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Narrators you don't like?
John wrote: "I'm listening to Frederick Davidson (a/k/a David Case) read a book these days as it happens - Flo Gibson is ... an acquired taste."Oooooo, I tried to listen to David Case narrating a Dick Francis book last year......oooo icky poo poo......
I rather like him (usually), then again I keep hearing about Scott Brick and Jim Dale, and can't imagine listening to anything they read. My $.02 is that this isn't the most constructive thread.
So far, Scott Brick is the only narrator who I could actually identify in this way. Usually, I'm pretty good at picking a book I'm going to like, or I've already read it, so even if the narrator's not so great, the book itself will win out. But Scott Brick is a test, man. That guy, he WHINES all the time. The worst was when I listened to A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson and I had to power through Brick just to get through a book that I was digging--and then the ending of the book was terrible! All that suffering through Brick's blubbering was for nothing! Matheson was not at the top of his game and Brick put the nail in. And not in a good way. Ugh.
Phil Gigante's narration of Terry Brooks series Genesis of Shannara was awful. His expressiveness was so false I couldn't stand it.
John wrote: "I rather like him (usually), then again I keep hearing about Scott Brick and Jim Dale, and can't imagine listening to anything they read. My $.02 is that this isn't the most constructive thread."I got an email from Blackstone's Downpour audiobook website offering me the Frederick Davidson narration of Les Miserables for $9.95 through 3/13.
Audible has the same version for $5.95, and a version read by George Guidall for $25+ or a credit. I know you've listened and liked Davidson (David Case) in some 19th century things; have you listened to his Les Mis? I have to admit 50+ hours of listening for $6 is tempting.
I am listening to A Storm of Swords from the Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series and having trouble enjoying a series I liked reading, because of the narrator. It is almost 50 hours long, so I had hoped for a nice long enjoyable listen. Instead I am cringing listening to some of my favourite characters with the speaking voices he has given the people of Westeros.Alternately, Iain Glen (the actor who plays Jorah Mormont on the HBO series) has narrated a different George RR Martin book. I might have to listen to it no matter what, as that man has a dreamy voice and could make reading the phone book sound interesting.
Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Phil Gigante's narration of Terry Brooks series Genesis of Shannara was awful. His expressiveness was so false I couldn't stand it."For me, Phil Gigante tends to put emphasis in the wrong places, especially when he reads dialogue. I think that's the reason it rings false for me. His male voices are good (if you disregard the aforementioned issue), but his female voices drive me up the wall.
Sara ♥ wrote: "Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Phil Gigante's narration of Terry Brooks series Genesis of Shannara was awful. His expressiveness was so false I couldn't stand it."For me, Phil Gigante tends to put emph..."
Maybe that's the problem. It's been a long time so I don't remember. All I remember is it sounded like an amateur actor reading a part in a play.
Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Maybe that's the problem. It's been a long time so I don't remember. All I remember is it sounded like an amateur actor reading a part in a play."Yeah, I just listened to nine books he narrated a 2-3 months ago, so it's pretty fresh! (The Highlander series and Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.)
It reminded me of when my husband took a required upper-level English class in college... the poetry section when he had to figure out the rhythm/meter of different poems. (In case you don't know/remember...) You're supposed to read the lines naturally and see where the natural emphases are. *snorts* He was like, "The UMbrella is on THE ground." Holy Robot, Batman! It was HILARIOUS! Suffice it to say, I had to help him quite a lot. He has a hard time speaking naturally on command. When he takes those What's-My-Accent quizzes, he always gets New York even though he doesn't have an accent at all... yeah. Hilarious.
Anyway, apparently our buddy Phil needs my help, too... Although, in the seven Highlander books, he was narrating the entire book. In the last two Fever books, he was ONLY doing the male voices, and that was MUCH better.
John wrote: "I rather like him (usually), then again I keep hearing about Scott Brick and Jim Dale, and can't imagine listening to anything they read. My $.02 is that this isn't the most constructive thread."Constructive? Maybe not. After all, different strokes for different folks. But I for one was super glad to have the opportunity to vent one time, just for fun. After all, I'm probably never going to meet the guy (Scott Brick) and don't really have anything against him personally, but I do have my moments when I just need to bitch. And this provided that for me. You can talk to anybody about movies or music you don't like or when your favorite sports team goes south. But if you want to complain about your audio book, that takes a special breed. Thanks, people, for giving me someplace to get it off my chest!
Bobby wrote: "After all, I'm probably never going to meet the guy (Scott Brick) and don't really have anything against him personally"At an audio forum elsewhere, some folks made comments similar to yours, and Scott popped in to let folks know he'd read them.
CatBookMom: "Les Mis" is a title that you probably couldn't pay me enough to try - sorry!
I loved Jim Dale when I listened to the HP books.
Well, there you go. He's not the first guy to hear someone didn't like his work. At an audio forum elsewhere, some folks made comments similar..."
Bobby wrote: "Well, there you go. He's not the first guy to hear someone didn't like his work.
At an audio forum elsewhere, some folks made comments similar...""
LOL, This reminds me of an argument that I just had with my nine-year old. She had recently received a slip of paper that indicated that she hadn't turned in her homework (I had to sign and return the slip in acknowledgement.) Her defense was that other kids got "lots more slips." I pointed out that I expected better from her!
John, I expect that no matter what you do to mitigate the vitriol, it will seep out somehow. Just keep in mind, that the narrators who do check in on these kinds of threads for the most part they take it all with a grain of salt. Without constructive criticism, rants generally reflect more on the ranter than on the narrator and are dismissed.
One of my favorite all-time audiobooks was narrated by Scott Brick! In Cold Blood was an incredibly well-narrated book. Delivered with reporter-like neutrality and accents when appropriate (but never over the top), the story was compelling to listen to. Was it perfect? No: there were a couple of noticable launching aspirations and I thought the overall sound quality was lacking in bass, but Scott Brick's ability to keep the listener hooked even though the listener knows what happened from the start is no mean feet!
At an audio forum elsewhere, some folks made comments similar...""
LOL, This reminds me of an argument that I just had with my nine-year old. She had recently received a slip of paper that indicated that she hadn't turned in her homework (I had to sign and return the slip in acknowledgement.) Her defense was that other kids got "lots more slips." I pointed out that I expected better from her!
John, I expect that no matter what you do to mitigate the vitriol, it will seep out somehow. Just keep in mind, that the narrators who do check in on these kinds of threads for the most part they take it all with a grain of salt. Without constructive criticism, rants generally reflect more on the ranter than on the narrator and are dismissed.
One of my favorite all-time audiobooks was narrated by Scott Brick! In Cold Blood was an incredibly well-narrated book. Delivered with reporter-like neutrality and accents when appropriate (but never over the top), the story was compelling to listen to. Was it perfect? No: there were a couple of noticable launching aspirations and I thought the overall sound quality was lacking in bass, but Scott Brick's ability to keep the listener hooked even though the listener knows what happened from the start is no mean feet!
Well, seeing as how the name of the thread is "Narrators you don't like" it seems like if you're looking to avoid the "vitriol" (sheesh) you went to the wrong place. Sorry I picked a guy you dig. He makes me switch CDs.
There are other folks who aren't fans of his either, Bobby. I'm sure that you like a narrator or two who don't do much for me. For what it's worth, I once reviewed a book that I disliked mentioning that I didn't care for either the plot or narration, and that reader is a regular contributor here (with lots of fans). That's how it goes.
John wrote: "There are other folks who aren't fans of his either, Bobby. I'm sure that you like a narrator or two who don't do much for me. For what it's worth, I once reviewed a book that I disliked mentioning..."And honestly, it hurts me too. When other people don't like something I love, it's painful. I just recently found out there were people in the world who DID NOT think Dune was the greatest science fiction book ever written -- and they came out with all kinds of reasons why it was not! I was hurt and flabbergasted!
Tanya/dog eared copy wrote: "One of my favorite all-time audiobooks was narrated by Scott Brick! In Cold Blood was an incredibly well-narrated book. Delivered with reporter-like neutrality and accents when appropriate (but never over the top), the story was compelling to listen to. Was it perfect? No: there were a couple of noticable launching aspirations and I thought the overall sound quality was lacking in bass, but Scott Brick's ability to keep the listener hooked even though the listener knows what happened from the start is no mean feet!"A perfect example of why it's SO IMPORTANT to match the right voice with the right book.
I think we can all agree that every narrator on earth is excellent....when compared to Casey Affleck. I make no apologies for this opinion.Are we too mature for the "My favorite narrator (Oliver Wyman) can kick your favorite narrator's ass" argument?
lol
As in Ben Affleck's less-talented younger brother/actor?I've never heard Oliver Wyman, but I have one of his on my to-listen-to shelf. What's your favorite by him?
(Susan Ericksen is UN-ASS-KICKABLE!!!)
Sara ♥ wrote: "As in Ben Affleck's less-talented younger brother/actor?I've never heard Oliver Wyman..."
Yes, he's the younger Affleck. He did a terrible job with Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History, but it was a really good story so I struggled through. When it was finished I wiped the blood from my ears and said "never again Affleck, never again".
Oliver Wyman's best...look past the name, is the Monster Hunter International series.
Who the heck am I to judge by a cover???? (Please don't go look at my bookshelves!) I'll add it to my to-read list!
I would like to think it is the timber of voice or too much swallowing or too much bravado that I might comment about BUT sometimes it is a long lost memory that influences our decisions of today.I don't want to take aim on a narrator that has been hired to "do a job" I would assume the "boss" has already rated the narration.
I would much rather tell you about a "job well done".
If the thread continues with specific comments, such as "She seems to rush through the books as though there were an early completion bonus!" or "He ought to think twice about accepting books requiring foreign accents," I'm fine with it.
Well, I'm a huge fan of Jim Dale for Harry Potter but have a hard time listening to him for anything else.I'm the opposite of what others have said with CJ Critt v. Lorelei King. Prefer her on the Stephanie Plum and now the Mercy Thompson and Charlie Davidson series.
Really have not enjoyed the Emily Durante books I've listened to. There were a couple of her later ones (Allie Beckstrom) that weren't as bad as some of her others but she totally ruined some of my favorite books by C L Wilson that I am not sure I will ever forgive her for.
I loved Kate Reading reading The Host and J. Butcher's Codex Alera series - maybe that is just me.
Just listened to sample of one of my fave erotic romance series (Lauren Dane - Brown Sibling series) read by Lucy Rivers and I want to pop my ear drums instead of settling in and loving an audio for this series. (I'm a bit viscous about this narrator pairing of one of my fave series).
Vic wrote: "I loved Kate Reading reading The Host and J. Butcher's Codex Alera series - maybe that is just me."I liked her reading of The Host, too. And Pride & Prejudice. I didn't know she read the Codex Alera series! My hubby's been bugging me to read that one! AND they're all available as eAudiobook downloads from the library! Score!
Yes, loved her reading of Pride and Prejudice as well. You can't go wrong with Jim Butcher - I loved the Codex Alera series!
Unfortunately, it's true, as much as I hate to admit it sometimes a particular narrator can make or break a book. For the most part I've been pretty lucky with my listening choices. There has been a few times where a narrator will annoy me, but a lot of times I find myself growing acustomed to their style and flow as the book goes on. This is especially true in a series. A lot of times by book two or three I'm used to a voice that I found terrible in the beginning. I also agree with earlier comments that most are good in their own way, sometimes just not for the specific book they've been hired to narrate. In that case however, I feel that's more against the one doing the hiring. They should know the book they're trying to get produced backwards and forwards. That way when they're weeding through narrator samples, they can choose the perfect narrator for that book. Sometimes a narrator isn't good for one book, but fabulous in another.
Vic wrote: "Well, I'm a huge fan of Jim Dale for Harry Potter but have a hard time listening to him for anything else.I'm the opposite of what others have said with CJ Critt v. Lorelei King. Prefer her on t..."
I agree with you about Kate Reading in The Host. I have heard there is more than one book in that series. Not sure if this is ture, but if it is I wish they were on Audible. I was intimidated by the book at first because it's not my usual choice. Once I got a few chapters in though, I was invested and couldn't wait to see what happened.
Nicole wrote: "I agree with you about Kate Reading in The Host. I have heard there is more than one book in that series. Not sure if this is ture, but if it is I wish they were on Audible. I was intimidated by the book at first because it's not my usual choice. Once I got a few chapters in though, I was invested and couldn't wait to see what happened. "No worries, Nicole! I just saw something LAST WEEK that said that Stephenie Meyer confirmed that she's working on the sequel. I understand it's supposed to be a trilogy in the end, but book two hasn't even been written, let alone published, so you're not missing out on anything yet!
Sorry to be nit-picking, but could a mod please correct the spelling in the thread title? Back to audiobooks:
Tantor has added more books, mostly non-fiction, to their $6.99 offers. There are some interesting ones, including Digging for the TruthDigging for the Truth: One Man's Epic Adventure Exploring the World's Greatest Archaeological Mysteries; a couple of the Vatta's War books from Elizabeth Moon, and some of Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series Peter RobinsonTrading in Danger.
I once again tried a Vatta's War sample (link here to Engaging the Enemy (http://tinyurl.com/b5xf9eh), and decided Ouch! Cynthia Holloway just sounds too affected and sneering, even if Kylara Vatta is from an upper-class family.
CatBookMom wrote: "Sorry to be nit-picking, but could a mod please correct the spelling in the thread title? I never noticed that and the thread has been open for nearly 5 years. Glad you mentioned it.
Grumpus wrote: "CatBookMom wrote: "Sorry to be nit-picking, but could a mod please correct the spelling in the thread title? I never noticed that and the thread has been open for nearly 5 years. Glad you ment..."
Thank you, Grumpus!
Sara ♥ wrote: "Nicole wrote: "I agree with you about Kate Reading in The Host. I have heard there is more than one book in that series. Not sure if this is ture, but if it is I wish they were on Audible. I was in..."Sara, that is perfect:) I am glad I haven't missed it yet. I didn't think there was other books out. I looked on her website and didn't see anything that there were others released. I'm also looking forward to the movie. It looks like it's going to be good:)
CatBookMom wrote: "Sorry to be nit-picking, but could a mod please correct the spelling in the thread title? Back to audiobooks:
Tantor has added more books, mostly non-fiction, to their $6.99 offers. There are ..."
That's too bad about Cynthia... I've read some of her other titles and really liked her. Isn't it interesting how in one book or series a reader can be outstanding and then they do another and that part just isn't for him or her? I absolutely loved her in the ones I've listened to so far. Also was wondering what you said about the Tantor deals. Is that for download purchase or do they send the books on Cd? I would love to check it out either way and was just curious:)
The Tantor deals are for downloads. On their site, you have the option as to which version you buy (CD vs. download vs. Audible).
Chrystal714 wrote: "Are there any narrarators you really don't like to listen to? Any you would suggest others avoid?I have found it is rare that I like a author narrarated book. I do tend to like actor narrarated..."
I didn't realize this thread was five years old. Wow. Glad to know there are other people who don't like Scott Brick. Can't stand him myself.
Tim wrote: "The Tantor deals are for downloads. On their site, you have the option as to which version you buy (CD vs. download vs. Audible)."That is so cool. I'm so going to check that out:) Thank you very very much. I really appreciate it.
Chrystal714 wrote: I have found it is rare that I like a author narrarated book. I do tend to like actor narrarated..."Stephen King is definitely another one. It's fascinating actually how off he is when he does his own stuff. It shows you why that job should be left to, well, actors. There are times when King reads his own stuff and it's like he put the emphasis in the wrong place on a sentence he wrote! It's like "The way you just read that is less clear than the words you wrote." It's interesting. Not just anyone can pick up a book and read it. Not even -- or perhaps especially -- writers.
Bobby wrote: "Chrystal714 wrote: I have found it is rare that I like a author narrarated book. I do tend to like actor narrarated..."Stephen King is definitely another one. It's fascinating actually how off h..."
I agree. The only time I have found author/narrators that do a good job is when they are memoirs of actors. In that case it would be kind of interesting if they didn't do a good job:)
Nicole wrote: "Tim wrote: "The Tantor deals are for downloads. On their site, you have the option as to which version you buy (CD vs. download vs. Audible)."That is so cool. I'm so going to check that out:) Tha..."
The Tantor deals can vary; sometimes the $6.99 deals are for downloads, sometimes for actual CDs. The new batch of deals came from an email (sign up for these for yourself) and linked to this page: http://tinyurl.com/becfkq5
Going directly to the site I found only 150 at the cheaper price.
CatBookMom wrote: "Nicole wrote: "Tim wrote: "The Tantor deals are for downloads. On their site, you have the option as to which version you buy (CD vs. download vs. Audible)."That is so cool. I'm so going to check..."
Thanks for the tip:) I'll check out the link.
When I first listened to the Dark Tower books on audio cassette years ago from the library they were narrated by the author, Stephen King. I love the series and happily listened to all of them. Then over the years other narrators took up the torch and when I collected the audible.com versions, the narrator was no longer King. I picked up the last book, recently released, on audible, and once again narrated by Stephen King himself and didn't enjoy the listening experience starting the book, so switched to Kindle. Then, three quarters of the way in I switched back to audio and enjoyed it. I do like listening to him so that is part if it, and by then I was engrossed in the story.
Mood may have played a part. A good story, in my opinion, can sometimes transcend a "not quite what we wanted" narrator!
I came across a Q&A with Oliver Wyman (my favorite) in which the question below was asked. Looking at Wyman's answer I wonder how often a last minute switch or something like that affects the recording. I wonder how many of the "bad narrator" experiences I've had were projects where the narrator themselves said "wow that was a mess" or "how did I get stuck doing this?".Q) Have you ever felt completely mis-cast on an audiobook?
A) That is a very good question. Years ago, I did a book by Tobias Buckell called Crystal Rain. I think I was meant to do another book that day, but they gave me this to record instead, so I had not read the book at all when I started. Most of the characters in the book spoke with a Caribbean accent, which is certainly not one of my best accents, to say the least. The main character had amnesia I think, and was never described physically, so I gave him my own, unaccented voice. It wasn't until the end that we realized that he was most likely meant to have a Caribbean accent as well, but we never corrected it. I thought this would be a glaring mistake, but to my knowledge no listener has ever complained (about that anyway).
Something that blew me away was the idea of professionally reading a book aloud without having read the book beforehand. According to some of his other answers this is often the case.
Here is the link if anyone wants to read the rest:
link
J: That is a very interesting Q&A link! Great questions and some enlightening and candid answers. I suppose only certain authors are able to choose their narrator, (or narrators choose their books) and assure that they have had time to prepare for the reading. i>J. wrote: "I came across a Q&A with Oliver Wyman (my favorite) in which the question below was asked. Looking at Wyman's answer I wonder how often a last minute switch or something like that affects the recording..."
It really is amazing how diverse opinions can be. For authors who narrate themselves well, I like Neil Gaiman best, Chet Williamson second, and I really enjoy Stephen King doing his own books.Of the narrators mentioned here that people do NOT like, Jim Dale, Frank Muller, George Guidall - these are among my favorites. I can't imagine anyone ELSE doing Harry Potter - the voices are nearly identical to the characters in the movies...
I should mention I publish a LOT of audiobooks. We've made some wonderful (and some horrible) choices. This is a fascinating topic. I generally don't continue listening to a book where I don't like the narrator, so I'm at a loss to come up with their names.
Early Scott Brick, Nick Sullivan, David Colacci, & Patrick Lawlor. Colacci is the only reason I haven't been able to start the Pendergast series by Preston & Child. I get about two chapters in and have to stop. I find all of the voices listed above grating and irritating. However, I feel that Brick has improved drastically over the last few years.
Sonia Manzano started out OK for me as I listened to Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles with my son but by the third book I found her to be screechy. I have not listened to her read other books although I know she has.Also, Bahni Turpin annoyed me in a children's book but was fantastic in Push the audio version.
Jeanie wrote: "Early Scott Brick, Nick Sullivan, David Colacci, & Patrick Lawlor. Colacci is the only reason I haven't been able to start the Pendergast series by Preston & Child. I get about two chapters in an..."Jeanie, I sort of hate Scott Brick's work (sorry Scott Brick!) but it's very interesting that you say he's improved! Perhaps I'll not avoid something just because of his narration, if it's of recent vintage. Thanks for the protip!
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I don't know if we're talking about the same narrator, but if so, I totally agree with you. According to my library, the one I tried to listen to, Dark Prince, was narrated by Juanita Parker.
I tried to get through it, but Parker's constant mispronunciations and her inability to make the wealthy and cultured characters sound even the slightest bit refined had me grinding my teeth after 30 minutes of listening. I finally gave up after a couple of hours. Will avoid her in the future, unless the book seems like it might be a better match for her reading style.