best-of-all-time.comAll 50 lists

The top 50

Audiobook performances of all time

Fifty researched picks for the audiobook performances of all time, selected for narration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text.

How we choseNarration, character work, production and how strongly performance elevates the text. Rankings balance consensus with lasting ownership value and current buyability.
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →
#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.

Why it belongs →

Research starting points

Goodreads: Best Audio Narration ↗Goodreads: Best Audiobooks ↗Goodreads Listopia ↗