Star Wars Audiobooks

Hey how many of you guys listen to the EU audiobooks?

I'm currently listening to the Traitor audio book and so far I'm quite happy with it. This is my first SW audiobook and i like all the sound effects and music that it has. Obviously it's an abridged version and i noticed some of the stuff that they cut out, but they left a lot of the goodstuff in too.

The narrator, Jonathan Davis, is awesome. I especially like his Vergere voice. How many other EU books has he narrated?

Also, are all EU books abridged?

 

I believe he did pretty much all the books from 2000-2005. I really like him too; one of his two predecessors, Alexander Adams (1999-2000) was similarly talented.

Unfortunately, what I've heard of Marc Thompson in the excerpts from his Legacy of the Force readings, I'm not really liking him. Can't say why; just... personal preference, I guess.

Everything except the movie novelizations, which were available abridged and unabridged. And those not available at all, of course (the Galaxies and Republic Commando novels, as well as the post-Outbound Flight non-LOTF novels).

 

I listen to a lot of the audio books. They are all abridged with very few exceptions - mainly the Revenge of the Sith novelisation (and I believe other official prequel novelisations?)

Listening to the NJO via audiobook is always interesting because they cut stuff from earlier books, then recap it in the books where that subplot becomes important. It's a sort of surreal experience, but what can I say - I enjoy having the story told to me.

Traitor is definitely one of the better audio books. While I hate that they cut Vergere's vission of The Ganner from the end, in general I think the cuts they made were acceptable and didn't ruin the meat of the story.

However the Star By Star audio book is a terrible adaptation. I mean, I feel for their dilemma - that book was twice as long as others and the didn't have twice as much time! - but for crying out loud they didn't even mention the fall of Coruscant! (Which gave the interesting effect of me learning about it in the same way as Jaina - after all she'd been through at the start of Dark Journey - because I listened to the audio books before I read the novels). It didn't mention a SINGLE death after the first one - the Jedi who was wounded and left in the shuttle as a distraction. Which kind of...ruins the oppressive and terrifying atmosphere of the whole Myrkr mission and robs Anakin of a lot of character development before he bites the big one.

So, in the end, they're a mixed bag. But I love the format too much to stop getting them.

I'm not sure how many books Jonathan Davis has narrated but I think he did quite a few of the NJO ones and may even still be the official narrator. Either way, in my experience, the narration in SW books is good. Though Anthony Daniels narrating the Thrawn Trilogy is awesome.

 

I've only listened to DN: The Swarm War. This one was quite creepy with all the bug sounds.

 

As I said, he's unfortunately been replaced.

Didn't he only do one or two, with Denis Lawson doing the rest? Almost as good, I think...

 

I only like the audio-books of Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command. I like them because they actually are read by star wars actors (Denis Lawson and Anthony Daniels). I wish they had utilized Denis and Anthony a LOT more as other audio books are horrible.

 

Thanks for the tip, I was planning to get SBS as it was one of my favorite NJO books, but now I won't be listening to that. Cutting out Raynar's "death"? The fall of Coruscant excluded? It really sounds like an awful adaptation!

I'm thinking of getting the Legacy of the Force on audiobooks too but since its abridged and I haven't read any of the novels, I'm afraid I might miss out on some of the goodstuff. Where can I find information on what stuff they've cut out?

 

I've got the first four LotF audiobooks, and I think they're pretty good.

Off the top of my head, in Betrayal, the terrorist incidents on Lorrd are cut out. In Tempest, Jaina and Zekk's mission to Ducha Galney's estate is gone. Ben escaping from the Temple is cut in Exile, as well as the assasination attempt on Wedge. There's more stuff cut in all of them, obviously, but that's what I can remember right now.

 

Thanks, LosDosMos. If anyone else knows any of the other cut scenes please post them.

 

Other way around. Wedge did the first book, Threepio did the final two. Other than speaking a bit too softly at times when reading the narrative, Lawson did a fine job. Daniels was excellent; his voices are very versatile. TTT audiobook is a car tape deck companion when not even XM can give me what I need.

The worst abridgement was VOTF. The scenes on the Chiss planet post-Mara "rescue" are horribly chopped down. The listener knows Luke and Mara are freaked out about something, but whatever it is, they're just trying to rush off the planet. No context whatsoever.

 

So currently whe have:

Good Abridgement:
The Trawn Trilogy
Traitor
Legacy of the Force Series (so far)

Bad Abridgement:
Vision of the Future
Star by Star

In your opinion, was it a good abridgement?

Well, I haven't listened to the Thrawn Trilogy, so I have no basis for comparison, but I think the guy who does most of the narration, Jonathan Davis, is good. Haven't heard the new guy they got for the Legacy era so can't comment on that one.

 

Good abridgment? Oxymoron.

Loss of content is an ugly, ugly thing.

 

Oh Havac, you know what I mean.