15 Best Fantasy Audiobooks For Your Travels

There is no better genre of book for transporting you to a new world full of adventure and danger than fantasy.

A fantasy novel can whisk you away to visit new societies, cultures, and worlds and introduce you to a vast array of fascinating characters and creatures.

It’s this sense of adventure and venturing into an unknown place that makes fantasy books so perfect for traveling.

If you’re the one driving, however, it’s impossible for you to read a book.

Many passengers, whether they’re traveling by road, sea, or air, don’t like to read a book in a vehicle either.

Thankfully, this is where audiobooks can come to the rescue.

With so many fantasy books now available in audio format and recorded with lavish productions and by amazing narrators, there’s never been a better time to listen to audiobooks (see also ‘15 Best Sci Fi Audiobooks For Your Travels‘).

Next time you have a long journey ahead, why not let a fantasy audiobook be your soundtrack (if humor is more your thing, check out our guide to funny audiobooks for long trips)?

In this article, we will look at the best 15 audiobooks for your travels (see also ‘15 Best Nonfiction Audiobooks For Your Travels‘).

1. The Hobbit By J.R.R Tolkien

Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy set the tone for the fantasy genre and is still one of the most popular works ever written.

However, when it comes to choosing a Tolkien book for a journey, our choice is The Hobbit.

What better way to spend your journey than by listening to the wondrous journey taken by the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins?

Bilbo is taken on the adventure of a lifetime by the wizard Gandalf and 13 dwarves as they attempt to steal treasure from the dangerous dragon, Smaug the Magnificent.

2. The Fifth Season By N.K. Jemisin

This is the first book in an award-winning trilogy of fantasy novels by N.K. Jemisin.

It’s based in a world with a single continent known as the Stillness, where humans with the ability to control physical energy exist.

The government strictly monitors everyone with this ability and this leads to our protagonist, Essun, keeping her abilities a secret.

That is until a tragedy forces Essun to leave her home to embark on a dangerous journey to protect her family.

The journey undertaken by Essun is the perfect story to listen to while you’re on a journey of your own.

3. A Game Of Thrones By George R.R. Martin

This is the first book in the series A Song of Ice and Fire but is probably more well-known for the HBO Max series of the same name.

Set in the fictional world of Westeros, A Game of Thrones begins the complicated story of several legendary houses battling for the Iron Throne and to rule the Seven Kingdoms.

A Game of Thrones begins with the mysterious death of the Hand of the King but this is only the start of a series of betrayals and political machinations.

At over 33 hours long, this audiobook is sure to keep you company over even the longest journeys.

4. The Axe And The Throne By M.D Ireman

If you like your fantasy novels to be a little darker and grim, then this story is a great choice.

The main character is Tallos and the book focuses on his journey north to rescue the children of his friend.

Although he suspects that the children are already dead, Tallos wants to fulfill his promise to find them.

During his journey, however, Tallos finds a variety of surprises and dark circumstances that he has to contend with.

5. The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger By Stephen King

Although best known for his prolific and iconic horror novels, Stephen King has ventured into the fantasy genre on several occasions and none of these journeys have been more successful than The Dark Tower series (if you want more horrifying audiobooks for a long trips, check out our guide here).

The Gunslinger is the first book in the series and it introduces readers to Roland of Gilead and his battles with the mysterious Man in Black.

Roland chases the Man in Black across their world, a desolate desert that has eerie similarities to our own.

Along the way, Roland meets the young Jake and they journey toward the Dark Tower.

6. The Lies Of Locke Lamora By Scott Lynch

Although undeniably a fantasy novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora brings in elements of crime fiction as well to weave an intriguing story.

Amateur thief Locke Lamora joins the underground crime syndicate the Gentleman Bastards and soon rises through the ranks to gain more and more power until he is soon their leader.

However, keeping this leadership and power isn’t easy and someone is lurking in the dark that is aiming to steal his position.

7. The Name Of The Wind By Patrick Rothfuss

This is the first installment in The Kingkiller Chronicles. It introduces Kvote, who is one of the most powerful magicians the world of Temerant has ever seen.

The book tells Kvote’s story, from his early years as an orphan to the circumstances that led to his unheard-of strength.

As you continue on your journey, you’ll find yourself getting lost in the life and story of Kvote.

8. The Eye Of The World By Robert Jordan

The Wheel of Time is one of the most seminal and famous fantasy series and even if you’ve read it before, it’s worth revisiting as an audiobook.

It features two different narrators and this makes it a really fun and interesting listening experience.

The story begins with five strangers that are forced to flee their town and need to group together to survive.

9. Outlander By Diana Gabaldon

Many of the books on this list have been adapted for the screen and Outlander is no different.

It introduces a love story to the fantasy world as protagonist Claire is thrown into a time-traveling story that forces her to choose between two different lives.

10. The Way Of Kings By Brandon Sanderson

The first book in The Stormlight Archive series, this book weaves together the stories of three different characters that live in the realm of Roshar.

Roshar is a kingdom torn apart by war and storms and the three protagonists each discover the existence of the Knights of Radiant, a forgotten order that has a lot of secrets and information regarding Roshar.

With their new-found discoveries, the trio need to make the Knights of Radiant rise once more.

11. American Gods By Neil Gaiman

This audiobook is very different from the other 14 on the list as you have a choice of two different versions.

The first features a single narrator reading the book, whereas the second is a full-cast production so each character’s dialogue is performed by a different actor.

This latter option is a great way to experience Neil Gaiman’s story of myth and gods.

The main character is Shadow, an ex-convict who begins a new life as the bodyguard for the mysterious Mr. Wednesday.

Soon, Shadow is thrown into a world of old gods and new gods.

12. Uprooted By Naomi Novik

Uprooted is a dark fantasy tale that the Brothers Grimm would have been proud of.

Agnieszka lives in a quiet and cozy valley that is surrounded by a corrupted forest.

To keep the valley safe, a young woman needs to be sacrificed to an immortal wizard every ten years.

She expects that the next woman chosen will be her beautiful best friend but this isn’t the case.

13. The Blood Of Elves By Andrzej Sapkowski

Technically, this is the third book in The Witcher Saga, but it was the first full-length novel released and is a good starting point for the series.

The story told in The Blood of Elves will be familiar to anyone who has watched the Netflix series The Witcher as it focuses on Geralt of Rivia, a mutated human who has been turned into a slayer of monsters.

Geralt has to protect his ward, Cirilla of Cintra, from the numerous forces that want to use her power and blood for their own ends.

14. The Rage Of Dragons By Evan Winter

A relatively new fantasy novel, The Rage of Dragons is set in a society that has been fighting an unending war for 200 years.

The lucky few of the Omehi people are born with the ability to call dragons or with inhuman strength.

Tau knows all about the world he has been born into but he hopes to break the mold and become the greatest swordsman ever.

15. A Discovery Of Witches By Diana Bishop

The first book in a trilogy, A Discovery of Witches introduces a young scholar named Diana Bishop.

A descendant of witches, Diana discovers an enchanted manuscript that brings forth an ancient underworld.

If you liked this post, check out the 5 best travel memoirs to inspire your next trip.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we introduced the 15 best fantasy audiobooks for your travels.

We picked a variety of titles, from low fantasy to high fantasy, and even some that have aspects of our modern world woven into them.

Whatever type of fantasy novel appeals to you, we hope that there is something on this list for you.