I only do audio books (I spend a LOT of time in the car), so a bad narrator can really break it for me, unfortunately (looking at you, Three-Body Problem).
Here are some books that I really enjoy:
The Expanse series
The Silo series
The Sand series
The Bobiverse series
Old Man's War series
Almost anything from Michael Crichton
Dune was okay, though more dry (heh) than I would prefer
There are some fantasy series I like as well… His Dark Materials is my all-time favorite. I loved Fellowship of the Ring, but grew bored of Two Towers (love the movies though). I fell off of The Blade Itself halfway through the second book. Couldn't get into Game of Thrones, even though I loved most of the TV series.
by AlaDouche
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Expeditionary Force by Craig Alanson. My hands-down favorite. The first book is called *Columbus Day.*
Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold is a personal favorite
*Omega Force* series by Joshua Dalzelle. It’s like Guardians of the Galaxy — rag-tag bunch of space mercenaries.
I enjoyed his *Black Fleet* saga too.
Pretty standard recs:
The Remembrance of Earth’s Past (Three Body Problem) by Lui Cixin
Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Hyper Cantos by Dan Simmons (or at least the first two)
Slightly less common recs:
The Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson (Neuromancer starts it but I personally like the entire thing)
The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jeminson (Sci-Fantasy, but very good)
The Vorkosigan Saga Lois McMaster Bujold,
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
The Chinese government has been keeping a secret for forty years: they have found a species of animal no one believed even existed that will amaze the world. Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed. A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time. Among them is Dr Cassandra Jane ‘CJ’ Cameron, a writer for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and an expert on reptiles. The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will marvel at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, that nothing can go wrong . . .
Leviathan James Byron Huggins
On an Icelandic Island, an illegal experiment intended to create the perfect biological weapon has transformed a once-innocent creature into the biblical Leviathan that once terrorized the world. Able to shatter steel and granite as easily as it can melt the strongest containment shields, Leviathan escapes from its pen and is loose in a vast underground chamber harboring soldiers and scientists.
The installation cannot allow Leviathan to reach the surface. For if Leviathan reaches the world, it could well be the end of the Earth. They must hold the line, here, and destroy it… even if they must detonate a last-chance nuclear failsafe built into the chamber itself. But, first, they must fight with every weapon at their disposal to discover if the beast can be killed at all.
It is a battle many will not survive.
As soldiers and scientists are vaporized by Leviathan’s hellish flame, or ripped apart by the dragon’s claws and fangs, a lone electrical engineer is forced to join the fight. And in the midst of what might well be the last battle for Mankind, Connor must find a way – any way – to save his family and kill this powerful, bloodthirsty Beast of Legend that has never been killed before.
Before it feasts upon the world.
The Murderbot Diaries and Dungeon Crawler Carl both have SUPERB narration.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman. I wasn’t sure I’d like it from the description because I’m not a gamer but I’m addicted to it. I’ve listened to it twice now. The narrator is phenomenal.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Also, Sabriel by Garth Nix is a fantasy series that Tim Curry has narrated, I think maybe just the first 2 books as that’s all I could personally find.
And most of Brandon Sandersons stuff is narrated by great voices, I’d rec Mistborn to start with, also fantasy
Discworld is usually classified as fantasy, but it contains quite a bit of science. Excellent narration. Humorous. 30+ books, plus a little series (from memory, 5 books) on the science of Discworld.
Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. Either the radio series or narrated. Narration by Douglas himself though.
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, specifically the audiobooks narrated by Kevin R. Free!! I enjoy a lot of sci-fi, but these are my favorite hands-down
Red Rising!