The last few chapters of the Rhythm of War audiobook have been eye-opening. I read the novel a couple of years ago and began a re-read by listening to the audiobooks. At least I think I read the novel. There is revelation after revelation in the last chapters that I can’t remember at all! Every one sure to be important for Wind and Truth including a sideways reference to Elantris as part of the Cosmere universe.
The first audiobook I ever listened to was a Nigel Planer read of The Colour of Magic. I remember its companionship on a long drive from Bendigo to Sale with relentless rain falling for the whole trip. Many years later and via Audible, I got into audiobooks again. So much so, that in the last year I’ve pretty much handed all my walking and driving audio time to audiobooks leaving podcasts to dust on the digital audio shelf.
The eBooks I read are long. I think nothing of an 800+ book these days, nor a 30+ hour long audiobook. Rhythm of War at ~1200 pages is a 57hr 26min feast for the ears.
Audiobooks work at a slower pace than reading, leaving the story room to breath. A good narrator will leave pauses in dialogue that don’t exist when I read. They will also imbue an emotional depth to the characters I can’t in the manner and pace of speaking.
Whenever I re-read a book (or re-watch a movie) I pick up something I missed the first time. The earlier of The Stormlight Archive books include significant foreshadowing that I couldn’t observe—of course, by design. An audiobook makes connections easier to pick up on a second reading. Hell, I reconnected with a missed half-dozen chapters. The number of observable connections seems stronger to me in audio format than with a re-read. Some of the additional depth comes from performed character dialogue, and the rest is the storytelling. The benefit compounds over a series, particularly when books are consumed closer to each other than the original release schedule allowed. I’m looking at you George R. R. Martin for A Song of Ice and Fire and Stephen King for The Dark Tower (movie).
The quality of narrator can make or break an audiobook. The wrong voice, or someone who can’t do accents, or switch convincingly enough between different genders speaking, can be as grating as a poorly made film adaptation.
I’ve made a decision on Wind and Truth. For the first time where I own both eBook and audiobook, I will listen first.