- 1
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Dungeon Crawler Carl • Book 1
Narrated by Jeff Hays
★ 4.80 ABR Score (335.5K ratings)★ 4.48 Goodreads (284.3K) ★ 4.86 Audible (51.2K)13h 31m listening time • Released 2021Jeff Hays turns this LitRPG into pure comedy gold—his character work transforms what could be a grim survival story into something genuinely hilarious that you'll want to binge in days.
- 2
The Martian
The Martian • Book 1
by Andy Weir
Narrated by Wil Wheaton
★ 4.76 ABR Score (1.3M ratings)★ 4.42 Goodreads (1.3M) ★ 4.8 Audible (42.3K)10h 59m listening time • Released 2020Wil Wheaton's deadpan delivery transforms this survival story into something hilarious and gripping—his timing on Watney's wisecracks lands perfectly while keeping the genuine stakes sharp.
- 3
Dune
Dune • Book 1
Narrated by Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance, Ilyana Kadushin, Byron Jennings, David R. Gordon, Jason Culp, Kent Broadhurst, Oliver Wyman, Patricia Kilgarriff, Scott Sowers
★ 4.66 ABR Score (1.8M ratings)★ 4.29 Goodreads (1.6M) ★ 4.67 Audible (126.5K)21h 2m listening time • Released 2007The Godfather of science fiction epics: a richly imagined desert world where politics, religion, and ecology collide in a story that feels more relevant every decade.
- 4
Red Rising
Red Rising • Book 1
by Pierce Brown
Narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds
★ 4.64 ABR Score (899.8K ratings)★ 4.27 Goodreads (820.6K) ★ 4.71 Audible (79.2K)16h 12m listening time • Released 2014Tim Gerard Reynolds transforms a sprawling revenge epic into something intimate and visceral—his voice carries you through brutality and betrayal with the kind of emotional precision that makes 16 hours vanish.
- 5
Leviathan Wakes
The Expanse • Book 1
Narrated by Jefferson Mays
★ 4.63 ABR Score (358.0K ratings)★ 4.31 Goodreads (324.2K) ★ 4.75 Audible (33.8K)20h 56m listening time • Released 2017Jefferson Mays makes this sprawling space opera sing—his sharp narration cuts through complex plotting and turns a hard-boiled detective mystery colliding with interplanetary intrigue into genuinely unputdownable listening.
- 6
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park • Book 1
Narrated by Scott Brick
★ 4.60 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)★ 4.13 Goodreads (1.1M) ★ 4.76 Audible (46.8K)15h 10m listening time • Released 2015Crichton's genetic-engineering thriller is as much a gripping thought experiment as an action novel — the science is as terrifying as the dinosaurs.
- 7
Ender's Game
The Ender Saga • Book 1
Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, Gabrielle de Cuir
★ 4.59 ABR Score (1.5M ratings)★ 4.31 Goodreads (1.5M) ★ 4.63 Audible (44.6K)11h 57m listening time • Released 2002The gold standard of military sci-fi — a child prodigy trained for interstellar war in a story that's as emotionally devastating as it is thrillingly plotted.
- 8
Ender's Shadow
Ender's Shadow • Book 1
Narrated by Scott Brick, Gabrielle de Cuir, full cast
★ 4.59 ABR Score (194.4K ratings)★ 4.32 Goodreads (180.6K) ★ 4.76 Audible (13.8K)15h 42m listening time • Released 2005A companion novel that retells Ender's Game from Bean's perspective — and in many ways surpasses the original in emotional depth and strategic brilliance.
- 9
We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
Bobiverse • Book 1
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.58 ABR Score (236.2K ratings)★ 4.26 Goodreads (128.3K) ★ 4.68 Audible (107.9K)9h 56m listening time • Released 2016Ray Porter's performance transforms this sci-fi premise into pure audiobook gold—his deadpan delivery of Bob's irreverent humor lands perfectly, making the existential stakes feel both hilarious and genuinely moving.
- 10
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy • Book 1
by Douglas Adams
Narrated by Stephen Fry
★ 4.56 ABR Score (2.1M ratings)★ 4.22 Goodreads (2.0M) ★ 4.62 Audible (56.6K)5h 51m listening time • Released 2005The funniest 42 minutes of any philosophy degree — Adams distilled the cosmic absurdity of existence into a comedy that never stops delivering.
- 11
1984
by George Orwell, Thomas Pynchon
Narrated by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy, Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther, Katie Leung
★ 4.56 ABR Score (5.6M ratings)★ 4.2 Goodreads (5.5M) ★ 4.67 Audible (14.8K)3h 27m listening time • Released 2024 - 12
Columbus Day
Expeditionary Force • Book 1
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.53 ABR Score (84.3K ratings)★ 4.25 Goodreads (34.1K) ★ 4.71 Audible (50.2K)16h 23m listening time • Released 2016R.C. Bray's delivery transforms this sci-fi romp into something genuinely compelling—his deadpan humor and perfect timing make the protagonist's voice so effortlessly likable you'll devour all 16 hours in days.
- 13
Halo: The Fall of Reach
Halo • Book 1
by Eric S. Nylund
Narrated by Todd McLaren
★ 4.51 ABR Score (44.7K ratings)★ 4.26 Goodreads (36.3K) ★ 4.78 Audible (8.4K)11h 3m listening time • Released 2019 - 14
Kindred
Narrated by Kim Staunton
★ 4.49 ABR Score (294.1K ratings)★ 4.31 Goodreads (278.5K) ★ 4.62 Audible (15.6K)10h 55m listening time • Released 2007 - 15
Wool Omnibus
Silo • Book 1
by Hugh Howey
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini
★ 4.48 ABR Score (286.7K ratings)★ 4.23 Goodreads (280.3K) ★ 4.7 Audible (6.3K)Edoardo Ballerini's performance transforms this claustrophobic mystery into a masterclass in tension—his voice captures every layer of paranoia and hope in a world designed to crush both.
- 16
Parable of the Sower
Earthseed • Book 1
Narrated by Lynne Thigpen
★ 4.47 ABR Score (287.7K ratings)★ 4.19 Goodreads (272.8K) ★ 4.66 Audible (14.9K) - 17
Deathtrap
Mavericks • Book 1
Narrated by R.C. Bray
★ 4.46 ABR Score (15.4K ratings)★ 4.31 Goodreads (3.9K) ★ 4.75 Audible (11.5K)15h 3m listening time • Released 2019R.C. Bray makes this alien military romp genuinely funny and propulsive—his deadpan delivery of the humor lands harder than the explosions, and he nails every underdog soldier's voice.
- 18
Old Man's War
Old Man\u2019s War • Book 1
by John Scalzi
Narrated by William Dufris
★ 4.43 ABR Score (255.3K ratings)★ 4.23 Goodreads (226.8K) ★ 4.55 Audible (28.5K)9h 55m listening time • Released 2007Scalzi's military sci-fi debut is the most fun you'll have with the genre — Earth's elderly enlist for interstellar war and get young bodies with old wisdom.
- 19
Children of Time
Children of Time • Book 1
Narrated by Mel Hudson
★ 4.40 ABR Score (221.0K ratings)★ 4.3 Goodreads (180.0K) ★ 4.47 Audible (41.1K)16h 31m listening time • Released 2017Mel Hudson's narration transforms this Hugo-winning epic into something genuinely immersive, shifting seamlessly between human desperation and an entirely alien intelligence that feels genuinely *other*. A sprawling, idea-drunk sci-fi masterpiece that justifies every minute of its 16-hour runtime.
- 20
The Primal Hunter
The Primal Hunter • Book 1
by Zogarth
Narrated by Travis Baldree
★ 4.40 ABR Score (33.8K ratings)★ 4.25 Goodreads (21.0K) ★ 4.63 Audible (12.8K)20h 9m listening time • Released 2022Travis Baldree's performance elevates this LitRPG's best strength: watching an ordinary guy discover he's genuinely built for monster hunting. The narration makes Jake's quiet competence feel earned, not lucky.
- 21
Project Hail Mary
by Andy Weir
Narrated by Ray Porter
★ 4.39 ABR Score (264.1K ratings)★ 5 Goodreads (1) ★ 4.87 Audible (264.1K)16h 10m listening time • Released 2021Ray Porter's performance transforms what could be a lonely survival story into an unexpectedly moving meditation on friendship and sacrifice. His voice work makes you believe every impossible moment.
- 22
Ready Player One
Ready Player One • Book 1
by Ernest Cline
Narrated by Wil Wheaton
★ 4.38 ABR Score (261.7K ratings)★ 4.16 Goodreads (32) ★ 4.76 Audible (261.6K)15h 40m listening time • Released 2011A love letter to 80s pop culture wrapped in a high-stakes virtual reality treasure hunt — Wil Wheaton's narration adds an extra layer of nostalgic warmth.
- 23
2001: A Space Odyssey
Space Odyssey Series • Book 1
Narrated by Dick Hill
★ 4.38 ABR Score (350.5K ratings)★ 4.18 Goodreads (338.0K) ★ 4.55 Audible (12.5K)6h 42m listening time • Released 2008Clarke's landmark meditation on human evolution and artificial intelligence, written alongside Kubrick's film, remains awe-inspiring in its scope and quiet menace.
- 24
The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale • Book 1
Narrated by Claire Danes
★ 4.36 ABR Score (2.5M ratings)★ 4.15 Goodreads (2.5M) ★ 4.41 Audible (45.4K)11h 1m listening time • Released 2012Atwood's theocratic dystopia, written in 1985, has only grown more urgent — a suffocating, beautifully crafted story about power, bodies, and resistance.
- 25
Steelheart
The Reckoners • Book 1
Narrated by MacLeod Andrews
★ 4.36 ABR Score (235.2K ratings)★ 4.14 Goodreads (197.0K) ★ 4.5 Audible (38.2K)12h 42m listening time • Released 2013
Found something you love? Check out more from the same narrator or author — sci-fi audiobook fans tend to build loyalty fast.
Browse Related Lists
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.