What’s a big new book without an audio version?
Hard to read in the car, that’s what.
Thank goodness for Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, the dynamic duo behind all of the Wheel of Time audiobooks; Michael also did Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy (sadly without Kate). Here’s an interview with them about the series, including their favorite characters and biggest challenges (often one and the same). It’s so funny to hear the voices I know from the audiobooks, especially Michael’s epic rumble, speaking casually! [Edited to add: Interview by Laura Wilson.] Enjoy:
The audiobook is available in CD format and also download-ably from iTunes and Audible.
Megan Messinger is a production assistant at Tor.com, and she can’t hear you—she has her headphones on and is listenin’ to Elliott rock, rock, rock, rock, rock me to sleep.
I thoroughly enjoy the chance to listen to audiobook versions of the WoT books.
Thanks to both Kate and Michael for all of your efforts in adding additional depth to the series for me.
And thanks to you Megan, for giving us a glimpse behind the scenes.
Thanks for the interview!
I love these audiobooks and have enjoyed them on many a long nights in the studio at school. Kate and Michael do a great job.
I’ve managed to get my hands on the first 5 audio books, and they are wonderful – going through Book 4 again. :-) But alas, I’m in South Africa, and we have no distributors for the audio books here. It’s also too expensive (when converted into Rand* no, it’s no joke, that’s what our currency is called) to order, so I’m hoping to run into someone who has 6 -12. :-) Michael and Kate do an incredible job – they have to rank right up there with the best in the business! :-)
I’d like to chime in that the audiobooks are wonderful. I’ve listened to the whole series multiple times on my ipod. They helped me get through many sleepless nights nursing newborn babes. Great job Michael and Kate- thanks for doing the whole series with us and the new books!
@3 EvadBelBurgh – can you download them from audible.com? Is that available in South Africa? You can get a monthly subscription for 2 credits a month from them (~$10/an audiobook)
I’ve listened to this series on audio book numerous times.
Amazing and thank you two for your effort.
Though your voices sound different in TGS, odd?
Your voices bring the series to life. Thanks for your efforts and your love of the series. I look forward to listening to the two of you read the story as much as I look forward to the story itself.
I listened to a book on fasting that Kramer read and it was odd to hear the voice of Rand in something completely different.
ShaiZ, perhaps 4 years is enough age for a professional reader’s voice to change significantly. And it’s the longest gap they’ve had between WoT readings, so maybe they were a bit out of rhythm. I noticed it, too, when the first chapter was released.
Thanks to Megan for a wonderful interview with two great narrators! Was fun to listen to instead of reading a printed interview.
I am actually just the bearer of glad tidings; the interviewer is Laura Wilson, Director of Production for Macmillan Audio. I should have mentioned it in the post, but I didn’t ask who it was! Mea culpa. Fixed now.
For me, Michael and Kate *are* the Wheel of Time voice. I tried to actually read The Gathering Storm and for 6 chapters, I kept imagining how they were reading it.
Excellent work, both of you.
Great interview. My personal favorite has always been Kate Reading doing Bayle Domon.
Excellent, but much too short.
When will more be posted?
Please!
I agree with it all. I heard the audio books (up to Shadow Rising) and am enjoying them. I also enjoyed the interview and wanted to hear more.
I recently ordered the entire audio series and I am really enjoying it. However, I can’t seem to find Winter’s Heart anywhere. Amazon et al say it is unavailable. Will it be available again?
I looked everywhere for Winter’s Heart and finally found it from books on tape
http://www.booksontape.com/bookdetail.cfm/5425-CD
Expensive but worth it in my opinion!
Glad to see such interest in Winter’s Heart. Will will be publishing it late this year or early next — sorry, can’t be more specific than that, BUT we will be sure to get the word out on Tor.com when we know more. Thanks for the interest; we are super excited about getting the audio out there again, too!
Just listening to the interview:
The comment about how to pronounce Aes Sedai….. when I was curious about the right pronunciation, I found an RJ interview on Utube and HE said “Eyes Sedeye” with the ‘I’ accented.
I really enjoyed your reading! I don’t usually ‘hear’ books. It’s very different and gives a new perspective sometimes.
Thank you!
I have bought and listened to all the audiobooks up to the Path of Daggers, what should I do now since I can’t find Winter’s Heart? Stop buying the series and wait until Winter’s Heart comes out? Why is this book unavailable?
Even though I always read the books when they first come out, I will rent the audio books and listen to them later while I’m driving to and from work. There is always something new I pick up on each time I listen to them!
I love the way Michael Kramer and Kate Reading bring life to the books. I have listened to audio books for years, and some of the worst ones are read by actors who speak in a monotone voice (with the exception of Peter MacNicol and the Dragonlance series). Michael and Kate do such a wonderful job that it sounds more like two people telling a story than it does them reading a book. I especially like how they give each character their own “voice”!
Compare the recording quality of audiobooks 1 – 11 (recorded by Audio Renaissance), which sounded excellent, to that of audiobook 12 (recorded by Macmillan). The recording quality of Book 12 is atrocious. It sounds like it was recorded by an amateur on a tape deck. It’s really that bad. As someone who spent a lot of money listening to all the audiobooks I am very upset by the atrocious quality of the last audiobook. If Macmillan releases another subpar recording for book 13, I will be skipping the audiobook and buying it hardcover instead.
Macmillan sucks.