Where to Start with George R.R. Martin
- Best entry point → A Game of Thrones
- Best standalone → Old Venus
- Start the A Targaryen History series → Fire & Blood
- What fans keep coming back to → A Clash of Kings
- Best narrator for George R.R. Martin → A Storm of Swords
- Highest rated by listeners → A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5)
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A Storm of Swords
A Song of Ice and Fire • Book 3
Narrated by Roy Dotrice
★ 4.81 ABR Score (930.3K ratings)★ 4.55 Goodreads (851.9K) ★ 4.82 Audible (78.4K)47h 34m listening time • Released 2004Roy Dotrice's masterful performance across 47 hours transforms Martin's most devastating novel into an unforgettable experience, with each character's voice so distinct you forget you're listening to one narrator bringing an entire war to life.
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A Game of Thrones
A Song of Ice and Fire • Book 1
Narrated by Roy Dotrice
★ 4.79 ABR Score (2.9M ratings)★ 4.45 Goodreads (2.8M) ★ 4.77 Audible (148.5K)33h 46m listening time • Released 2004Martin reinvented epic fantasy by killing his darlings — a brutal, politically intricate world where nobility gets you killed and moral ambiguity reigns.
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A Clash of Kings
A Song of Ice and Fire • Book 2
Narrated by Roy Dotrice
★ 4.75 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)★ 4.42 Goodreads (1.0M) ★ 4.79 Audible (91.4K)37h 12m listening time • Released 2004Roy Dotrice's performance transforms this sprawling political nightmare into something genuinely addictive—his voice work across dozens of characters makes the competing factions feel like separate worlds colliding.
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A Dance with Dragons
A Song of Ice and Fire • Book 5
Narrated by Roy Dotrice
★ 4.59 ABR Score (803.0K ratings)★ 4.34 Goodreads (743.1K) ★ 4.67 Audible (59.9K)48h 55m listening time • Released 2011 -
A Feast for Crows
A Song of Ice and Fire • Book 4
Narrated by Roy Dotrice
★ 4.44 ABR Score (855.2K ratings)★ 4.17 Goodreads (797.4K) ★ 4.58 Audible (57.8K)33h 51m listening time • Released 2011Roy Dotrice's performance transforms this sprawling political nightmare into something hypnotic—his voice work across dozens of characters makes the intrigue feel intimate even at 34 hours.
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Fire & Blood
A Targaryen History • Book 1
by George R.R. Martin, Doug Wheatley
Narrated by Simon Vance
★ 4.27 ABR Score (168.4K ratings)★ 4.05 Goodreads (147.1K) ★ 4.54 Audible (21.3K)26h 24m listening time • Released 2018Simon Vance transforms centuries of Targaryen dynasty into a gripping oral history, his distinctive voices making each generation feel like you're hearing their stories firsthand from the throne room itself.
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Jokers Wild (Reissue)
Wild Cards • Book 3
Narrated by Pam Grier, Felicia Day, Stephen McHattie, Ron Donachie, Ray Porter, Prentice Onayemi, Molly Quinn
★ 3.95 ABR Score (4.4K ratings)★ 3.91 Goodreads (3.7K) ★ 4.47 Audible (679)15h 3m listening time • Released 2016A all-star ensemble cast turns this Wild Cards installment into a full-cast experience that makes the sprawling Vegas chaos feel immediate and alive in ways the prose alone can't match.
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The Book of Magic
Spiritwalker #Bloom
by Gardner Dozois, K.J. Parker, Megan Lindholm, John Crowley, Matthew Hughes, Ysabeau S. Wilce, Rachel Pollack, Eleanor Arnason, Tim Powers, Liz Williams, Garth Nix, Elizabeth Bear, Lavie Tidhar, Greg Van Eekhout, George R.R. Martin, Andy Duncan, Kate Elliott, Scott Lynch
Narrated by Elliot Hill, Karissa Vacker, Sile Bermingham, Maxwell Caulfield, Susan Denaker, Scott Brick, Bruce Mann, Holly Palance, Nicholas Guy Smith, Steve West, Various
★ 3.66 ABR Score (1.0K ratings)★ 3.7 Goodreads (839) ★ 4.07 Audible (191)24h 38m listening time • Released 2018 -
The Book of Swords
Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz #7 - A Long, Cold Trail
by Gardner Dozois, K.J. Parker, Robin Hobb, Ken Liu, Matthew Hughes, Kate Elliott, Walter Jon Williams, Daniel Abraham, C.J. Cherryh, Garth Nix, Ellen Kushner, Scott Lynch, Rich Larson, Elizabeth Bear, Lavie Tidhar, Cecelia Holland, George R.R. Martin
Narrated by John Lee, Katharine Lee McEwan, Kim Mai Guest, Elliot Hill, Richard Brewer, Nicholas Guy Smith, Kirby Heyborne, Julia Whelan, Mark Deakins, Steve West, Ralph Lister
★ 3.66 ABR Score (2.6K ratings)★ 3.67 Goodreads (2.2K) ★ 4.16 Audible (419)22h 13m listening time • Released 2017 -
Old Venus
by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Ian McDonald, Garth Nix, Joe Haldeman, Gwyneth Jones, Matthew Hughes, Paul McAuley, Lavie Tidhar, Allen M. Steele, Stephen Leigh, Eleanor Arnason, David Brin, Michael Cassutt, Tobias S. Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, Joe R. Lansdale, Mike Resnick
Narrated by Diana Rigg, Full Cast, Michael Dorn, Stephen Fry, Jake Stormoen, W. Morgan Sheppard, Gethin Anthony, Wil Wheaton, Janis Ian, Ron Donachie, Various
★ 3.61 ABR Score (821 ratings)★ 3.57 Goodreads (734) ★ 3.99 Audible (87)22h 17m listening time • Released 2015 -
Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love
Guardians #3.6 - The Demon Dancer
by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Daniel Abraham, Jacqueline Carey, Lisa Tuttle, Linnea Sinclair, Mary Jo Putney, Tanith Lee, Peter S. Beagle, Yasmine Galenorn, Diana Gabaldon, Jo Beverley, Carrie Vaughn, M.L.N. Hanover, Cecelia Holland, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, Marjorie M. Liu, Jim Butcher
Narrated by Phil Gigante, Michael Page, Susan Duerden, Julia Whelan
★ 3.57 ABR Score (4.4K ratings)★ 3.76 Goodreads (4.3K) ★ 3.76 Audible (190)19h 39m listening time • Released 2011 -
Dangerous Women
The Dresden Files #13.1 - Bombshells
by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Carrie Vaughn, Lev Gossman, Joe R. Lansdale, Megan Lindholm, Lawrence Block, Brandon Sanderson, Sharon Kay Penman, Lev Grossman, Nancy Kress, Diana Rowland, Diana Gabaldon, S.M. Stirling, Sam Sykes, Pat Cadigan, Caroline Spector, Joe Abercrombie, Megan Abbott, Cecelia Holland, Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Melinda M. Snodgrass
Narrated by Scott Brick, Jonathan Frakes, Stana Katic, Inna Korobkina, Lee Meriwether, Claudia Black, Sophie Turner, Janis Ian, Iain Glen, Karen Dotrice, Various
★ 3.56 ABR Score (14.9K ratings)★ 3.67 Goodreads (13.2K) ★ 4.02 Audible (1.7K)32h 47m listening time • Released 2013A stacked anthology where Abercrombie, Sanderson, Butcher, and Gabaldon deliver knockout stories, anchored by an all-star narrator cast that elevates every twist—32 hours that justify the hype.
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How We Rank Audiobooks
Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.
Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.
We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.
Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.