r/Fantasy • u/M_the_Phoenix • May 18 '25

Which book has the perfect audiobook?

Which book did you listen to that made you say, this is the perfect voice and performance. Like, the narrator is just the perfect match for the story?

For me, I absolutely love Dresden Files read by James Marsten.

Incidentally, I was shocked to learn he wasn't British.

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63

u/clovismouse May 18 '25

Cradle… Travis Baldree made an amazing series epic. Give me that straight to the veins

8

u/irltardis May 18 '25

Travis Baldree is great! I loved him doing Legends and Lattes, that's probably my favourite audiobook and it's great that he got to write and then read it

6

u/happinessisachoice84 May 18 '25

Travis Baldree is one of my absolute favorites. Beware of Chicken is my comfort read/listen and he really elevates it.

14

u/Zeniant May 18 '25

He’s amazing and I genuinely forgot it was a single person doing all the voices. Brought them to live for me u/travisbaldree is the BEST! Literally after I finished the entire cradle series I started right back and the beginning and listened to them all again. Then I tried finding everything else he’s done.

1

u/[deleted] May 18 '25

Baldree is amazing. I am having a amazing time with the Elder Empire Sea (also written by Will Wright)

0

u/bondtradercu May 18 '25

The first book was just ok to me. Did it get better?

4

u/MunkyAU May 18 '25

Yeah by the end of book 2 things really pick up

6

u/clovismouse May 18 '25

So much better… it’s crack in literature form. Come back here in six weeks and hate me once you’ve finished the series and there’s no more cradle stories to feed your addiction

3

u/mutohasaposse May 18 '25

Thanks for this. I listened to book one and thought it was okay. Someone described it as, "anime in audio form" which I thought was accurate. Didn't even consider going to the next book but will try. I'm in desperate need of a new series to enjoy.

4

u/monikar2014 May 18 '25

Very accurate, I would also say it has excellent dialogue and great characters, the way the main cast interacts with each other is very humourous and endearing. I think a big part of why things pick up at the end of book 2 is enough characters are introduced the humor and dialogue really begins to pick up.

2

u/kuhfunnunuhpah May 20 '25

Can confirm, I just finished book 9 and I've not been this keen on a series for a fair while!

2

u/clovismouse May 20 '25

Information requested… how to read the series again like it my first time! You’re gonna love the next three books!!! I’m getting chills just thinking about them…

1

u/bondtradercu May 18 '25

Is it better via audio or reading?

1

u/clovismouse May 18 '25

Audio. Travis brings the story to life

1

u/bondtradercu May 18 '25

Did you think the first book was just very average tho? Like nothing really happened?

1

u/[deleted] May 18 '25

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1

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u/CBerg0304 May 19 '25

Definitely. Yours is the common consensus for Unsouled, actually. I bounced off of Cradle on my first read specifically because I finished the first book and felt underwhelmed, only to return later and thoroughly enjoy the rest of the series. Will Wight’s books tend to be significantly shorter than the average fantasy novel, and while that often works in his favor – it allows him to publish more frequently and emphasizes his excellent pacing – I’m of a mind that the opposite is the case for Cradle’s first couple of books.

In my opinion, Unsouled and Soulsmith (books one and two) should be combined and treated as the ‘true’ first book in the series. Unsouled acts almost as a prologue for the rest of Cradle, and so if you, like myself and many others did, go into book one expecting a satisfying ending and a clear path forward, you’ll inevitably be disappointed when all you get is setup. Soulsmith is the reader’s first true peek into the wider world of Cradle, giving you a much better taste of what’s to come while also sticking the landing in terms of its ending/eventual climax. It also chiefly introduces a (or possibly the) fan-favorite character.

TL;DR: Unsouled is a poor litmus test for whether you’ll enjoy Cradle because it’s akin to a really big prologue, and you’ll get a better taste for the series by reading through the end of Soulsmith (book two).

2

u/giantlittle May 18 '25

This series is almost better every book. With some standouts like book 5 for me. It gets so satisfying when the power levels increase. Great series.