Listening to Discworld Novels

[Sister Jennifer]

Finally got my arse into gear and went to our local Library and borrowed Carpe Jugulum, read by Nigel Planer. I'm really enjoying listening to it.

 

[raisindot]

Yeah, I think CJ is one of Planer's best reads. He does do the vampires' voices in a way that sounds refreshingly different than the Bela Lugosi style Briggs tends to use with this vampires. He still does the witches much better than Briggs, and the exchanges he voices between Granny and Mightily Oaks are among his best.

 

[The Mad Collector]

I've got all the unabridged audio books and I have to say that I really enjoyed Michael Fenton Stevens reading The Long Earth. Lots of great characterisations and much as I love Stephen Briggs it is mercifully free of those errors he has a habit of doing where he will read a line in the wrong characters voice.

If you are buying the CDs always get them direct from Isis Audiobooks they are much cheaper than Amazon etc,

 

[Kat]

I'm not a big fan of audio books- mostly because I prefer to listen to music while I read, and the few audio books I've tried have had really bad readers. However, my library has most of the newer Discworld novels on audio only (not sure why), so I've decided to give audio books another try, starting with The Wee Free Men.

 

[Tonyblack]

Good choice, Kat! Stephen Briggs is very good at reading them.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

I'm not a big fan of audio books- mostly because I prefer to listen to music while I read, and the few audio books I've tried have had really bad readers. However, my library has most of the newer Discworld novels on audio only (not sure why), so I've decided to give audio books another try, starting with The Wee Free Men.

He is brilliant with the Feegle's voices, you're in for a treat.

 

[zimizelle]

I'm almost finished listening to the Wee Free Men for the umpteenth time, love it never fails to make me laugh.

Is that one read by Tony Robinson? Tony Robinson's voice really grates on my nerves and when listening to A Hat Full of Sky I had to stop listening because his attempt at a scottish accent was driving me to insanity. How can you stand it being Scottish yourself?

Maybe I'm much to easily annoyed. =/

 

[zimizelle]

So who is the best actor to read the novels? I managed to bag some abridged versions read by Tony Robinson and I didn't like them very much.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

You really want the unabridged audio books from Isis, the majority are narrated By Stephen Briggs he is very good his Feegles accent is funny.

 

[The Mad Collector]

I'll second that

 

[raisindot]

Tony Briggs and Nigel Planer "read" the majority of the unabridged audiobooks.

I personally prefer Briggs over Planer, although there are a few voices (particularly the witches) that Planer does better.

But in the end you should make your decision based on the book, not the audiobook reader.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

I disagree with that raisin, a not so good narrator can spoil your enjoyment as there are some who totally ruin it for me ie one of my favorite authors is Jack Vance the narrator of the audio books for him is crap, ruins them for me I no longer listen to them his name is Authur Morley just glad I have the books as well.

 

[AshTerus]

I have been trying to get some audiobooks to listen to as i have a long commute to work. But every website i visit Audible, Barnes & Noble etc. refuse to sell to Australia. Would anyone know an online store that will otherwise im afraid i may have to pirate.

 

[Tonyblack]

Have you tried Audiobooks Direct - an Australian website that Pratchett audiobooks?

Welcome to the site.

 

[Bouncy Castle]

New to the TP Forum: AskTony - He Knows EVERYTHING!!

 

[DreadfulKata]

I disagree with that raisin, a not so good narrator can spoil your enjoyment as there are some who totally ruin it for me ie one of my favorite authors is Jack Vance the narrator of the audio books for him is crap, ruins them for me I no longer listen to them his name is Arthur Morley just glad I have the books as well.

I agree! I'm a big Bill Bryson fan and I particularly love him on audiobook. About half of his books are read by Bryson himself and I like them a lot (some people find his transatlantic drawl a bit much but I like his dryness). About half of them are read by a guy called William Roberts whose reading I can't stand. And the thing is, there's nothing that wrong with it - I'm sure millions of the other listeners enjoy it. He's just a tad too broad and 'listen this is a funny bit' in his reading somehow and it spoils the text entirely for me! You can practically hear him waggling his eyebrows when there's a bit of drollery in the text.

I guess it's a particular problem with comic writers, and its very personal. For example I always like Tony Robinson's reading of Pratchett (and would buy those still except they're the abridged versions) because his reading always tallied with how the jokes (and the drama and the pathos) should be told according to my own reading.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

<For example I always like Tony Robinson's reading of Pratchett (and would buy those still except they're the abridged versions) because his reading always tallied with how the jokes (and the drama and the pathos) should be told according to my own reading.>

I disagree with that, no matter the character they all sound much alike when he reads them with very little variance in style or tone.

 

[DreadfulKata]

Fair point - but that's what I'm saying really, comedy reading/acting especially is very personal. So where I find Robinson has the intonation that most matches my mental reading of Pratchett you find the samey-ness of the characters distracting. There's something I can't get past with Stephen Brigg's narration and it's not because he's doing anything wrong, it's just he doesn't quite tally with the voice of the books as I hear it.

 

[Tiffany]

I've just finished listening to The Fifth Elephant read by Stephen Briggs I think he is good at the character voices. I like Tony Robinson better, but as already said, his are abridged versions, which is a shame. He should have done unabridged in my opinion.

 

[DreadfulKata]

I'm giving a Nigel Planer one a go for the first time at the mo - Jingo.

Planer doesn't do any of the voices how I expect (Colon as Northern Irish? Detritus as Glaswegian?) but mostly I like that. Occassionally (e.g. Vetinari) I'm not so keen.

Similarly with line-readings - not how I imagined them, but not in a bad way.