Audio books have evolved considerably from the days of a dry narrator reading in monotone a well known public domain novel.
Now, through services such as Audible which make finding and listening easier than ever and through producers like Graphic Audio (which utilizes full casts, music and sound effects; marketing themselves as A Movie For Your Mind), audio books are more available, engaging and entertaining than ever.
After the jump check out 5 books you might want to check out this summer and why we’re picking them.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past by Alex Irvine
In a dark and dangerous post-apocalyptic future, the mutant-hunting killing machines known as the Sentinels rule America with an iron fist. Almost all mutants, Super Heroes and villains have been exterminated. Only a handful remain to fight against their oppressive robotic overseers -and most of those are powerless, locked in mutant concentration camps. Now, Kate Pryde must travel back in time and warn the present-day X-Men of the coming danger – and hopefully prevent this horrible future from ever taking place! Experience the classic, genre-defining X-Men event like never before in this new adaptation!
Why It’s On The List: This is the first of three GraphicAudio releases on the list. Based on Alex Irvine’s novelization of the classic comic storyline by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Days of Future Past tells the parallel story of a dystopic future and an attempt by time traveler Kate Pryde into her younger Kitty Pryde body to prevent the horrible timeline that she came from. For people who only know the X-Men and the storyline from the feature film of the same title, this is a very different story and features the classic team of characters that include Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, and Nightcrawler.
Armada by Ernest Cline
Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe. And then he sees the flying saucer.Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders. No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.
It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?
Why It’s On The List: There’s no question that Cline’s follow-up to his fantastic Ready Player One suffers a bit from a sophomore slump, but listening to the audio book was actually a fair bit more entertaining than reading the book itself. Narrated by Wil Wheaton (who also read RPO), Armada unfortunately feels a bit too derivative and the pop culture references too frequent for the book to carve an identity of it’s own. Wheaton’s engaging delivery makes the journey worth taking.
Avengers: Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Dan Abnett
The Mighty Avengers face an array of their greatest foes-all at once! In Berlin, Captain America battles the forces of Hydra. In the Savage Land, Hawkeye and the Black Widow attempt to foil A.I.M. In Washington, Iron Man fights to stop Ultron. In Siberia, Thor takes on an entire army. And in Mangapore, Bruce Banner and Nick Fury battle the High Evolutionary. Only one thing is certain: This isn’t a coincidence. But what larger, deadlier threat lies behind these simultaneous attacks on Earth?
Why It’s On The List: Pure comic book geeky bliss. This adaptation of Dan Abnett’s original prose novel is presented as a full cast performance. Utilizing the same characters as those in the summer Age of Ultron film squaring off against some of Marvel’s most greatest villains, Everybody Wants to Rule The World is a fantastic opportunity to revisit your favorite characters as they’re brought to life in this tremendously entertaining audio adventure.
The Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker
The Scarlet Gospels takes listeners back many years to the early days of two of Barker’s
most iconic characters in a battle of good and evil as old as time: The
long-beleaguered detective Harry D’Amour, investigator of all
supernatural, magical, and malevolent crimes faces off against his
formidable, and intensely evil rival, Pinhead, the priest of hell.
Barker devotees have been waiting for THE The Scarlet Gospels with baited
breath for years, and it’s everything they’ve begged for and more.
Bloody, terrifying, and brilliantly complex, fans and newcomers alike
will not be disappointed by the epic, visionary tale that is The Scarlet Gospels. Barker’s horror will make your worst nightmares seem like
bedtime stories. The Gospels are coming. Are you ready?
Why It’s On The List: Not only is Clive Barker back with a new book, but it features two of his most iconic characters, Harry D’Amour and Pinhead. Plus, the amazing John Lee narrates it impeccably, utilizing various accents and voices to make the book truly come alive. A brilliant reading of a long awaited meeting of characters.
Ant-Man: Natural Enemy by Jason Starr
GraphicAudio brings the adventures of everyone’s favorite bug-sized hero to life. Ex-con Scott Lang has a busy life: being a single dad, dating, and starting a new job in New York would wear out any guy… Did we mention he’s also the super hero Ant-Man? Scott has risen from petty criminal to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man, but now he must deal with a ghost from his criminal past.
Will Scott be able to protect himself and his daughter from a criminal who will stop at nothing to exact a terrible vengeance against the man who sent him to jail?
Why It’s On The List: If you enjoyed the recently released Ant-Man movie, this new tale of Scott Lang is sure to entertain. Written by Jason Starr, a crime novelist who has also written some comics, Natural Enemy features a full cast in this thoroughly entertaining adventure.
