The Audio Books

[ImExiled]

OK, I have an account at audible.com, and throughout the years, as I have changed computers I have downloaded them repeatedly. I always found the Nigel Planer recordings to be rather inferior. Mainly due to the fact that He read many of the parts to slow, and many of the voices were downright annoying.

However, I swear that some of the more annoying parts have re-recorded. Does anybody know anything about this?

The Stephen Briggs recordings are downright brilliant. The man is incredibly talented. I agree with the earlier post, Stephan Briggs should just go ahead and read all of them and then release them as a box set, and individually. I would re-purchase the ones I have and buy the rest.

[raptornx01]

Some of the audio books in my collection were supposed to have come from audible. they have the "This is audible" thing at the begining. but some of those do sound off, like a tape player playing slowly. the voices being deeper. sometimes even weird scritching noises too. i was wondering if they just got bad copies, or were lazy when they encoded them, or if the files i got just had the audible tag edited into the begining.

BTW this only happened with the Nigel books, none of the Stephen books had those problems.

[Tonyblack]

Welcome to the site, ImExiled!

[Who's Wee Dug]

Hi,ImExiled I think he is Ok but you I can definitely hear Neil from the young ones coming through on some parts.

[Toothy]

Stephen Briggs usually transforms himself into Vetinari at the Conventions and looks (not just sounds) the part. In 2008, I remember his Vetinari imitation of Anne Robinson in The Weakest Guild. Excellent.

I always insist on playing the SB performed audio books in the car when we go on long journeys as a family. My other half really doesn't 'get' Discworld at all. So, at the 2010 Convention (which he attended partially under protest), he went up to Mr Briggs and said 'I have a bone to pick with you... Whenever we drive long distance, my wife insists we have to listen to you reading Discworld books!' Without missing a beat, SB transformed himself into Vetinari, raised an eyebrow and retorted* 'At least if you are listening to me, you don't have to listen to your wife.' Cheek!

*it was decidely a 'retort'

[meerkat]

[Tonyblack]

Lucky he wasn't thrown into the scorpion pit.

[raisindot]

Without missing a beat, SB transformed himself into Vetinari, raised an eyebrow and retorted* 'At least if you are listening to me, you don't have to listen to your wife.' Cheek!

I can absolutely and totally accurately 'audioize' Briggs speaking that line in his Vetinari voice. That's how good he is

[raptornx01]

Love that bit Toothy

here's an odd thing. i started going through the color of magic again. and just noticed, it starts with the usual introduction, but. well. the guy introing it was like "'The Color Of Magic', By Nigel Planer, read, by the author"

[francis]

I heartily agree with Oberon. Stephen Briggs is by far and away the best reader of TP audio books. His characterisations fit my imagination of each of the characters well. Tony Robinson's voice annoys me after a while (agree with you there, Tony) and Nigel Planer makes Angua and Carrot sound as thick as two short planks and Vimes as a man with an adenoidal problem. I do like his Granny Weatherwax though.

Admittedly the SB audiobooks aren't cheap, but perhaps they could go on a birthday wish list...? iTunes or Audible vouchers maybe...?

I agree with you about Nigel Planer's reading of Carrot and Angua (Angua especially), but his decision to give Detritus a Glaswegian accent was absolutely inspired. I was delighted the very moment I heard it

[madwippitt]

Even if you know a book well, listening to an audio version gives it a whole new dimension. Stephen Briggs is by far the best I've listened to - and the ones he's done are unabridged too. I hate the abridged ones: the loss of so much detail is horrible.
I've bought quite a few secondhand on Amazon, and found a few for sale at the libary, but it is expensive - you can order from the library, but of course you eventually have to return it so can't listen whenever you want. I'm thinking about joining Audible as a way of being able to buy them more cheaply - has anyone else tried downloading them onto Kindle?

[Tonyblack]

Even if you know a book well, listening to an audio version gives it a whole new dimension. Stephen Briggs is by far the best I've listened to - and the ones he's done are unabridged too. I hate the abridged ones: the loss of so much detail is horrible.
I've bought quite a few secondhand on Amazon, and found a few for sale at the libary, but it is expensive - you can order from the library, but of course you eventually have to return it so can't listen whenever you want. I'm thinking about joining Audible as a way of being able to buy them more cheaply - has anyone else tried downloading them onto Kindle?

I didn't know you could download audiobooks to Kindle.

I have uploaded several DW books to my MP3 player. That works really well.

[Who's Wee Dug]

I can download them onto mine, also there is a read back funtion for reading back the the text to speech but not all Kindles have the text to speech facility.

I have the 3rd generation 3G keyboard one, it also has a web browser which I don't need to use I have heard it's a bit slow it may be on the wifi one without 3g as well.

[Who's Wee Dug]

Even if you know a book well, listening to an audio version gives it a whole new dimension. Stephen Briggs is by far the best I've listened to - and the ones he's done are unabridged too. I hate the abridged ones: the loss of so much detail is horrible.
I've bought quite a few secondhand on Amazon, and found a few for sale at the libary, but it is expensive - you can order from the library, but of course you eventually have to return it so can't listen whenever you want. I'm thinking about joining Audible as a way of being able to buy them more cheaply - has anyone else tried downloading them onto Kindle?

I'm with Audble and have quite a few unabridged ones, if you get the 3 for the introductory offer it's a bargin.

edit to add if use an mp3 as well some players are not compatible with the Amazon format ,and welcome to the forum.

[madwippitt]

Thank you for the welcome.
Yes, you can download Audible to Kindle although I haven't tried it yet - I still have Unseen Academicals and Day of the Triffids to listen to before I blow any more money!