This list is part of our Best of the Year collection, an obsessively curated selection of our editors' and listeners' favorite audio in 2022. Check out The Best of 2022 to see our top picks in every category.
Between film, television, literature, and audio—2022 could easily be proclaimed the Year of the Fantasy, much to the delight of fans among us. But when it came to picking the best of the best, the glut of fantastic content also significantly increased the CR (challenge rating). This year’s winner edged ahead of the rest thanks to its atmospheric, suck-you-in (pun intended) audio experience, but each and every performance on this list transported us through the power of voice.
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Audible's Fantasy of the Year, 2022
Travis Beacham is no stranger to epic cinematic storytelling, having written Pacific Rim and Carnival Row—which perhaps gave him an edge when it came to this terrifying postapocalyptic audio drama. Impact Winter terrified me and my fellow editors in equal measure. There’s not a weak point in this listen: The cast works spectacularly together to create a compelling, convincing environment, which is heightened by the chilling, otherworldly sound design. The end result is an audio journey that melds several classic tropes—vampires, a postapocalyptic winter—yet is eerily fresh and scarily close. —Sam D.
Adapted from the graphic novels—and loamy imagination—of Neil Gaiman, the Sandman series just gets better and better with each new installment. The Sandman III reunites the original cast, including James McAvoy as Dream (and others too numerous to mention!), and features a few new surprises, like Regé-Jean Page as Orpheus. The 3D audio captures the hypnotic, immersive quality of the world Neil Gaiman built, and continues to delight listeners (and Audible Editors!). Whether you’ve read the novels or not, whether you’re waiting for more of the TV series or not, Neil Gaiman’s voice and imagination await you in Sandman III. —Christina H.
A fantasy novel about language is just meant to be heard in audio, and Chris Lew Kum Hoi and Billie Fulford-Brown are a perfect narrator duo in R.F. Kuang’s latest novel, a dark academia fantasy set in an alternate Oxford with magic and secret societies. Kuang takes on the power of language in this sweeping tale, drawing once again from real-world influences (as she did in her fantastic Poppy War trilogy) and infusing them with fantasy to build a world where the stakes and dangers feel very real. —S.D.
Ken Liu’s silkpunk Dandelion Dynasty fantasy series—which he’s been writing for the past decade—comes to a magnificent close in Speaking Bones. I had the pleasure of interviewing Liu last year, and he described this series as the work he “put all of [him]self into,” the story that contained all his passions—from mythology to constitutionalism to technology. That effort shows in this finale—which is epic in every sense of the word. Michael Kramer, himself no stranger to voicing massive epic fantasies, deserves serious accolades for his performance in over 100+ hours of this series. —S.D.
We know and love Holly Black from her fantasy stories for kids and teens, but her adult debut kicked it up a notch. She’s given us an imaginative urban fantasy with a take on shadow magic that feels so uncannily familiar within our own reality. Sara Amini, a fresh voice to audiobooks, thrives as the narrator here, breathing life into Charlie with her slightly smoky voice and sardonic tone. I loved journeying into the middle of this world, and I didn’t want to leave. Holly: a sequel, please! —Melissa B.
Nghi Vo’s writing is magic. I have no other way of explaining how she can unerringly transport me through narrative leaps and quick-cut story beats that in a lesser writer’s hands would feel jarring. I think the highest compliment you can pay to a wordsmith is that you feel cradled by the hands of their prose, which is definitely the case here. We follow protagonist Luli as she portrays various monsters in pre-Code Hollywood movies in a world where knowing an actor’s true name means the real monsters—the ones with the power in the film industry—could take away the little agency she has left. A fascinating and magical meditation on power, racism, gender, and monsters. —Sean T.
Spells for Forgetting triggered a dark flame of obsession in me. At first, I wasn't surprised, considering it's a story about witches, star-crossed lovers, and a small town of people living on a lush island—my catnip. What was different about this one: my reaction to the mystery at the center of the story. I needed to know who had committed Lily's murder. I think it was because author Adrienne Young tied every character so intricately into the mystery that no matter what the answer was, it would make waves. And living inside the heads of these characters, with a full cast performing them, made it a visceral experience. By the end, I had to rewind to that big-reveal moment just so I could live in that release one more time. —M.B.
As audiobook fans, we love when narrators turn authors—because there’s no denying the creativity brewing among our favorite performers. Travis Baldree is a prolific narrator in the sci-fi & fantasy genre with 250+ works to his name, but Legends & Lattes marks his debut fantasy novel—a warm-hearted, cozy story about an adventurer-turned-coffee shop owner. The characters are vivid, and Baldree’s passion for the story shines through in his performance. —S.D.
N.K. Jemisin + Robin Miles = a dream team come true. With The City We Became, I loved how Jemisin dropped us into this wonderfully weird, wild world as if you were arriving for the first time in the bewildering and amazing city of New York. This second entry in the duology sees the other Great Cities rally around the five boroughs to defeat the Enemy once and for all. One of the most creative and unusual series I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. —S.D.
For a trilogy with such tongue-in-cheek titles, there’s a lot of heart to be found within. Though fantasy itself, author David R. Slayton seems to nod to the real-world situations that send fans of the genre escaping into it to find a warm, safe place to reside. Michael David Axtell delivers an understated and charming performance as our heartbroken but determined hero, Adam, throughout this series. —S.D.
Audible listeners flocked to this supernatural “weird Western” tale featuring an undead gunslinger stuck in purgatory. He must work off his debt to the White Throne by hunting demons, monsters, and other fearsome foes—lest he finally be condemned to hell. Narrator Roger Clark is exceptional as the gruff, jaded hero of this story. This full-length novella is a follow-up to the Audible Original Dead Acre and, excitingly, the start of a new series. Adventures like this are what fantasy is made for. —S.D.
Slice-of-life fantasy is having a big moment right now—and this xianxia-inspired take on a hero who decides to leave the cultivator life behind in favor of farm life took us by surprise. There’s farce and plenty of humor here—but there are also characters that are downright fun to get to know. Travis Baldree, who is on fire this year as a performer (and author!), is a sheer joy to hear in this story. Reading its countless five-star reviews, it’s clear that listeners found this upbeat tale to be a wonderful escapist balm this year. —S.D.
