Best Anthony Ryan Audiobooks
Anthony Ryan built his reputation on Blood Song, a debut that spread almost entirely by word of mouth before becoming one of self-published fantasy's great success stories. The Raven's Shadow series showcases his strengths: tightly controlled first-person narration, a protagonist whose competence feels earned rather than granted, and battle sequences that hit with real weight. Ryan writes military fantasy with an insider's precision — formations matter, logistics matter, and the cost of violence accumulates across pages rather than disappearing between chapters. His worldbuilding is patient, releasing information through experience rather than exposition. Readers who love Joe Abercrombie's gritty realism or Brian McClellan's disciplined plotting will find Ryan a natural fit. If you want fantasy that respects the mechanics of war and the psychology of soldiers, Blood Song is one of the best entry points in the genre.
Where to Start with Anthony Ryan
- Best entry point → Blood Song
- Start the Raven's Shadow #0.7 series → Many Are the Dead
- What fans keep coming back to → Unfettered II: New Tales
- Highest rated by listeners → Unbound
Best Anthony Ryan Audiobooks
- 1
Blood Song
Raven's Shadow • Book 1
by Anthony Ryan
Narrated by Steven Brand
★ 4.45 ABR Score (109.2K ratings)★ 4.41 Goodreads (92.6K) ★ 4.6 Audible (16.6K)More about this pick
Follow Vaelin's brutal training in a warrior order where mysterious powers awaken and destinies unfold. Steven Brand's commanding performance matches the epic scope of this fantasy debut.
- 2
Many Are the Dead
Raven's Shadow #0.7
by Anthony Ryan
Narrated by Steven Brand
★ 3.96 ABR Score (1.4K ratings)★ 4.04 Goodreads (935) ★ 4.53 Audible (431)More about this pick
Ryan returns to his Raven's Shadow world ten years before Blood Song, where Sixth Order brothers wage savage war against Lonak clans until the Red Hand threatens everything.
- 3
Unfettered II: New Tales
Gunnie Rose #0.0 - The Gunnie
by Shawn Speakman, Naomi Novik, Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Michael J. Sullivan, Janny Wurts, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Mark Lawrence, Seanan McGuire, Peter Orullian, Aidan Moher, Erin Lindsey, John A. Pitts, Anthony Ryan, Scott Sigler, Django Wexler, Rachel Caine, Sarah Beth Durst, David Farland, Terry Brooks
Narrated by Sarah Coomes, Michael Kramer, Emily Woo Zeller, Nick Podehl, Erin Mallon, Tim Gerard Reynolds
★ 3.78 ABR Score (1.5K ratings)★ 3.92 Goodreads (1.1K) ★ 4.25 Audible (340)More about this pick
Twenty-one fantasy heavyweights contribute original stories to this charity anthology, creating a sampler that showcases the genre's current masters across multiple narrative styles.
- 4
Unbound
Annwn Cycle #The Dead's Revenant • Book 1
by Shawn Speakman, Terry Brooks, Seanan McGuire, Mark Lawrence, Anthony Ryan, Tim Marquitz, Brian Staveley, Michael J. Sullivan, John Marco, Peter Orullian, Kat Richardson, Sam Sykes, Kristen Britain, Mazarkis Williams, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Harry Connolly, Delilah S. Dawson, David Anthony Durham, Jason M. Hough, Mary Robinette Kowal, Joe Abercrombie
Narrated by Dick Hill, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Nick Podehl, Allyson Johnson, Christian Rodska, Emily Bauer
★ 3.74 ABR Score (1.3K ratings)★ 3.96 Goodreads (1.0K) ★ 4.13 Audible (246)More about this pick
Twenty-three fantasy authors contribute unrestrained tales without thematic constraints in this genre celebration. The six-narrator ensemble including Tim Gerard Reynolds and Nick Podehl brings remarkable variety to each story.
- 5
Deep Magic: Volume 2: A Speculative Fiction Collection: Deep Magic
Deep Magic • Book 2
by Jeff Wheeler, Kate Rudd, Amir Abdullah, Elizabeth Wiley, Samara Naeymi, Hannah Curtis, Adam Verner, Anthony Ryan, Ken Liu, Charlie N. Holmberg, Jeanna Mason Stay, Wulf Moon
Narrated by Kate Rudd, Amir Abdullah, Elizabeth Wiley, Samara Naeymi, Hannah Curtis, Adam Verner
★ 3.67 ABR Score (3 ratings)★ 4.33 Audible (3)More about this pick
Six talented narrators including Kate Rudd and Adam Verner bring space adventures, mysterious poisoners, and war birds to life across multiple fantastical worlds.