As a regular listener of audiobooks myself, I am always on the lookout for new and interesting content to download for those car trips, gym sessions or just Sunday afternoon do-nothing sessions. It seems that Audible Originals has become a gold mine of unique audio experiences that may include memoirs read by celebrities, exciting dramas and podcasts. Today, I want to tell you about my five favourite Audible Originals, from their impressive lineup of original productions. These are great selections for any lover of audiobooks and even those who are just getting into the realm of spoken word entertainment.
Just a brief look at the uniqueness of Audible Originals now: These are original works that you cannot see anywhere else and they include both well-known stars and newcomers. Audible is offering a 30-day free trial; besides, the Plus Catalogue is also available with thousands of titles available for the user, and the user gets one free audiobook every month. At just £7.99/month. The uncertainty of how that credit will be used each month, plus the £7.99 a month after the trial (with no strings attached), makes it a cheap way of trying out a wide range of audio. Now, let us get to the juicy part of this article.
5. You Are the Guru: 6 Messages to Move You Through Difficult Times with Certainty and Faith
by Gabrielle Bernstein
It is in these uncertain times and conditions that one would wish to be assured and guided. The #1 New York Times bestselling author, Gabrielle Bernstein, gives just that in this Audible Original. This audio experience is a personal coaching session with Bernstein herself, as if she is telling it to a close friend.
The audiobook is structured around six key messages:
- See through the lens of love
- Surrender to creative solutions
- Inspired action clears the path
- In stillness, we receive
- Compassion creates connection
- You are the guru
What I like about this production is that Bernstein equally uses common sense and ethereal knowledge. She does not say things like “just think positively.” She presents practical ways on how to control your anxiety and how to access your innate knowledge. No matter if the problem is something small one can encounter in daily life or a serious life issue, Bernstein’s voice and her advice help to find one’s way back to the calmness and clear vision of the problem.
The inclusion of personal stories makes it easy to understand and apply the information that is being passed along. The audiobook is of the type that one may listen to over and over again, always getting something new to implement in life.
4. Black Beauty: An Audible Original Drama
adapted by R.D. Carstairs
It is well and truly said that nobody can deny the rebirth of classics in the contemporary world. This Audible Original revives the classics written by Anna Sewell and narrates the story of a horse from a carefree colt to a overworked cab horse. What distinguishes this adaptation is its great cast and the use of audio elements.
The audiobook version is narrated by Samuel West, Samantha Bond, Tamzin Outhwaite, Paul Thornley, and Matt Stokoe, thus turning the story into an auditory production. The actors embody the characters and make you feel like you are experiencing all the good and bad things that happen to Black Beauty firsthand.
However, it should be noted that the production does not hide the book’s important moral lessons about the value of kindness to animals. However, it does so in a manner that is quite suitable for listeners of any age group. The classic signature tune, ‘Galloping Home’, which is composed by Denis King, suits the events well.
This adaptation is especially suitable for listening with children, providing the audience of new generations with a familiar story and giving the listeners who are already familiar with the story an opportunity to look at the work from a different angle. This is the beauty of audio drama and it proves that it has the capability of taking the listeners to another world and era.
3. Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets
by Stephen Fry, John Woolf, Nick Baker
The Victorian era was a complex period filled with many unexplored factors that you may never have considered. This 12-part podcast, narrated by the irrepressible Stephen Fry, gets beneath the Victorian veneer to explore the sordid, the racy, and sometimes just the plain weird and wacky side of 19th-century Britain.
Fry uses his intelligence and oratory ability to explain various topics, from the most obvious (sexual desire and sexual repression and the Victorian era’s stiff rules and etiquette) to the less so (the bare-knuckle boxing ring and spiritualism with disastrous outcomes). What adds to this series’ appeal is that each episode relates these stories to the general processes of social transformation and aspects of human character.
Every episode is a careful work of research and great production, where Fry’s voiceover is accompanied by interviews with professionals and dramatizations. Some parts made me feel like I was spying on the most interesting history lesson I have ever come across, with spicy gossip and profound analysis.
In either case, “Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets” is a history lovers’ and lovers of the good story-telling joyride through the epoch that still rivets our attention. Fair warning: It is possible that after listening to one or two episodes, you will end up listening to all 12 episodes in one go!
2. After You’ve Gone
by Margot Hunt
For thriller fans, this Audible Original is a must-listen. Created solely as an immersive audio experience, After You’ve Gone blends the podcast formats of crime, social media, and murder mystery into a new age and engaging story.
The story revolves around Charlie, a woman who is suffering from trauma after a terrible event that happened to her in the past, and she is trying to find out the truth about the murder of her best friend Tessa, a travel writer who used to travel all over the world. It is for this reason that this thriller stands out from the rest; the audio format is cleverly applied. As Charlie creates her own social media channel to solve the crime now, the listeners are engaged in solving the crime alongside her as if they are experiencing the real crime trial and getting into the risk involved in it.
The story is told with the help of a full cast and includes Stephanie Einstein, Tyla Collier, Dina Pearlman, Brian Telestai, and York Whitaker; all the main characters are depicted very engagingly. The performances are subtle, which gives the audio a realistic portrayal of the grief, fear, and determination that are characteristic of the story.
Margot Hunt, the author, has done a good job of integrating friendship, courage, and social media into the story and has made the book a very tense one. When Charlie moves out of her familiar surroundings and into the vibrant, perilous city of New Orleans, readers will be on the tips of their toes, hoping she’ll get the facts and live to tell the tale.
1. The Dispatcher
by John Scalzi
Last but certainly not least, we have this mind-bending novella from sci-fi master John Scalzi, brought to life by the distinctive voice of Zachary Quinto (best known as Spock in the recent Star Trek films).
Set in a near-future world where murder has become almost impossible – 999 times out of 1000, the victim simply comes back to life – “The Dispatcher” explores the implications of this radical change on society, crime, and morality. Our protagonist, Tony Valdez, is a licensed Dispatcher, someone who “kills” people in danger of dying naturally, giving them a second chance at life.
What starts as a seemingly straightforward premise quickly evolves into a thrilling mystery as Tony searches for a missing colleague. Scalzi’s worldbuilding is impeccable, creating a reality that feels both familiar and utterly alien. The ethical dilemmas presented are thought-provoking, challenging listeners to consider the value of life and the nature of death.
Quinto’s narration is spot-on, capturing Tony’s world-weary cynicism and growing alarm as he delves deeper into the case. His ability to distinctly voice multiple characters adds depth to the already rich narrative.
At just over 2 hours and 18 minutes long, “The Dispatcher” is a perfect introduction to audio fiction for those new to the medium, while offering enough substance to satisfy seasoned listeners. It’s no wonder this production won the 2017 APA Audie Award for Original Work.
Final Thoughts
These five Audible Originals are selected to demonstrate the range of types of content that can be found through Audible. From the self-improvement genre to classic literature, from crime to fantasy, there is nothing that Audible Originals does not cover. It can be said that the productions do not limit themselves, they not only turn the book into an audiobook but make use of the audio format in rich ways.
If the above choices interest you, perhaps you should try out Audible’s 30-day free trial? Boasting tens of thousands of titles and offering a free audiobook of the listener’s choice every month, it is a rather safe bet when it comes to the realm of audio books. Who knows? You might just discover your next favourite listen. Subscribe Now!
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