Top audiobook picks from AudioFile. Each title gives an exceptional audio experience--a synergy of author and narrator for great listening. Hear excerpts from each title and listen to a candid AudioFile review. AudioFile is an independent source of audiobook views and news. All audiobooks, all the time!
Friday, November 27, 2009
FRAGILE THINGS by Neil Gaiman, read by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman's collection of "short fictions and wonders" runs the gamut from the unusual to the fantastic to the disturbing. Our soundreview serves up a tantalizing taste of these spooky tales, performed expressively in Gaiman's British-accented voice. Don't listen in the dark! Listen to the soundreview now (no download required). Time 5:38
Download the soundreview as an mp3 file. Size: 5.2MB
THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman, read by the author
Gaiman's clever, dark fantasy about an orphaned boy raised by ghosts in an old graveyard has been showered with nearly every award for children's literature and science fiction, in print, and audio. A stunningly good author-reading, bringing his understanding of his own story and characters to a mesmerizing listening experience. Great for listeners 10 and up.
Listen now. Time 3:55
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 4.5 MB
AMERICAN GODS by Neil Gaiman, read by George Guidall
In this darkly fantastic travelogue, an ex-con named Shadow finds an American landscape filled with ghosts and ancient gods, where the old characters of mythology seem to be at war with the new gods of technology, media, and fast food. George Guidall astutely delivers Gaiman's dialogue, and insight.
Listen now. Time 2:32
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 1.5 MB
The Voices of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: A Conversation with George Guidall
The Voices of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: In celebration of the US release of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's GOOD OMENS, Robin Whitten speaks with George Guidall, narrator of Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS.
Listen now. Time 7:16
Download the SoundReview as an mp3 file. Size: 3.8 MB
WITCHES ABROAD, Discworld Book #12 by Terry Pratchett, read by Nigel Planer
In this 12th episode in the Discworld saga, a small sect of blundering witches sets out on a remarkable journey to Genua. Nigel Planer brings out the theatrical atmosphere with his precise delivery and engages listeners with this fantastical tale.
Listen now. Time 2:59
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 1.7 MB
The Voices of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: A Conversation with Nigel Planer
The Voices of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: In celebration of the US release of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's GOOD OMENS, Robin Whitten speaks with Nigel Planer, narrator of Pratchett's WITCHES ABROAD.
Listen now. Time 5:11
Download the SoundReview as an mp3 file. Size: 3 MB
THE WEE FREE MEN SERIES by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
One has to wonder who had more fun with this project--Terry Pratchett, writer of the comic fantasy Discworld series, or Stephen Briggs, the narrator. Both are masters of the high art of wordplay. The escapades of Tiffany Aching, the wise and perceptive 9-year-old heroine, and the zany Wee Free Men make great listening.
Listen to the excerpt now (no download required). Time 4:52
The Voices of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: A Conversation with Stephen Briggs
The Voices of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: In celebration of the US release of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's GOOD OMENS, Robin Whitten speaks with Stephen Briggs, narrator of many Terry Pratchett titles, including UNSEEN ACADEMICALS, the most recent novel in Pratchett's Discworld series.
Listen now. Time 5:33
Download the SoundReview as an mp3 file. Size: 2.2 MB
The Voices of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: Martin Jarvis
The Voices of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: In celebration of the US release of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's GOOD OMENS, Robin Whitten speaks with Martin Jarvis, narrator of GOOD OMENS.
Listen now. Time 6:35
Download the SoundReview as an mp3 file. Size: 3.8 MB
GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, read by Martin Jarvis.
Who would have thought that the Apocalypse would be so entertaining? This 1990 collaboration between authors Gaiman and Pratchett follows the (mis)adventures of Aziraphale, an angel, and Crowley, a demon. Martin Jarvis’s attentiveness to the authors' sense of timing and humor accentuates every twinge of irony in this absurd comedy.
Listen now. Time 3:19
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 3.9 MB
HALF THE SKY: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and SherylWuDunn, read by Cassandra Campbell
Journalists Kristof and WuDunn inspire attention to the human rights tragedy of the oppression of third-world women in three disturbing areas: sex trafficking and forced prostitution, cultural violence against women, and maternal mortality.
Listen now. Time 2:36
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 1.5 MB
ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS: How Harlem Became the Center of the Universe, Vol. 1 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, read by Avery Brooks, et al.
Former Harlemite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explores the Harlem Renaissance (1920-1940), touching on social history, literature, music, art, and, of course, basketball. This audio production is a lively, inventive, and imaginative way to explore with stellar audio guides.
Listen now. Time 3:12
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 3.7 MB
LUCKY BREAKS by Susan Patron, read by Cassandra Campbell
In this sequel to the Newbery Award-winning HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY, the endearingly eccentric residents of Hard Pan (population, 43) join to celebrate Lucky's eleventh birthday. Campbell does a great job with this both old-fashioned and modern story.
Listen now. Time 3:01
Download now an excerpt as an mp3 file. Size: 1.7 MB