Jim Dale gives every wizard, giant and Hogwarts teacher a voice of their own, and his recordings are the ones most American listeners grew up with. Seven books follow Harry from the cupboard under the stairs to the final battle, and the story grows up along with its readers. Rated 5 on Audible.

The books behind Game of Thrones, with noble houses scheming over a throne while a much older threat gathers in the north. Roy Dotrice’s performance is the one fans know, and it has plenty of characters to keep straight. It is violent and very long, so settle in. Rated 5 on Audible.

A world of constant highstorms, a soldier turned slave, a scholar chasing a forgotten history and a war that keeps changing shape. Sanderson has planned a ten-book saga, and the first volume alone is a long commitment. Kramer and Kate Reading split the performance. Rated 5 on Audible.

A crew of thieves plans to bring down an immortal ruler in a world where ash falls from the sky and a few people can burn metals for magic. It is a heist story inside an epic fantasy, and a popular place to start with Sanderson. Michael Kramer narrates. Rated 5 on Audible.

Five young villagers are pulled out of their quiet home by a prophecy, and the journey grows into a 14-book epic. Kramer and Kate Reading’s recording is the long-running classic, and Rosamund Pike has recorded a newer version of this first book. Rated 5 on Audible.

A war orphan wins a place at an elite military academy, then finds out what the fighting costs. Kuang drew on 20th-century Chinese history for the trilogy, and Emily Woo Zeller narrates all three books. It gets very dark, with graphic violence. Rated 4 on Audible.

Pratchett’s long-running satire opens with a failed wizard and the world’s first tourist. The books fall into loose sub-series, so you can jump in at several points, and this recording shares the reading between Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy. Rated 4 on Audible.

It begins as a detective story on a station and grows into a conflict across the solar system, with humanity’s factions pulling it apart. The nine novels are complete, and Jefferson Mays reads the first. Rated 5 on Audible.

A Martian miner infiltrates the ruling caste of a brutal color-coded society and is thrown into a deadly game of war. Tim Gerard Reynolds narrates the series, and many listeners go straight from one book to the next. Rated 5 on Audible.

Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat are pulled into a deadly game-show dungeon after the world ends. It is funny, gory and sweary, and Jeff Hays’s performance is a big part of why listeners binge it. Rated 5 on Audible.

A software engineer wakes up as the AI of a space probe and starts copying himself across the galaxy. It is clever, warm and often funny, and Ray Porter’s narration is a big reason it works so well in audio. Rated 5 on Audible.

Murderbot is a security android that has hacked its own controls and would mostly rather watch TV than protect the humans it works for. The first story runs just over three hours, so it is a quick way to find out if you like it. Rated 4 on Audible.

The Earth is demolished to make way for a bypass, and one man hitches a ride off the planet. Stephen Fry reads Adams’s classic, which the author called a trilogy in five parts. It is short and quotable. Rated 5 on Audible.

A hard-SF first-contact story that begins in China’s Cultural Revolution and reaches across space and time. Luke Daniels reads Ken Liu’s translation. The trilogy is complete and gets bigger with each book. Rated 4 on Audible.

Four retirees in a comfortable village meet each week to work on cold cases, until a real murder lands on their doorstep. It is warm and funny, and Lesley Manville gives each of them a distinct voice. Rated 4 on Audible.

A drifter steps off a bus in a small Georgia town and is arrested for a murder he did not commit. The books mostly stand alone, which makes the series easy to dip into, and Killing Floor is where it starts. Rated 4 on Audible.

Texas Ranger Darren Mathews investigates two murders in a divided East Texas town. J.D. Jackson’s narration carries the heat and tension. The story continues in Heaven, My Home. Rated 4 on Audible.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called to a small Quebec village after a beloved resident is found dead in the woods. It is a gentle setting for a series that grows more emotional as it goes.

A laid-off lingerie buyer becomes a bounty hunter in New Jersey and goes after her ex. It is fast, silly and a good fit for Lorelei King’s comic timing, and there are dozens of books to follow.

A war veteran turned private detective takes on the case of a model’s apparent suicide, with a new temp, Robin, who becomes his partner. Written by J.K. Rowling under a pen name, and read by Robert Glenister. Rated 4 on Audible.

A tea monk meets a robot, and together they ask what people actually need. It is quiet and hopeful, and it runs just over four hours. The story continues in A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. Rated 4 on Audible.

A World War II nurse touches a standing stone in the Scottish Highlands and wakes up in 1743. Davina Porter’s narration has carried the series for years, and the books only get longer from here. Rated 5 on Audible.

Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place in a televised fight to the death. Tatiana Maslany narrates the trilogy, and Collins has since added prequels. It is aimed at teens but holds up for adults. Rated 5 on Audible.

Precious Ramotswe opens Botswana’s first female-run detective agency and takes on cases with kindness and common sense. Lisette Lecat’s narration suits the unhurried pace of this long-running series. Rated 4 on Audible.

A twelve-year-old learns he is the son of a Greek god and is sent to a camp for young demigods. It is funny and fast, and a good family listen. Jesse Bernstein narrates. Rated 5 on Audible.