Best Listens of 2020
For the “Best Audiobooks of 2020” (as in, released in 2020) you’ll want to look elsewhere. This is my top five audiobooks that I happened to listen to in 2020 – regardless of publication date – counting down to my favorite of the year…
#5
Sabriel by Garth Nix (1995; audiobook 2002)
I bought this one based on the cover art, which reminded me of the fantasy covers I loved as a kid in the 1970s (that and the fact it’s read by Tim Curry). I think it would be fair to call it YA, but not YA in the modern sense with current YA tropes. It feels like it was written in the 1960s or 70s. The setting is a land divided into two countries — a southern one without magic that resembles the early 20th century and a northern one where magic is prevalent. Sabriel is the teenage daughter of a powerful necromancer whose job it is to prevent the undead from overwhelming the world. She is away at school in the southern country when she’s summoned north to rescue her father from the land of the dead. A quest ensues, she has some weird encounters, it’s all pretty low-key but entertaining. Particular highlights are Curry’s voicing of the cat familiar and the mid-20th century vibe. Check this one out if you’re looking for an old-school vibe.
#4
The Blade Itself / Before They Are Hanged (The First Law Trilogy) by Joe Abercrombie (2006; audiobook 2015 / 2007; audiobook 2015)
I don’t tend to read high fantasy – sorcerers, complex magic systems, dragons, non-human races, etc. But I do like fantasy where magic is on the periphery, plays a minor role, or is mysterious to the average person. I gave The First Law Trilogy a shot because it seemed to have the right level of magic for my taste. It’s your fairly standard medieval setting, with a mix of countries evoking the feel of Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. The narrator is excellent and brings the characters to life – not that they need much help, because the series is long on characters and middling on plot. That is, some stuff happens — I don’t remember what, really — some fantasy stuff I guess — but the characters and the narrator’s characterizations are what make this a great audiobook. I’m a big fan of lots of POVs and multiple plot threads, but if that bothers you then you’re going to hate this – you’ll constantly be wishing they’d get back to whatever characters/plot threads you’re particularly interested in. But if you enjoy multi-POV / multi-location stories like A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), this will likely appeal to you, provided you’re ok with less emphasis on magic, monsters, and dragons. The Coffee Talk quote for these books would be: “The First Law Trilogy is neither grim nor dark, discuss….”
#3
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman (1989; audiobook 2020)
I’ve never been into graphic novels, so I didn’t read The Sandman back when I was in college and the first installments were published. I do like radio plays though. So when I saw that the new audiobook was voiced by a host of good actors, I had to check it out. I wasn’t disappointed. Basically, there are these old gods, one of them being Dream, who exist in the DC universe. Through a series of stories – some connected, some not – we get to know Dream and his divine siblings as well as a bunch of interesting mortals. Between Gaiman’s narration and the voice actors, it’s all surprisingly coherent and easy to picture even without the illustrations. Highly recommended.
#2
The Abstainer by Ian McGuire (2020; audiobook 2020)
I loved McGuire’s previous novel, The North Water, which felt a bit like a companion piece to The Terror by Dan Simmons– both deal with gritty seamen in the frozen north, and the smells of whisky breath, tobacco-stained beards, and sweaty woolens practically emanate from the pages. This time, McGuire’s focus in this thriller is the conflict between Irish nationalists and the Manchester police in the 1860s – and the smell of rough 19th century men is again in full effect. We follow Irish detective James O’Connor working for the Manchester police as he tries to stop a violent plot. But his Irish background soon puts him under suspicion. The narrator is excellent, as is the writing. And though it drifts a bit plot-wise in the final act, it’s well worth a listen. If you like Peaky Blinders, you might like this one.
#1
His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass / The Subtle Knife / The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman (1995/1997/2000; audiobook 2003)
I hadn’t listened to these three audiobooks in about ten years, but I remembered loving them. They were just as good on second listen – easily in my top five of all-time. I’m waiting until HBO finishes its series to binge the whole thing, so it remains to be seen if the show will do it justice. Pullman’s world of steam, clockworks, and magic, with animal familiar spirits, talking bears, and an evil child-abducting theocratic government is as good as it gets in terms of fiction that works for young and old readers alike. The audiobook is outstanding, with Pullman narrating and all the dialogue handled by a cast of talented voice actors. I’ve encountered some other audiobooks where this doesn’t work so well (Dune). But here it’s perfect. This is a must-listen.
— Lincoln LMN