating and not easily visible if you're looking for an overview of a narrator or a narrator recommendation.

There might be a limit in scope for this, but MobileReaders are a passionate and opinionated bunch and many of us value each other's opinions.

So... tell us your narrator opinions!

-

Ratings through post #88, in alphabetical order:

narrators with two or more ratings and an average above 4 are bolded

• Sophie Amoss- 1.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  1.5- Paperbackstash
  'Not to be mean, but seriously, Karen McManus gets the worst narration for her books.... I tried to listen to ... her Two can Keep a secret and abandoned that one .... It was narrated by [two narrators including] Sophie Amoss'
  
  
• MacLeod Andrews- 1.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  1.5- Paperbackstash
  ‘Not to be mean, but seriously, Karen McManus gets the worst narration for her books. One of Us if Lying ... [is] painful in Audiobook form by MacLeod Andrews and her voice is not fitting narration to me at all, including imitating other character voices.'
  
  
• Edoardo Ballerini- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- issybird
  'I thought Ballerini did an excellent job with The Charterhouse of Parma and I would give him four stars based on that.'
  —
  4- Papberbackstash
  'Edoardo Ballerini is well-cast for the Matthew Corbett series from R. McCammon - he's slower paced but well seasoned, something about his quiet tones draws you in.'
  —
  unrated- SeaBookGuy
  'Eduardo Ballerini has a lot of talent, IMHO.'
  
  
• Seán Barrett- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- pwalker8
  '...[one of] more narrators that I really like .... Sean Barrnet [narrates] Gemmell's Drenai series and a bunch of non fiction'
  
  
• Cameron Beierle- 3 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  3- pwalker8
  ‘I would also say that sometimes the choice of one voice can really grate on my nerves. Cameron Beierle is the narrator for the Brian Daley series Doomfarers of Coramonde (one of my favorite series of all time). I flat out could not stand his choice of a high falsetto voice for one of the female characters. Couldn't finish the book. I was shocked when I noticed that he also did the Belgarion by David Eddings, also one of my favorite series and a series where I really enjoyed the audio books a lot. He would have been rated a 2 for Doomfarers and 4 for the Belgarion by me.’
  
  
• Victor Bevine- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- CRussel
  
  
• Ulli Birvé- 1 star
  
  Spoiler:

  1- CRussel
  'HORRIBLE. [Ulli Birvé narrates the] Georgette Heyer Mysteries'
  
  
• R.C. Bray- 4.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- bshar489
  '... a solid 5 to R C Bray's reading of The Martian. It was outstanding, in my opinion.'
  —
  4- davtay
  ‘It may be unfair to him, but I gave him 4 stars because he wasn't the other three. Also, I have only listen to one book verses multiple for others. His performance of Andy Weir's The Martian is very, very good. He does good character voices and story narration, but falls just a bit short of my favorites… I would highly recommend’
  —
  unrated- pwalker8
  'Bray's reading of The Martian was top notch.'
  
  
• Scott Brick- unrated
  
  Spoiler:

  unrated- Catlady
  'I find some author/narrator combos ... awful (e.g., Harlan Coben/Scott Brick). I have different views sometimes when those same folks are paired up with others.'
  
  
• David (Frederick) Case- see Frederick Davidson
  
  Spoiler:

  .
  
  
• Jonathon Cecil- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- CRussel
  '[Jonathon Cecil narrates] Wodehouse'
  
  
• Alexander Cendese- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- Paperbackstash
  'If you ever get a chance to hear the old Perry Mason's, they have most of them on Scribd, I highly recommend one of the most used narrators - I love listening to this guys voice, fits the noir vibe with some of these, and sometimes the voices are a hoot. 5/5 on the Perry Mason series, not sure what my rating would be with other genres. Alexander Cendese. I haven't heard him do any other work besides Perry Mason, but looking at his page he seems to do a lot of romance.'
  
  
• Kevin T. Collins- 3 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  3- CRussel
  'He's not consistently good, but only very occasionally bad.'
  
  
• Tim Curry- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- pwalker8
  '...[one of] a number of narrators that I really like ... [one of those that] are more actors who have a few audiobooks .... Tim Curry [narrates the] Abhorsen series'
  ◦
  ‘… for the … Abhorsen series’
  
  
• Jim Dale- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- Paperbackstash
  '... for Harry Potter series (other than the first book, I didn't listen to it - the most enjoyable audiobook experiences I've had).'
  —
  5- pwalker8
  '...[one of] a number of narrators that I really like ... [one of those that] are more actors who have a few audiobooks .... Jim Dale [narrates] Harry Potter - USA'
  ◦
  ‘… for the Harry Potter … series’
  —
  5-davtay
  ‘His portrayal of the Harry Potter books is phenomenal. I cannot imagine a better performance. Top of the line! … I would highly recommend’
  
  
• Frederick Davidson- 4.7 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  aka David (Frederick) Case, aka Edward Raleigh
  —
  5- CRussel
  —
  5- issybird
  '...[one of] my three favorite and most-listened to narrators .... Are they my favorites because I listen to them most, or do I listen to them most because they're my favorites? Much more of the second than the first.'
  ◦
  'There are loooong threads in the Goodreads Audiobooks group of most-liked and least-liked narrators. Many narrators make both lists. I'm always surprised by how many do not like Frederick Davidson.'
  —
  4- SeaBookGuy
  'My experience ... gives a 4 to Frederick Davidson, as he kept working after his voice declined near the end.'
  
  
• Cathy Dobson- 3 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  3- sun surfer
  '... for Saki's Beasts and Super-Beasts. It would either be a 2 or 3; she has a little bit of a sing-song voice and didn't do much with different voices, but I'll settle on 3 because she was adequate.'
  
  
• William Dufris- 4.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  4- CRussel
  '[William Dufris narrates] Fantasy, especially L. E. Modesitt Imager series'
  
  
• Susan Ericksen- unrated
  
  Spoiler:

  unrated- FizzyWater
  'Susan Ericksen has long been a favorite of mine in how she reads the JD Robb novels. Lately, though, she's really mellowed out her tone and made the books seem to drag on (last book was better IMO). And she read some historical romances in a fake English accent which was just weird.'
  
  
• Anna Fields- unrated
  
  Spoiler:

  unrated- SeaBookGuy
  '[One of two who] suffered tragic accidents relatively young.
  
  
• Grover Gardner- 4.3 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  'I am fond of Grover Gardner from the Inspector Montalbano series.'
  —
  4- issybird
  'I associate [Grover Gardner] mostly with non-fiction and that's probably a reason for the four stars. There's only so much you can do with non-fiction; there's a huge downward potential but not as much upward.'
  —
  4- CRussel
  '[Grover Gardner narrates] Lots of SF/F. Solid narrations.'
  
  
• Marguerite Gavin- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- CRussel
  'a solid 4 stars. (or Jon's 9/10) - for all the Dana Stabenow books'
  
  
• Flo Gibson- 3 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- SeaBookGuy
  '... we need to talk about Flo Gibson. ... she's definitely an "acquired taste"!'
  —
  2- sun surfer
  'I ... listened to her on The American Senator ... and on Tom Sawyer .... I chose her for the Twain out of many options because I thought her somehow old-fashioned sounding elderly American voice distinctly suited narrating an old Americana classic. While her voice did suit, she reads very different sentences with the same cadence regardless of context. It's not monotone, but since she uses this same cadence all the time it's along the same lines of monotonous. What I can say in favour of this is that eventually as I listen I get used to the sameness and forget about the narration. ... Her narration of the Twain alone I would've probably gave a 3 but she mangled up the Trollope more. ... I can say she gave a try to doing the voices and accents, and well, she gave a try. ... she spent decades recording unabridged narrations for books which many otherwise had no narrations before, and some such as The American Senator are still that way. ... she has a huge catalogue and I usually see a version from her anytime I search for a classic audiobook.'
  
  
• Matt Godfrey- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- Paperbackstash
  'Matt Godfrey does a good job with the Blackwater Series by Michael McDowell - not always perfect but his pauses in voices and conversation make picturing the characters and their mannerisms easy. He fits the stories - I do wish he'd pause more or change his tone a bit when it's supposed to be a "creepy moment".
  —
  ‘Matt Godfrey does an excellent job on Blackwater: The Complete Saga by Michael McDowell.’
  
  
• George Guidall- 4.3 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  'George Guidall was outstanding in reading Tony Hillerman's books set in Navajo country!'
  —
  4- sun surfer
  'I listened to him on Zorba the Greek and he did a good job ...'
  —
  4- issybird
  'I associate [George Guidall] mostly with non-fiction and that's probably a reason for the four stars. There's only so much you can do with non-fiction; there's a huge downward potential but not as much upward.'
  —
  4- CRussel
  
  
• Kirby Heyborne- 3.2 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  3- CRussel
  'I've listened to Heyborne's Modesitt narrations. I'd probably go with a 3 for him. Though I might stretch up to a 4.'
  ◦
  '... a 3 for Heybourne. ... I didn't find Heybourne more than acceptable.'
  —
  1.5- Paperbackstash
  'Not to be mean, but seriously, Karen McManus gets the worst narration for her books.... I tried to listen to ... her Two can Keep a secret and abandoned that one .... It was narrated by [two narrators including] Kirby Heyborne'
  
  
• Kobna Holdbrook-Smith- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- silverraven
  'Kobna Holdbrook-Smith narrates the Rivers of London Series by Ben Aaronovich. He is really good! Great series but he makes it even better.'
  ◦
  '[one of two] I'd have to give ... 5 out of 5 or 10 out of 10 or 13 out of 13 or what ever the rating system is today!! ... very good.'
  —
  5- CRussel
  'For the Ben Aaronovitch books'
  ◦
  'I found Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's narrations absolutely brought the [Rivers of London series] books alive. He IS the voice of Peter Grant, and he does a superb job with this series.'
  
  
• Cynthia Holloway- 2 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  2- CRussel
  ‘2 stars, though that's a stretch. Her narration of Elizabeth Moon's Vatta series was pretty awful. My reviews of the 5 books in the series varied from 1 to 2 stars for the performance. But it was long enough ago, I'm a bit doubtful about how harsh I was at the time, since I went right ahead and got all five of them. So I'll bump her up to 2 stars.’
  
  
• Michael Jayston- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- CRussel
  '[Michael Jayston narrates the] Alexander Kent books'
  
  
• Katherine Kellgren- unrated
  
  Spoiler:

  unrated- Catlady
  'I find some author/narrator combos exceptional (e.g., Rhys Bowen/Katherine Kellgren) .... I have different views sometimes when those same folks are paired up with others.'
  
  
• Grace Lynn Kung- 3 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  3- CRussel
  '[Grace Lynn Kung narrates the] Ava Lee series. so-so on the English, excellent on the Chinese'
  
  
• January LaVoy- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- JSWolf
  ‘… I finished listening to The 18th Abduction By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. January LaVoy is the narrator and I give her 5 stars.’
  
  
• Lisette Lecat- 4.7 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  5- sun surfer
  'I've listened to her over a number of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books and absolutely love her narration.'
  —
  4- issybird
  'I've heard only one book by Lisette Lecat, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and I thought she was wonderful.'
  ◦
  'I'll have to give Lecat a four. One narration is too much for a five, even though it was standout for me.'
  
  
• John Lee- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  5- issybird
  '...[one of] two others for now, to whom I've listened to much less...'
  
  
• Wanda McCaddon- see Nadia May
  
  Spoiler:

  .
  
  
• Jane McDowell- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- silverraven
  'Jane McDowell narrates the Ruth Galloway Series by Elly Griffiths. I really like her doing this series.'
  ◦
  '[one of two] I'd have to give ... 5 out of 5 or 10 out of 10 or 13 out of 13 or what ever the rating system is today!! ... very good.'
  
  
• Robert Ian Mackenzie- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- CRussel
  
  
• James Marsters- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- pwalker8
  '...[one of] a number of narrators that I really like ... [one of those that] are more actors who have a few audiobooks .... James Marsters [narrates the] Harry Dresden series'
  
  
• Daniel Thomas May- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- CRussel
  '[Daniel Thomas May narrates] Cherryh's Foreigner series'
  
  
• Nadia May- 4.8 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  aka Wanda McCaddon, aka Donada Peters
  —
  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  5- CRussel
  —
  5- issybird
  '...[one of] my three favorite and most-listened to narrators .... Are they my favorites because I listen to them most, or do I listen to them most because they're my favorites? Much more of the second than the first.'
  —
  4- sun surfer
  'I listened to Nadia May on the first two Mapp and Lucia books, the first titled Queen Lucia and the second Miss Mapp. She did a really good job. I'll give her 4 stars; that might bump up to a 5 once I listen to her again...'
  
  
• Jefferson Mays- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  
  
• Kate Mulgrew- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- Paperbackstash
  'very good with NOS4A2'
  
  
• Frank Muller- 3.8 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  2.5- Paperbackstash
  'I will say I didn't find Frank Muller's work of The Silence of the Lambs impressive. He subdues several voices and keeps a mainly level pace that doesn't always befit the story.'
  —
  5- davtay
  ‘The first four books of Stephen King's The Dark Tower (The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Wastelands, Wizard and Glass) are amazing! His voices are so what I imagined the characters would sound like, and his narration of the "story" part is eerie! I am truly going to miss him on the rest of the series. I also thought he did a great job on The Silence of the Lambs. Having read the book twice before and seeing the movie countless times, I still think his version added a bit of creepiness that I think made it even better… I would highly recommend’
  —
  unrated- SeaBookGuy
  '[One of two who] suffered tragic accidents relatively young.
  
  
• Phyllida Nash- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- CRussel
  '[Phyllida Nash narrates the] Georgette Heyer Regencies'
  
  
• Trevor Noah- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- Paperbackstash
  'Trevor Noah's Born a Crime really does seem like a long conversation, well done'
  
  
• Peter Noble- 2 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  2- Paperbackstash
  'The Chestnut Man with Peter Noble - Didn't care for at all. He has the bad habit of pausing in several places in each sentence, and not always where he should. His voice impersonations aren't bad, but he keeps it slower and pausing, it's easy to get out of the story, and some odd dialect.'
  
  
• Anna Parker-Naples- 1 star
  
  Spoiler:

  1- issybird
  '[one of two narrators with] Absurd stagey voices that don't suit the characters (a Boston Brahmin shouldn't sound like Gomer Pyle).'
  
  
• Michael Page- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  
  
• Donada Peters- see Nadia May
  
  Spoiler:

  .
  
  
• Bronson Pinchot- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- issybird
  'Pinchot is another for the actor files; he's an excellent narrator.'
  ◦
  'Pinchot's got a big catalogue'
  —
  unrated- pwalker8
  'Bronson Pinchot is another I like a lot. He's actually got a big catalog of audiobooks.'
  
  
• Nigel Planer- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- JSWolf
  'Nigel Planer who does some Discworld books is excellent. I'm almost done listening ot Carpe Jugulum and he really does the book justice. 5/5 and 10/10.'
  
  
• Nick Podehl- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- pwalker8
  '...[one of] more narrators that I really like .... Nick Podehl ... does a lot. He did the Patrick Rothfus books'
  
  
• Davina Porter- 4.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  4- CRussel
  '... a strong 4 for Davina Porter.'
  
  
• Joseph Porter- 1 star
  
  Spoiler:

  1- issybird
  '[one of two narrators with] Absurd stagey voices that don't suit the characters (a Boston Brahmin shouldn't sound like Gomer Pyle).'
  
  
• Ray Porter- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  5- davtay
  ‘His narration on Peter Clines 14, The Fold, Dead Moon, and Paradox Bound is excellent. He can do so many different characters, plus his way of telling the stories...I don't know...just fits the books perfectly… I would highly recommend’
  
  
• Philip Pullman- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- JSWolf
  'Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman .... [is] a full cast recording, but Philip Pullman does the narrating and he does a rather good job. I'll give Pullman a 4 out of 5 stars and an 8 out of 10 stars.
  
  
• Edward Raleigh- see Frederick Davidson
  
  Spoiler:

  .
  
  
• Kate Reading- 4.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  4- CRussel
  
  
• Ian Richardson- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- sun surfer
  '... for his narration of Saki's The Chronicles of Clovis. He's an actor known for various things including the original UK House of Cards. He had a very florid and dramatic style, and while it contrasted a bit with Saki's simpler language I still really enjoyed it and he really helped to bring the biting wit at times to sparkling life.'
  
  
• Barbara Rosenblatt- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  5- CRussel
  —
  unrated- FizzyWater
  'Seems like everyone on Mobilereads loves Barbara Rosenblat. I loved what she did with a book written about an older woman looking back on her years during the Nazi regime (can't remember if she was a survivor, resister, or secret participant - might have been the Nazi Officer's Wife). But she absolutely ruined a SF romance with a snarky 20-something female lead and I refused to continue the rest of the series because I could see she continued on as the narrator on the next book.'
  
  
• Campbell Scott- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- issybird
  'Scott doesn't have a big audiography so I haven't listened to him as much as I'd like. There's an actor connection as he's the son of George C.'
  —
  unrated- Apache
  'I have always liked Campbell Scott. Both as a Narrator and an actor.'
  
  
• Tom Sellwood- 4.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4.5- Paperbackstash
  'Tom Sellwood is doing brilliantly with The Terror by Dan Simmons - he has a knack for switching voices with viewpoints convincingly well, he's not too slow or rushed, enjoying this narration very much.'
  
  
• Fiona Shaw- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- sun surfer
  'Really outstanding narrator in my opinion. I listened to her on Nora Webster.'
  
  
• Eileen Stevens- 3 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  3- CRussel
  '... solid 3 stars. She does some of the Liaden Universe narrations, and is quite acceptable. Better with younger voices than older ones, and I wasn't thrilled with her choice of voices for Uncle, but that's a minor quibble.'
  
  
• Juliet Stevenson- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- issybird
  
  
• Mark Sullivan- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- bshar489
  '... for his reading of the book Beneath the Scarlet Sky. I was hesitant at first because authors don't always make the best readers but he does a wonderful job of it.'
  
  
• Nick Sullivan- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- pwalker8
  '...[one of] more narrators that I really like .... Nick Sullivan [narrates] David Weber's War God series, plus Katherine Kurtz Deryni series'
  
  
• Emma Thompson- 1 star
  
  Spoiler:

  1- sun surfer
  'Great actress, terrible narrator. One of the worst audiobook experiences I've had was listening to her narrate The Turn of the Screw, a great novella dragged down by hideous narration...'
  ◦
  'I might've missed some exculpatory evidence of good narration in my almost immediate and continually intensifying dislike of her narrating style. For me she read parts too quickly, especially the ones where she spoke excitedly (which happened all too frequently). I thought Thompson's melodramatic, overwrought and borderline-hysterical-in-parts approach was a complete mismatch for the subdued, elegant and slow-building horror of James' writing. ... [one of my two most-disliked audiobook experiences]'
  —
  unrated- issybird
  'I thought Thompson was adequate reading The Turn of the Screw.'
  
  
• Stephen Thorne- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- sun surfer
  'I'll give Stephen Thorne a 4 for his narration of A Morbid Taste for Bones. He did a really good job.'
  
  
• Patrick Tull- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- CRussel
  '[Patrick Tull narrates] Patrick O'Brian books, for one'
  
  
• Simon Vance- 4.8 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  5- CRussel
  '5 stars, mostly because of the breadth of his work. Any individual one might be 4 stars.'
  —
  5- issybird
  '...[one of] my three favorite and most-listened to narrators .... Are they my favorites because I listen to them most, or do I listen to them most because they're my favorites? Much more of the second than the first.'
  ◦
  'There's only so much you can do with non-fiction; there's a huge downward potential but not as much upward. For example, while I've heard Simon Vance read a fair amount of non-fiction, which he does admirably, it's really the fiction narrations where he shines and gets his five stars.'
  —
  4- pwalker8
  '...[one of] more narrators that I really like .... Simon Vance [narrates] a bunch'
  
  
• Steven Weber- 4.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4.5- Paperbackstash
  'Steven Webber does excellent with IT - I would go all the way to 5 stars, but he gets a bit understated and odd when it comes to the voice of the clown.'
  
  
• Tom Weiner- 4.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4.5- JSWolf
  'Tom Weiner narrated the book Armor by John Steakley.I thought he did an excellent job especially the different voices.'
  ◦
  'I'm going with a rating of 9 out of 10.'
  
  
• Timothy West- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  —
  5- issybird
  '...[one of] two others for now, to whom I've listened to much less...'
  
  
• Will Wheaton- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- pwalker8
  '...[one of] a number of narrators that I really like ... [one of those that] are more actors who have a few audiobooks .... Will Wheaton [narrates] Ready Player One, Amber series, various Scalzi books'
  
  
• Jeff Woodman- 5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  5- SeaBookGuy
  
  
• Oliver Wyman- 4 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  4- CRussel
  —
  4- pwalker8
  '...[one of] more narrators that I really like .... Oliver Wyman [narrates] a bunch, Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series'
  
  
• Emily Woo Zeller- 1.5 stars
  
  Spoiler:

  2- CRussel
  'Not good, but if I had no choice, I'd listen ...'
  —
  1- SeaBookGuy
  'I recall listening to her read a book because she does Chinese pronunciation well, but otherwise I came away with a strong impression that I never wanted to hear her read anything else again.'
  
  
• Cast Recordings
  
  Spoiler:

  JSWolf
  'Another audiobook I really enjoyed was Ender's Game Alive by Orson Scott Card. It's a full cast production. Excellent. ... Ender's Game Alive is performed by Kirby Heyborne, Stefan Rudnicki, Theodore Bikel, Scott Brick, Samantha Eggar, Harlan Ellison, Susan Hanfield, Roxanne Hernandez, Janis Ian, Rex Linn, Richard McGonagle, Jim Meskimen, Emily Rankin, John Rubinstein, Christian Rummel, and a full cast. Directed by Gabrielle de Cuir .... I'll give this one a 10 out of 10.'
  —
  sun surfer
  '[one of my two most-disliked audiobook experiences] was Dune as read by a large cast.'

[sun surfer]

I'll start with a few of my favourite and least favourite that I can remember.

Lisette Lecat - 5 stars
I've listened to her over a number of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books and absolutely love her narration.

Fiona Shaw - 5 stars
Really outstanding narrator in my opinion. I listened to her on Nora Webster.

Emma Thompson - 1 star
Great actress, terrible narrator. One of the worst audiobook experiences I've had was listening to her narrate The Turn of the Screw, a great novella dragged down by hideous narration, and the absolute kicker is that you cannot preview her narration for it, as the sample is of Richard Armitage who does a fine job but only reads the introduction.

[issybird]

I'll go for some low-hanging fruit as well.

Five stars each for my three favorite and most-listened to narrators: Simon Vance, Frederick Davidson and Nadia May. Are they my favorites because I listen to them most, or do I listen to them most because they're my favorites? Much more of the second than the first.

I'll also give five stars to two others for now, to whom I've listened to much less: John Lee and Timothy West.

One star goes to two narrators I mentioned in another thread, Joseph Porter and Anna Parker-Naples. Absurd stagey voices that don't suit the characters (a Boston Brahmin shouldn't sound like Gomer Pyle).

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I'll start with a few of my favourite and least favourite that I can remember.

Lisette Lecat - 5 stars
I've listened to her over a number of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books and absolutely love her narration.

Fiona Shaw - 5 stars
Really outstanding narrator in my opinion. I listened to her on Nora Webster.

Emma Thompson - 1 star
Great actress, terrible narrator. One of the worst audiobook experiences I've had was listening to her narrate The Turn of the Screw, a great novella dragged down by hideous narration, and the absolute kicker is that you cannot preview her narration for it, as the sample is of Richard Armitage who does a fine job but only reads the introduction.

I've heard only one book by Lisette Lecat, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and I thought she was wonderful. Unfortunately, I don't like the #1LDA books.

I thought Thompson was adequate reading The Turn of the Screw.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

While this thread could be good even if there were other resources for this kind of thing, it struck me that there is no good place for this sort of thing. The closest is Audible ratings on narration, but they're combined within a book's rating and not easily visible if you're looking for an overview of a narrator or a narrator recommendation.

There are loooong threads in the Goodreads Audiobooks group of most-liked and least-liked narrators. Many narrators make both lists. I'm always surprised by how many do not like Frederick Davidson. While the amalgamated recommendations can have some weight, the problem with that sort of thing is if you don't know the poster and have no idea of how congruent your tastes are, so I'll be interested to see what people have to say here, where I have a sense of the members.

[pwalker8]

Hum, I actually have a number of narrators that I really like, though several only have certain books that they do
The following are more actors who have a few audiobooks
- Jim Dale (Harry Potter - USA)
- Tim Curry (Abhorsen series)
- James Marsters (Harry Dresden series)
- Wil Wheaton (Ready Player One, Amber series, various Scalzi books)

These are more narrators that I really like
- Nick Podehl (he does a lot. He did the Patrick Rothfus books)
- Nick Sullivan (David Weber's War God series, plus Katherine Kurtz Deryni series)
- Oliver Wyman (a bunch, Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series)
- Sean Barrnet (Gemmell's Drenai series and a bunch of non fiction)
- Simon Vance (a bunch)

There are also a number who I like, but it's might be because they do favored authors. Sometimes it can be difficult to separate the series and the narrator, especially if they use the same narrator for all the books and I haven't heard them do any other books.

[JSWolf]

Tom Weiner narrated the book Armor by John Steakley.I thought he did an excellent job especially the different voices. If anyone wants to check thi out, it's available at Hoopla.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Tom Weiner narrated the book Armor by John Steakley.I thought he did an excellent job especially the different voices. If anyone wants to check thi out, it's available at Hoopla.

I have read Armor multiple times. As many times as I have read it, I never thought to get it as an audiobook. Now you have made me want to go out and buy the audiobook.
Apache

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Apache

I have read Armor multiple times. As many times as I have read it, I never thought to get it as an audiobook. Now you have made me want to go out and buy the audiobook.
Apache

When I was looking for an eBook version of Armor, I was only able to find the audiobook on Hoopla. So I tried it and really enjoyed it. The narrator did a really good job.

[sun surfer]

I've updated the first post with a prototype list of ratings.

Originally Posted by issybird

I've heard only one book by Lisette Lecat, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and I thought she was wonderful. Unfortunately, I don't like the #1LDA books.

I thought Thompson was adequate reading The Turn of the Screw.

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Hum, I actually have a number of narrators that I really like, though several only have certain books that they do
The following are more actors who have a few audiobooks
- Jim Dale (Harry Potter - USA)
- Tim Curry (Abhorsen series)
- James Marsters (Harry Dresden series)
- Wil Wheaton (Ready Player One, Amber series, various Scalzi books)

These are more narrators that I really like
- Nick Podehl (he does a lot. He did the Patrick Rothfus books)
- Nick Sullivan (David Weber's War God series, plus Katherine Kurtz Deryni series)
- Oliver Wyman (a bunch, Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series)
- Sean Barrnet (Gemmell's Drenai series and a bunch of non fiction)
- Simon Vance (a bunch)

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Tom Weiner narrated the book Armor by John Steakley.I thought he did an excellent job especially the different voices. If anyone wants to check thi out, it's available at Hoopla.

Do any of you want to give a number rating to any of these? You don't have to, but if you do I'll add the ratings to the list.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by issybird

I've heard only one book by Lisette Lecat, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and I thought she was wonderful. Unfortunately, I don't like the #1LDA books.

More's the pity as I wish you enjoyed the #1LDA as much as I do. For me they're like comfort food; they make me smile and give me a warm feeling.

What's funny about you listening to Lecat for Purple Hibiscus is that I listened to another narrator for Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and it began with Lecat (unannounced) doing a short intro. I was excited thinking it was Lecat doing the entire book under a pseudonym but alas no (although the narrator I did listen to did a good job too).

I thought Thompson was adequate reading The Turn of the Screw.

Different strokes. I might've missed some exculpatory evidence of good narration in my almost immediate and continually intensifying dislike of her narrating style. For me she read parts too quickly, especially the ones where she spoke excitedly (which happened all too frequently). I thought Thompson's melodramatic, overwrought and borderline-hysterical-in-parts approach was a complete mismatch for the subdued, elegant and slow-building horror of James' writing.

The only other audiobook experience I disliked as much was Dune as read by a large cast.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by issybird

There are loooong threads in the Goodreads Audiobooks group of most-liked and least-liked narrators. Many narrators make both lists. I'm always surprised by how many do not like Frederick Davidson. While the amalgamated recommendations can have some weight, the problem with that sort of thing is if you don't know the poster and have no idea of how congruent your tastes are, so I'll be interested to see what people have to say here, where I have a sense of the members.

Thank you for that! I'll check out the Goodreads group; I didn't know about it. But as you say, while any ratings can help give someone a general impression, here we have a sense of the members. The ratings might be fewer but can carry more weight.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

There are also a number who I like, but it's might be because they do favored authors. Sometimes it can be difficult to separate the series and the narrator, especially if they use the same narrator for all the books and I haven't heard them do any other books.

That's an interesting thought. This is like Lisette Lecat for me since I've only listened to her for the #1LDA series, but I'm fairly confident I'd love her on other books as well.

[silverraven]

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith narrates the Rivers of London Series by Ben Aaronovich. He is really good! Great series but he makes it even better.
Jane McDowell narrates the Ruth Galloway Series by Elly Griffiths. I really like her doing this series.
Those are two narrators I really like that I can think of right off the top of my head.
S

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by silverraven

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith narrates the Rivers of London Series by Ben Aaronovich. He is really good! Great series but he makes it even better.
Jane McDowell narrates the Ruth Galloway Series by Elly Griffiths. I really like her doing this series.
Those are two narrators I really like that I can think of right off the top of my head.
S

I went through the Rivers of London series this summer and liked it, but didn't think about the audiobooks. I'll give it a try.

[silverraven]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I went through the Rivers of London series this summer and liked it, but didn't think about the audiobooks. I'll give it a try.

My local library had them, so if you can get them at your library no money lost if you hate them!! I always worry about suggesting a book, someone buying it, and hating it. I hate wasting someone else's money.
S