Audiobooks Like Winter's Heart

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Kate Reading and Michael Kramer have narrated the Wheel of Time together long enough that the handoff between them has its own rhythm — Reading's women carry a pragmatic authority while Kramer's men often carry the weight of prophecy, and at 24 hours the ninth installment of this saga settles into the deep familiarity of a world you've been living in for hundreds of hours. Nine of the recommendations are narrated by Kramer himself, most running a similar length, drawn from the epic fantasy that rewards that kind of commitment.

10 audiobooks for fans of Winter's Heart

  1. 1
    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.

  2. 2
    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.

  3. 3
    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.

  4. 4
    Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection cover

    Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection

    The Cosmere

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer, Kate Reading

    4.64 ABR Score (85.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.43 Goodreads (66.7K) ★ 4.82 Audible (18.7K)
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    This collection spans Sanderson's interconnected universe, featuring stories from each Cosmere world with their distinct magic systems.

  5. 5
    Unfettered III: New Tales cover

    Unfettered III: New Tales

    The Chathrand Voyage #Thasha's cure for cabin fever • Book 3

    by Shawn Speakman, Tad Williams, Naomi Novik, Megan Lindholm, John Gwynne, David Anthony Durham, Callie Bates, Jason Denzel, Carrie Vaughn, Deborah A. Wolf, Anna Stephens, Patrick Swenson, Ramon Terrell, Peter Orullian, Terry Brooks, Lev Grossman, Seanan McGuire, Delilah S. Dawson, Mark Lawrence, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Todd Lockwood, Cat Rambo, Robert V.S. Redick, Ken Scholes, Scott Sigler, Anna Smith Spark, Marc Turner

    Narrated by Khristine Hvam, Natasha Soudek, Mark Bramhall, Michael Page, Vikas Adam, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Andrew Wincott, Luke Daniels, Brian Nishii

    3.84 ABR Score (779 ratings)
    ★ 3.98 Goodreads (571) ★ 4.37 Audible (208)
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    This charity anthology features stories from fantasy's biggest names, with multiple narrators bringing each author's unique voice to life.

  6. 6
    An Echo of Things to Come cover

    An Echo of Things to Come

    The Licanius Trilogy • Book 2

    by James Islington

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.42 ABR Score (70.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.2 Goodreads (53.8K) ★ 4.69 Audible (16.7K)
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    Davian races north as the Boundary weakens, his time-manipulation powers growing stronger while ancient enemies prepare their final assault on reality itself in this intricate fantasy sequel.

  7. 7
    The Shadow of What Was Lost cover

    The Shadow of What Was Lost

    The Licanius Trilogy • Book 1

    by James Islington

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.33 ABR Score (116.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.14 Goodreads (91.9K) ★ 4.57 Audible (24.8K)
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    Twenty years after god-like Augurs fell from power, their ancient magic stirs again in a world that thought it was safe from such forces.

  8. 8
    The Fragile Threads of Power cover

    The Fragile Threads of Power

    Threads of Power • Book 1

    by V.E. Schwab, Victoria Schwab

    Narrated by Kate Reading, Marisa Calin, Michael Kramer

    4.28 ABR Score (47.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.26 Goodreads (47.0K) ★ 4.66 Audible (847)
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    Three skilled narrators return to Schwab's magical London across parallel worlds, where the balance between four realities threatens to collapse seven years after the previous crisis.

  9. 9
    Furies of Calderon cover

    Furies of Calderon

    Codex Alera • Book 1

    by Jim Butcher

    Narrated by Kate Reading

    4.27 ABR Score (130.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.13 Goodreads (114.0K) ★ 4.52 Audible (16.1K)
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    Kate Reading's performance brings depth to Butcher's Roman-inspired fantasy where everyone bonds with elemental spirits—except young Tavi, whose lack of power becomes his greatest strength.

  10. 10
    The Wall of Storms cover

    The Wall of Storms

    The Dandelion Dynasty • Book 2

    by Ken Liu

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.22 ABR Score (10.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.35 Goodreads (10.1K) ★ 4.59 Audible (662)
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    Emperor Kuni faces invasion from the distant Lyucu empire while struggling to maintain his fragile kingdom's progress and unity. Michael Kramer tackles Liu's epic scope and intricate political maneuvering with authority.

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 →