Best Steven Pacey Audiobooks

The best audiobooks narrated by Steven Pacey — 25 titles spanning Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Horror, Historical Fiction, Thriller, averaging 4.35 ABR stars.

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Steven Pacey's narration of Joe Abercrombie's First Law series is frequently cited as the greatest audiobook performance of all time — and it's hard to argue. Pacey voices dozens of characters with such consistency and distinction that listeners forget they're hearing a single person. His Glokta is iconic, his Logen Ninefingers unforgettable. A veteran stage and screen actor, Pacey brings a theatrical intensity to grimdark fantasy that perfectly matches Abercrombie's dark humor and brutal action. If you haven't heard Pacey perform The Blade Itself, you're missing one of the medium's defining achievements.

Where to Start with Steven Pacey

  1. 1
    The Trouble with Peace cover

    The Trouble with Peace

    The Age of Madness • Book 2

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.75 ABR Score (56.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.6 Goodreads (46.4K) ★ 4.86 Audible (9.8K)
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    Steven Pacey's narration transforms this political dark fantasy into something almost Shakespearean—his voice work elevates already sharp character writing into genuinely unforgettable performances you'll hear in your head for months.

  2. 2
    The Wisdom of Crowds cover

    The Wisdom of Crowds

    The Age of Madness • Book 3

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.74 ABR Score (50.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.6 Goodreads (41.3K) ★ 4.85 Audible (9.1K)
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    Steven Pacey transforms Abercrombie's sprawling revolution into a masterclass in character voices, making each schemer's descent through chaos feel devastatingly personal across 24 hours of pure narrative grip.

  3. 3
    Before They Are Hanged cover

    Before They Are Hanged

    The First Law • Book 2

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.71 ABR Score (243.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.36 Goodreads (221.5K) ★ 4.81 Audible (21.7K)
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    Superior Glokta's torture-scarred cynicism and Bayaz's quest for ancient magic get Steven Pacey's full character treatment across multiple storylines.

  4. 4
    Last Argument of Kings cover

    Last Argument of Kings

    The First Law • Book 3

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.68 ABR Score (225.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.37 Goodreads (204.4K) ★ 4.75 Audible (21.0K)
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    Steven Pacey captures every brutal nuance as Logen Ninefingers faces his final battle and the Bloody-Nine must confront his oldest friend turned enemy.

  5. 5
    A Little Hatred cover

    A Little Hatred

    The Age of Madness • Book 1

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.65 ABR Score (72.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.45 Goodreads (61.8K) ★ 4.75 Audible (11.1K)
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    Steven Pacey turns Abercrombie's grimy, morally bankrupt world into something genuinely alive—his voice work makes you feel the desperation of each character's climb, and the political scheming lands with brutal comic timing.

  6. 6
    Red Country cover

    Red Country

    First Law World • Book 6

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.63 ABR Score (77.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.32 Goodreads (66.8K) ★ 4.79 Audible (10.4K)
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    Shy South pursues the kidnappers who burned her home and stole her siblings, accompanied only by oxen and her cowardly stepfather Lamb.

  7. 7
    The Blade Itself cover

    The Blade Itself

    The First Law Trilogy • Book 1

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.63 ABR Score (344.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.22 Goodreads (317.5K) ★ 4.7 Audible (26.8K)
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    Barbarian Logen Ninefingers, selfish nobleman Jezal, and crippled torturer Glokta are drawn into a conspiracy that threatens the kingdom. Pacey's exceptional character voices bring Abercrombie's morally gray antiheroes to life in this gritty fantasy that subverts traditional genre expectations with dark humor.

  8. 8
    The Heroes cover

    The Heroes

    First Law World • Book 5

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.62 ABR Score (87.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.35 Goodreads (77.8K) ★ 4.76 Audible (9.3K)
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    Three brutal days of warfare over a worthless hill get Steven Pacey's full character treatment — his voice work turns each soldier into someone you'll remember.

  9. 9
    Best Served Cold cover

    Best Served Cold

    First Law World • Book 4

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.58 ABR Score (126.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (113.4K) ★ 4.7 Audible (12.7K)
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    Mercenary captain Monza survives assassination only to embark on methodical revenge against her former employers. Pacey inhabits each player in this chess game of betrayal with distinctive menace and wit.

  10. 10
    The Devils cover

    The Devils

    The Devils • Book 1

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.54 ABR Score (69.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.22 Goodreads (62.8K) ★ 4.72 Audible (6.9K)
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    Brother Diaz leads a squad of murderers and monsters on a holy mission requiring unholy methods in Abercrombie's new fantasy series. Steven Pacey returns to capture every brutal, darkly comic moment with his signature skill.

  11. 11
    Sharp Ends cover

    Sharp Ends

    First Law World • Book 7

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.45 ABR Score (32.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.11 Goodreads (27.7K) ★ 4.71 Audible (4.3K)
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    Abercrombie's collection explores the First Law world's darkest corners through mercenaries, thieves, and bastards living on society's brutal margins. Steven Pacey brings distinct personality to each violent, morally complex tale.

  12. 12
    Locked In cover

    Locked In

    Department Q • Book 10

    by Jussi Adler-Olsen, Caroline Waight

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.30 ABR Score (10.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.18 Goodreads (9.5K) ★ 4.67 Audible (525)
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    Carl Mørck finds himself imprisoned while his Department Q team races to prove his innocence. Steven Pacey captures the claustrophobic tension as past cases catch up with the detective.

  13. 13
    Valdor: Birth of the Imperium (The Horus Heresy: Characters) cover

    Valdor: Birth of the Imperium (The Horus Heresy: Characters)

    The Horus Heresy: Characters

    by Chris Wraight

    Narrated by Steven Pacey, Jonathan Keeble, Katy Maw, Toby Longworth

    4.22 ABR Score (4.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.12 Goodreads (2.5K) ★ 4.7 Audible (2.0K)
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    Steven Pacey and the ensemble cast elevate Wraight's exploration of the Emperor's greatest warrior into something genuinely theatrical—each narrator brings distinct weight to Valdor's origin, making this feel less like lore-building and more like witnessing legend unfold.

  14. 14
    Let Me In cover

    Let Me In

    Let the Right One In • Book 1

    by John Ajvide Lindqvist

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.19 ABR Score (124.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (121.7K) ★ 4.28 Audible (2.3K)
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    In 1980s Sweden, bullied twelve-year-old Oskar forms an unlikely friendship with Eli, who seems impervious to the brutal winter cold. Steven Pacey's narration captures both the innocence and underlying menace of this vampire tale.

  15. 15
    The Falling Sword cover

    The Falling Sword

    Clash of Empires • Book 2

    by Ben Kane

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.17 ABR Score (1.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (1.2K) ★ 4.68 Audible (263)
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    Steven Pacey elevates Kane's Roman-Greek clash into a visceral experience, his voice work making Felix and Demetrios' opposing loyalties cut deeper than any plot summary could. The final battle sequence alone justifies the 15-hour commitment.

  16. 16
    The Way of Renegades cover

    The Way of Renegades

    The Bards and Dragons Saga • Book 1

    by Steve D. Wall

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.12 ABR Score (705 ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (320) ★ 4.57 Audible (385)
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    War hero Ulric's quiet exile ends when revolutionary rifles and Coalition blackmail force him back into action. Steven Pacey voices this flintlock fantasy that blends gunpowder technology with magical elements across 14 hours.

  17. 17
    The Shadows in the Street cover

    The Shadows in the Street

    Simon Serrailler • Book 5

    by Susan Hill

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.11 ABR Score (7.0K ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (6.6K) ★ 4.4 Audible (466)
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    Detective Serrailler returns from sabbatical to investigate strangled prostitutes, but when respectable women start disappearing, Lafferton erupts in fear and anger.

  18. 18
    The Other Side of Midnight cover

    The Other Side of Midnight

    Midnight • Book 1

    by Sidney Sheldon

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.11 ABR Score (50.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.96 Goodreads (50.6K) ★ 4.87 Audible (46)
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    An innocent American girl becomes a pawn in a deadly triangle involving a vengeful film star, a Greek tycoon, and an international playboy. Steven Pacey's narration captures the sweeping drama and intrigue spanning from Paris to Greece in this tale of betrayal.

  19. 19
    Let the Right One In cover

    Let the Right One In

    Let the Right One In • Book 1

    by John Ajvide Lindqvist

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.10 ABR Score (122.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (121.7K) ★ 4.31 Audible (301)
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    Twelve-year-old Oskar befriends Eli, his mysterious new neighbor who only comes out at night and seems to never feel the cold. Steven Pacey navigates the horror and tenderness of this vampire story set in 1980s Swedish suburbia.

  20. 20
    Memories of Midnight cover

    Memories of Midnight

    Midnight • Book 2

    by Sidney Sheldon

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.10 ABR Score (21.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.75 Goodreads (20.9K) ★ 4.58 Audible (310)
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    Catherine Douglas battles amnesia while facing Constantin Demiris, the Greek shipping magnate who destroyed her life. Pacey's rich voice captures the Mediterranean intrigue brilliantly.

  21. 21
    The Soul of Discretion cover

    The Soul of Discretion

    Simon Serrailler • Book 8

    by Susan Hill

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.07 ABR Score (5.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.17 Goodreads (5.0K) ★ 4.42 Audible (467)
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    Chief Constable Bright assigns Serrailler to a case requiring absolute secrecy, but some investigations refuse to stay buried — Pacey's measured delivery suits Hill's psychological complexity.

  22. 22
    Clash of Empires cover

    Clash of Empires

    Clash of Empires • Book 1

    by Ben Kane

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.06 ABR Score (2.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.16 Goodreads (1.8K) ★ 4.54 Audible (393)
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    Rome prepares to crush Hannibal at Zama while Macedonia plots northern expansion in this sweeping ancient warfare epic. Steven Pacey's narration captures both the battlefield chaos and political maneuvering perfectly.

  23. 23
    The Sound of Change cover

    The Sound of Change

    The Bards and Dragons Saga • Book 2

    by Steve D. Wall

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.06 ABR Score (207 ratings)
    ★ 4.32 Goodreads (95) ★ 4.73 Audible (112)
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    Flintlock fantasy continues as exiled Ulric, silenced bard Dellioph, and despairing Gali flee pursuing dragons. Pacey returns to this gun-and-magic world with his signature character work.

  24. 24
    The Absent One cover

    The Absent One

    Department Q • Book 2

    by Jussi Adler-Olsen, K.E. Semmel

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.03 ABR Score (52.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.89 Goodreads (49.1K) ★ 4.34 Audible (3.3K)
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    Detective Carl Mørck reopens a twenty-year-old case about boarding school students killed in a car crash, discovering the victims were murdered for witnessing elite family secrets.

  25. 25
    The Legion cover

    The Legion

    Eagles of the Empire • Book 10

    by Simon Scarrow

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.02 ABR Score (5.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.29 Goodreads (5.4K) ★ 4.3 Audible (155)
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    Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro hunt rebel gladiator Ajax, who's been impersonating Roman soldiers while attacking Egyptian naval bases. Steven Pacey brings his signature Roman military authenticity to another Scarrow adventure.

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 →