Audiobooks discussion

A new member had recently mentioned an interest in this particular genre, so decided that I would start a folder for it.

I'm in! ;)
-Victoria

Probably a good idea since it is currently very popular and diverse genre.

I don't know how it is on audio, but my favorite book of this genre is Station Eleven because there is some hope in it. People actually help each other, instead of the usual "everyone for himself" story. Plus it is about the value of literature and art even in dark times.

And a kind of crazy take is The Heart Goes Last. It starts out as a standard breakdown of society but ends up as a farce in Las Vegas with Elvis impersonators. Some of Margaret Atwood's fans were disappointed in this compared to her other dystopias but I thought it was a hoot. (I also read this one in print, so I don't know how the audio is.

The audio was fine on Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel - I listened to that one, it’s not my favorite dystopian audiobook, but it was good.

I thought that Station Eleven was just ok when I read it. Then, five months later, I listened to it for a book group and was very impressed with the story and changed my rating from 3 to 4. I surprised myself.

I listened to “Station Eleven“ last year and I listened to another about 20 similar audiobooks afterwards...

I call them “End of the world/ Prepper“ audiobooks.

👂 McCARTHY, Cormac - (2006) The Road (6hrs 39min) - read by Tom Stechschulte
👂 FORSTCHEN, William R. - (2009-2017) JOHN MATHERSON Trilogy/ AFTER Trilogy (One Second After ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ; One Year After; The Final Day) [have to listen to the sequels this year...]
👂 WALKER, Karen Thompson - (2012-06) ✅ The Age of Miracles (8hrs 59min) - narrated by Laurence Bouvard ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ [similar to Station Eleven]
👂 HELLER, Peter - (2012-08) The Dog Stars (10hrs 41min) - narrated by Mark Deakins ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
👂 ST. JOHN, Emily St. - (2014) Station Eleven (10hrs 45min) - narrated by Kirsten Potter ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ For me Station Eleven was just boring.
👂 MEYER, Deon - (2016-08) Koors a.k.a. Fever (19hrs) - narrated by Will Damron ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
👂 WALKER, Adrian J. - (2016-07) The End of the World Running Club (15hrs 1min) - narrated by Jot Davies ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ [actually more or less about ultra running; there is an upcoming sequel]
👂 FORSTCHEN, William R. - (2019) 48 Hours (11hrs 11min) - narrated by Bronson Pinchot ▶️ TBL
👂 FORSTCHEN, William R. - (2019) 48 Hours (11hrs 11min) - read by Bronson Pinchot ▶️ TBL
👂 AL-KHALILI, Jim - (2019-04) Sunfall (13hrs 56min) - narrated by Rupert Farley ⏸ just listening

I prefer hard science, but I also liked Meyer‘s The Fever (2016) and Heller‘s Big Hig (2012).
McCarthy‘s Road was intense but I was disappointed.
I read the novel after I watched the movie. The emaciated bodies of the family didn‘t match the description in the book. McCarthy performed the story very well, but I missed long descriptions of the harsh environment. But what can you expect in 6 hours unabridged audio recordings.
Al-Khalili has written up to 2019-04 only non-fiction books. Three available on audible.
Forstchen did some prepper novels and visits prepper meetings in the USA talking about what to expect...

I just finished The End of October - a new release in audio. About the results and reasons for a pandemic. Some hard science involved. Riveting. It is so timely that I have to recommend it.

One of my absolute favorite books is Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. He is genius - seriously. This book is genius. That's all I can say. I also feel the same way about his book New York 2140 - but Seveneves wins out between the two.

L J wrote: "Probably a good idea since it is currently very popular and diverse genre."

Also a good idea because it's beginning to feel as though we *live* in one... ;-)

On a less facetious note, I agree that Station Eleven was outstanding as an audiobook. It rekindled my interest in the genre. Seveneves is high on my "to read/to listen" list.

I'll go a little old school and endorse the Earthseed books (The Parable of the Sower, and The Parable of the Talents), by Octavia Butler. I'm currently listening to Dawn, the first in her post-apocalyptic Xenogenesis trilogy.

I'll also recommend a (maybe) less well-known book: Future Home of the Living God, by Louise Erdrich - who also narrates the audiobook.

My favorite dystopian novel is Earth Abides by George R. Stewart.
Earth Abides

Here are the ones I have read that probably count. Lots of SciFi is set in worlds/futures that are dystopian, but to be a dystopian novel I feel that it needs to go beyond being the setting and to be one of the subjects the novel aims to address.

1984, George Orwell
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
We, Zamayatin
The Time Machine, H G Wells
Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro
Machines Like Me, McEwan
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter Miller
Oryx & Crake (and sequels), Atwood
The Dispossessed, Le Guin
A Clockwork Orange, Burgess

one of my favorite dystopian series is Unwind dystology by Neal Schusterman

Also, Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro which has echoes of the above mentioned Never Let Me Go and Unwind.

Dee wrote: "one of my favorite dystopian series is Unwind dystology by Neal Schusterman"

This was a really good series.

I would add Wool Omnibus for an adult dystopian.