Audiobooks discussion

Kind of a roll call for the Stephen King fans here who listen to his audiobooks! Here are my top 5, so far!

1. Doctor Sleep narrated by my favorite audiobook narrator Will Patton

2. The Shining

3. It

4. 11/22/63

5. Under the Dome

and honorable mention to Carrie because it's narrated by Sissy Spacek, perfect!

I haven't read as much Stephen King as a lot of people have, and only listened to a few in audio. I thought Doctor Sleep was awesome in audio. 11/22/63 was really good. I didn't like the narration for Under the Dome. Have you listened to Joyland? It was a terrific story and the narrator was excellent. I loved it.

I was planning to listen to Joyland sometime in the upcoming months. King also has a couple of new books coming out later this year that I wanted to check out. On top of that I had plans to start his Dark Tower series [on audiobook!] so already that's a full King plate this year :]

Sandi wrote: "I haven't read as much Stephen King as a lot of people have, and only listened to a few in audio. I thought Doctor Sleep was awesome in audio. 11/22/63 was really good. I didn't like the narration..."

I think I've only listened to 5 of his audiobooks.


The Shining
Doctor Sleep
11/22/63
Bag of Bones
Joyland

I've only listened to a few, but I loved 11/22/63 and The Talisman.

Duma Key was well narrated. I also like Stephen King's narrating his own book, On Writing.

I've read most of his novels, but have only listened to Under the Dome, 11/22/63 and Insomnia. I thought the narration of Under the Dome was phenomenal, and for the most part I liked the book. The narration on the other two were fine, but I really disliked both novels.

Koeeoaddi wrote: "Duma Key was well narrated. I also like Stephen King's narrating his own book, On Writing."

I liked the guy's voice on Duma Key too. Do you watch Mad Men? That same guy played Roger Sterling: John Slattery.

Though, I did think he had a sometime annoying habit of dropping the energy out of the end of his lines. For the most part however, I thought he was a great voice for that book.

You should try Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Abigail. Different actors do different stories. It's pretty fun.

Bobby wrote: "You should try Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Abigail. Different actors do different stories. It's pretty fun."

Oh yes that is one I have on my King-to-listen/read list. [That list is getting pretty long!] I also have The Stand audiobook already downloaded and ready to listen to after I finish my current audiobook.

Has anyone else listened to The Stand audiobook? I know it's one of his more popular books and I'm sure it's good. It'll be my first time with the story and I'm looking forward to listening to it.


>>I liked the guy's voice on Duma Key too. Do you watch Mad Men? That same guy played Ro..."

Oh Bobby I love Mad Men, I had no idea John Slattery narrated audiobooks! I'm definitely interested in Duma Key on audio even more now that I know "Roger Sterling" narrates it!

Also, I listened to Needful Things on audiobook and was excited that King himself narrated it. He was awesome narrating it, but the one funny thing was - well I'm Filipino and the language is Tagalog. Mostly you'll hear it pronounced "ta-GA-log" but when the word came up in the story, it was funny to hear King pronounce it "tag-alog" [like you're 'tagging' a 'log] Not a super big deal but it's just a funny way to hear it pronounced and I laughed when I heard him say it that way ;]

Abigail wrote: "Bobby wrote: "You should try Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Abigail. Different actors do different stories. It's pretty fun."

Oh yes that is one I have on my King-to-listen/read list. [..."

If I remember correctly, not all the stories in Nightmares and Dreamscapes are on the audiobook so you definitely want to make sure to read the book as well.

And you should read "Crouch End" before listening to it. One of, if not the scariest story I've ever ready by anybody.

Bobby wrote: "Koeeoaddi wrote: "Duma Key was well narrated. I also like Stephen King's narrating his own book, On Writing."

I liked the guy's voice on Duma Key too. Do you watch Mad Men? That same guy played Ro..."

Wow, who knew?! Not how I pictured the narrator at all! I thought he did a wonderful job of bringing Wireman to life. I never pictured him in a mid-century office with danish modern chairs and a martini. :)

Right?

Hard choice...

Insomnia (Eli Wallach)
Under the Dome
It (Steven Weber did a FANTASTIC job)
The Stand (like the book, narration OK (both versions)).
Bag of Bones (narrated by Stephen King)

Michael wrote: "Hard choice...

Insomnia (Eli Wallach)
Under the Dome
It (Steven Weber did a FANTASTIC job)
The Stand (like the book, narration OK (both versi..."

Tuco narrated Insomnia??? That makes it a must-listen!

Yeah it really is an awesome book and fantastic narration.

A pretty complete list of who narrates what can be found here
http://www.stephenking.com/library/au...

Michael thank you so much for sharing that list! Wow!

i>Michael wrote: "Yeah it really is an awesome book and fantastic narration.

A pretty complete list of who narrates what can be found here
http://www.stephenking.com/library/au..."

Abigail wrote: Has anyone else listened to The Stand audiobook? I know it's one of his more popular books and I'm sure it's good. It'll be my first time with the story and I'm looking forward to listening to it.
[..."


I read the book unabridged version twice. It's a door stopper too. I have never thought about listening to the books b/c he's my favorite author and I'm part of the SK Library. I can't wait to hear what you think about the audio. Hmm.....I may check it out myself!

I love when the Author reads their own work... and even though Steven will admit he isn't a professional reader... i still get a kick out of hearing him read his material.

I have this feeling that most king books should be read by someone who sounds like they smoke 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Doctor Sleep, for that reason, was an amazing listen.

Insomnia was great as well since Eli Wallach has the perfect old man voice (and the version i have is from that series where the audiobook incorporates music throughout... and there are moments where i was legitimately scared to keep listening)

William Hurt knocked Hearts in Atlantis out of the park, along with King himself.

a surprise favorite ended up being Bronson Pinchot in Eyes of the Dragon... his depiction of Randal Flagg was akin to that of The Joker... it's and incredible listen!


I plan to get through as many other Dark Tower (directly related) books, before I listen to the 7.5 books again. I'm excited to see IT on this list!!

I just started Stephen King the last years or so. Right now I am listening to The Stand through Whispersync. I am enjoying it a lot. I like how it moves back and forth between characters to keep the reader up to date with their attempt to cope with the devastation. I have listened to both Dr. Sleep and The Shining and liked them. I have finished the first three books of the Dark Tower series. I hope to finish at least one more this year. I am not sure why I did not read them over the years, but it has been fun discovering them.

On the Stand, I have both version, the original Books on Tape 1978 version (the shorter one, in two cassette boxes) and the new uncut one. I love the story but I'd only rate the narration so so. Grover Gardner is ok for the lighter first person King material but didn't find him a good fit for The Stand. The tape version was narrated by him also.
http://grovergardner.blogspot.com.au/...

Tell you what it is such a chore converting audiotapes to digital. Especially The Stand. Part of the tape was turned over so I had to unravel it and smooth it out. Worked eventually. But it takes a lot of work even without physical issues like that. Like you have to inspect the waveform, choose which channel looks cleanest, sometimes normalise sections of it to keep the levels averaged, and then noise reduction. I also did all the Anne Rice Vampire novels, post Queen of the Damned, only unabridged on Cassette.

Also note that link above to Stephen King narrators is a bit incomplete. That mainly gives the retail releases. There are also some rarer ones like 1978 The Stand from Books on Tape, and The Regulators, unabridged, by Frank Muller AND a version of Desperation, narrated by Stephen King himself, unabridged. The one they have listed is the abridged version. There are a few more oddities like that. Including the Stephen King narrated first three Dark Tower books. I only get the unabridged...

I got to say I hate Recorded Books and their anti Australian, anti competetive behaviour. They won't sell me anything. I have to buy them from resellers at a fortune. So here we have a Frank Muller unabridged recording of a Stephen King novel, and it is frigging well UNKNOWN. A lost recording. Unbelievable. They must sit about thinking, "how can we limit the money we can make?". "How about we only sell to people in the 48 states". "How about we only sell to libraries in the US". Bos: "Brilliant! Keep these ideas coming". They are utter fools

If anyone can help me getting good version of the two part uncut Skeleton Crew on cassette, I'd be appreciative... I got one of them on tape, but it was junk, and beyond my skill to repair. The ISBN 9780394299044 and 9789998833531

I have listened to many of his novels and IMO the BEST ones that you really shouldn't miss are IT and Hearts in Atlantis. They were both outstanding!

Hey Michael,

Have you tried Ebay?

Susan wrote: "Hey Michael,

Have you tried Ebay?"

Yes I have tried ebay. No luck.

I watched Room 237, a documentary about the movie THE SHINING last weekend and then had to watch the movie. Now I am listening to the audio. I found the narrator a bit slow in the beginning but about 3/4 through, his seems just about perfect for the story. He has startled me a few times when Jack decided to scream for some or other reason. Am really enjoying the audio and feel a bit creepy when I have to get up at night . . . in the dark . . .

I love King audiobooks and picking just 5 is next to impossible. But ...

Insomnia, narrated by Eli Wallach, as already mentioned. The use of background music is great in this one, too.

Dolores Claiborne, narrated by Frances Sternhagen.

The Waste Lands, narrated by King. His Gasher is brilliant.

Liseys Story, narrated by Mare Winningham.

Hearts in Atlantis, narrated by William Hurt and Stephen King. Hurt took a bit of getting used to, but he really grew on me.

Too many honorable mentions to list here. A lot of his recent novels have had excellent narrators.

By the way, I had no idea unabridged versions of Desperation, narrated by King, and The Regulators, narrated by Muller, existed. That's exciting news! Any idea where to find them?

HBJ

Hunchback wrote: "By the way, I had no idea unabridged versions of Desperation, narrated by King, and The Regulators, narrated by Muller, existed. That's exciting news! Any idea where to find them?"

Yes. I have them. Not cheap...
http://www.recordedbooks.com/index.cf...
http://www.recordedbooks.com/index.cf...

As I said, insane such gems are pretty well unknown.

I have only listened to Bag of Bones but I really enjoyed it and loved that he was reading it!

Michael,

insane is right. Any unabridged recording of these novels would be welcome, as only the abridged ones are widely available. But unabridged recordings narrated by King and Muller? Pure gold to King audiobook lovers.

And until you mentioned them, I had no idea they existed.

Thanks for the links. At over $100 each, it looks like I won't get to listen to them unless audible buys the rights and publishes them.

HBJ

Hunchback wrote: "Michael,

Thanks for the links. At over $100 each, it looks like I won't get to listen to them unless audible buys the rights and publishes them."
If you were in Australia I'd lend you mine!

You might be able to find them at a library - or request them at a library.

They are gold though. That Regulators by Muller actually got an award too. And it is a virtually unknown recording.

There are some used copies of Desperation on Amazon under 80
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listin...

Hunchback wrote: "I love King audiobooks and picking just 5 is next to impossible. But ...

Insomnia, narrated by Eli Wallach, as already mentioned. The use of background music is great in this one, too.

Dolores Cl..."

I don't know why I kept passing on King's "Lisey's Story" because it turned out to be a real gem. It's been sitting in my wishlist for quite a while and I recently downloaded it with my Audible credit. It's a great story to begin with and Mare's narration brought it home for me. Excellent listen!

Anna, I'm glad you liked it! To be honest I thought the story sagged a wee bit in the middle, but the narration was really excellent, and more than made up for it.

I really loved the concept of the secret language of a marriage, too. My wife is Chinese, and our son would create words made from both languages while he was learning to talk. So we have a whole range of words no one else would understand, but that make perfect sense to us. King captured that idea perfectly.

HBJ

Hunchback wrote: "I love King audiobooks and picking just 5 is next to impossible. But ...

Insomnia, narrated by Eli Wallach, as already mentioned. The use of background music is great in this one, too.

Dolores Cl..."

I had no idea there was a version of The Waste Lands narrated by Stephen King. My version was narrated by Frank Muller, who I also thought did a fantastic job with Gasher (I love Gasher!).

I love, love, love The Stand. I even love Grover Gardner's narration. Possibly I am highly biased though, as it's one of my all-time favorite books.

I enjoyed Joyland and It in audio as well.

I read Hearts in Atlantis in paper and loved it... I'm tempted to listen to it now that I know William Hurt was the narrator.

Hunchback wrote: "Anna, I'm glad you liked it! To be honest I thought the story sagged a wee bit in the middle, but the narration was really excellent, and more than made up for it.

I really loved the concept of th..."

I agree the narration made up for the weak spots in the story, and I understand the mixing of Chinese-English words in your son's vocabulary! I'm half Japanese and we used some "hybrid" words as well!

Vanessa, the King narration is only available on audio cassette, as far as I know, and it predates the Muller version (which was recorded when Wizard and Glass was released, I think).

King recorded DT I-III, in fact, but none is available on CD or MP3, sadly. (Well, I have MP3s of them, but converted from my cassettes)

HBJ

Yes, I converted the DT 1-III from Casette also. Note that the DTI is the original version of the book, not the revised ones (which the Muller one is)

Michael, actually, I think the Muller one is also the original edition of The Gunslinger; it's the Guidall version that is the revised edition.

HBJ

Hunchback wrote: "Michael, actually, I think the Muller one is also the original edition of The Gunslinger; it's the Guidall version that is the revised edition.

HBJ" Ah right. Yes I am mistaken

Hunchback wrote: "I love King audiobooks and picking just 5 is next to impossible. But ...

Dolores Claiborne, narrated by Frances Sternhagen

...."

This is in my top audiobook + narrator list, excellent combo

Kristie wrote: "I've only listened to a few, but I loved 11/22/63 and The Talisman."

And magically you have named two of those I would recommend the most. Kristie, if you have the time and inclination, you might want to dive into "The Gunslinger" series. It is somewhat Talismanish.

Vanessa wrote: "I love, love, love The Stand. I even love Grover Gardner's narration. Possibly I am highly biased though, as it's one of my all-time favorite books.
"

I loved it too... all the way to the end. King's ending for that book was awful. He spins a good yarn but sometimes has a bit of trouble finding the ending.

Thanks Bill. I will look into them. I have the follow up to The Talisman, can't remember the name off hand, and I just got Dolores Claiborne from the library.

Forney_bill wrote: "I loved it too... all the way to the end. King's ending for that book was awful. He spins a good yarn but sometimes has a bit of trouble finding the ending. "
I've heard quite a few say that about the ending, but I honestly didn't feel that way.

I agree with Michael. I liked the ending. The Dark Tower is another story altogether

I just started the audiobook from Audible of Grover Gardner's narration on The Stand
30% in, I am really enjoying it so far!


Forney_bill wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I love, love, love The Stand. I even love Grover Gardner's narration. Possibly I am highly biased though, as it's one of my all-time favorite books.
"

I loved it too... all the way..."

Vanessa wrote: "I agree with Michael. I liked the ending. The Dark Tower is another story altogether"

Hah hah yes! The Dark Tower ending. Talk about a horrid, downer, anticlimax of an ending!!!

Kristie wrote: "Thanks Bill. I will look into them. I have the follow up to The Talisman, can't remember the name off hand, and I just got Dolores Claiborne from the library."

Black House. Look for more horror and less fantasy. But I liked it.

You see the discussion on the Dark Tower (Gunslinger series). I actually didn't mind that ending but I can see why a lot of people disagree.

I don't think King knows how he is going to end stuff. But I could be wrong.

The Shining
11/22/1963
Shawshank Redemption
Under the Dome
Dolores Claiborne
The Green Mile
Salem's Lot
Joyland
Full Dark, No Stars
Dr. Sleep
Bag of Bones
And I have Mr Mercedes pre ordered.

The only 2 authors I have listened to more are Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse) and Molly Harper. Both are about vampires and werewolves. Wonder what that says about me?

l've only listened to 3 and am now listening to Mr, Mercedes. Love it so far.