Audiobooks Like The Emperor's Soul

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Angela Lin narrates The Emperor's Soul with a quiet precision that matches the book's central metaphor — forgery as art, art as moral action, action as character. At just four hours it's the most compressed Sanderson you can find, and Lin's delivery gives the heist-magic structure an intimacy that the length demands. All 10 recommendations come from Sanderson's catalog and most are highly rated, connecting this standalone novella to the broader Cosmere for listeners who want to explore further.

10 audiobooks for fans of The Emperor's Soul

  1. 1
    Words of Radiance cover

    Words of Radiance

    The Stormlight Archive • Book 2

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer, Kate Reading

    4.96 ABR Score (587.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.76 Goodreads (498.0K) ★ 4.9 Audible (89.5K)
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    Kaladin leads the royal guard while Shallan seeks ancient secrets and Dalinar unites the war camps. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading handle Sanderson's massive cast and intricate magic systems flawlessly.

  2. 2
    The Way of Kings cover

    The Way of Kings

    The Cosmere • Book 1

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

    4.89 ABR Score (796.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.66 Goodreads (683.1K) ★ 4.84 Audible (113.2K)
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    On storm-ravaged Roshar, a slave fights in bridge crews while a prince questions his honor during an endless war. The dual narration by Reading and Kramer handles Sanderson's massive world-building seamlessly.

  3. 3
    The Hero of Ages cover

    The Hero of Ages

    The Mistborn Saga • Book 3

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.83 ABR Score (680.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.56 Goodreads (606.0K) ★ 4.85 Audible (74.8K)
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    Vin faces the apocalyptic Deepness while Elend builds his kingdom, as Sanderson concludes his Mistborn trilogy with the ultimate test of heroism and sacrifice.

  4. 4
    Oathbringer cover

    Oathbringer

    The Stormlight Archive • Book 3

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

    4.83 ABR Score (432.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.6 Goodreads (365.0K) ★ 4.84 Audible (67.0K)
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    Dalinar's flashbacks to his violent past and the Knights Radiant's return unfold across 55+ hours that Kate Reading and Michael Kramer navigate expertly.

  5. 5
    The Final Empire cover

    The Final Empire

    The Mistborn Saga • Book 1

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.78 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 4.49 Goodreads (999.3K) ★ 4.79 Audible (97.4K)
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    Street thief Vin discovers she can ingest metals to gain magical powers, then joins a heist to overthrow an immortal emperor. Sanderson creates a unique magic system where swallowing steel lets you fly and pewter enhances strength.

  6. 6
    The Gathering Storm cover

    The Gathering Storm

    The Wheel of Time • Book 12

    by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer, Kate Reading

    4.77 ABR Score (224.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.44 Goodreads (178.7K) ★ 4.9 Audible (45.7K)
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    Brandon Sanderson takes over Jordan's epic as Rand's madness deepens and Egwene fights to reunite the fractured White Tower before the Last Battle arrives.

  7. 7
    Towers of Midnight cover

    Towers of Midnight

    The Wheel of Time • Book 13

    by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

    4.77 ABR Score (211.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.48 Goodreads (176.1K) ★ 4.89 Audible (34.9K)
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    Perrin leads the Whitecloak trials while Mat prepares for the Last Battle in this penultimate Wheel of Time volume. Kate Reading and Michael Kramer have become the definitive voices of Jordan's world, handling dozens of characters with seamless consistency.

  8. 8
    The Well of Ascension cover

    The Well of Ascension

    The Mistborn Saga • Book 2

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.70 ABR Score (745.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (671.8K) ★ 4.78 Audible (73.7K)
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    After killing the immortal Lord Ruler, street thief turned Mistborn Vin must defend the capital from three armies while ancient prophecies suggest an even greater threat approaches. Kramer voices this complex middle volume expertly.

  9. 9
    The Lost Metal cover

    The Lost Metal

    The Mistborn Saga • Book 7

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.70 ABR Score (136.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.48 Goodreads (122.5K) ★ 4.86 Audible (14.4K)
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    Wax faces his final confrontation with the Set as Scadrial hurtles toward an explosive conclusion to Sanderson's second Mistborn era. Michael Kramer has been the voice of this world for years, and his familiarity with every character pays off brilliantly here.

  10. 10
    The Bands of Mourning cover

    The Bands of Mourning

    Mistborn, Era 2: Wax & Wayne • Book 3

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.66 ABR Score (220.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.4 Goodreads (193.3K) ★ 4.81 Audible (27.4K)
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    Wax and his crew pursue the Lord Ruler's legendary metalminds in a steampunk world where magic meets technology. Kramer's consistent narration grounds readers as Sanderson introduces new magic systems and expands his world's mythology beyond Scadrial's borders.

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →