20 quick sci-fi & fantasy listens
If you’re anything like me, your attention span is being stretched to its max right now. I’m finding myself reaching for short listens that I can finish in a day or two. Here’s a list of great listens that hit right around the five-hour mark. —Sam, Audible Editor-
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- By: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect....
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HHTGH - Lightly Fried
- By J. Medany on 05-08-05
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Series: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Book 1
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Release date: 04-28-05
- Language: English
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Assassin's Creed: Gold
- An Audible Original Drama
- By: Anthony Del Col
- Narrated by: Riz Ahmed, John Chancer, Ray Fearon, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Assassin’s Creed: Gold follows Aliyah Khan, a card shark and hustler who’s been dealt a rough hand in life....
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Fits in perfectly to the overall AC lore
- By Captain Redbeard on 03-03-20
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Assassin's Creed: Gold
- An Audible Original Drama
- Narrated by: Riz Ahmed, John Chancer, Ray Fearon, Anthony Head, Tamara Lawrance, Gemma Lawrence, Danny Wallace
- Series: Assassin's Creed
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Release date: 02-27-20
- Language: English
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane
- A Novel
- By: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie - magical, comforting, wise beyond her years - promised to protect him, no matter what....
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Shadows Dissolved in Vinegar
- By Cynthia on 06-20-13
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Release date: 06-18-13
- Language: English
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The Dispatcher
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Zachary Quinto
- Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
One day, not long from now, it becomes almost impossible to murder anyone - 999 times out of a thousand, anyone who is intentionally killed comes back....
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IT'S HARD TO GET MYSTICAL ABOUT YOUR JOB
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 10-05-16
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The Dispatcher
- Narrated by: Zachary Quinto
- Series: The Dispatcher, Book 1
- Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins
- Release date: 10-04-16
- Language: English
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Alien: Out of the Shadows
- An Audible Original Drama
- By: Tim Lebbon, Dirk Maggs
- Narrated by: Rutger Hauer, Corey Johnson, Matthew Lewis, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As a child, Chris Hooper dreamed of monsters. But in deep space, he found only darkness and isolation....
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a work that I highly recommend
- By Midwestbonsai on 05-02-16
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Alien: Out of the Shadows
- An Audible Original Drama
- Narrated by: Rutger Hauer, Corey Johnson, Matthew Lewis, Kathryn Drysdale, Laurel Lefkow, Andrea Deck, Mac McDonald
- Series: Alien, Book 3
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Release date: 04-26-16
- Language: English
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This Is How You Lose the Time War
- By: Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone
- Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell, Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From award-winning authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone comes an enthralling, romantic novel spanning time and space about two time-traveling rivals who fall in love and must change the past to ensure their future....
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Flowery poetic word salad
- By Austin on 02-11-20
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This Is How You Lose the Time War
- Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell, Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Release date: 07-16-19
- Language: English
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All Systems Red
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
All Systems Red is the tense first science fiction adventure novella in Martha Wells' series The Murderbot Diaries. For fans of Westworld and Ex Machina....
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I just wish all four stories were one book...
- By Garrett Stone on 11-05-18
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All Systems Red
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Series: Murderbot Diaries, Book 1
- Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins
- Release date: 10-30-17
- Language: English
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Annihilation
- Southern Reach Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Jeff VanderMeer
- Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization....
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Great story, bad narrator
- By Julian P. on 01-26-16
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Annihilation
- Southern Reach Trilogy, Book 1
- Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick
- Series: The Southern Reach Series, Book 1
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Release date: 02-04-14
- Language: English
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Emergency Skin
- Forward collection
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Jason Isaacs
- Length: 1 hr and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
What will become of our self-destructed planet? The answer shatters all expectations in this subversive speculation from the Hugo Award - winning author of the Broken Earth trilogy....
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Try to avoid getting clubbed by the message...
- By Chris on 04-10-20
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Emergency Skin
- Forward collection
- Narrated by: Jason Isaacs
- Series: Forward Collection
- Length: 1 hr and 4 mins
- Release date: 09-17-19
- Language: English
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Nine Princes in Amber
- The Chronicles of Amber, Book 1
- By: Roger Zelazny
- Narrated by: Alessandro Juliani
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Amber is the one real world, of which all others including our own Earth are but Shadows. Amber burns in Corwin's blood.....
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Great book, lame deal!
- By Robert on 08-13-12
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Nine Princes in Amber
- The Chronicles of Amber, Book 1
- Narrated by: Alessandro Juliani
- Series: Chronicles of Amber, Book 1
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Release date: 07-31-12
- Language: English
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Every Heart a Doorway
- By: Seanan McGuire
- Narrated by: Cynthia Hopkins
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions - slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells....
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Utterly Moving
- By tm on 07-12-16
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Every Heart a Doorway
- Narrated by: Cynthia Hopkins
- Series: Wayward Children, Book 1
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Release date: 04-05-16
- Language: English
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Binti
- By: Nnedi Okorafor
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy....
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Messages
- By khaalidah on 10-07-15
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Binti
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Series: Binti, Book 1
- Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
- Release date: 09-22-15
- Language: English
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The Invisible Man
- By: H. G. Wells
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On a freezing February day, a stranger emerges from out of the gray to request a room at a local provincial inn. Who is this out-of-season traveler....
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Way ahead of its time!
- By Brian on 06-06-13
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The Invisible Man
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Release date: 10-26-00
- Language: English
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Where the Hell Is Tesla?
- A Novel
- By: Rob Dircks
- Narrated by: Rob Dircks
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
I found the journal at work. Well, I don't know if you'd call it work, but that's where I found it. It's the lost journal of Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest inventors and visionaries ever....
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Had A Blast Listening To This One!
- By Cheri on 08-11-16
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Where the Hell Is Tesla?
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Rob Dircks
- Series: Where the Hell Is Tesla?, Book 1
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
- Release date: 03-24-15
- Language: English
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To Be Taught, If Fortunate
- By: Becky Chambers
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At the turn of the 22nd century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations....
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"Gay & Lesbian"?!? This is solid Sci-Fi
- By Jennifer on 09-16-19
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To Be Taught, If Fortunate
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Release date: 09-03-19
- Language: English
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The Ballad of Black Tom
- By: Victor LaValle
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father's head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook....
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“I’ll take Cthulhu over you devils any day”
- By Jefferson on 11-16-19
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The Ballad of Black Tom
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Release date: 02-16-16
- Language: English
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Riot Baby
- By: Tochi Onyebuchi
- Narrated by: Tochi Onyebuchi
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rooted in the hope that can live in anger, Riot Baby is as much an intimate family story as a global dystopian narrative. It burns fearlessly toward revolution and has quietly devastating things to say about love, fury, and the black American experience....
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I...wasn’t...ready
- By Amazon Customer1 on 04-28-20
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Riot Baby
- Narrated by: Tochi Onyebuchi
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Release date: 01-21-20
- Language: English
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The God Engines
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Captain Ean Tephe is a man of faith, whose allegiance to his lord and to his ship is uncontested....
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I love Scalzi's writing but not this book
- By Tony Loman on 11-29-11
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The God Engines
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
- Release date: 12-15-10
- Language: English
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