Best R.C. Bray Audiobooks

The best audiobooks narrated by R.C. Bray — 25 titles spanning Sci-Fi, Horror, Historical Fiction, averaging 4.67 ABR stars.

R.C. Bray is the go-to narrator for military sci-fi that doesn't take itself too seriously — and nobody does it better. His gruff, lived-in baritone carries an effortless blue-collar wit that makes him a perfect fit for the Expeditionary Force series, where he's narrated all 26 of Craig Alanson's books and practically become synonymous with the sarcastic AI Skippy. That comedic timing is genuinely rare in audiobooks — dry, deadpan, never mugging for the joke. But Bray isn't just a one-trick operator. His narration of Starship Troopers crackles with the right kind of earnest intensity, and the Hell Divers series showcases his ability to hold tension through relentless action. If you like your sci-fi punchy, funny, and voiced by someone who sounds like they've actually been in a firefight, Bray is your narrator.

Where to Start with R.C. Bray

  1. 1
    Hell Divers VII: Warriors cover

    Hell Divers VII: Warriors

    Hell Divers Series • Book 7

    by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.79 ABR Score (9.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.86 Audible (9.3K)
    16h 13m listening time • Released 2020
  2. 2
    Hell Divers V: Captives cover

    Hell Divers V: Captives

    Hell Divers Series • Book 5

    by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.77 ABR Score (13.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.82 Audible (13.8K)
    9h 50m listening time • Released 2019
  3. 3
    Well Fed cover

    Well Fed

    Mountain Man • Book 4

    by Keith C. Blackmore

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.75 ABR Score (12.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.4 Goodreads (2.5K) ★ 4.82 Audible (10.0K)
    16h 59m listening time • Released 2015

    R.C. Bray's gravel-voiced delivery transforms this post-apocalyptic manhunt into pure survival tension, making the fourth Mountain Man book feel like a high-stakes thriller despite its bloated runtime.

  4. 4
    Hell Divers III: Deliverance cover

    Hell Divers III: Deliverance

    Hell Divers Series • Book 3

    by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.74 ABR Score (20.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.77 Audible (20.1K)
    11h 18m listening time • Released 2018
  5. 5
    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.

  6. 6
    Hell Divers II: Ghosts cover

    Hell Divers II: Ghosts

    Hell Divers Series • Book 2

    by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.71 ABR Score (22.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.74 Audible (22.8K)
    8h 13m listening time • Released 2017
  7. 7
    Hell Divers IV: Wolves cover

    Hell Divers IV: Wolves

    Hell Divers Series • Book 4

    by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.71 ABR Score (15.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.76 Audible (15.3K)
    9h 25m listening time • Released 2018
  8. 8
    Hell Divers VI: Allegiance cover

    Hell Divers VI: Allegiance

    Hell Divers Series • Book 6

    by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.70 ABR Score (10.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.78 Audible (10.5K)
    11h 16m listening time • Released 2019
  9. 9
    Hell Divers VIII: King of the Wastes cover

    Hell Divers VIII: King of the Wastes

    Hell Divers Series • Book 8

    by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.70 ABR Score (6.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.82 Audible (6.4K)
    13h 52m listening time • Released 2021
  10. 10
    Make Me King cover

    Make Me King

    Mountain Man • Book 5

    by Keith C. Blackmore

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.69 ABR Score (7.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.43 Goodreads (1.4K) ★ 4.83 Audible (6.3K)
    11h 12m listening time • Released 2020

    R.C. Bray transforms this post-apocalyptic power struggle into something genuinely gripping—his vocal range makes every faction feel distinct, and the tension between survival and ambition hits harder through audio than it would on the page.

  11. 11
    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.

  12. 12
    After It Happened: Publisher's Pack 3 cover

    After It Happened: Publisher's Pack 3

    After It Happened • Book 5

    by Devon C. Ford

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.67 ABR Score (5.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.82 Audible (5.0K)
    13h 28m listening time • Released 2018
  13. 13
    Match Game cover

    Match Game

    Expeditionary Force • Book 14

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.64 ABR Score (19.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.5 Goodreads (6.6K) ★ 4.86 Audible (13.2K)
    20h 20m listening time • Released 2022

    R.C. Bray's deadpan delivery of an AI's god-complex monologues is comedy gold, and he nails the tonal shifts when humanity actually becomes useful. Fourteen books in and this series still lands its humor and stakes perfectly.

  14. 14
    Brushfire cover

    Brushfire

    Expeditionary Force • Book 11

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.64 ABR Score (28.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.44 Goodreads (8.1K) ★ 4.85 Audible (20.7K)
    19h 18m listening time • Released 2020

    R.C. Bray delivers peak form here, nailing the worn humor of soldiers adjusting to peace while everything still wants to kill them. A perfect blend of character depth and sci-fi action that justifies the eleven-book commitment.

  15. 15
    Zero Hour cover

    Zero Hour

    Expeditionary Force • Book 5

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.63 ABR Score (56.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.37 Goodreads (14.8K) ★ 4.81 Audible (41.4K)
    17h 20m listening time • Released 2018

    R.C. Bray's deadpan delivery transforms Alanson's chaos into comedy gold—he nails every shift from absurd banter to genuine stakes, making this sprawling space opera feel intimate despite the galactic scale.

  16. 16
    Armageddon cover

    Armageddon

    Expeditionary Force • Book 8

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.62 ABR Score (34.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.42 Goodreads (10.5K) ★ 4.82 Audible (23.5K)
    17h 51m listening time • Released 2019

    R.C. Bray's deadpan delivery makes Alanson's wisecracks land perfectly—eight books in and this series still nails the balance between laugh-out-loud humor and genuine stakes.

  17. 17
    Failure Mode cover

    Failure Mode

    Expeditionary Force • Book 15

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.62 ABR Score (25.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.48 Goodreads (6.4K) ★ 4.82 Audible (19.3K)
    19h 22m listening time • Released 2022

    R.C. Bray's deadpan delivery of Skippy's existential crisis hits different when you're trapped in a losing battle with no exit strategy. The desperation lands harder in audio.

  18. 18
    Crash Dive cover

    Crash Dive

    Crash Dive Series • Book 1

    by Craig DiLouie

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.61 ABR Score (4.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.66 Goodreads (692) ★ 4.87 Audible (4.2K)
    29h 11m listening time • Released 2019

    R.C. Bray's narration transforms this WW2 submarine saga into an immersive combat experience—his command of tension and dialogue makes 29 hours feel essential rather than long.

  19. 19
    Breakaway cover

    Breakaway

    Expeditionary Force • Book 12

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.61 ABR Score (20.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.48 Goodreads (7.8K) ★ 4.83 Audible (12.4K)
    19h 22m listening time • Released 2021

    R.C. Bray's delivery of Joe Bishop and Skippy's banter is so sharp and perfectly timed that twelve books in, the humor still lands harder than the space battles. If you've made it this far in the series, Breakaway doubles down on what works: character chemistry that feels lived-in and dialogue that crackles with personality.

  20. 20
    Exodus cover

    Exodus

    Arisen • Book 5

    by Glynn James, Michael Stephen Fuchs

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.61 ABR Score (5.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.39 Goodreads (2.6K) ★ 4.78 Audible (3.0K)
    12h 18m listening time • Released 2015

    R.C. Bray transforms this apocalyptic siege into something visceral and unbearable—his performance sells the desperation of exhausted soldiers facing impossible odds with such conviction you'll feel the dread yourself.

  21. 21
    Mountain Man: Prequel cover

    Mountain Man: Prequel

    Mountain Man #0.4

    by Keith C. Blackmore

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.61 ABR Score (9.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (1.6K) ★ 4.75 Audible (7.7K)
    8h 19m listening time • Released 2018

    R.C. Bray's gravel-voiced delivery transforms this zombie siege into something claustrophobic and relentless—he makes you feel trapped inside that megastore as hard as the characters are.

  22. 22
    Black Ops cover

    Black Ops

    Expeditionary Force • Book 4

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.61 ABR Score (58.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.34 Goodreads (16.5K) ★ 4.8 Audible (41.7K)
    16h 44m listening time • Released 2017

    R.C. Bray brings such genuine warmth and humor to Alanson's ragtag crew that you're hooked by their banter alone—the sci-fi plot just makes the ride wilder.

  23. 23
    Renegades cover

    Renegades

    Expeditionary Force • Book 7

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.61 ABR Score (37.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.37 Goodreads (12.0K) ★ 4.82 Audible (25.7K)
    17h 7m listening time • Released 2019

    R.C. Bray's deadpan delivery elevates Alanson's sarcastic sci-fi humor into something genuinely hilarious—he's the perfect voice for a ragtag crew that keeps accidentally saving the world.

  24. 24
    The Dark cover

    The Dark

    Infinite • Book 7

    by Jeremy Robinson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.61 ABR Score (12.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.26 Goodreads (3.3K) ★ 4.71 Audible (8.9K)
    10h 25m listening time • Released 2021

    R.C. Bray transforms Robinson's apocalyptic horror into a visceral experience—his performance grounds the cosmic dread in genuine human vulnerability, making the nightmare feel terrifyingly real.

  25. 25
    Valkyrie cover

    Valkyrie

    Expeditionary Force • Book 9

    by Craig Alanson

    Narrated by R.C. Bray

    4.60 ABR Score (32.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.43 Goodreads (10.0K) ★ 4.79 Audible (22.6K)
    19h 45m listening time • Released 2020

    R.C. Bray's delivery transforms this ninth book into pure momentum—his timing on the humor is so sharp it cuts, making you forget you're listening to a 20-hour audiobook about saving Earth from annihilation.

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 →