In reply to Gethin Thomas: OK, these came from iTunes. You will have to pay for them, unless there are sneaky ways round it that I could not possibly endorse. Your tastes may vary from mine too. However, those statutory warnings made...
My preference is for unabridged versions of stories which are read, not dramatized. I've tried dramatizations and abridged versions and dislike them.
Terry Pratchett books: they are what you'd expect. However, the ones read by Stephen Briggs are far superior to the ones read by Nigel Planer or Tony Robinson; he just does a better job of what should be a relatively simple job of reading aloud and the voices he gives characters tally more with the mental image I have of them. Tony Robinson can be way too quiet at times which may not be a problem if you're sitting in a quiet room in a quiet house, or have headphones on, but was a problem in the car.
Bill Bryson books: I have two on audio, one (Down Under) which I'd read previously and which is read by William Roberts and another (At Home) which I hadn't previously read and which is read by the author. The first is far superior; it's read better and as a book it's better, less of the long lists with which Bill Bryson sometimes fills his pages and which if you were reading the book yourself you might skip over, but that's difficult to do on an audiobook. I'd recommend the first but would also recommend steering clear of the second.
John Wyndham books: I have three (and if someone would release a proper audiobook of The Kraken Wakes, I'd have four). The Chrysalids, read by Robert Powell, is OK but I wouldn't go better than that. The Midwich Cuckoos, read by Nathaniel Parker, is good and The Day of the Triffids, read by Samuel West, is excellent.
Touching the Void, read by Stephen McGann. Fine book, but I thought this version of it done as a audiobook was rubbish.
Archangel, by Robert Harris here read by Anton Lesser, was good.
Various Sherlock Holmes stories, read by Edward Hardwicke (Watson from the ITV dramatizations) were good; you know what you're getting and having the stories read by a voice you associate with them helps conjure up a mood and time.
There are a few more queued up for future car journeys but until then, I'll not be listening to them.
Hope that helps,
T.
