5 Audiobooks to take on a journey
Below I’ve listed five audiobooks that are ideal to take with you on a long journey. It looks as if we might finally see the end of lockdown and can think about travelling again, certainly around the country and hopefully in the future a bit further afield. In fact certain airlines are already making plans for us, offering deals on their scheduled services. If you are one of those people who can’t wait to begin travelling again, then read on, there’s a great selection here.
All provide over 15 hours of listening and are top quality. So however long the journey is, they’ll keep you entertained throughout.
If you are an Audible member, as an added bonus the books will only cost 1 credit each.
This compilation of stories from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle contains almost 72 hours of audio performed by the brilliant Stephen Fry. That’s pretty much a trip to Australia and back, and there again. How much more would you want?
The definitive collection contains four full length novels and five collections of short stories. It’s a fabulous listen, and as an added bonus, Stephen Fry gives a short personal introduction to each section.
Length: 71hrs and 57mins.
George R.R. Martin’s masterpiece comes in at 33¾ hours. For those of you on the planet that doesn’t know about A Game of Thrones, it’s an epic Fantasy novel following the paths of four major families (or Houses): The Lannisters, the Starks, the Baratheons and the Targaryans. There are others houses but these are the main four.
It’s book 1 in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and is a great way to get into the series. Note that there is no end when you finish the book, it continues in the next volume. From a performance point of view, Roy Dotrice gives a good account dealing amicably with the different accent’s. However if you’re used to the HBO series, it may seem a little strange.
Length: 33hrs and 45mins.
The audiobook contains five of the best science fiction novels written by H.G. Wells. The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The First Men in the Moon and obviously The War of the Worlds. They are narrated by a wonderful cast of actors including: Jason Isaacs, Sophie Okonedo, Hugh Bonneville, Alexander Vlahos and David Tennant respectively.
All stories are excellent, although the invisible man could be seen as the weakest. Overall the audiobook will consume just over 27 hours of your time.
Length: 27hrs and 15mins.
The Godfather by Mario Puzo chronicles the Corleone family as they try to maintain their New York empire. I’d seen the film (who hasn’t?), but the book gives a much better insight into the extended family.
Best of all, the story is narrated by Joe Mantegna (of Criminal Minds fame) who makes the production sound so much more authentic. At just over 18 hours, You could listen to this audiobook on a trip from London to Jakarta.
Length: 18hrs and 5mins.
If you think Greek myths and legends are boring, think again. Stephen Fry has written a wonderful collection of stories about the Greek heroes; Perseus, Heracles, Jason, et al. The bonus with this collection is that Stephen also narrates those tales in his own inimitable way making the even more engrossing.
At just on 15 hours, you could travel to Tokyo before the book finished.
Yes, this is another book read by Stephen Fry, I make no apologies for choosing it as he’s an excellent entertainer. To be fair, I could have chosen this or Mythos, the first book in the Greek myth series. Both are excellent, but there were more stories that I could relate to with Heroes.
Length: 15hrs.
