Where to Start with Nicholas Sansbury Smith
- Best entry point → Hell Divers: The Lost Years
- Best standalone → Savage Skies
- Start The Sons of War series → Sons of War
- Short listen, big payoff → Hell Divers V: Captives
- What fans keep coming back to → Hell Divers
- Best narrator for Nicholas Sansbury Smith → Hell Divers II: Ghosts
- Highest rated by listeners → Rhino: The Rise of a Warrior (Hell Divers)
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Hell Divers VII: Warriors
Hell Divers Series • Book 7
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.79 ABR Score (9.3K ratings)★ 4.86 Audible (9.3K)16h 13m listening time • Released 2020 -
Hell Divers V: Captives
Hell Divers Series • Book 5
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.77 ABR Score (13.8K ratings)★ 4.82 Audible (13.8K)9h 50m listening time • Released 2019 -
Hell Divers III: Deliverance
Hell Divers Series • Book 3
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.74 ABR Score (20.1K ratings)★ 4.77 Audible (20.1K)11h 18m listening time • Released 2018 -
Hell Divers II: Ghosts
Hell Divers Series • Book 2
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.71 ABR Score (22.8K ratings)★ 4.74 Audible (22.8K)8h 13m listening time • Released 2017 -
Hell Divers IV: Wolves
Hell Divers Series • Book 4
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.71 ABR Score (15.3K ratings)★ 4.76 Audible (15.3K)9h 25m listening time • Released 2018 -
Hell Divers VI: Allegiance
Hell Divers Series • Book 6
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.70 ABR Score (10.5K ratings)★ 4.78 Audible (10.5K)11h 16m listening time • Released 2019 -
Hell Divers VIII: King of the Wastes
Hell Divers Series • Book 8
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.70 ABR Score (6.4K ratings)★ 4.82 Audible (6.4K)13h 52m listening time • Released 2021 -
Sinners
The Sons of War • Book 3
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.34 ABR Score (1.2K ratings)★ 4.52 Goodreads (400) ★ 4.8 Audible (763)12h 39m listening time • Released 2021Ray Porter transforms this gritty crime saga into something visceral and immersive—his gravelly intensity makes the moral compromises of the Saints feel genuinely dangerous, not just plot mechanics.
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Saints
The Sons of War • Book 2
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.31 ABR Score (1.4K ratings)★ 4.42 Goodreads (467) ★ 4.73 Audible (918)11h 47m listening time • Released 2020Ray Porter's gravelly delivery transforms this post-civil war crime saga into something visceral and unforgettable—he nails every faction's voice, from corrupt cops to cartel bosses, making the moral collapse feel personal.
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Hell Divers: The Lost Years
Hell Divers Series • Book 1
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.31 ABR Score (840 ratings)★ 4.71 Audible (840)2h 23m listening time • Released 2024 -
Rhino: The Rise of a Warrior (Hell Divers)
Hell Divers
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.20 ABR Score (1.6K ratings)★ 4.4 Goodreads (561) ★ 4.75 Audible (1.0K)12h 57m listening time • Released 2025Ray Porter transforms a ground-level survival story into something visceral and gripping—his voice carries the weight of a brutalized world while making you believe in one man's impossible rise against an oppressive empire.
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Soldiers
The Sons of War • Book 4
by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Tom Abrahams
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.15 ABR Score (481 ratings)★ 4.51 Goodreads (191) ★ 4.76 Audible (290)12h 54m listening time • Released 2024Ray Porter's gravelly intensity elevates this postapocalyptic finale into something genuinely gripping—his voice captures the worn desperation of soldiers with nothing left to lose, making the brutal final reckoning feel earned rather than just explosive.
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Hell Divers
Hell Divers • Book 1
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.13 ABR Score (56.6K ratings)★ 3.85 Goodreads (17.3K) ★ 4.44 Audible (39.3K)10h 11m listening time • Released 2016R.C. Bray's gravelly delivery transforms this post-apocalyptic survival story into a visceral experience—his narration makes every skydive feel like a genuine plunge into hell.
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Sons of War
The Sons of War • Book 1
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.02 ABR Score (3.1K ratings)★ 4 Goodreads (1.0K) ★ 4.24 Audible (2.1K)12h 7m listening time • Released 2020Ray Porter's gravelly intensity turns this near-future crime saga into something visceral and unputdownable—a gritty, character-driven collapse narrative that punches harder than standard post-apocalyptic fare.
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Old Guns: A Military Sci-Fi Adventure
Old Guns • Book 1
by J. N. Chaney, Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Narrated by R. C. Bray
★ 3.93 ABR Score (60 ratings)★ 4.87 Audible (60)12h 6m listening time • Released 2026 -
Savage Skies
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini
★ 3.85 ABR Score (491 ratings)★ 4.07 Goodreads (389) ★ 4.6 Audible (102)3h 37m listening time • Released 2023Edoardo Ballerini's crisp, propulsive delivery elevates this tight military sci-fi novella into something lean and devastating—perfect if you want high-stakes tension without the slog.
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Sons of War Series Box Set, Books 1-4
The Sons of War Series • Book 1
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 3.77 ABR Score (16 ratings)★ 4.56 Audible (16)49h 30m listening time • Released 2026Ray Porter's narration transforms this brutal civil war saga into something you can't stop listening to—his voice carries the weight of each character's desperation as America tears itself apart across nearly 50 hours.
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Salvage System 2
Salvage System • Book 2
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 3.69 ABR Score (64 ratings)★ 4.56 Goodreads (34) ★ 4.57 Audible (30)18h 16m listening time • Released 2026Michael Kramer's narration transforms this post-apocalyptic LitRPG into a grimy, immersive survival saga where every scavenged resource and system upgrade actually matters to the stakes.
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Salvage System
Salvage System • Book 1
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 3.59 ABR Score (439 ratings)★ 3.78 Goodreads (227) ★ 3.91 Audible (212)16h 34m listening time • Released 2025Michael Kramer's deadpan delivery of a wisecracking rat sidekick in a LitRPG Manhattan apocalypse is absurdly entertaining—he commits fully to the weird tone and makes the 16+ hours fly by.
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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.