★best-of-all-time.comAll 50 lists

The top 50

Audiobook performances of all time

50 standout choices selected for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

What earns a placeNarration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text. Every pick combines lasting value with current availability.
#1

Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary by Ray Porter narrating Andy Weir is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#2

Born a Crime

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#3

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings by Andy Serkis narrating J.R.R. Tolkien is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#4

Daisy Jones & The Six

Daisy Jones & The Six by Full cast narrating Taylor Jenkins Reid is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#5

Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo by Full cast narrating George Saunders is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#6

Harry Potter Audio Collection (Harry Potter, #1-7)

Harry Potter Audio Collection (Harry Potter, #1-7) by J.K. Rowling is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#7

The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#8

Outlander (Outlander, #1)

Outlander (Outlander, #1) by Diana Gabaldon is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#9

Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)

Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) by Ernest Cline is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#10

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#11

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#12

Bossypants

Bossypants by Tina Fey is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#13

The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#14

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#15

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1) by Douglas Adams is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#16

Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)

Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1) by Jim Butcher is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#17

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#18

The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#19

Being a Witch, and Other Things I Didn't Ask For

Being a Witch, and Other Things I Didn't Ask For by Sara Pascoe is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#20

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#21

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#22

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#23

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) by Patrick Rothfuss is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#24

Bloody Jack (Bloody Jack, #1)

Bloody Jack (Bloody Jack, #1) by L.A. Meyer is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#25

Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant, #1)

Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant, #1) by Derek Landy is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#26

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#27

The Wee Free Men (Discworld, #30; Tiffany Aching, #1)

The Wee Free Men (Discworld, #30; Tiffany Aching, #1) by Terry Pratchett is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#28

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#29

Sunday Morning (Sunday Morning, #1)

Sunday Morning (Sunday Morning, #1) by Jewel E. Ann is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#30

Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1)

Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) by Charlaine Harris is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#31

Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)

Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#32

Gallant

Gallant by V.E. Schwab is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#33

Catch the Sun

Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#34

Picking Daisies on Sundays (Picking Daisies on Sundays, #1)

Picking Daisies on Sundays (Picking Daisies on Sundays, #1) by Liana Cincotti is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#35

A Short History of Nearly Everything

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#36

Go the Fuck to Sleep

Go the Fuck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#37

Paper Towns

Paper Towns by John Green is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#38

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#39

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#40

The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)

The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) by Ken Follett is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#41

Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, #1)

Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, #1) by Eoin Colfer is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#42

Voyager (Outlander, #3)

Voyager (Outlander, #3) by Diana Gabaldon is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#43

Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece

Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece by Yvonne Korshak is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#44

The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2)

The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#45

Nothing Better Than You (Better than the Movies, #1.6)

Nothing Better Than You (Better than the Movies, #1.6) by Lynn Painter is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#46

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#47

Vow of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #2)

Vow of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #2) by Mary E. Pearson is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#48

The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus, #1)

The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus, #1) by Jonathan Stroud is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#49

Life of Pi

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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#50

Forty-Ninth

Forty-Ninth by Boris Pronsky is a durable audiobook choice, recognized for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

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