Best Various Audiobooks
Some audiobooks are better served by many voices than one — and this collection leans hard into that truth. The standout here is World War Z: The Complete Edition, which deploys a full cast including Alan Alda, John Turturro, and Rob Reiner to bring Max Brooks's mock-oral-history format to life with documentary authenticity. Each narrator brings their own texture — world-weary, clipped, desperate — making the zombie apocalypse feel genuinely reported rather than performed. The Letters of Note series takes a different approach, using rotating readers to give each historical letter its own personality and weight, which is exactly right for material that spans grief, humor, and obsession. This is a collection for listeners who find a single voice limiting — who want narration that shapeshifts to match the material. The average ratings are solid, and the range across horror, fantasy, and epistolary nonfiction is genuinely surprising.
Where to Start with Various
- New to Various? Start here → A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
- What fans keep coming back to → World War Z
- Short listen, big payoff → The Correspondent
- Highest rated by listeners → Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things
Best Various Audiobooks
- 1
The Correspondent
by Virginia Evans
Narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler, Various
★ 4.78 ABR Score (383.3K ratings)★ 4.53 Goodreads (364.9K) ★ 4.8 Audible (18.3K)More about this pick
Through discovered letters, the life story of a remarkable woman unfolds across decades of love, loss, war, and artistic passion. This epistolary novel examines how written words preserve and transform our understanding of both ordinary and extraordinary lives.
- 2
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder • Book 1
by Holly Jackson
Narrated by Bailey Carr, Marisa Calin, Michael Crouch, Gopal Divan, Robert Fass, Kevin R. Free, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Carol Monda, Patricia Santomasso, Shezi Sardar, Amanda Thickpenny, Various
★ 4.59 ABR Score (1.8M ratings)★ 4.28 Goodreads (1.8M) ★ 4.57 Audible (10.2K) - 3
World War Z
World War Z
by Max Brooks, Alan Alda, John Turturro, Rob Reiner
Narrated by Various
★ 4.43 ABR Score (596.4K ratings)★ 4.02 Goodreads (570.4K) ★ 4.65 Audible (26.0K)More about this pick
Told as oral history interviews with zombie war survivors, this explores how different countries and cultures responded to the undead apocalypse. The all-star cast including Alan Alda and John Turturro creates a documentary feel.
- 4
Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things
by Adam M. Grant
Narrated by Adam Grant, Maurice Ashley, R.A. Dickey, Evelyn Glennie, Sara Maria Hasbun, Francis Idehen, Alison Levine, Benny Lewis, Kari Louhivuori, Nelli Louhivuori, Brandon Payne, Richard Pine, Gil Winch, Various
★ 4.34 ABR Score (50.9K ratings)★ 4.1 Goodreads (48.0K) ★ 4.58 Audible (2.9K)More about this pick
Multiple narrators including Grant himself explore how character skills like proactivity and determination matter more than raw talent for long-term success in any field.
- 5
The Starless Sea
by Erin Morgenstern
Narrated by Dominic Hoffman, Various
★ 4.16 ABR Score (244.3K ratings)★ 3.84 Goodreads (237.0K) ★ 4.17 Audible (7.2K) - 6
Predator: If It Bleeds
Aliens / Predator / Prometheus Universe
by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Holly Roberds, Steve Perry, John Shirley, Jeremy Robinson, Jonathan Maberry, Kevin J. Anderson, Weston Ochse, Mira Grant, Tim Lebbon, Larry Correia, Dayton Ward, Peter J. Wacks
Narrated by full cast, Tom Taylorson, Nicol Zanzarella, Traber Burns, Bradford Hastings, Bahni Turpin, Emily Sutton-Smith, Ulf Bjorklund, James Patrick Cronin, Andrew Eiden, Scott Brick, Feodor Chin, John Pruden, Mark Bramhall, various
★ 4.06 ABR Score (2.2K ratings)★ 4.01 Goodreads (917) ★ 4.62 Audible (1.3K)More about this pick
Seventeen stories spanning from 12th-century Japan to deep space get the full-cast treatment they deserve, with each narrator bringing their own energy to different Predator encounters across time.
- 7
Letters of Note: Art
by Shaun Usher
Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Stephen Mangan, Clarke Peters, Various
★ 3.94 ABR Score (6.3K ratings)★ 4.31 Goodreads (6.2K) ★ 4.4 Audible (5)More about this pick
A star-studded ensemble cast brings intimacy to letters from history's greatest artists—each narrator perfectly matched to their subject's voice, making this feel less like a collection and more like eavesdropping on genius.
- 8
Dangerous Women
The Dresden Files #13.1 - Bombshells
by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Carrie Vaughn, Lev Gossman, Joe R. Lansdale, Megan Lindholm, Lawrence Block, Brandon Sanderson, Sharon Kay Penman, Lev Grossman, Nancy Kress, Diana Rowland, Diana Gabaldon, S.M. Stirling, Sam Sykes, Pat Cadigan, Caroline Spector, Joe Abercrombie, Megan Abbott, Cecelia Holland, Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Melinda M. Snodgrass
Narrated by Scott Brick, Jonathan Frakes, Stana Katic, Inna Korobkina, Lee Meriwether, Claudia Black, Sophie Turner, Janis Ian, Iain Glen, Karen Dotrice, Various
★ 3.92 ABR Score (14.9K ratings)★ 3.67 Goodreads (13.2K) ★ 4.02 Audible (1.7K)More about this pick
Twenty-one authors contribute stories about deadly, complex female characters across genres from fantasy to noir, creating an anthology that celebrates dangerous femininity.
- 9
Letters of Note: Love
by Shaun Usher
Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Jude Law, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Clarke Peters, Various
★ 3.91 ABR Score (6.2K ratings)★ 4.31 Goodreads (6.2K) ★ 5 Audible (2)More about this pick
A all-star cast of actors—Cumberbatch, Jude Law, Miriam Margolyes, and more—each voicing a different love letter transforms these 30 intimate missives into something closer to theater than audiobook. The performances elevate already-moving words into genuinely affecting moments.
- 10
The Book of Magic
Spiritwalker #Bloom
by Gardner Dozois, K.J. Parker, Megan Lindholm, John Crowley, Matthew Hughes, Ysabeau S. Wilce, Rachel Pollack, Eleanor Arnason, Tim Powers, Liz Williams, Garth Nix, Elizabeth Bear, Lavie Tidhar, Greg Van Eekhout, George R.R. Martin, Andy Duncan, Kate Elliott, Scott Lynch
Narrated by Elliot Hill, Karissa Vacker, Sile Bermingham, Maxwell Caulfield, Susan Denaker, Scott Brick, Bruce Mann, Holly Palance, Nicholas Guy Smith, Steve West, Various
★ 3.91 ABR Score (1.0K ratings)★ 3.7 Goodreads (839) ★ 4.07 Audible (191)More about this pick
Eighteen fantasy authors explore magic's dual nature—from Gandalf to Saruman, from Glinda to the Wicked Witch—in stories spanning power, wisdom, and corruption. Multiple narrators including Scott Brick and Karissa Vacker bring distinct voices to each tale's unique magical system.
- 11
From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi (Star Wars)
Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View • Book 3
by Olivie Blake, Elizabeth Schaefer, Saladin Ahmed, Charlie Jane Anders, Fran Wilde, Mary Kenney, Mike Chen
Narrated by Jonathan Davis, Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes, Jon Hamm, January LaVoy, Saskia Maarleveld, Adam Scott, Marc Thompson, Sam Witwer, Various
★ 3.88 ABR Score (3.2K ratings)★ 3.9 Goodreads (2.8K) ★ 4.42 Audible (381)More about this pick
Forty writers reimagine iconic Return of the Jedi scenes from minor characters' perspectives, with A-list narrators including Jon Hamm and Adam Scott lending star power to Ewoks, droids, and background cantina patrons.
- 12
Rogues
Ancient World
by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Joe Abercrombie, Gillian Flynn, Matthew Hughes, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Swanwick, David Ball, Carrie Vaughn, Scott Lynch, Bradley Denton, Cherie Priest, Daniel Abraham, Paul Cornell, Steven Saylor, Garth Nix, Walter Jon Williams, Phyllis Eisenstein, Lisa Tuttle, Neil Gaiman, Connie Willis, Patrick Rothfuss
Narrated by George R. R. Martin, Gwendoline Christie, Roy Dotrice, Ron Donachie, W. Morgan Sheppard, Janis Ian, Molly Quinn, Rupert Degas, Iain Glen, Various
★ 3.81 ABR Score (27.5K ratings)★ 3.87 Goodreads (24.6K) ★ 4.13 Audible (2.9K)More about this pick
Twenty-one stories featuring morally ambiguous characters from fantasy and historical fiction masters. The varied cast including Gwendoline Christie and Iain Glen gives voice to antiheroes across multiple genres and time periods.
- 13
Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula
by Valdimar Ásmundsson, Bram Stoker, Hans Corneel De Roos, Dacre Stoker, John Edgar Browning
Narrated by Adam Verner, Robertson Dean, Ralph Lister, Derek Perkins, R.C. Bray, various
★ 3.79 ABR Score (2.0K ratings)★ 3.63 Goodreads (1.6K) ★ 4.27 Audible (392)More about this pick
The 1901 Icelandic 'translation' of Dracula is actually a completely different vampire story with Stoker's blessing. Six narrators bring this literary discovery to eerie life.
- 14
Fresh Ink
by Lamar Giles, Nicola Yoon, Malinda Lo, Melissa de la Cruz, Sara Farizan, Eric Gansworth, Walter Dean Myers, Daniel José Older, Thien Pham, Jason Reynolds, Gene Luen Yang, Sharon G. Flake, Schuyler Bailar, Aminah Mae Safi
Narrated by Guy Lockard, Kim Mai Guest, Bahni Turpin, Aminah Mae Safi, Dominic Hoffman, Dion Graham, Ron Butler, J. B. Adkins, Sara Farizan, Henry Levya, Donnabella Mortel, Schuyler Bailar, Various
★ 3.72 ABR Score (3.5K ratings)★ 3.78 Goodreads (3.4K) ★ 4.44 Audible (16)More about this pick
Multiple award-winning YA voices tackle identity, belonging, and resistance across formats—short stories, graphic work, and a never-before-printed Walter Dean Myers play—each narrator perfectly matched to their piece.
- 15
Letters of Note: Music
by Shaun Usher
Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Nick Cave, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Jude Law, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Various
★ 3.70 ABR Score (234 ratings)★ 3.9 Goodreads (230) ★ 5 Audible (4)More about this pick
A stellar ensemble cast reads intimate letters from music's greatest minds, turning private confessions into something almost like eavesdropping on genius at their most candid and human.
- 16
Letters of Note: Mothers
by Shaun Usher
Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Neil Gaiman, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Natascha McElhone, Miriam Margolyes, Various
★ 3.66 ABR Score (279 ratings)★ 3.87 Goodreads (278) ★ 5 Audible (1)More about this pick
A stellar ensemble cast—Cumberbatch, Gaiman, Jude Law, Miriam Margolyes—transforms intimate letters about motherhood into a moving audiobook that feels like overhearing conversations you needed to hear.
- 17
Lincoln In The Bardo
by George Saunders
Narrated by George Saunders, Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Carrie Brownstein, Don Cheadle, Lena Dunham, Bill Hader, Kirby Heyborne, Keegan-Michael Key, Julianne Moore, Megan Mullally, Susan Sarandon, Ben Stiller, Various
★ 3.65 ABR Score (190.3K ratings)★ 3.75 Goodreads (179.7K) ★ 3.97 Audible (10.6K)More about this pick
Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, and a star-studded cast voice the dead trapped in a Washington cemetery while Lincoln grieves his son Willie during the Civil War.
- 18
Letters of Note: War
by Shaun Usher
Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jude Law, Natascha McElhone, Miriam Margolyes, Various
★ 3.64 ABR Score (178 ratings)★ 4.01 Goodreads (175) ★ 5 Audible (3)More about this pick
An all-star cast of British actors breathing life into thirty devastating wartime letters, each one a raw firsthand account that hits harder read aloud than on the page.
- 19
Old Venus
by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Ian McDonald, Garth Nix, Joe Haldeman, Gwyneth Jones, Matthew Hughes, Paul McAuley, Lavie Tidhar, Allen M. Steele, Stephen Leigh, Eleanor Arnason, David Brin, Michael Cassutt, Tobias S. Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, Joe R. Lansdale, Mike Resnick
Narrated by Diana Rigg, Full Cast, Michael Dorn, Stephen Fry, Jake Stormoen, W. Morgan Sheppard, Gethin Anthony, Wil Wheaton, Janis Ian, Ron Donachie, Various
★ 3.60 ABR Score (821 ratings)★ 3.57 Goodreads (734) ★ 3.99 Audible (87)More about this pick
George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois collect sixteen tales set on the classic pulp Venus of swamps, jungles, and lurking creatures. An all-star cast including Stephen Fry and Diana Rigg handle the diverse stories.
- 20
Letters of Note: Cats
by Shaun Usher
Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Helen McCrory, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Mangan, Various
★ 3.58 ABR Score (397 ratings)★ 3.55 Goodreads (392) ★ 3.6 Audible (5)More about this pick
A stellar ensemble cast—Cumberbatch, Fry, Gaiman, and more—elevates these delightful letters about cats into pure theatrical joy. Each narrator brings their own wit to correspondence from Dickens, Eliot, and Kerouac's mother.