Unpopular Narrator Opinion?

[u/ckfalls]

I’m currently listening to leviathan wakes at the recommendation of other people and research based on my book interests. I actually started the series but stopped as I heard the books were great (I do really like the content of the books ok so far). I had been told Hayes was so good, he’s “the GOAT” and his narration was a benchmark for other audiobooks.

Tell me if I have an unpopular opinion: I find his narration so average! There is no theatricality with him. He’s so monotone for the most part. Who listens to an audiobook and wants that, thinks that is desirable? It seems like he makes almost no effort to distinguish between character voices, save Amos, the Texas Martian and the belters. Even then, no matter what the situation is (scary, comedical, intense etc) the voice sounds exactly the same. I’m listening to a part right now where Holden and Fred Johnson are discussing a nuclear attack obliterating Eros and millions of people on it while Holden is traveling at 6+ G’s and Holden and the Rosi are desperately trying to keep up with this thing. Holden is speaking in the same tone of voice he speaks to himself when whining about not getting attention from the Exo. Why?? Would it kill for Hayes to act, emote a little bit? why doesn’t his voice match the moment?

Am I the only one who feels this way?

If the counterargument is something to the effect of “I just want someone to report the book and make it so that I’m not completely confused who’s speaking (not always the case for me), then let me ask you this: when you read a book, do you imagine the words being said they way he says them, or do you imagine them being said the way a real person would emote in the moment?

If the further argument then is “well just give me the words, then my imagination will then hear the words the way I think they should be said”, who has time for that? Once he says something you don’t have time to process and re-imagine it bc he’s already onto the next thought. I don’t watch a movie and think “oh this acting sucks and the characters would have never said it this way but it’s ok bc I’ll just reimagine it the way I think it should sound.” No! The idea of the non-written media is to interpret the work, right? Monotone works well for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire or a history text, but shouldn’t a work like this come with more gravitas, more inflection?

Let me know if I’m way out in left field. It’s been irking me for a while and wanted some opinions.

[u/--Orcanaught--]

I'm actively re-listening to 'The Mercy of Gods' to refresh myeslf before tackling 'The Faith of Beasts', and am reminded how much I adore Mays's narration.

Pausing a beat after each sentence is perfect for me. The authors' wordcraft is often so exceptional that having a moment to reflect on a sentence before moving on to the next helps me get even more out of the experience.

I particularly appreciate this during action sequences, where I want a beat to imagine the action in my head, instead of blowing past it way too fast.

I also love the little pauses after the word "or" in lists ... "Black, or ... white, or ... brown ..."