Best Audiobook: Science Fiction & Fantasy
The winner and shortlist for the Best Audiobook: Science Fiction & Fantasy category at The British Audio Awards. Supported by the British Fantasy Society
For audiobooks specific to the science fiction/fantasy genres, including new adult books, as well as titles for older readers. The AudioBook categories celebrate the process from text to listener, including the work of the narrator and audio production team.
Winner
Queen B
Juno Dawson
HarperVoyager
Nicola Coughlan
Fionnuala Barrett
HarperCollins’ audio version of the prequel to the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy added depth to Juno Dawson’s blend of history and fantasy, and new dimensions to her characters.
The Speakies judges loved Nicola Coughlan’s narration – “She’s just brilliant… her voice is like butter” – as well as the less-is-more approach to production. “Sometimes publishers put lots of bells and whistles on audiobooks, but there is something so satisfying about a brilliant straight reading of a great book like this.”
Shortlist
Default Step
Bee Speaker
Adrian Tchaikovsky
Ad Astra
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Rod Hallett, Gabrielle Nellis-Pain
ID Audio
The bio-enhanced human population on Mars races back to a dying Earth when a distress call reaches the planet. Two rising stars were cast, both with rich stage experience and a deep understanding of character: Rod Hallett and Gabrielle Nellis-Pain. Together, they voiced eight unique, recurring first-person narratives, with the author voicing the Bees.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
VE Schwab
Tor
Marisa Calin, Katie Leung, Julia Whelan
Steve Wagner
Desperation, lust and betrayal tie together the lives of three women in this horror tinged tale. Envisioned as a major cross-Atlantic production, the cast comprised of Scottish actor Katie Leung, established US narrator Julia Whelan, and actor and writer Marisa Calin, with the recording taking place in three separate locations across two continents.
Count Zero
William Gibson
WF Howes
Alix Wilton Regan, Kyle Soller, Sebastián Capitán Viveros
N/a
In a near high-tech future, Turner and Count Zero find themselves caught in a deadly game that threatens to reshapre reality. The first of a new set of releases from the author's backlist from audio specialist W F Howes, actors Kyle Soller, Alix Wilton Regan, and Sebastián Capitán Riveros were cast to bring it to life.
Doctor Who: Agent of the Daleks
Steve Lyons
BBC Audio
Maureen O'Brien, Nicholas Briggs
Morrison Ellis, Michael Stevens
The Doctor faces his oldest enemy in this original story narrated by one of the Doctor's companions. Read by Maureen O’Brien, with the Daleks voiced by Nicholas Briggs, this is part of a series of standalone readings, with sound design, of specially commissioned stories based on the BBC TV programme.
Queen B
Juno Dawson
HarperVoyager
Nicola Coughlan
Fionnuala Barrett
After Anne Boleyn's death, Grace Fairfax must learn who betrayed their coven in this bewitching novella that is a prequel to the Juno Dawson series. Dawson's fans have shown huge enthusiasm for Nicola Coughlan’s narration of the audiobooks, singling out her dynamic and engaging characterisation.
The Shadow Rising
Robert Jordan
Macmillan Audio
Rosamund Pike
Guy Oldfield
The fourth instalment in Robert Jordan's canonical Wheel of Time series sees each of the heroes facing new, deadly challenges. New recording, with Rosamund Pike building on her role in the Prime Video series adaptation. The productions for these are vast, each requiring almost three weeks of recording and a month of editing.
