Vienna, 1911: a mad scientist, the painter Gustav Klimt and an undead woman set off on a darkly funny journey of self-discovery. Wells voices a big cast with a wide range of accents, and the audiobook won the 2026 Audie for Fantasy.

A prequel to Legends & Lattes. An injury sidelines battle-hardened orc Viv, and she recovers in the seaside town of Murk, where she is drawn into the life of its bookshop. The author reads it himself, and it won the 2025 Audie for Fantasy.

Two sisters live in Thistleford, a small town on the edge of Faerie, beside the river Liss. It is the solo debut of Hugo Award winner Amal El-Mohtar and won 2026 Audies for Best New Voice and for Production & Sound Design. At under four hours, it is a quick listen.

A vampire story that follows three women, Sabine, Alice and Lottie, across centuries. Each is voiced by a different narrator, and AudioFile praised how well the three voices suit the characters. It was a 2026 Audie finalist for Fantasy.

A young fugitive hides inside the elite Catenan Academy and starts to uncover layered mysteries in a Roman-inspired republic. It has a 4.8 rating from more than 14,000 listeners and was on Audible’s list of the best fantasy of 2023.

The first volume of The Lord of the Rings, read by Rob Inglis, who also sings the songs. It has a 4.8 rating from more than 67,000 listeners, and listeners often single out his handling of the many voices.

A single self-contained novel set in the Cosmere. In this world each person is born with one Breath, which can be sold, collected and used for magic. It is a good way into Sanderson without committing to a long series.

The first book of Legends of the First Empire, from the author of the Riyria books. Tim Gerard Reynolds reads it, and it has a 4.6 rating from more than 16,000 listeners.

The start of the Runelords series, set in a world where people trade “endowments” such as stamina, grace and wit. Those who receive them become Runelords, superhuman in exchange for the responsibility of protecting their vassals. Ray Porter narrates.

Kvothe is a legend, and the tales told about him often contradict each other. Here he tells his own story. It has a 4.7 rating from more than 109,000 listeners, and Nick Podehl’s narration is a big part of why.

High fantasy meets coffeehouse culture: an orc who is done with adventuring opens a coffee shop. The author reads it, and it has a 4.7 rating from more than 7,800 listeners.

An isolated witch gets the chance to join a quirky new family, and a new love, in an enchanted setting. Emily Henry called it one of her coziest reads of the year. It has a 4.6 rating from nearly 10,000 listeners.

Kiela the librarian and her assistant, Caz the sentient spider plant, run a small business in illegal spellmaking. It is a cottagecore story full of stolen spellbooks, sweet jams and a love story.

Stephen is a broken paladin whose god died three years ago. When he meets a fugitive named Grace and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong, the two get pulled into a web of treachery.

The novel behind Miyazaki’s animated film, and quite different from it. It has a 4.7 rating from more than 14,000 listeners, and it is a good pick if you want something gentle and funny.

A dragon-rider war college where the stakes are deadly. It has a 4.7 rating from more than 58,000 listeners, and the two narrators split the story between them.

Saeris Fane lives in an unforgiving desert, keeps her strange powers secret and picks pockets to survive. Then she is told not to touch the sword, turn the key or open the gate. It has a 4.7 rating from more than 45,000 listeners.

The 10th anniversary recording of the book that started the series, newly narrated by Elizabeth Evans, whom Maas handpicked. It has a 4.7 rating.

Moirin comes from the Maghuin Dhonn, the oldest tribe in Alba, whose great magic is long gone. This is a long, historical-style fantasy romance with a lot to sink into.

Anthropologist Jillian Ramsay works for a league that tries to keep mythological creatures hidden from technology. It is a short, funny and steamy listen with a 4.6 rating from more than 22,000 listeners.

The Emperor needs necromancers, and the Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman. Gideon has a sword, no patience for undead nonsense, and a solar system of swordplay and cutthroat politics ahead of her. It has a 4.6 rating.

The city of Bulikov once used the power of its gods to conquer the world. Now those gods are dead, and its buried history is still dangerous. An atmospheric novel of intrigue and a shifting city.

A science-fantasy classic that won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. A healer called Snake travels a blasted landscape with her three serpents, on a dangerous quest to reclaim her powers.

Kell is one of the last Antari, magicians who can travel between parallel Londons: Red, Grey, White and, once upon a time, Black. This is the first book in the Shades of Magic series.

A lake monster named Jenny Greenteeth saves a witch, Temperance, who has been thrown into her lake. The story is told by the monster herself. It has a 4.7 rating and was one of Audible’s best sci-fi and fantasy listens of 2025.

Adam Binder has the Sight, a power that runs in his bloodline and lets him see into a realm of elves, gnomes and spirits. Not all magicians go to schools of magic. It has a 4.4 rating from more than 7,000 listeners.

Harry Dresden is a professional wizard with an office in Chicago, listed in the yellow pages under Wizards. The first Dresden Files book has a 4.5 rating from more than 57,000 listeners.

Probationary constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. After a puzzling murder, he gets pulled toward the part of the force that deals with magic.

Twenty years after dragons took over Earth, washed-up actress Birdie Binkowitz works at her father’s Seed and Feed in Tuscaloosa. Then a dragon shows up asking for her help. It has a 4.4 rating.

An Audible Original from the writer of Pacific Rim, with a British cast. The sun went dark after the impact and the firestorms, and something has been waiting. It has a 4.6 rating from more than 33,000 listeners.