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Best BL audiobook narrators


OnboardG1

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Hi folks,

 

What are your thoughts on the narrators of BL’s audiobook offerings? I’ve had some mixed luck with them so I’m cautious about getting new audiobooks without knowing anything about the narrator. Johnathan Keeble I already knew was good from Simon Scarrow’s books but John Banks did my head in.

 

Which narrators are worth looking out for and who should I avoid?

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Talking purely about audiobooks, rather than audio dramas as well, I'd say John Banks and Toby Longworth are probably at the top for me. Gareth Armstrong's high up, too, but sadly hasn't done much for them in years, beyond Dante and The Devastation of Baal. Sean Barrett also went under the radar lately...

 

I hope they'll be doing more Ciaphas Cain audiobooks with Stephen Perring, too. He actually did a really good job with For the Emperor, and managed to be distinct from the other narrators in it.

 

Jonathan Keeble is alright, but he has many grating voices in his repertoire. I do like Emma Gregory as well, though I think she shines more in audio dramas than plain audiobooks.

Been listening to Jonathan Keeble reading Flight of the Eisenstein and it’s superb, he has read quite a few heresy books and I’ve loved them all. I can easily keep focused on the story.

 

I found John Banks really difficult to keep my focus with, Ive listened to lords of silence and the Fabius books and found myself drifting during both. I can’t say he is bad as he certainly puts plenty of effort and energy into the text, it’s just I loose focus for whatever reason.

 

Narration is always going to be very personal and everyone will differ.

 

Cliff Chapman did a super job with Martyred Lady.

I rank Keeble #1, but John Banks and Toby Longworth are quite good as well.

 

Gareth Armstrong and Emma Gregory are both excellent as actors in a cast, but I'm not huge on their solo narration.

 

Saul Reichlin did his best with the first 2 Vulkan Heresy books, but it's hard to tell if I'm actually luke-warm on him or if my distaste for the books bled over into my opinion of his performance.

Jonathan Keeble is great. 

 

It's a one off, but Doug Bradley did a fantastic job on "The Beast in the Trenches". I was worried it was a bit of a stunt casting, which it may have been, but damn if that wasn't well done. His voice of the regimental commander was startling.

  • 2 weeks later...
Continuing my reread (listen) of the heresy I’m onto Fulgrim read by David Timson. I loved Fulgrim but this is awful stuff, it makes marines sound like they should be in a dickens play. Cringeworthy. The variation in (my personal taste) readers has a huge impact on the book experience.

I don't really have favourites. As long as they don't make weird noises I'm fine with pretty much any of them (just recently listened to a german Eragon audiobook because I was bored as heck and the main dwarf character was absolutely horrible listening to because for some reason the narrator thought it's a good idea to make grunting noises every few words...).

Coild someone be so kind and give an example for each speaker?

 

I believe that I enjoy Banks, Longworth and Armstrong but I'm mixing them up every time.

Keeble narrates Helsreach. So just look for the series on Youtube.

 

I have already praised Keeble many times here.

 

I enjoyed all the Banks Corax books. His Death Guard narration was good too.

 

Toby Longworth is damn good, and he can do surprisingly good female voices.

 

Gareth Armstrong I also like, but if it makes sense, he has a bit of an older man voice. So my enoyment depends on what he is reading.

 

Ran

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