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xkcd #2834: Book Podcasts
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I've been working my way through this 1950s podcast by someone named John Tolkien called 'Lord of the Rings'--it's a deep dive into this fictional world he created. Good stuff, really bingeable!
There's also audio dramas. Niche but good. They're a narration like books, but they are made for the audio medium.
The problem I've found with audio books is that they were made to be read - and it shows. It requires a lot of focus to listen to an audio book even if it was done well, and it feels "clunky" and "janky" in a way. I can't white put my finger on what's wrong with it but it feels wrong to me. Audio dramas are generally easier to listen to, sometimes they use epistolary formats to make them easier to separate into episodes, and they have a lot more attention on things like the background music and conveying parts of the narration through audio itself, rather than "writing" (so just reading something aloud). I find them fascinating, because they're really fun to listen to and they seem like the compromise between a book and a movie.
"The Magnus Archives" is great.
If you're into comics, Marvel's Wastelanders is a very good one too! Every season follows another character until the climax season.
Thank you! I'll check it out :)
I just checked because I was curious, it's on Spotify FYI.
You know what I found pretty enjoyable? Descriptive audio versions of movies, intended for the blind. Someone posted an open directory with tons back at the old place once, found it a nice change of pace. With the right movie it's an audio drama with Hollywood actors.
Thanks you!! This looks fun, I didn't know this was a thing
'Limetown' made one of our 6 hour roadtrip memorable.
having someone else pick a tone and voice and pacing ruins the intimacy of the book; some prose was meant to be seen and reread, or pause after and let your mind wander. having the voice keep going endlessly feels wrong.
it's also always terrible when they put on voices for the characters
Nightvale is fun
I've found that occasionally audiobooks read by the author can go around this, but it's sometimes hard to find an author that can write well and also has good narrative skills so these are few and far between. Quiet by Susan Cain and Daring Greatly by Brene Brown were quite enjoyable to me for this reason.
Another good way around the problem you describe is audiobooks with ensemble casts so it sort of sounds like the reading of a screenplay. Ender's Game and American Gods come to mind as standouts in this area.