The 20 best military audiobooks from history to fiction and beyond

As the Navy SEAL with the most career sniper kills in United States military history, Chris Kyle is largely considered an American hero. So it’s not hard to see why his autobiography was not only a New York Times best seller but also the source material for an Academy Award-winning film. American Sniper offers, in narrator John Pruden’s Texan accent and Kyle’s own gripping prose, some insight into the mental and emotional experience of being one of the most lethal individuals in the world. It also portrays Kyle’s upbringing and early life, providing a more relatable portrait of a man who learned marksmanship to hunt with his father long before he employed the skill in his military career.

This audiobook tells the story of arguably the most important military moment of the 21st century through the eyes of the person most qualified to share it: Robert O’Neill, the former Navy SEAL who fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden. In his own voice, O’Neill tells his war stories in gripping detail, and goes far beyond the 2011 Abbottabad raid. The author-narrator was also instrumental in the mission to recover lone survivor Marcus Luttrell as well as the pirate abductee Captain Phillips. Despite his harrowing and violent career, O’Neill maintains an impressive sense of humor that shines through in not just his writing but also his performance. In a category that is so often characterized by trauma and pain, O’Neill’s use of humor in maintaining his resilience is something that all listeners can learn from.

In this hilarious and joyous rom com, sparks fly when a piano genius and a Hollywood heartthrob are thrown together for a charity performance of solos, heartfelt duets, and a big, showstopping finale.

Quito Cruz might be a genius piano player and composer in New York City now but it doesn’t mean that he’s any closer to his Broadway dream. Although Quito knows what the problem is. Or rather who. Because ever since that night in college—with pretty-boy jock Emmett Aoki—his inspiration has been completely MIA . . .

Now Quito’s dad wants him to put on a charity performance in his hometown. And there’s one hella big string attached: convince Emmett—now one of Hollywood’s hottest celebrities—to perform.

It’s all shaping up to be the biggest musical fiasco of Quito’s life. Especially when Emmett agrees to attend, and Quito realizes that undeniable vibe between them is stronger than ever. Because there’s nothing simple about falling for a movie star . . . even when he’s pitch-perfect.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

In this tale of the traumas of war and generational pain, listeners follow author-narrator Dale Maharidge on an unbelievable journey to understand his late father, a World War II Army veteran who seldom spoke of his years in the service but drank heavily and flew into frightening rages that the young Maharidge could not understand. In his exploration of his father’s things, Maharidge finds just one piece of evidence: a photo of the young Army Sergeant alongside another unnamed man in uniform. The author’s journey to identify that man leads him places he never could have imagined. Going beyond his quest to identify the man in the photo, he ultimately becomes the person to find his remains and, nearly 75 years after his death, bring him home.

When it comes to espionage, there are daring spies, and then there’s name-checked by the Gestapo as the most dangerous of all Allied intelligence spies. Baltimore socialite-turned-undercover-operative Virginia Hall was the latter. BAFTA-nominated actress Juliet Stevenson and author Sonia Purnell bring Hall’s story to vivid life with thrilling descriptions of true tales: how Hall set up a vast network of Allied spies throughout France, helped coordinate attacks on German assets, and refused repeated orders to evacuate even as her face began to appear on wanted posters across Europe. Hall’s legacy is one that should be prominently featured in any account of World War II, but Purcell’s documentation is the first of its kind—a long-overdue celebration of one of the fiercest women in history.

During the height of the war in Afghanistan, four Navy SEALs embarked on a mission to infiltrate a rumored Taliban stronghold—a mission that quickly turned catastrophic. The sole survivor, Marcus Luttrell, only survived after an RPG blasted him far enough away so that he could escape undetected. He crawled, injured, through miles of enemy territory before finally encountering a group of benevolent villagers willing to risk their own lives to shelter him and help him get home. It takes a talented narrator to tell such a personal story, but Kevin T. Collins manages to embody Luttrell’s spirit, as well as his Texas accent, in an incredibly heartfelt way.

Not all military experiences are created equal. Some—like those of the Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne—are so aggressively riddled with violence and loss that it’s hard to truly comprehend their reality. The titular unit of the United States Army, also known as the Screaming Eagles, had a 150 percent casualty rate during the four years it was active during World War II. Those who survived forged a bond with their fellow soldiers, the intensity of which few other humans have ever experienced. Tim Jerome narrates with the sobriety and gravitas necessary to properly illustrate the company’s stories of combat, drawn from personal journals and intimate interviews with surviving veteran members. As with any war account, Band of Brothers is often a hard listen, but a rewarding one that does an excellent job of impressing upon the listener the magnitude of what these men sacrificed for their country.

Definitely one of the most unconventional military audiobooks on this list, this title takes a macro look at warfare by zooming out—way out. Neil deGrasse Tyson’s talent for exploring the unique and unconventional ways astrophysics relates to everyday, earthly topics is on display in Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military, which discusses what the authors call the "curiously complicit" relationship between professionals in the fields of space and combat. Like most of Tyson’s work, the potentially complicated physics and political concepts in Accessory to War are explained in plain, easily understood language that’s further aided by Courtney B. Vance’s clear, calm tone. Tyson’s spectacularly woven web of connection between these two seemingly unrelated fields makes for a fascinating deep dive, regardless of whether you’re a genuine physics buff or just intrigued by the world beyond.

This unique examination of World War I explores the social, cultural, and political shifts that took place leading up to and immediately following the beginning of the war. Barbara Tuchman beautifully illustrates the ornate trappings of the end of the Gilded Age, tracing the conditions that led to the conflict that would define international relations and set the stage for another cataclysmic war just a few decades later. This work of historical nonfiction feels as thrilling and dramatic as a brilliantly written novel, and narrator Wanda McCaddon’s dignified voice does justice to the subject in a way that both history enthusiasts and society buffs will appreciate.

Tim O’Brien’s series of short Vietnam War stories is a classic, and for a reason: it’s not only an unflinching semi-autobiographical account of the horrors of war but also incredibly poetic. O’Brien expertly outlines the intersecting weights of pain, service, commitment, and love that simultaneously fuel and burden the men who fought and died in the trenches of what is undeniably one of history’s most difficult wars. The already electric writing is made magical by the incomparable Bryan Cranston, whose work as the complicated antihero Walter White in Breaking Bad more than prepared him to take on the tangled emotions and realities that O’Brien recounts. Even avid readers of The Things They Carried will find that Cranston’s performance alone makes it worth the revisit.

Strong Ending: A Journey from Combat to Comedy is an audio-documentary that follows three military veterans through "comedy boot camp," during which they attempt to turn their post-traumatic pain into viable stand-up material. Marine Corps Sergeant and Purple Heart recipient Michael Garvey, Army Captain Isaura Ramirez, and Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Patrick Harth talk through their process as they come to terms with their post-traumatic stress disorders and learn how comedy can help them heal. In addition to being narrated by award-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker, the audiobook features interviews with professional comedians like Maria Bamford and Rob Riggle (who is a veteran himself). Far more than just a series of interviews, though, Strong Ending delves into the intimacies of healing and the science of laughter in a moving and powerful way.

The plain and direct title of this selection is an accurate indicator of the writing within, which is half autobiography, half therapeutic exercise for Vietnam veteran and author Karl Marlantes. Perhaps more so than other works on the topic, Marlantes’s work focuses on the psychological effects of war, making this less about Vietnam itself or even American military service and more about the individual experience of combat shared by so many throughout time and around the world. What It Is Like to Go to War took Marlantes more than 30 years to complete, an investment evident in the unparalleled sophistication of thought he demonstrates in his integration of personal, philosophical, historical, spiritual, and political stories into one cohesive narrative. Performed by actor Bronson Pinchot (perhaps best known for his role as Balki Bartokomous on ABC’s Perfect Strangers), Marlantes’s words feel even more contemplative and sacred in his expression of the human cost of war.

There are many works that claim to offer an intimate perspective on the realities of war, but none capture the complicated experiences of military service and its aftermath quite so approachably as this. It’s narrated by Mat Best, one of the work’s three authors and a former Army Ranger, who listeners describe as both irreverent and insightful. In his performance, Best brings unflinching candor and a fierce commitment to finding the comedy in any situation—even a career that included violence the likes of which many will never see. Thank You for My Service presents a well-rounded portrait of the good, the bad, and the ugly involved in military service, giving civilians the opportunity to better understand their military counterparts and, ideally, offering service members and veterans some comfort in the form of a familiar voice.

In 2007, Washington Post reporter David Finkel spent eight months in eastern Baghdad with the 2-16 Second Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, documenting their participation in what President George W. Bush called the surge. More than a year later, the Rangers returned home and their efforts were hailed as a success. But of course, war is never really that simple, and it leaves physical and mental scars on individuals and communities that aren’t always visible. Thanks to Finkel’s remarkably candid report, listeners can gain an understanding of what actually happened and what the Rangers went through during the surge. Narrator Mark Boyett is relatively new on the audiobook scene, which in this instance works to his advantage. His youthful, clear voice makes it easy to imagine him as an exuberant young soldier eager to serve his country and forced to grapple with what, exactly, that might require.

Some of the best historical fiction follows an under-discussed or hidden element of otherwise well-known history, and author Kate Quinn has developed an excellent reputation for doing exactly that. In The Huntress, she turns her talents to the aftermath of World War II and the very real hunt that took place for former Nazis who fled to the United States to avoid prosecution for war crimes in Nuremberg. The dual plotlines jump between post-war Boston, where young Jordan McBride is learning to embrace her father’s mysterious new German fianceé, and mid-conflict Russia, where the bold and untamed Russian pilot Nina Markova serves as a member of the fearsome bomber regiment known as the Night Witches. Narrator Saskia Maarleveld’s authentic Russian accent creates an even more convincing listening experience, drawing the listener into a heart-pounding, urgent race to uncover potentially lethal war criminals hiding in plain sight.

Turned into a movie in 1992 and now a hit streaming series starring John Krasinski in its titular role, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series is just as unbelievably popular today as it was when it was published more than 20 years ago. Patriot Games is the first in the series, introducing the listener to the thrilling missions of ex-Marine CIA analyst and historian Jack Ryan. Hall of Fame Narrator Scott Brick expertly navigates through English, Irish, Scottish, Australian, and even South African accents as the story follows Ryan from his vacation in London back home to America and across the paths of a pack of dangerous characters. After Ryan interferes in a terrorist attempt to kidnap the Prince and Princess, he makes powerful new enemies—enemies who are willing to cross the Atlantic to follow Ryan home and take him down.

One of the conditions that allowed Hitler’s rise to power was the physical and economic trauma that Germans endured during and after World War I, which is precisely the subject of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. Voiced by Audie Award winner Frank Muller, this audiobook takes what many consider to be the greatest war novel of all time and turns it into a poignant, gripping, and immersive narrative experience. Based on Remarque’s personal experience as a German veteran of WWI, All Quiet on the Western Front does an unparalleled job of offering an understanding of the devastation that took hundreds of thousands of hopeful, exuberant enlistees and, through the despair of a nightmarish war, broke their spirits.

The Aubrey-Maturin series is perhaps the best demonstration of narrator Patrick Tull’s inimitable skillset, a high-stakes, high seas wartime story that benefits tremendously from his rich English accent and deep, booming bass. The first in the 21-book series follows the events of the Napoleonic War through the lens of the unlikely friendship between Master and Commander Jack Aubrey and the traditionally landbound physician-turned-naval surgeon Stephen Maturin aboard the HM Sloop of War, Sophie. O’Brian’s writing is detailed and articulate, outlining not only the intertwining influences of politics and war but also class, society, and male friendship throughout Aubrey and Maturin’s adventures. With thrilling action sequences and sneakily funny social observances, Master and Commander is, in many ways, the pinnacle of war fiction.

Like The Huntress, Aimie K. Runyan’s Daughters of the Night Sky focuses on the women of the 588th Bomber Regiment—the infamous Russian Night Witches. But where Kate Quinn’s story splits focus between multiple settings, Runyan’s tale focuses exclusively on the Night Witches and, more specifically, on war heroine Katya Ivanova. Narrator Kathleen Gati does an impressive Russian accent that’s both authentic and easily understandable, making it easy to keep track of the various characters throughout a complex war. (And the fact that she’s an Emmy-nominated voice actress and veteran narrator doesn’t hurt, either.)