Audible Thoughts From a Windswept Author

I was very worried I might have to resort to writing entirely about myself, which I don't feel like doing. I confess I failed at NaFiRoyBIMSCom. Although, it's not too epic a fail, and I'm to Chapter 33 out of 38.

But rather than talking about the painfully slow editing process, or giving you insight into anything more personal, I'd prefer to point out the interesting thoughts Neil Gaiman has given on audiobooks in this recent blog post.

There are some lovely interviews on audiobooks done by Neil himself, an excellent audiobook reader as well as master author.

But I have to say I only half agree about audiobooks being entirely separate from the book. SOMETIMES they are. If the reader or production company (preferably both) is talented, an audiobook can be its own artistic expression. Some of the very best I've heard are hands down The Golden Compass series, which is like a full out radio drama with a full cast and sound effects, and The Graveyard Book, written and read by Gaiman. Both are awesome in their different ways. But I think it says a great deal that Gaiman doesn't need sound effects.

I've also enjoyed the original Artemis Fowl reader, but was a bit thrown when they switched them, and the new one did different accents. I also missed the cheesy but fun rock-techno music that had come to define Artemis Fowl for me. And, of course, it hardly needs mentioning, but the highly acclaimed Harry Potter audiobooks by Jim Dale certainly are a good listen. Though I'd like to someday hear the Stephen Fry versions. Generally, I know a reader is good if they do something with their voice that gets a reaction from me (usually laughter, though not always) that I would not have otherwise had with just the text. An excellent example of this is Stephen Briggs who read Terry Pratchett's Going Postal and does the best mad old lady impression I've ever heard. A surprise example of this however, was the reader of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants who I always felt made me laugh and feel along with the girls in the story.

On the other side of the coin, some of the worst audiobook experiences have been with Ella Enchanted, Sabriel, and Percy Jackson. These audiobooks weren't all a complete loss (except for Ella Enchanted), but each had something that was like nails on a chalk board to me. Ella Enchanted's reader sounded 8 years old the entire time which made the romance far too pervy for me. Sabriel on the other hand had the excellent Tim Curry reading. It's the only one I can recall where it was the production and not the reader who bothered me. Tim Curry is the world's best Mogget, but the audiobook had this bizarre slasher movie music that completely ruined the tone of the beginning and the end for me. Yes Sabriel is a scary book. But it is NOT Scream. Percy Jackson's reader did all right most the time, but as I said previously in my Titan's Curse review: he made the villains sound like evil surfer dudes, made Dyonisus sound like Homer Simpson, he did an unecessary Asian accent for one of the characters, and he made Rachel way more annoying sounding than she needed to be.

However, as an avid listener myself, I know that about 90% of the time the reader is just good. But good in the way that you never notice them. They read well enough that you're engrossed in the story, not their performance. This is certainly a talent I've come to respect, especially after hearing bad audio books where all you can think about is how you wish the person reading wasn't. But being unobtrusive is different from performing.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. What are yours? Heard any good books lately?