Best David Farland Audiobooks
David Farland built one of fantasy's most compelling power systems with The Runelords series, where warriors can absorb attributes — strength, wit, grace — from willing donors, creating champions who carry the sacrifices of entire populations into battle. It's a concept that sounds mechanical on the page but lands with genuine emotional weight, because Farland never lets the system outrun the human cost beneath it. The Sum of All Men introduces this world with confident worldbuilding and propulsive plotting; by Wizardborn and The Lair of Bones, the stakes have escalated into something genuinely epic. His prose is clean and fast-moving without being thin — he trusts the ideas to do the heavy lifting. Readers who want fantasy with a novel metaphysical hook, moral complexity baked into the magic, and series-length commitment will find Farland a deeply rewarding writer.
Where to Start with David Farland
- Best entry point → The Runelords (Sum of All Men and Brotherhood of the Wolf) (1,2)
- Best standalone → Advent 9 (Superpunk Book 1)
- Start the Gunnie Rose #0.0 - The Gunnie series → Unfettered II: New Tales
- What fans keep coming back to → The Sum of All Men
- Best narrator for David Farland → Wizardborn
- Highest rated by listeners → The Lair of Bones (The Runelords #4)
Best David Farland Audiobooks
- 1
The Lair of Bones
The Runelords • Book 4
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.12 ABR Score (8.1K ratings)★ 3.9 Goodreads (6.3K) ★ 4.65 Audible (1.9K)More about this pick
Earth King Gaborn descends into the underworld's deepest caves to heal a dying planet while armies of reavers surge toward the surface. Ray Porter handles the epic scope and underground terror with commanding presence.
- 2
Wizardborn
The Runelords • Book 3
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.05 ABR Score (11.9K ratings)★ 3.85 Goodreads (9.9K) ★ 4.57 Audible (2.0K)More about this pick
Gaborn loses his Earth King powers but must still lead humanity against the inhuman Reavers threatening to overrun the world. This third Runelords installment deepens the magic system while escalating the existential threat.
- 3
Sons of the Oak
The Runelords • Book 5
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.05 ABR Score (5.5K ratings)★ 3.78 Goodreads (4.0K) ★ 4.65 Audible (1.5K)More about this pick
Eight years after Lair of Bones, Farland launches a new Runelords chapter with epic scope and familiar magic systems. Ray Porter's narration handles the complex world-building and multiple storylines effectively.
- 4
Chaosbound
The Runelords • Book 8
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.03 ABR Score (3.0K ratings)★ 3.81 Goodreads (1.8K) ★ 4.65 Audible (1.2K)More about this pick
Following Borenson and Myrrima's quest to save their magically-combined world from destruction, this eighth Runelords novel tackles massive scope. Ray Porter handles the epic fantasy's complex world-building with his usual skill.
- 5
The Runelords (Sum of All Men and Brotherhood of the Wolf) (1,2)
The Runelords • Book 1
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 3.99 ABR Score (22.3K ratings)★ 3.78 Goodreads (19.8K) ★ 4.5 Audible (2.5K)More about this pick
Prince Gaborn's quest to save Princess Iome becomes an epic fantasy where people can transfer attributes like strength and beauty through magical runes.
- 6
The Wyrmling Horde
The Runelords • Book 7
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 3.98 ABR Score (4.0K ratings)★ 3.79 Goodreads (2.8K) ★ 4.58 Audible (1.1K)More about this pick
The latest Runelords installment continues Farland's epic fantasy saga as new threats emerge to challenge the established magical order. Ray Porter's experienced fantasy narration guides listeners through complex world-building.
- 7
Worldbinder
The Runelords • Book 6
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 3.97 ABR Score (4.6K ratings)★ 3.76 Goodreads (3.4K) ★ 4.57 Audible (1.2K)More about this pick
Two worlds merge in Farland's magical system where endowments can be transferred between people, creating both incredible power and devastating sacrifice. The complex magic system drives both personal relationships and epic battles.
- 8
The Sum of All Men
The Runelords • Book 1
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 3.94 ABR Score (23.8K ratings)★ 3.78 Goodreads (19.8K) ★ 4.41 Audible (4.0K)More about this pick
Prince Gaborn races to warn of assassins targeting Princess Iome's father, launching an epic fantasy built around the fascinating magic system of transferable human attributes.
- 9
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.
- 10
Advent 9 (Superpunk Book 1)
by T. Alan Horne, Paul Pederson, David Farland
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 3.62 ABR Score (78 ratings)★ 3.51 Goodreads (67) ★ 4.45 Audible (11)More about this pick
When the great Powered heroes walked away, they left only one child to carry their burden in a world that lost its inspiration. Kramer's performance captures the weight of legacy as Advent 9 faces nightmares while dodging bullets and carrying impossible strength.