When More Voices Are Better than One: Best Full Cast Audiobooks to Listen to for an Immersive Reading Experience

Even if you have already read this modern classic, the multiple Audie Award-winning audiobook demands a listen. With more than 150 performers playing the parts of confused, irritated, anguished, lonely souls (including President Abraham Lincoln’s young son) as they linger between life and death, it is a uniquely mesmerizing experience. Ben Stiller, Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullaly, David Sedaris, and Nick Offerman are among the well-known voices you’ll recognize, but the truly entrancing quality of the narration lies in the potency of the ordinary voices you will not (including the author, his parents, and assorted others from his life). The vastly diverse chorus amplifies the novel’s universal themes of loss, grief, and compassion, while the masterful soundscape adds both clarity and emotion to the interwoven episodes and lives.  

This audiobook version of Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House is a real treat. Egan’s inventive plot is a series of interconnected stories told from the point of view of different characters and narrated by a full cast of voices that makes listening to this book refreshing. What if you got the chance to relive your favorite memories just one more time, or whenever you felt like it? Bix Bouton invents a technology that can do just that! “Own Your Consciousness” gives you access to your own memories and lets you exchange them with other people’s. This kind of sharing can’t compare with anything today’s social media platforms can do. Egan’s Sci-Fi exploration of humanity in the digital age takes storing human data to a much higher level, but is the line between our living world and the digital world getting too thin? 

World War Z is a truly immersive audiobook, which makes you feel like you’re watching a movie, or perhaps even living in the story itself. This is the perfect audiobook for a full cast experience since there are characters from across the world with narrators that read in regional accents and with emotion that make it feel like a real-life story. With a slew of popular zombie apocalypse stories out there from The Walking Dead to The Last of Us, you might be wondering if an audiobook with similar themes is worth it, and to that we say, “Absolutely YES!” While we hope to never experience a zombie apocalypse, this audiobook might make you want to start creating your own bunker, just in case.  

We love books about books, but we especially love a book that includes an audiobook as part of the plot. Alice kicks off the story by writing a novel, followed by The Actor as he narrates the audiobook. The whole book is a dynamic structure of a multitude of characters each telling their story, connected by the running theme of feeling lost, and finding the book, “Theo,” written by Alice at the beginning, at just the right time they need it.  

If we had a ton of celebrity friends and invited them over to dish about some of their favorite food memories… the result would be this audiobook. Bring your appetite for this literary and culinary adventure about food and feelings. Many of the celebrity contributors to this anthology (Rosie Perez, Patti Smith, Ted Danson) read their own essays (which is quite the treat). But when they don’t, other famous friends step in. The real icing on the cake is the accompanying PDF that includes recipes. Probably best not to listen to this one if you’re hungry, though maybe this could serve as inspiration for what to cook. 

The best part about full cast audiobooks is that they help you differentiate between characters when a story is told from multiple perspectives. Lucy Foley’s bestselling mystery, The Paris Apartment, is one of those books, as it jumps between six different points of view; yet we found it easy to follow due to each character’s own narrator. Dive into Jess’s story as she tries to figure out where her missing brother is and who might be involved. Then hear from each of the suspects and try to figure out “whodunit.” The neighbors of this apartment building aren’t who they seem… can anyone be trusted? 

This is full cast narration at its best. It doesn’t feel like a cast of narrators reading from a book — these are people telling their story. The raw emotion all the narrators bring to their characters is utterly gut-wrenching. Jennifer Beals fully embodies Daisy Jones, and her connection to the character voiced by Pablo Schreiber as Billy Dunne is palpable.  

From the moment we tapped the play button on this, it felt as if we were watching a movie without the pictures — which perfectly matches up with Graphic Audio’s tagline, “A Movie In Your Mind®.” There’s no shortage of action in the first installment of this prequel series to Pierce Brown’s popular Red Rising series. We’ll even admit to being startled and jumping out of our seat while listening to this cast of over two dozen — including Audie Award winner Richard Rohan (who also serves as Director of the production and host of the bonus podcast episode, featuring an interview with Pierce Brown). Once you start, you’ll definitely want to read the rest of the series by listening! 

One of the most inventive writers of a generation (or two), Neil Gaiman has stated that he “grew up in a world where stories were read aloud.” It’s unsurprising, then, that his books — with their unusual characters, unexpected plots and mixing of genres — are tailormade for the audiobook format. This special longer edition of American Gods, a multi-award-winning novel that combines mythology and fantasy with the trials and tribulations of modern American society, includes an introduction by the author, who animatedly explains the genesis for the novel and his writing process. Yes, this book takes an investment of almost 20 hours, but the haunting work of the full cast will keep you entranced the whole time. 

It’s possible you’ve read some of our other blog posts so already know how much we love all things Sarah J. Maas. And, sure, we’ve previously read the books in the Court of Thorns and Roses Series — but these fully immersive editions by GraphicAudio bring more magic to this bestselling romantic fantasy series. The multiple narrators make the characters really come to life, and the full sound production makes the action jump off the page. If you’re a fan of Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends, these audiobook dramatizations are a must for you. 

In just under two and a half hours, your ears will rejoice in this Odyssey Award-winning audiobook filled with original music, sound effects, and fully engrossing narrators. Listening to a graphic novel adaptation may seem strange, but when it’s done right, it’s magical. The sound never stops, from guitar riffs to signify a new chapter, clashing swords and bubbling potions. But the voice acting is the real treat. Each narrator holds nothing back, lifting the character from page to ear. We dare you not to laugh out loud at the antics between Nimona and Lord Blackheart. (Trigger warning: the author’s dead name is used at the beginning of the audiobook) 

This raw and deeply honest memoir for teens is masterfully produced — it sounds like an audio play with a cast of over 40 performers, background music to convey transitions and mood, and real-life everyday sounds (city noise, footsteps, kids at recess, etc.). The book began as an award-winning graphic novel, and although we also highly recommend the print version, the audiobook shines on its own because the narrators paint a different kind of picture so completely. Most are the author’s friends and family, so they’re inherently believable as real people invested in the narrative because they are! The author, voicing his younger self, doesn’t sugarcoat painful childhood memories involving addiction, rough language and absent parents, but the biggest take-away is the triumph of hope, resilience and gratitude, which embody his every word. 

No matter whether you’re young or young at heart, you’re in for a special listening experience with the dramatized version of this beloved childhood classic, which ranked in the Top 10 of PBS’s The Great American Read poll. Meryl Streep is the story’s earnest narrator, who exudes a pitch-perfect mix of sweetness, humor and poignancy, and she’s joined by a full cast — including many narrator A-listers. Some of our favorites are January LaVoy’s thoughtful Charlotte, MacLeod Andrews’s self-absorbed Templeton the Rat, and Robin Miles’s wise Old Sheep. Together, the ensemble creates very moving audio theater, exquisitely capturing the full range of emotions listeners will also feel as the affecting story of pure friendship unfolds. As Charlotte herself would say, it’s “some audiobook”. 

The multiple voices of this middle grade novel penned by popular and bestselling author Jason Reynolds convey tons of energy as they tell the story of Portico Reeves and his family, friends and neighbors. Sometimes, the totally committed lead narrator steps outside the tale to talk directly to the audience: “Do any of you play the harmonica or the kazoo?” These diversions are silly in the best way and keep young readers listening for their own cues. Kids will relate to Portico’s adventures with his best friend, Zola, and to his anxieties, which don’t always disappear — even when he calls on his superhero alter ego. The hardcover version is illustrated and makes a nice companion to the audiobook. For kids who want to hear more about Portico, a sequel releases in August 2023. 

Not only does this YA Thriller feature over 10 narrators, along with musical accompaniment between chapter breaks, but it employs additional sound design to bring the elite Urban Promise Prep School to life. The Principal Moore Method uses extreme discipline to prepare these teen boys of color for college, but when Principal Moore turns up dead, eyes turn to three boys in particular. Each shifting POV is read by a different narrator, making this captivating true-to-life story a fully realized listen. 

The winner of multiple awards and honors, this is our third audiobook on this list that was adapted from a graphic novel. This is the true story of Omar Mohamed’s childhood growing up in a refugee camp, raising his little brother and dreaming of a better life for them both. The ambient noise and sound effects throughout paired with over a dozen voices make for a listening experience that captured our attention from beginning to end. And don’t be fooled — even though this is technically a kid’s book, it’s a heartfelt must-listen for readers of all ages.