Best Audible Originals

Audiobook list · Updated November 2026

Best Audible Originals

Audible Originals are audiobooks and audio productions made for Audible. Many are written for audio first and performed by film and TV actors, with full casts, music and sound design you will not get from a print book.

Here are 30 of the best, from the most-rated Originals and Audie winners to short thrillers, audio-first romances and full-cast classics.

By Peter Clemens · Originally published February 2024 · Updated November 2026

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If you only listen to three

Not sure where to start? Try one of these.

  1. Impact WinterA full-cast Audible Original series with a 4.6 rating from more than 33,000 listeners.
    See it ↓
  2. Tell Her StoryA short cold-case thriller with Dakota Fanning, rated 4.5 by more than 28,000 listeners.
    See it ↓
  3. George Orwell’s 1984A full-cast adaptation with Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo and Tom Hardy.
    See it ↓
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Cover of the Treasure Island audiobook by Robert Louis Stevenson
Most-rated Original

Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson
Read by Philip Glenister, Daniel Mays, Catherine Tate, Owen Teale & full castLength 6h 23m

A full-cast adaptation of the classic tale of pirates, lost treasure maps and mutiny. It has more than 37,000 ratings, more than any other Original I found, and a 4.4 rating.

Cover of the Impact Winter audiobook by Travis Beacham
Audible Original series

Impact Winter

by Travis Beacham
Read by Full castLength 4h 55m

It is seven years since a comet blotted out the sun, and survivors have formed a resistance in the fallout shelter of a medieval castle in the British countryside. The writer of Pacific Rim made it with a British cast, and it has a 4.6 rating from more than 33,000 listeners.

Cover of the The Man on the Mountaintop audiobook by Susan Trott
Audie winner

The Man on the Mountaintop

by Susan Trott
Read by Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Clare Corbett & full castLength 5h 45m

Holy Man Joe lives in a hermitage on a mountaintop while thousands of hopefuls line the path to his door seeking wisdom. It won a 2019 Audie for Faith-Based Fiction and Nonfiction and has a 4.4 rating from more than 31,000 listeners.

Cover of the Tell Her Story audiobook by Margot Hunt
Short thriller

Tell Her Story

by Margot Hunt
Read by Dakota Fanning & castLength 2h 52m

A young podcaster investigates a cold case in her hometown of Shoreham, Florida, determined to uncover the truth at any cost. It has a 4.5 rating from more than 28,000 listeners.

Cover of the Sweet Talk audiobook by Cara Bastone
Audio-first romance

Sweet Talk

by Cara Bastone
Read by Lidia Dornet & Chris BrinkleyLength 5h 42m

A funny romantic comedy by Audie nominee Cara Bastone, scripted exclusively for audio. It has a 4.7 rating from nearly 26,000 listeners.

Star-Studded Classics and Adaptations

Famous stories re-recorded with film and TV actors.

Cover of the George Orwell’s 1984 audiobook by George Orwell
Dramatized classic

George Orwell’s 1984

by George Orwell
Read by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy & full castLength 3h 27m

A full-cast adaptation of Orwell’s novel told through Winston Smith in Airstrip One, where Big Brother is always watching. It has a 4.7 rating from more than 16,000 listeners.

Cover of the Little Women audiobook by Louisa May Alcott
Laura Dern leads

Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott
Read by Laura Dern, Emily Bauer, Lauren Fortgang & castLength 12h 15m

Laura Dern breathes new life into Alcott’s coming-of-age story of the four March sisters against the backdrop of the American Civil War. It has a 4.7 rating.

Cover of the The Jane Austen Collection audiobook by Jane Austen
Longest on the list

The Jane Austen Collection

by Jane Austen
Read by Claire Foy, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Billie Piper & full castsLength 45h

A collection of Austen productions that begins with Sense and Sensibility, narrated by Gugu Mbatha-Raw. It runs about 45 hours and has a 4.8 rating.

Cover of the Carmilla audiobook by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Audie finalist

Carmilla

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Read by Phoebe Fox, Rose Leslie, David Tennant & David HorovitchLength 2h 22m

A full-cast adaptation of Le Fanu’s gothic vampire novella, starring Rose Leslie and David Tennant. It was a finalist for the 2016 Audie Awards and has more than 24,000 ratings.

Cover of the Emma audiobook by Jane Austen
Emma Thompson narrates

Emma

by Jane Austen
Read by Emma Thompson, Joanne Froggatt, Isabella Inchbald & castLength 8h 21m

Austen’s Emma narrated by Emma Thompson, with a full supporting cast and Isabella Inchbald in the title role. It has a 4.5 rating from nearly 22,000 listeners.

Short Thrillers and Mysteries

Quick, twisty listens, most under three hours.

Cover of the The Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery audiobook by John Mankiewicz & others
2026 Audie winner

The Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery

by John Mankiewicz & others
Read by Jon Hamm, Ana de la Reguera, Alia Shawkat, Omar Epps & castLength 4h 21m

Jon Hamm plays private eye Jack Bergin, who investigates a murder against the backdrop of the real-life battle to bring the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles. It won a 2026 Audie for Best Adaptation/Original Work.

Cover of the The House on the Water audiobook by Margot Hunt
Locked-circle thriller

The House on the Water

by Margot Hunt
Read by Taylor SchillingLength 2h 47m

A summer vacation turns deadly, and a group of friends is trapped together until they can work out which of them is capable of murder. It has a 4.3 rating from nearly 19,000 listeners.

Cover of the Yard Work audiobook by David Koepp
Kevin Bacon reads

Yard Work

by David Koepp
Read by Kevin BaconLength 1h 54m

Judge Herman Calvert, 88, never thought he would outlive his wife, and now he is a grieving widower desperate for escape. It has a 4.5 rating from more than 6,000 listeners.

Cover of the The Getaway audiobook by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Short thriller

The Getaway

by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Read by Kate MaraLength 2h 12m

A short thriller from two New York Times best-selling authors in which a young woman’s dream getaway becomes her worst nightmare. It has a 4.3 rating.

Cover of the Dear Seraphina audiobook by Avery Bishop
Psychological suspense

Dear Seraphina

by Avery Bishop
Read by Therese Plummer & Jay SnyderLength 1h 33m

A novella of psychological suspense about a glamorous young actress and an obsessed fan. It has a 4.5 rating from nearly 2,900 listeners.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror

Short stories, creature features and Weird Westerns.

Cover of the The Dispatcher audiobook by John Scalzi
2017 Audie winner

The Dispatcher

by John Scalzi
Read by Zachary QuintoLength 2h 18m

In this novella, murder is nearly impossible because victims return to life, and Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher. It won the 2017 Audie for Original Work and has more than 85,000 ratings.

Cover of the Feedback audiobook by Dennis E. Taylor
Shortest on the list

Feedback

by Dennis E. Taylor
Read by Ray PorterLength 32m

A team of scientists tries to rewrite history, and the present turns out to have an ending they did not see coming. It is a short story from Bobiverse author Dennis E. Taylor, with a 4.5 rating.

Cover of the Alien: River of Pain audiobook by Christopher Golden & Dirk Maggs
Alien audio drama

Alien: River of Pain

by Christopher Golden & Dirk Maggs
Read by Anna Friel, Philip Glenister, Colin Salmon & castLength 4h 52m

Ripley learns that LV-426, where the crew of the Nostromo first met the xenomorphs, has been renamed Acheron, and colonists are terraforming it. It has a 4.5 rating from nearly 9,600 listeners.

Cover of the The Werewolf’s 15 Minutes audiobook by Jonathan Maberry
Funny horror

The Werewolf’s 15 Minutes

by Jonathan Maberry
Read by Ray Porter & Dina PearlmanLength 1h 42m

Gary Bruce is a slacker with no direction, and also a werewolf. Desperate for success, he outs himself on YouTube. It has a 4.5 rating.

Cover of the Dead Acre audiobook by Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle
Weird Western

Dead Acre

by Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle
Read by Roger ClarkLength 3h 24m

Described as The Witcher meets The Dresden Files, with a performance by Roger Clark, the voice of Red Dead Redemption 2’s Arthur Morgan. It has a 4.6 rating from nearly 6,600 listeners.

Romance and Rom-Coms for Audio

Short, sweet romances written to be heard.

Cover of the Call Me Maybe audiobook by Cara Bastone
Made for audio

Call Me Maybe

by Cara Bastone
Read by Luci Christian & Neil HellegersLength 5h 55m

A laugh-out-loud rom-com created specifically for audio, which begins with three hours on hold with customer service. It has a 4.7 rating from more than 29,000 listeners.

Cover of the Bridesmates audiobook by Sydney Smyth
Audio-first novella

Bridesmates

by Sydney Smyth
Read by Teddy HamiltonLength 1h 39m

A short, sweet novella that is an audio-first nod to a beloved rom-com, in which Cooper Evans returns to Big Rock, Montana, after being dumped. It has a 4.5 rating.

Cover of the What the Hex audiobook by Alexis Daria
Magical rom-com

What the Hex

by Alexis Daria
Read by Jacqueline Grace LopezLength 2h 45m

Catalina Cartagena returns to Isla Bruja, a secret magical enclave near Miami, for her sister’s wedding. It has a 4.2 rating.

Cover of the The Set Up audiobook by Falguni Kothari
Rom-com novella

The Set Up

by Falguni Kothari
Read by Soneela Nankani & Vikas AdamLength 1h 54m

A heartfelt rom-com novella about a perfect disaster, or a perfect match. It has a 4.4 rating from more than 4,000 listeners.

Cover of the The Best Worst Christmas audiobook by Kate Forster
Holiday romance

The Best Worst Christmas

by Kate Forster
Read by Rachael TiddLength 4h 29m

Lily returns from Australia for Christmas in a gossipy English village and finds her mother dating the father of the ex-boyfriend she fled. It has a 4.4 rating from more than 7,000 listeners.

Longer Dramas and Nonfiction

Full-length productions and audio documentaries.

Cover of the Alien: Sea of Sorrows audiobook by James A. Moore & Dirk Maggs
Alien audio drama

Alien: Sea of Sorrows

by James A. Moore & Dirk Maggs
Read by John Chancer, Stockard Channing, Walles Hamonde & castLength 5h 7m

Set 300 years later, it deals with the rediscovery of dormant xenomorphs in the abandoned mines of the planetoid LV-178, now called New Galveston. It has a 4.6 rating.

Cover of the Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason audiobook by George Mann & Cavan Scott
Full-cast mystery

Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason

by George Mann & Cavan Scott
Read by Nicholas Boulton, Frances Jeater, Don Gilet, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith & castLength 8h

Holmes and Watson uncover a plot to kidnap Queen Victoria and destabilise the British Empire. It has a 4.5 rating.

Cover of the American Kill Switch audiobook by John Birmingham
Longest single story

American Kill Switch

by John Birmingham
Read by Rupert DegasLength 15h 44m

The final installment of a prescient epic of civilization collapse that began with a cyberwar, as survivors face the rise of a fascist militia. It has a 4.7 rating.

Cover of the The Space Race audiobook by Colin Brake & others
Documentary drama

The Space Race

by Colin Brake & others
Read by Kate MulgrewLength 9h 12m

A documentary-drama series made for the 50th anniversary of the 1969 moon landing. It won the Gold Science & Technology trophy at the 2020 New York Festivals Radio Awards.

Cover of the Strong Ending audiobook by Audible Originals
True stories

Strong Ending

by Audible Originals
Read by Mary-Louise ParkerLength 1h 16m

A heartfelt Audible Original that follows three military veterans as they turn their most painful memories into comedy. It has a 4.3 rating from nearly 8,800 listeners.

Audible Originals: common questions

What are Audible Originals?

Audiobooks and audio productions created for Audible. Many are audio-first, scripted for the format, and performed by well-known actors, often with full casts and sound design.

What are the best Audible Originals?

Impact Winter, Tell Her Story and George Orwell’s 1984 are three good places to start. Treasure Island has the most ratings of any Original I found, with more than 37,000.

Which Audible Originals have won Audie Awards?

The Dispatcher won Original Work in 2017, The Man on the Mountaintop won Faith-Based Fiction and Nonfiction in 2019 and The Big Fix won Best Adaptation/Original Work in 2026. Carmilla was a 2016 finalist.

What are the shortest and longest Originals on this list?

Feedback is the shortest at 32 minutes. The Jane Austen Collection is the longest at about 45 hours, and American Kill Switch is the longest single story at about 15 hours 44 minutes.

Are Audible Originals included with a membership?

Audible’s help page says the Plus Catalog includes audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals, but what is included rotates and depends on your plan. Check the title’s page before you buy, and see my best audiobook deals for current offers.

Where can I find more audiobook recommendations?

My best thriller, best romance and best sci-fi audiobooks on Audible lists cover more, and my best full cast audiobooks list is a good next stop.

More Audiobook Recommendations

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