Audiobooks Like The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

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Rachel Dulude narrates Becky Chambers' found-family space opera with a warmth that doesn't sentimentalize it — the 14-hour runtime moves through a series of character-focused episodes that are essentially about what people owe each other in close quarters, and Dulude gives each crew member enough distinctiveness to make the ensemble feel genuinely inhabited rather than catalogued. The cozy science fiction register is specific: it's not soft, just humane. All ten picks are highly rated, most run close to the same length, and they share that character-driven quality where the plot is really just the occasion for the relationships.

10 audiobooks for fans of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

  1. 1
    Project Hail Mary cover

    Project Hail Mary

    by Andy Weir

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    ★ 4.93 ABR Score (1.7M ratings)
    ★ 4.51 Goodreads (1.4M) ★ 4.87 Audible (267.8K)
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    Ryland Grace awakens alone on a spacecraft with amnesia, gradually remembering he's humanity's last hope against star-consuming aliens, perfectly captured by Ray Porter's engaging performance.

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  2. 2
    Dungeon Crawler Carl cover

    Dungeon Crawler Carl

    Dungeon Crawler Carl • Book 1

    by Matt Dinniman

    Narrated by Jeff Hays

    ★ 4.80 ABR Score (335.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.48 Goodreads (284.3K) ★ 4.86 Audible (51.2K)
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    When Earth becomes a literal death game show, one man and his ex-girlfriend's cat fight for survival in underground dungeons designed to entertain alien viewers. Jeff Hays channels Carl's desperate humor perfectly, making the absurd premise land with surprising emotional weight.

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  3. 3
    Starsight cover

    Starsight

    Skyward • Book 2

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Suzy Jackson

    ★ 4.61 ABR Score (133.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.34 Goodreads (109.9K) ★ 4.77 Audible (23.1K)
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    Spensa goes undercover among the alien Superiority to steal their hyperdrive technology, infiltrating the very empire that keeps her planet trapped. Suzy Jackson handles both Spensa's voice and the various alien characters with skill.

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  4. 4
    Network Effect cover

    Network Effect

    Murderbot Diaries • Book 5

    by Martha Wells

    Narrated by Kevin R. Free

    ★ 4.61 ABR Score (139.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.46 Goodreads (129.2K) ★ 4.74 Audible (9.9K)
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    Kevin R. Free's deadpan delivery transforms Murderbot from a sardonic loner into someone genuinely worth rooting for—the audiobook does what the best narration does, making you hear the heart beneath the snark.

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  5. 5
    Ender's Game cover

    Ender's Game

    The Ender Saga • Book 1

    by Orson Scott Card

    Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, Gabrielle de Cuir

    ★ 4.59 ABR Score (1.5M ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (1.5M) ★ 4.63 Audible (44.6K)
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    Child genius Ender Wiggin's military training at Battle School prepares him for humanity's war against alien "buggers" in this complex moral examination.

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  6. 6
    Ender's Shadow cover

    Ender's Shadow

    Ender's Shadow • Book 1

    by Orson Scott Card

    Narrated by Scott Brick, Gabrielle de Cuir, full cast

    ★ 4.59 ABR Score (194.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.32 Goodreads (180.6K) ★ 4.76 Audible (13.8K)
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    Bean's parallel journey through Battle School gets full-cast treatment, with Scott Brick and Gabrielle de Cuir leading voices that capture both his genius and vulnerability.

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  7. 7
    Not Till We Are Lost cover

    Not Till We Are Lost

    Bobiverse • Book 5

    by Dennis E. Taylor

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    ★ 4.50 ABR Score (32.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (19.1K) ★ 4.73 Audible (13.2K)
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    The Bobiverse fractures after the Starfleet War, with Ray Porter navigating the emotional weight as the once-united Bobs face their most existential threat yet.

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  8. 8
    Memory cover

    Memory

    Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 10

    by Lois McMaster Bujold

    Narrated by Grover Gardner

    ★ 4.47 ABR Score (22.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.43 Goodreads (19.9K) ★ 4.73 Audible (2.8K)
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    Miles Vorkosigan transitions from mercenary leader to Imperial Auditor while investigating his former boss's mysterious mental breakdown in this character-defining installment.

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  9. 9
    Parable of the Talents cover

    Parable of the Talents

    Earthseed • Book 2

    by Octavia E. Butler

    Narrated by Patricia R. Floyd, Peter Jay Fernandez, Sisi Aisha Johnson

    ★ 4.47 ABR Score (93.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.32 Goodreads (86.9K) ★ 4.68 Audible (6.2K)
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    Three skilled narrators share Butler's Nebula-winning sequel where Lauren's Earthseed community faces enslavement and her daughter's kidnapping in 2030s California.

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  10. 10
    Children of Time cover

    Children of Time

    Children of Time • Book 1

    by Adrian Tchaikovsky

    Narrated by Mel Hudson

    ★ 4.40 ABR Score (221.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (180.0K) ★ 4.47 Audible (41.1K)
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    Humanity's last survivors discover their promised planet is now ruled by highly evolved spiders in this sweeping tale of parallel evolution.

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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.

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