ŷ������

Hi, I'm an author/narrator on two novels so far:


Where the Hell is Tesla?

The Wrong Unit: A Novel

I've really been enjoying the process, and the response has been way beyond anything I expected.

The question:
As I continue, I'd like to keep improving my narration skills, and I was just having an email conversation with a reader about one of my female characters needing some work. Do you have a favorite male-narrator-who-does-great-female-characters that I can look up and listen to? I'd love anyone's feedback. Thanks!

-- Rob Dircks

Try Tim Gerard Reynolds and Simon Vance.

Rob, give me a day or two to think about this one... I know there are male narrators whose voices I like, but I just can't name them off the top of my head... <><

Simon Vance, of course, is the gold standard - ah, Faith beat me to him. Let's see - other narrators I've listened to this year that fit the bill:

- Jeff Woodman and Rick Holmes - The Scottish Prisoner, by Diana Gabaldon
- John Lee - Blindspot, in which he and Cassandra Campbell alternate chapters and each do impressions of each other's characters and it's amazing
- Euan Morton - The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
- Grover Gardner, who's wonderful anyway, in The Werewolf of Bamberg by Oliver Pötzsch
- Hugh Fraser in Third Girl - quite a number of female characters there, all well differentiated and none annoying, which is an accomplishment
- Luke Daniels - Hounded by Kevin Hearne - I hated the way he voiced the dog, but otherwise he's excellent, including for several female characters
- Daniel Weyman - Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - he's wonderful
- Steven Boyer for Lyndsay Faye's Timothy Wilde books

That should hold you for a bit! Best of luck to you.

I remember Pillars of the Earth as being masterful narration, though I can't remember the narrator. Richard Lee? John Lee? Some plain name like that.

Just my two cents, a female voice doesn't have to be a caricature, and it doesn't even have to be "high," it just has to be different enough that we know who we are listening to at any given time. I've heard male voices that are higher pitched than female voices within the same novel.

John Lee.

Ray Porter does great female voices. (Joe Ledger series).

I love the fact you want to improve your narrating skills, but I have to say I agree with Dave's two cents. Good luck!

I have to say Richard Armitage in David Copperfield des a really good job of the female voices. I haven't listened to too many audiobooks so far.... And the ones I have mostly separate the two voices using two narrators, so David Copperfield is the only example I have

Wow - thanks everybody! I've got a lot of listening to do! :)
- Rob

Oh! Mention of Armitage reminded me of Benedict Cumberbatch's read of Artists in Crime - proof that a great narrator can make all the difference, since I wouldn't normally even consider reading/listening to an abridged edition. But BC does a fantastic job. From my review - "This was the book I heard a clip of on Tumblr, the moment when Cumberbatch "does" the voice of an American woman with a heavy Southern accent who flirts heavily with Rory Alleyn, Our Hero. It was completely ridiculous �� and I pretty much headed straight to Audible to buy it. I've come to be fans of several audiobook readers, but the acting chops BC brings to the job are just marvelous. On a page, this would probably be a solid four-star read; the fifth star is all Cumberbatch."

As I recall, he reads other female characters "straight", and did it well - but sometimes a caricature works.

I think you did a fine job. I'm all for trying to improve, but keep in mind someone is always going to have a bug up their butt about something.

Ok, I've thought about it, and find that most of the guys I would mention have already been listed. I will add a couple Mark Bramhall and Nick Sullivan. I've listened to them on several books and they are usually pretty good. Good luck, let us know when you have another one out. <><

Cheri wrote: "Ray Porter does great female voices. (Joe Ledger series).

I love the fact you want to improve your narrating skills, but I have to say I agree with Dave's two cents. Good luck!"

Yes Mr. Porter, and 2nd fav is Jonathon Keeble The Winter King By Bernard Cornwell. Loved his Numnie (sp) and Morgan was perfect.

Joe Jameson, Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. Frank Muller, The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Nick Taylor, Tawny Man trilogy by Robin Hobb.

I also agree with Dave ☺️

Michael Lesley is my favorite voice narrator. I frequently forget that it's only one person reading the entire book. The best book read by him is The Lightning Struck Heart - which, unfortunately for this discussion, doesn't have a lot of female characters.

Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legendary Lovers better shows off his variety of female voices, but be warned - the book is wierd and f**k. It's a series of short stories and the narration is outstanding. But, not all of the stories are sexy and there are some I won't be listening to again. That being said, I'd listen to this guy read the phone book. I'm slowly working my way through his back catalogue, so I've been listening to books and authors I might not otherwise have considered.