Stephen King – Narrator

Stephen King – Narrator

LT’s Theory of Pets

Written by, Stephen King

Yes, everyone knows Stephen King the Author.   Born in Portland Oregon, in 1947.   Married to Tabitha, who he met while at college.  They have 3 children, Joe, Owen, and Naomi.  His first hit story Carrie, was the beginning of many horror stories such as Pet Semetary, IT, The Shining, The Stand, The Dead Zone, and many, many more.

He began directing movies in 1985 with Maximum Overdrive, based on his story, Trucks.  Many of his stories have become popular and even iconic movies.

But, do you know Stephen King……the Narrator?  Well, this is the first time that I ever heard his narration.

On a short story called LT’s Theory of Pets, written of course, by Stephen King!  And I have to say, I love it:)

Of course the story is great, but I have to say that I truly enjoyed the narration as well.

Often times I find that authors think they know their book so well that only they can give it the value it deserves.  However, I usually find the opposite to be true.  Professional narrators can flesh out characters in ways that authors typically can’t duplicate in voice.

Yet there are those rare occasions when an author can also narrate their works in stellar fashion, and this is one of those occasions.

There is a bit of the ‘horror’ story here, but for the most part I found the story to be funny and entertaining.  (Sorry to disappoint if you are only in it for the Horror!)

Even the preview (of my copy) when Stephen explains where the idea for the story came from…it was laugh out loud funny.  You have to love the way the man thinks!

I laughed when Stephen said, most of his stories started with ‘wouldn’t it be funny if…?’  Which is ironic considering that most of his stories end up horror stories, not comedies.  But as he states, they ‘don’t start out as horror, they just sort of drift that way’.

The whole premise of this story I found sort of sad.  A marriage that starts out happy, drifts to some regular conflicts after the addition of some pets, and leads to an unresolved ending.  Yet the tone still remains funny and slightly sarcastic.

I felt that Stephen did a credible job separating the character’s voices.  I really loved the accents chosen, and how the characters are portrayed.  Not as good or bad, just different and slightly flawed.

When the couple split up, neither one is angry or vengeful, just understandably unhappy.  I’m not going to tell you what happens, but it’s especially sad what happens to the dog.  (You will have to pick up the story to find out what that is.) 🙂

It’s a short story, but as much of King’s work does, it gives the reader a lot to contemplate.  The ‘what if’s’ and ‘maybe’s’ in life.

Brilliant as usual, I enjoyed this narrated short story by The wonderful and extremely talented, Stephen King.  Try it yourself, and let me know what you think.

Keep reading, and as always, from my family to yours..Happy Listening!

 

Ron McLarty – Narrator

Ron McLarty is an Actor, Playwright, Narrator, and Novelist. Originally from East Providence, RI, he now lives in New York City and Elizaville, NY.  He is married to actress Kate Skinner.

Author of The Memory of Running, Art in America, The Dropper, and Traveler.  The Memory of Running, Ron’s first published work, is believed to also be the first work to be published in audiobook format before being accepted and published in book format.  

As explained in the video above, Stephen King called it, “the best book you can’t read”, when it was first released.

As an actor, Ron has over 100 TV appearances including his recurring role as Judge Wright on Law & Order. Two recent film roles include St Vincent, and How Do You Know.

There are over 20 David Baldacci’s books narrated by Ron including Last Man Standing, Hour Game, The Whole Truth, Deliver Us from Evil, Simple Genius, The Sixth Man, and First Family.

Stated by David Baldacci, “Hail to the King, Ron McLarty, who brought his incredible talents to my works, and gave the listeners a whole new way to experience “reading.” “

Other Authors with McLarty narration include Stephen King, Anne Rice, Richard Russo, Scott Turow, Ed McBain, and many others.

While Ron has moved on from narrating other books, to writing and narrating his own, there are over 100 narrated works available for your listening pleasure.  

I recently experienced Ron’s narration from David Baldacci’s book Zero Day.  As expected, a great story by David with great co-narration by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy.

I’m always curious when I find a Narrator that I like and I research their stories.   Often times I am surprised to find that they are in some way or another, unexpectedly familiar to me.

As with Ron here, who I never put much thought into when I saw him in the TV show Law & Order.  He is quite accomplished, quite talented, and according to his impressive list of works, been very busy.

I think that we tend to forget that the actors we see on TV and in the movies are real people.  Especially those who play supporting roles.  Yet seeing it broken down into all these respective jobs from audio, to TV, to film and theatre, is just inspiring.

I would have to place Ron as a 3 in my 1-4 Narrator scale.  If you would like to learn more about Ron, please visit his website, http://www.ronmclarty.com.

And as always, Happy Listening!

 

 

Jennifer VanDyck – Narrator

Jennifer Van Dyck – Bio

Born December 23, 1962 in Scotland

Actress and Narrator, also known as Jennifer Van Dyke

Graduated from Brown University with a double major in Religious Studies and Theatre Arts.

Recipient of three Audiofile Magazine Earphones Awards

Jennifer Van Dyck, also known as Jennifer Van Dyke has hundreds of audio books to her credit.  Another prolific female narrator, Jennifer is probably better known for her acting.  On television, Broadway, and in movies she has performed in various avenues.

She has narrated radio plays for the BBC, and documentaries for PBS.  She received Salon.com’s Best of 2013, for her narration on ‘Notes from No Man’s Land’ by Eula Biss.

Some books narrated by Jennifer that I have listened to are;

Sheepfarmer’s Daughter, Divided Allegiance, Oath of Gold, and Echoes of Betrayal  – all by Elizabeth Moon.

Elizabeth’s writing is always stellar, and Jennifer really brings her characters to life.  Her narration is clear and clean, and her character development is inspiring.

She personifies everything you want in great narration.  She is consistent with her voices, and easy on the ears.

I’ve listened to each of the above books multiple times, and each time reminds me how much I enjoy them.  If you haven’t listened to Jennifer’s work, give it a try.

So keep reading, keep listening, and always keep learning.  And spread the good word to others:)

Bahni Turpin – Narrator

 

Born on June 4, 1962 in Pontiac, Michigan, she now lives in Los Angeles, California

Award winning Audio Book Narrator, TV and Movie Actor, and Yoga practitioner and teacher

The voice of Minny in the narrated version of  the tremendously popular ‘The Help’

Member of The Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles

Bahni is a very talented individual.  She’s had roles in TV shows such as Cold Case, ER, Cossing Jordan, Judging Amy, Six Feet Under, and Without a Trace. She played Ensign Swinn in 2 episodes of Star Trek: Voyager.

She is a member of the Cornerstone Theatre Company in Los Angeles California, and performs regularly there when not on another project.  She has had numerous roles in movies such as Crossroads, Brokedown Palace, Rain Without Thunder, Girls in Prison, and Malcolm X to name a few.

While not born or raised in the South, she has a very nice take on Southern accents.  Her tastes run toward listening mostly to Women’s Literature.  While a late arrival on the Audio Book scene, she has quickly become an avid fan.  I’m sure that many of you can relate, as do I.

Solo Narration – Female 2015 Audie Award winner for the Yellow Crocus.

I found Bahni through a random audio book selection.  The story, ‘The Quaker Cafe’ by Brenda Bevan Remmes, I would classify as a Drama.  It’s about an original Quaker town gradually being overrun by modern times.  It’s also the story about an old secret being revealed, and how secrets affect all those around us.

It’s a compelling story, and Bahni gives a noteworthy performance.  If you haven’t heard a Bahni Turpin narration before, give her a try.  She has a wide variety to choose from.  See below for a sample list of other works by Bahin Turpin.

And as always, Happy Listening!

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Midnight Crossroad – Audio Book

Hello Listeners!  Ok, I just finished this book, Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris.  As usual I picked a book based on a Narrator, in this case Susan Bennett.  As I have said before, my favorite books to listen to are Fantasy Fiction, but I also try to give a good portion of my time to non-fiction works.  Especially anything in the Self-Help or Personal Growth areas.  And that was how I found Susan.

She narrated a book called, Excuse Me, But I Was Next…, by Peggy Post.  It’s all about practical tips on how to handle different situations with tact and good manners.  I am like most people these days, and I can skimp on my manners without really realizing it, and I get impatient at times.  It’s because I am aware of this, that I picked up this particular book.  And I was not disappointed.  It is a very informative and well written book with tons of valuable tips.

But one of the surprises for me from this audio book, was that I really liked the narrator as well as the book.  Reading non-fiction work in a compelling way can often times be more challenging than reading fiction, because it can be hard to break out of the monotony.  When I researched what other work was available by Susan, I found that she does a LOT of fiction work as well.  Yippee for me!

While there was a lot to choose from, this book (series) stood out to me.  And once again, I was not disappointed.  I want to move to Midnight Texas now.  I think I would fit in well, loaner and recluse that I tend to be.  Although I am not a vampire, or a witch, or a psychic, or have some criminal past that I am running away from, I still think they could find a place for me.  Besides, they already have those positions filled in this small western town with only one stop light.  There’s a gas station, nail salon, restaurant, and a pawn shop.  Seriously…what more do you need?

Of course it would help if people weren’t dying all over the place.  But, then again, I guess you can’t have everything now can you?  I’ve just gotten a taste of these outcasts, and the ties that bind them closer than most families.  But lucky for me, I have Book 2 – Day Shift, to look forward to now!

Happy listening!

Jim Dale – Narrator

Born Aug 15, 1935 Rothwell, England

Narrator, actor, comedian

Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most character voices in an audiobook (more than 200)

Winner of 9 Audie Awards

There’s something about Jim Dale.  Well actually there is a lot we could say about Jim Dale, but in relation to this website NarrationZone.com, Jim Dale is AWESOME!.

I have to say though, not for the reason that many people would probably say (because of his work on the Harry Potter books), but simply because of his talent, preparation, and drive to always give great performances.

Yes, the Harry Potter series was the medium that got his work into the Guinness Book of World Records, but the talent is all Jim Dale.

Specializing in children’s and young adult narration, according to Jim, because he never grew up himself.  Known for his extensive preparation however, it’s hard to believe that.  Most kids aren’t known for being prepared in advance, at least not mine anyway!

I, of course, found Jim through the Harry Potter series.

I had read the books (the old fashioned way) originally.  Then I watched the movies, and last came the audio books. I have no sense of timing when it comes to doing things in a ‘traditional’ order.

Whether you are interested in the Harry Potter series or similar works or not, you absolutely must try a Jim Dale narration piece to experience this tremendous talent.

Jim is a 4 out of 4 in my Narrator rating scale, and that puts him in my current top 10!

Check out the sample listings below.

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Heather O’Neill – Narrator

Heather O’Neill is an author and narrator who resides in Canada.

I’ve listened to 3 of her narrated works so far, and loved each one.  There is Blessed are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch.  See the above audio excerpt. I just recently re-listened to this one.

The characters are full-bodied, even the no-so-nice characters, and  Heather does great Irish and Australian accents.  I just love listening to her voice.

I probably never would have picked up this book, although it’s become one of my favorite stories, except that I knew Heather was the Narrator.

The first story I heard from Heather was The Cry of the Icemark, by Stuart Hill.  More my style as fantasy fiction, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Then there was The Likeness, by Tana French.  A murder-mystery, once again only picked based on Narration.  This is not my favorite genre, even though it’s still better than…should I say it…Romance.

Ugh! Don’t get me wrong, romance can be great, I just find that they tend to really over-do everything in romance novels.  TMD – Too Many Details, for my preference.

But back to Heather’s narration, both of these stories were great.  I’ve yet to try one of Heather’s works that I didn’t truly enjoy.  While she does not have as many Narrated works as others listed here on NarrationZone, she has also authored some award winning books of her own.

The most well known of her written works is Lullabies for Little Criminals.  I will warn you although this is written about a 13 girl named Baby, there are drugs, gangs, abuse, and more, so it’s not a ‘children’s book’.  There is an Audio version that is narrated in part by Heather O’Neill and Miriam McDonald.

I haven’t tried this one myself because it sounds a bit dark for my tastes, but if you have, or if you do read the book or listen to the audio version, I would greatly appreciate hearing what you think about it.  See below for more listening options.

Heather is 4 out of 4 in my Narrator rating scale, and one of my current top 10!

As always, from my home to yours, Happy Listening.

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Tavia Gilbert – Narrator

With over 300 audio books under her belt Tavia has been working full time as a voice actor since 2006.

Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornish College of the Arts. Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Non-fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Studied audio documentary production at the Salt Institute

Member – SAG-AFTRA/AEA

It always raises my spirits when I find another great Narrator to add to my favorites.  Even more so when I find out that they probably have more work available then I could ever be able to make it through them all.  Even better, Tavia reads fiction and non-fiction so the options are quite varied.

I don’t recall how I came upon it, but The Everafter, by Amy Huntley was how I found Tavia Gilbert.  The story was intriguing, and the narration sensitive to the tone of the book.  Don’t take my word for it though.  There is plenty to choose from, so if you haven’t given Tavia a chance, I would recommend that you do.  See below for a small sampling of her work, or try The Everafter if you can’t pick one.

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Stephen Briggs – Narrator

Stephen was the first truly awesome Narrator that I found.  Over 10 years ago, I did a lot of driving to and from work, and that’s how I got turned on to Audio Books.  The first book that I listened to with Stephen as the Narrator, was Terry Pratchett’s ‘Thud’.  Of course Terry Pratchett means awesome writing, but pair on top of that this level of inspiring narration, and you have something truly amazing.

Stephen Briggs is an experienced and extremely accomplished Narrator.  This is by no means his only talent.  He is also an actor, and accomplished playwright.  However, in respect to this site, NarrationZone.com, we will focus on his Narration skills.  As you can see from the impressive list of sample works listed below, there are many audio books to his credit.  But more than the number of books, is the complexity of the characters that are portrayed in these stories.   Once you have listened to one, I have no doubt that you will do just like I have, and you will come back for more.

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