Morpheus, the ruler of dreams, is held captive for decades. Once free, he has to recover three lost tools of power and rebuild his weakened kingdom. Director Dirk Maggs adapted the DC comics into 20 episodes, with Neil Gaiman narrating.

I found the production quality of this audiobook mind-blowing. I haven’t heard many other pieces that come close in realism: the voice acting is spot on, the music is perfect, and the ambience and sound effects put you right inside the Dreaming.

The story continues in The Sandman: Act II (13h 47m) and The Sandman: Act III (11h 31m), which is available in Dolby Atmos.

From the executive producers of The Walking Dead and the writer of Pacific Rim. After a disaster plunges Earth into an endless winter, the last survivors shelter in a castle while something hunts them in the dark.

It was written exclusively for Audible and uses 3D audio, so the frozen, dark world wraps around you on headphones. If you’re brave enough, it’s unmissable.

The story of the colony on LV-426 before the events of Aliens. Dirk Maggs, the director behind The Sandman, uses the same audio-movie approach: alarms, pulse rifles and the hiss of the creatures all around you.

If you like it, Alien: Sea of Sorrows is made the same way.

Wireless Theatre’s take on the Sherlock Holmes classic, reimagined as dark folk horror, with Colin Salmon as Holmes and Stephen Fry as Watson. It has a rich and genuinely frightening soundscape.

I particularly enjoyed the animalistic sounds used for the hound. It’s released as an Audible Original series, included with an Audible membership.

A dramatized version of the pirate classic, produced by Wireless Theatre, full of waves on a tropical beach, creaking ship interiors and sea shanties.

This is one of the most engaging and entertaining productions on this list. If you dream of sailing the high seas, it’s the ultimate escape.

Audible and Pottermore’s full-cast edition has more than 200 actors, a new musical score and sound design mixed in Dolby Atmos. Hugh Laurie plays Dumbledore, Riz Ahmed plays Snape and Matthew Macfadyen plays Voldemort, with Cush Jumbo narrating.

All seven books are out. The original single-narrator recordings by Jim Dale and Stephen Fry are still available if you prefer the classic versions. Our Harry Potter audiobook guide compares all three.

A young lawyer is sent to settle the affairs of a recluse who lived in a house cut off by the tide, and keeps glimpsing a woman in black. Paapa Essiedu reads it alone, but Audible added music and an Atmos mix that makes the fog and the marsh feel very close.

A good pick if you want atmosphere without a big cast, and a short one for a dark evening.

The book that inspired the Brad Pitt movie is told as interviews with survivors of the zombie war, which makes it perfect for a full cast. Each account has its own voice, and together they put you straight into the apocalypse.

It’s an intense story that will make the hairs on your neck stand up. Read our full World War Z audiobook review.

The novel is told through hacked files, chat logs and the thoughts of a ship’s AI. On audio, a full cast and sound effects turn those documents into a tense space thriller as two teens flee an attack on their planet.

An angel and a demon who’ve grown fond of Earth team up to stop the apocalypse. Michael Sheen and David Tennant, who played Aziraphale and Crowley on TV, lead the cast.

Dracula is written as letters and diary entries, so each one is read by a different actor playing the character who wrote it. Tim Curry and Alan Cumming are a treat.

The night Abraham Lincoln’s son is buried, the ghosts of the cemetery gather to tell their stories. With 166 voices, it held the record for the largest audiobook cast when it was released.

The rise and fall of a 1970s rock band, told as an oral history. With a full cast, it sounds like a music documentary, which is why many listeners prefer the audiobook to the print book.

A street thief discovers she can burn metals for power and joins a crew planning to overthrow an immortal emperor. Sanderson’s magic system, all pushes and pulls of metal, is made for sound effects. GraphicAudio has adapted many of his books, including Elantris.

A huntress is dragged into the faerie lands after killing a wolf. If you already know the series, the dramatized version is a fun way to revisit it. The sequel, A Court of Mist and Fury, is also out from GraphicAudio.

The comic behind the TV series: a CIA-backed team keeps corrupt superheroes in line. Expect violence and strong language. GraphicAudio is at its best with comic book stories like this, where the action needs sound to work.

Five years after Return of the Jedi, Grand Admiral Thrawn takes command of what’s left of the Empire. Marc Thompson voices every character, and the Star Wars score and sound effects run under his performance. It’s the start of the Thrawn Trilogy, one of the most loved Star Wars stories.

A New Hope, rewritten as if Shakespeare had written it, in iambic pentameter. It’s aimed at a younger audience, but I found it surprisingly gripping and hilarious as an adult. It’s as funny and dramatic as you’d expect.

Don’t forget the sequels, The Empire Striketh Back and The Jedi Doth Return.

The 1981 BBC Radio 4 adaptation, with Ian Holm as Frodo, Michael Hordern as Gandalf and Bill Nighy as Sam. It’s often called the definitive audio version of the story.

Continue with The Return of the King after The Two Towers.

Gaiman’s retellings of the Norse myths, from Odin and Thor to Loki’s children and Ragnarok, performed by a starry cast. It’s fantastic if you’re into myths and history, and short enough for one evening.

Other BBC highlights worth exploring: the H.G. Wells collection, The Diary of Samuel Pepys and The Shardlake Collection.

Meryl Streep narrates the classic friendship between a pig and a spider, with a full cast for the barnyard. A gentle first full-cast listen for younger kids.

The mice of Redwall Abbey defend their home against a rat warlord. Brian Jacques narrates his own book, with a full cast voicing the animals. A great adventure for kids ready for something longer.