Have you ever heard someone butcher one of your favorite songs by singing it? Well, imagine that, but about eight hours long. The importance of the narrator cannot be emphasized strongly enough. How long is the listen? Do you have enough time set aside to finish the story, or is it likely to end up half-finished? A good way of thinking about it is along the lines of ‘this sci-fi audiobook will take me two weeks in the gym to get through’. So, what are some of the things you need to think about before picking a sci-fi audiobook title? Not every good print sci-fi story translates well into the audio format. However, this isn’t always the best idea. It can be tempting to select sci-fi audiobooks in the same way as you would print books. Why? It keeps the story of the book but adds the excitement of the movie. In fact, some fans of print books, having checked out both the movie and audiobook versions, say the audiobook is better.

This can help keep the reader immersed throughout. Some of the best full-length, unabridged sci-fi audiobooks are elaborately produced, with an extensive recording cast, and top-notch audio effects. Full length audiobooks can be really lengthy listens, and it’s vital to have someone with an engaging voice. When a sci-fi audiobook is full length, it’s vital to have a competent narrator. It always gives you the option of later going on to enjoy the full length print version. Of course, fans of the original books often complain, but if you’re new to a story, an abridged version can be a nice way to encounter it for the first time. Just because an audiobook has been abridged, it doesn’t necessarily worsen the experience. Read a Q&A with Courtois about her book and the hunt for Laniakea here.īuy 'Finding Our Place in the Universe' on sci-fi audiobooks have been abridged, while others are full-length recordings of the print story. Readers who want them will learn all the scientific and technical details needed to understand the discovery of Laniakea, but it's also possible to enjoy this book as a pure tale of adventure.

The reader is right there with her as Courtois travels to the world's leading observatories in pursuit of Laniakea, and it's easy to see why the challenge of discovering our galaxy's home became so seductive. In this engaging and fast paced book, Courtois describes her own journey in astrophysics and highlights the key contributions of numerous female astrophysicists. This means 'immeasurable heaven' in Hawaiian.

In 2014 Courtois was part of a research team that discovered the galactic supercluster which contains the Milky Way, which they named Laniakea. In 'Finding Our Place in the Universe,' French astrophysicist Helene Courtois describes the invigorating quest to discover the Milky Way's home.

Best 2017 audio books sci fi