Audiobooks Like Hell Bent

Lauren Fortgang narrates Leigh Bardugo's dark academia sequel with the same sharp, world-weary intelligence she brought to Alex Stern in Ninth House — the 16-hour runtime gives the Yale underworld heist enough room to develop its conspiratorial logic, and Fortgang keeps the tonal balance between urban fantasy thriller and genuine magical stakes without leaning too far into either. Michael David Axtell handles additional voices with the same register. Four picks return to Fortgang's narration across Bardugo's other work, and the rest cluster in the award-winning, highly-rated fantasy space with similar runtimes.

10 audiobooks for fans of Hell Bent

  1. 1
    Crooked Kingdom cover

    Crooked Kingdom

    Six of Crows • Book 2

    by Leigh Bardugo

    Narrated by Roger Clark, Jay Snyder, Elizabeth Evans, Fred Berman, Brandon Rubin, Kevin T. Collins, Lauren Fortgang, Peter Ganim

    4.68 ABR Score (797.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.57 Goodreads (779.9K) ★ 4.73 Audible (18.0K)
    17h 58m listening time • Released 2016
  2. 2
    Six of Crows cover

    Six of Crows

    Six of Crows • Book 1

    by Leigh Bardugo

    Narrated by Jay Snyder, Brandon Rubin, Fred Berman, Lauren Fortgang, Roger Clark, Elizabeth Evans, Tristan Morris

    4.50 ABR Score (1.2M ratings)
    ★ 4.46 Goodreads (1.2M) ★ 4.55 Audible (22.8K)
    15h 4m listening time • Released 2015
  3. 3
    Ruin and Rising cover

    Ruin and Rising

    Shadow and Bone • Book 3

    by Leigh Bardugo

    Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

    4.28 ABR Score (607.8K ratings)
    ★ 3.97 Goodreads (595.9K) ★ 4.58 Audible (11.9K)
    10h 57m listening time • Released 2014
  4. 4
    Shadow and Bone cover

    Shadow and Bone

    Shadow and Bone • Book 1

    by Leigh Bardugo

    Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

    4.12 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 3.91 Goodreads (1.1M) ★ 4.39 Audible (15.2K)
    9h 21m listening time • Released 2012
  5. 5
    The Two Towers cover

    The Two Towers

    Middle-earth • Book 3

    by J.R.R. Tolkien

    Narrated by Rob Inglis

    4.83 ABR Score (1.2M ratings)
    ★ 4.5 Goodreads (1.1M) ★ 4.88 Audible (50.1K)
    16h 40m listening time • Released 2012

    Rob Inglis's performance elevates this sequel into something transcendent—his character voices and emotional depth make the sprawling narrative feel intimate, turning a 16-hour journey into something you won't want to pause.

  6. 6
    The Gate of the Feral Gods cover

    The Gate of the Feral Gods

    Dungeon Crawler Carl • Book 4

    by Matt Dinniman

    Narrated by Jeff Hays

    4.79 ABR Score (150.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.55 Goodreads (125.6K) ★ 4.91 Audible (24.5K)
    18h 3m listening time • Released 2021

    Jeff Hays transforms this fourth installment into pure comedic gold—his voice work for Carl's deadpan chaos and the ensemble cast is so sharp it lands every joke before the punchline hits.

  7. 7
    Skin Game cover

    Skin Game

    The Dresden Files • Book 15

    by Jim Butcher

    Narrated by James Marsters

    4.77 ABR Score (124.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.56 Goodreads (93.2K) ★ 4.88 Audible (31.3K)
    15h 49m listening time • Released 2014
  8. 8
    Wintersteel cover

    Wintersteel

    Cradle • Book 8

    by Will Wight

    Narrated by Travis Baldree

    4.77 ABR Score (44.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.68 Goodreads (33.0K) ★ 4.9 Audible (11.3K)
    14h 39m listening time • Released 2020

    Travis Baldree's performance elevates this tournament arc into something genuinely gripping—his character work makes the faction politics matter as much as the magic. The pacing snaps, the stakes land hard, and by the climax you're fully invested in who walks away alive.

  9. 9
    Reaper cover

    Reaper

    Cradle • Book 10

    by Will Wight

    Narrated by Travis Baldree

    4.76 ABR Score (40.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.66 Goodreads (30.0K) ★ 4.91 Audible (10.8K)
    13h 7m listening time • Released 2021

    Travis Baldree's narration elevates this series finale into something genuinely transcendent—his performance captures both the intimate character growth and the apocalyptic stakes with equal precision.

  10. 10
    The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook cover

    The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

    Dungeon Crawler Carl • Book 3

    by Matt Dinniman

    Narrated by Jeff Hays, The Critical Drinker

    4.75 ABR Score (182.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.43 Goodreads (152.4K) ★ 4.9 Audible (29.6K)
    16h 54m listening time • Released 2021

    Jeff Hays and The Critical Drinker elevate this already-wild progression fantasy into a full theatrical experience—the voice work and sound design transform a complex dungeon crawl into something you'll want to binge in one sitting.

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →