Best SK audio book and version

[blurbol]

I'm a huge fan of the audio book. I don't think I could live close to work as I enjoy my commute to much, this is purely due to listening to audio books.

For you other audio fans out there you'll be aware that the reader makes a huge difference to the enjoyment of the story. If I can't find a good reading (unabridged of course) I buy the book and place it on the night stand.

Which are your favorite SK stories in the audio book format, and which readers would you recommend. I sometimes will buy an audio books purely because of the reader (not often but I have done in the past).

I think it goes without saying that one of the greatest audio performers was Frank Muller on the first few Dark Tower novels. So besides this any other thoughts or suggestions?

What are favorites?

[blurbol]

Well since there is not much going on in this thread I thought I would come back with a review of my own. You never know someone might find it useful?

I have just finished listening to "The Colorado Kid". OK I admit it I heard the hype about "Haven" and wanted, as always to read the book first. Even if it's just the basis of the story (not seen the TV series yet).

Anyways, I got a copy of "The Colorado Kid" from audible.com read by Jeffrey DeMunn.

This is not a review of the novel, but of the audiobook (btw - I loved the book).

I have not heard Mr DeMunn narrate before but after this reading I would be glad to hear him again. The thick local Moose Lookit accents he does are wonderful, I would love to know if this accent actually exists. And something that a Limey like me would not be able to read correctly or sound out unless heard.

The pace of the reading was smooth, if a little quick in parts. Overall I think he did a fantastic job and made you feel like you were sat in the newsroom with Vincent and Dave, sipping coke and listening to the old timers spin the yarn. Awesome job!

Next i'm going to listen to Blockade Billy so will let you know how that goes.

[jchanic]

The audio version of Dolores Claiborne by Frances Sternhagen is a true masterpiece. She IS Dolores!

John

[jandreoni]

I've just finished listening to "It" read by Stephen Webber. Absolutely brilliant in every way. Webber isn't just a reader here, he's a true storyteller. Truly amazing. I was tempted to listen to it again from the beginning immediately.

And I've got about 20 mins. left of "The Tommyknockers", again, an amazing listen.

I'm hoping and hoping that they get "The Stand" copyright crap straightened out, and hook Stephen Webber again to do the audio version.

I'm actually putting down the iPod for a couple weeks, as I just got passed a copy of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", which I am currently getting sucked into.

[Becks19]

[QUOTE=jandreoni;392878]I've just finished listening to "It" read by Stephen Webber. Absolutely brilliant in every way. Webber isn't just a reader here, he's a true storyteller. Truly amazing. I was tempted to listen to it again from the beginning immediately.



It audio book sounds perfect to listen to around Halloween. The movie scared the socks off of my oldest daughter; but she insists she is old enough to watch it now. I might try the audio version out on her. ( have to give it a listen first though, since she's 10) I've been seeing the audio books on SK.com and wanting to get some.

[king family fan]

I just purchased a bunch of audios of SK,but so far have only listened to The Shawshank redemption. I thought it was good. But I'll have to check my others out.

[blurbol]

Just finished listening to the Blockade Billy and Morality double header.

Really enjoyed both but the Blockade Billy reading was much more to my liking. Still to find a female reader who really does king's work justice. Might have to try the Dolores Claiborne version jchanic suggested.

I think morality was a better story for me, but the reading was strong enough. I know the lead character was female but he voice acting was not up to much i'm affraid.

The Blockade Billy story (well enough has been said in other forums) was very well recorded and produced with great reading skill, if not a little "shouty" in parts. Still would recommend it.

[mim]

I work out in my shop (wood carving) and always have a SK book going in the background. I really enjoy them all so much, but one of my favorites is "Insomnia" with Eli Wallach narrating. The tantrum Ed Deepneau (sp?) throws when he gets stopped at the airport gate is hilarious! I hate it that most of my audio books are on cassette tapes because either my tapes get chewed up or my player conks out. I'm currently trying to get everything switched out to cds. The book I've probably listened to the most however and is my number 1 favorite is "The Talisman" by the irreplaceable Frank Muller.

[blurbol]

That's it i'm getting a copy of "The Talisman" now! Heard so much about it and this just confirms it for me. The fact i'm getting it on audio book and not ye ol' paper, is purely down to Frank Muller (legend - and THE voice of DT )

So excited from this part of your quote mim "The tantrum Ed Deepneau " - another DT tie in - Mr Deepneau. And i swear I read it's set in the DT universe?
audible.com here I come.

[MikeB]

for me I'd have to agree that IT is the best SK audiobook I've ever listened to. All the voices seemed to be just as i had imagined them when I first read the book. I'm now on to The Tommyknockers and loving that to. I know the book isn't a favourite of many SK readers but I always liked the weird atmosphere the story had and i'm not talking about the air quality in Haven lol:laugh:

[fromTull]

In the audio book of BLOOD & SMOKE, in the story "1408", Stephen does one helluva job putting the fear of God into the listener. When he does the voice on the other end of the phone "This is . . " Don't want to spoil, but it kinda DID feel other-worldly to me . . .

[nate_watkins]

In the audio book of BLOOD & SMOKE, in the story "1408", Stephen does one helluva job putting the fear of God into the listener. When he does the voice on the other end of the phone "This is . . " Don't want to spoil, but it kinda DID feel other-worldly to me . . .

I listened to Blood and Smoke over the past few weeks. I really liked it. I've read the stories, but the authors narration is nice to have too.

[jowill59]

IT! Love the audio version read by Steven Weber. If you haven't listened to the audio-you should. So good. Great book anyway

[Lina]

IT! Love the audio version read by Steven Weber. If you haven't listened to the audio-you should. So good. Great book anyway
I'm listening to this book right now. I'm already close to the end of the story. I like the novel itself and I like Steven Weber reading it. It's really worth listening to.

[costanza]

I can't believe all of the love for the new version of IT. I listen with headphones on for the most part and, HE KEEPS SCREAMING INTO MY EARS! So annoying. The old version is fantastic though.

Totally agree with the Frank Muller love. Talisman and DT 1-4 are fantastic and if you haven't heard Black House then get it today. All of Henry's radio personas, Burn Burn's guttural stuff/dark speech, Speedy, Jack, it's really his best work. And that's saying something, he was an amazing artist.

I really liked Rose Madder too. The lady sings that little verse, I'm really Rosey and I'm Rosey Real, and it sounds just perfect. Then King comes in for the Norman parts too. They did a really good job with it.

Lisey's Story was really well done too. Whenever the, I forget his name, Tennessee college guy comes on and says Tony, love it. Same with, You numba one crazy baby!
Not his two most well received books but I dig them both and their readings are both fantastic.

[blurbol]

I'm going back through the DT books. Up to 4 Wizard and Glass and it's not that I forgot how good it is listening to them, but it constantly keeps surprising me how enchanting they are. And second time around you pickup on sooo much more... no spoilers here!!

So even you have done it, do it again! (that's actually one of my life mantras)

[costanza]

Listening to The Dead Zone read by Lorelei King for the first time. Fairly average read, nothing special. A big negative that takes me completely out of the story every time is her portrayal of Dr. Weizak. He's a Polish guy but she sounds like a cross between Dracula and Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle. Instead of being able to enjoy the story I end up laughing and making fun of her reading. lol

[Dana Jean]

On Writing I've listened to this so many times. Love it.

[FlakeNoir]

On Writing I've listened to this so many times. Love it.

I would love to hear this, Deej - I bet it is brilliant.

[LarryO]

I've only listened to 5-6 audio books, but my favorite so far is SK reading The Gunslinger. It was on cassette (remember those?) and I listened in my car going to and from work. I like that Steve was the one interpreting the voices of his own characters.

[knittinjen]

I'm almost all-audio, and I LOVED Steven Webber's IT, and I love Insomnia (who?? can't remember) and once I get used to him each time, I love SK himself reading Bag of Bones - because I know everything is pronounced right and the author knows how to tell his story VERY well!! I like all the Frank Muller books and think George Guidell did a decent job of picking up, though he doesn't have that awesome Eddie Dean voice that Muller has - ah, well.

One more plug for my biggest audio-book peeve, though - Under the Dome - HORRIBLE!!! WISH he'd get somebody else to re-do it.

Ooooh, SK read the Gunslinger? That must be the original version? I read that first when I was real young, 12 or 13, and then again when Wolves came out, and realized there were all these tie-ins - then I went back and got my mom's copy of the book that I Had read as a kid and realized it was all changed! So that was fun, but I'd love to listen to SK read the original version!!

[The Lady Of Pain]

I know this thread is a little old, but I was searching for "best Stephen King audiobooks" because I wanted to find a new one (I'm a huge audiobook fan...and I huge SK fan). I actually have aspirations of being an audiobook reader and one of my dreams is to read for SK's books. I had honestly forgotten that I had joined this forum not too long ago. lol. XD;

I'm just finishing up Insomnia (read by Eli Wallach) and just LOVED it. Dolores Clairborne is up next.


I'm just going to go down the list of the books I've listened to and give my opinion on each:

11/22/63 - I loooooooooved this! Craig Wasson does a phenomenal job. He really brings life to the characters and story. I honestly would be listening to a CD at night, thinking to myself "Ok...when this is over I've really got to go to bed" and then I'd get so caught up in the story I'd just HAVE to continue listening. 10/10

'Salem's Lot - It's been a while since I listened to this one, but I think I enjoyed it. lol, I was actually planning on renting it from the library again. ?/10

Cell - While there were things I liked and didn't like about the story on this one (I won't give anything away), I liked Cambell Scott's reading of it. I listened to it at work (I do house cleaning and I'm often by myself...so sometimes I'll bring a book to listen to) and it really helped the hours go by faster. 8/10

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - I honestly could not get through one chapter of this. I know people love Frank Muller, but I can't stand him. Which is a shame, because there are a lot of SK books that I love that I want to hear the audiobook versions of. I think it's mainly because he always sounds like he's reading a script for some epic movie trailer. And he tends to end his phrases in this funny way....I can't describe it in words...but it gets on my nerves. It's like he's exhaling the last word. 1/10

Desperation - Loved it. The version I have is read by Stephen King, but apparently there's one out read by Kathy Bates. Don't know which is better. 9/10

Duma Key - It's strange, but I really can't remember much about this one. I guess it didn't really stick with me. However, I don't remember disliking it. 6/10

Everything's Eventual - Now, I'm sure I read this one...but I can't remember anything about it. Duma Key I remember the main story, but I remember NOTHING about any of the stories in this. ?/10

From A Buick 8 - This one is another 10/10. One of my favorites.

Full Dark No Stars - I remember being a bit disappointed with this one, however I just listened to the sample on the audiobook page of this site and was liking what I was listening to, so I'm not sure. Maybe it was just my mindset at the time. I may give it another chance. ?/10


Oy...I'll do the rest later. Getting tired. I didn't realize how many SK audiobooks I've actually listened to, lol.

[kingricefan]

Stephen King actually did an audio recording of the Gunslinger (and the next two books from the series) which puts Muller's reading to shame. They were only available as cassette tapes, wish 'they' would re-release them on discs. It's always a much better experience listening to the author read their own works.
I know this thread is a little old, but I was searching for "best Stephen King audiobooks" because I wanted to find a new one (I'm a huge audiobook fan...and I huge SK fan). I actually have aspirations of being an audiobook reader and one of my dreams is to read for SK's books. I had honestly forgotten that I had joined this forum not too long ago. lol. XD;

I'm just finishing up Insomnia (read by Eli Wallach) and just LOVED it. Dolores Clairborne is up next.


I'm just going to go down the list of the books I've listened to and give my opinion on each:

11/22/63 - I loooooooooved this! Craig Wasson does a phenomenal job. He really brings life to the characters and story. I honestly would be listening to a CD at night, thinking to myself "Ok...when this is over I've really got to go to bed" and then I'd get so caught up in the story I'd just HAVE to continue listening. 10/10

'Salem's Lot - It's been a while since I listened to this one, but I think I enjoyed it. lol, I was actually planning on renting it from the library again. ?/10

Cell - While there were things I liked and didn't like about the story on this one (I won't give anything away), I liked Cambell Scott's reading of it. I listened to it at work (I do house cleaning and I'm often by myself...so sometimes I'll bring a book to listen to) and it really helped the hours go by faster. 8/10

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - I honestly could not get through one chapter of this. I know people love Frank Muller, but I can't stand him. Which is a shame, because there are a lot of SK books that I love that I want to hear the audiobook versions of. I think it's mainly because he always sounds like he's reading a script for some epic movie trailer. And he tends to end his phrases in this funny way....I can't describe it in words...but it gets on my nerves. It's like he's exhaling the last word. 1/10

Desperation - Loved it. The version I have is read by Stephen King, but apparently there's one out read by Kathy Bates. Don't know which is better. 9/10

Duma Key - It's strange, but I really can't remember much about this one. I guess it didn't really stick with me. However, I don't remember disliking it. 6/10

Everything's Eventual - Now, I'm sure I read this one...but I can't remember anything about it. Duma Key I remember the main story, but I remember NOTHING about any of the stories in this. ?/10

From A Buick 8 - This one is another 10/10. One of my favorites.

Full Dark No Stars - I remember being a bit disappointed with this one, however I just listened to the sample on the audiobook page of this site and was liking what I was listening to, so I'm not sure. Maybe it was just my mindset at the time. I may give it another chance. ?/10


Oy...I'll do the rest later. Getting tired. I didn't realize how many SK audiobooks I've actually listened to, lol.

[cat in a bag]

I just started listening to 11/22/63 yesterday...Craig Wasson knocks it out of the park! I'm still pretty new at this audio book thing, but a little over 2 hours went by in the blink of an eye yesterday afternoon.

[Antony butterworth]

hello fans of the king

i am a big fan of audio books and have a large colection my favourites have to the gingerbread girl the ten oclock people and the last rung on the ladder

[aintshesweet]

I thought Under the Dome read by Raul Esparza was amazing. He was able to distinguish his voice with the many characters and I felt I was in the town of Chester's Mill under its dome. It is definitely something I will listen to again. I also loved IT. Steven Weber is a fantastic storyteller and was probably underrated for his work on this audiobook.

[Mary19]

I have never listened to a book, I'm afraid it will ruin the story for me, am I wrong?

[Vose]

I have never listened to a book, I'm afraid it will ruin the story for me, am I wrong?

I feared the same thing when my brother encouraged me to pick up listening to audiobooks, but it's GREAT! I thought my attention would wander or that I wouldn't get the meaning, but it was the opposite. I don't think it's for everyone, but I really love it. There's an afterword by Sai King after the audiobook for Wolves of the Calla that talks mostly about Frank Muller's (the reader) accident, but also about how Muller's reading of the books really got Stephen King back in to the Dark Tower series so that he could finish - "breathed new life in to the characters" I believe is how he put it. Try it!