Have You Heard? Audiobooks Featuring Fantastical Places

Whether set in a land far, far away or a time long, long ago, these audiobooks will transport you to fantastical places real and imagined.

Take a summer vacation without spending a dime by listening to audiobooks from the Plano Public Library. The recommended reads below are just a sample of the audiobooks in our collection, and you can visit a library location for assistance in finding personalized recommendations.

Adult:

The Bear and the Nightingale written by Katherine Arden, narrated by Kathleen Gati. Danger circles in the northern wilderness of medieval Russia, and young Vasilisa must defy her family and call on dangerous gifts to protect her home from the threat of an ancient winter spirit. Overdrive / Print.

The Miniaturist written by Jessie Burton, narrated by Davina Porter. Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam–a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion—newly wedded Nella Oortman engages the services of a miniaturist to furnish a cabinet-sized replica of her new home, but soon discovers that the artist’s tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways. Overdrive / Book on CD / Print.

The Girl with All the Gifts written by M.R. Carey, narrated by Finty Williams. In this near-future sci-fi thriller, most of humanity has been wiped out by a fungal infection and a scientist, a teacher and two soldiers embark on a journey of survival with a special young girl named Melanie. Overdrive / Print.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet written by Becky Chambers, narrated by Rachel Dulude. A young woman joins a motley crew on an exciting journey as they tunnel wormholes through space toward a planet on the verge of civil war. Overdrive / Book on CD / Print.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell written by Susanna Clarke, narrated by Simon Prebble. At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England’s history. Overdrive / Book on CD / Print.

Magic Lessons written by Alice Hoffman, narrated by Sutton Foster. In this prequel to Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic, Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens in 1600s Salem, Massachusetts as she invokes the curse that will haunt her family for centuries to come. Overdrive / Playaway / Print / Large print.

Every Heart a Doorway written by Seanan McGuire, narrated by Cynthia Hopkins. Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere…else. Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children is where they go when these magical lands spit them back out. Overdrive / Book on CD / Print.

A Darker Shade of Magic written by V.E. Schwab, narrated by Steven Crossley. Magician Kell and thief Lila race across parallel versions of regency London after a forbidden magical artifact capable of destroying all the worlds falls into their hands. Overdrive / Print.

The Song of Achilles written by Madeline Miller, narrated by Frazer Douglas. Patroclus follows Achilles into the midst of the Trojan War, but the years that follow test everything they hold dear until ultimately, Patroclus will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate. Overdrive / Print.

The Sweetness of Water written by Nathan Harris, narrated by William DeMeritt. In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry – freed by the Emancipation Proclamation – seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabelle, who have just lost their only son to the war. Overdrive / Print.

Teen:

Realm Breaker written by Victoria Aveyard, narrated by Natalie Naudus. Seven unlikely companions band together to stand against a vicious opponent, invincible and determined to burn all kingdoms to ash, and an army unlike anything the realm has ever witnessed. Overdrive / Print.

A Phoenix First Must Burn edited and narrated by Patrice Caldwell. Putting Black women and gender-nonconforming individuals at its center, this short story collection will take you on a journey from folktales retold to futuristic societies and everything in between. Overdrive / Playaway / Print.

Truthwitch written by Susan Dennard, narrated by Cassandra Campbell. On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery,” a magical skill that sets them apart from others. Truthwitch Safi and Threadwitch Iseult want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. Overdrive / Print.

Ace of Shades written by Amanda Foody, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. After her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school behind to follow her mother’s trail to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow. Overdrive / Print.

Caraval written by Stephanie Garber, narrated by Rebecca Soler. When Scarlett’s sister, Tella, whisks her away to attend Caraval, the legendary once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak and magic after Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer. Overdrive / Playaway / Book on CD / Print / Large print.

These Violent Delights written by Chloe Gong, narrated by Cindy Kay. In 1926 Shanghai, a blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red. But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the heirs of the rival gangs must work together to stop the mayhem and ensure there’s still a city left to rule. Overdrive / Print.

My Lady Jane written by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows, narrated by Katherine Kellgren. Follow a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, and a noble steed in this fantasy retelling of Tudor England featuring only a passing resemblance to actual history – because sometimes history needs a little help. Overdrive / Print.

Stalking Jack the Ripper written by Kerri Maniscalco, narrated by Nicola Barber. Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, but between the social teas and silk dress fittings of 19^th century London, she leads a forbidden secret life studying the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. Overdrive / Print.

A Blade so Black written by L.L. McKinney, narrated by Jeanette Illidge. In this urban fantasy retelling, Alice in Wonderland meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Alice leaves behind real-world Atlanta to venture deep into Wonderland for the antidote that will save her poisoned mentor. Overdrive / Print.

Everland written by Wendy Spinale, narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West. In a London destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease, Gwen Darling bands together with the mysterious Pete, his gang of Lost Boys and the fierce sharpshooter Bella after the ruthless Captain Hook takes her siblings for experimentation in his hunt for a cure to the deadly virus that has killed off all adults. Overdrive / Print.

Children’s:

The School for Good and Evil written by Soman Chainani, narrated by Polly Lee. Sophie dreams of earning top marks at the School for Good and joining the ranks of past students like Cinderella and Rapunzel, but when she ends up in the School for Evil and her best friend Agatha in the School for Good, they’ll have to fight to survive their fairy tale. Overdrive / Playaway / Print / Spanish.

The Trials of Morrigan Crow written by Jessica Townsend, narrated by Gemma Whelan. Morrigan Crow is cursed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But when she’s whisked away to the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor, she must contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. Overdrive / Playaway / Print.

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor written by Ally Carter, narrated by Laura Knight Keating. After years in foster care, April gets to live in a mansion where she and four other children are caught up in a mystery related to a missing heir, a lost legacy, and the Phantom. Overdrive / Print.

The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas written by Maria Garcia Esperon, narrated by David Bowles. Fifteen thousand years before Europeans stepped foot in the Americas, people had already spread from tip to tip and coast to coast. This is a collection of sacred stories from nations and cultures across two continents, what the Aztecs called the Sea-Ringed World, from the edge of Argentina all the way up to Alaska. Overdrive / Print.

Changeling written by William Ritter, narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross. Twelve-year-olds Tinn and Cole, raised as human twins in sleepy Endsborough, risk their lives in the Wild Wood, Oddmire Swamp, and the Deep Dark to learn which is a goblin changeling with an important mission. Overdrive / Print.

The Barren Grounds written by David A. Robertson, narrated by Brefny Caribou-Curtin. Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of sky and constellations as Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba and discover a secret portal to another reality. Overdrive / Print.

The Language of Ghosts written by Heather Fawcett, narrated by Caitlin Kelly. Forced into exile on an enchanted, moving island, ex-princess Noa Marchena has two missions: reclaim her family’s stolen throne and ensure that the dark powers her older brother, Julian, possesses don’t go to his head in the process. Overdrive / Print.

The Circus of Stolen Dreams written by Lorelei Savaryn, narrated by Jesse Vilinsky. A dream world turns haunting nightmare after Andrea discovers a magical dream world called Reverie in the woods near her home. Overdrive.

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe written by Carlos Hernandez, narrated by Anthony Rey Perez. Sal can reach across time and space to retrieve things from other universes – even his dead mom. But things get out of hand when he and his new friend Gabi begin using his powers to improve lives, and it’s going to require some truly out-of-the-box thinking to set things right. Overdrive / Playaway / Print / Large print.

Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate and Sword written by Henry Lien, narrated by Nancy Wu. Peasprout Chen dreams of becoming a legend of wu liu, the deadly and beautiful art of martial arts figure skating. But tensions rise when the dazzling pearl buildings of the Academy are vandalized and outsider Peasprout is blamed for the attacks. Overdrive / Print.

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For more audiobook recommendations, check out our other posts in the Audiobooks tag.