Audiobooks Like Leviathan Wakes

Jefferson Mays brings a restrained, matter-of-fact quality to the Expanse opener that suits a universe where violence is bureaucratic and conspiracy is just bad physics — his 21-hour read never overplays the noir, letting the scale of the threat accumulate quietly. He shares the list with one other recommendation, and the rest gravitate toward the same hard-science political thriller register where the stakes are civilizational but the story stays grounded in individual voices.

10 audiobooks for fans of Leviathan Wakes

  1. 1
    The Mercy of Gods cover

    The Mercy of Gods

    Captive's War • Book 1

    by James S. A. Corey

    Narrated by Jefferson Mays

    4.31 ABR Score (4.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.54 Audible (4.2K)
    14h 54m listening time • Released 2024
  2. 2
    Too Like the Lightning cover

    Too Like the Lightning

    Terra Ignota • Book 1

    by Ada Palmer

    Narrated by Jefferson Mays

    3.78 ABR Score (16.8K ratings)
    ★ 3.81 Goodreads (15.9K) ★ 4.17 Audible (865)
    20h 19m listening time • Released 2016
  3. 3
    Morning Star cover

    Morning Star

    Red Rising • Book 3

    by Pierce Brown

    Narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds

    4.81 ABR Score (468.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.55 Goodreads (414.3K) ★ 4.82 Audible (54.2K)
    21h 50m listening time • Released 2016

    Tim Gerard Reynolds delivers a career-best performance across 22 hours of revolutionary fervor—his voice work transforms the final Red Rising installment into an unforgettable emotional and political reckoning that justifies the entire trilogy's brutal setup.

  4. 4
    Golden Son cover

    Golden Son

    Red Rising • Book 2

    by Pierce Brown

    Narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds

    4.79 ABR Score (560.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.5 Goodreads (505.3K) ★ 4.81 Audible (55.5K)
    19h 3m listening time • Released 2015

    Tim Gerard Reynolds transforms this brutal space opera with a voice that captures both Darrow's rage and vulnerability, making the 19-hour listen feel essential rather than exhausting.

  5. 5
    The Dark Forest cover

    The Dark Forest

    Remembrance of Earth's Past • Book 2

    by Liu Cixin, Joel Martinsen

    Narrated by P. J. Ochlan

    4.56 ABR Score (243.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.4 Goodreads (224.9K) ★ 4.65 Audible (18.1K)
    22h 36m listening time • Released 2015
  6. 6
    A Desolation Called Peace cover

    A Desolation Called Peace

    Teixcalaan • Book 2

    by Arkady Martine

    Narrated by Amy Landon

    4.35 ABR Score (38.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (37.1K) ★ 4.65 Audible (1.8K)
    17h 32m listening time • Released 2021
  7. 7
    Devoradores de estrelas cover

    Devoradores de estrelas

    by Andy Weir, Natalie Gerhardt

    Narrated by Rafael Maia

    4.21 ABR Score (1.3M ratings)
    ★ 4.51 Goodreads (1.3M) ★ 5 Audible (12)
    17h 26m listening time • Released 2023
  8. 8
    Critical Mass cover

    Critical Mass

    Expeditionary Force • Book 10

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.71 ABR Score (34.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.52 Goodreads (9.1K) ★ 4.89 Audible (25.2K)
    19h 25m listening time • Released 2020

    R.C. Bray's deadpan delivery makes the chaos sing—he nails every comedic beat while keeping the existential stakes brutally real. If you've loved the series, this one escalates everything.

  9. 9
    Fallout cover

    Fallout

    Expeditionary Force • Book 13

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.69 ABR Score (26.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.52 Goodreads (7.2K) ★ 4.89 Audible (18.8K)
    22h 29m listening time • Released 2021

    R.C. Bray's comedic timing and character work elevate this space opera into something genuinely funny—he makes you laugh out loud at the banter between Joe and Skippy while keeping the stakes high.

  10. 10
    Dune cover

    Dune

    Dune • Book 1

    by Frank Herbert

    Narrated by Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance, Ilyana Kadushin, Byron Jennings, David R. Gordon, Jason Culp, Kent Broadhurst, Oliver Wyman, Patricia Kilgarriff, Scott Sowers

    4.66 ABR Score (1.8M ratings)
    ★ 4.29 Goodreads (1.6M) ★ 4.67 Audible (126.5K)
    21h 2m listening time • Released 2007

    The Godfather of science fiction epics: a richly imagined desert world where politics, religion, and ecology collide in a story that feels more relevant every decade.

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.

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