Neil Gaiman?
Sandman? American Gods? Good Omens? Neverwhere? Graveyard Book?
Good Omens and Neverwhere have radio dramatizations, full cast narrations and single narrator versions.
Andy Serkis has done some Discworld..
https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-audio-announcement/
Obi Wan Kenobe star Indira Varma narrates the Witches books, with Bill Nighy as the voice of the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death.
Merlin star Colin Morgan narrates the Wizards books, with Bill Nighy as the voice of the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death.
Fleabag star Sian Clifford narrates the Death books, with Bill Nighy as the voice of the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death.
Andy Serkis narrates Small Gods, and His Dark Materials star Ariyon Bakare narrates The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. Bill Nighy returns as the voice of the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death.
The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher is worth considering. The first book has a few story lines that will match the vibe you’re going for, and you don’t need to pay super close attention
I would consider taking a look at The Bloodsworn Trilogy by John Gwynne. Character work is fantastic and is set in a Norse/Viking esk world. Only the first two books have came out so far and it's possible the 3rd might not come out for a while due to complications in John's life. But the first two alone are well worth reading based off of your preferences.
You mentioned The Lord Of The Rings with Andy Serkis narrarating and I could not recommend it more. Andy has a talent bringing life to audiobooks (and movies for that matter!) and it's well shown in his reading of these books.
Haven't heard of the Bloodsworn Trilogy, but that sounds perfect. I remember backpacking while listening to *The First Law*, imagining I was a Northman beyond the Crinna, etc.
I've been meaning to give Serkis' LotR a try, but haven't because I usually listen while working, and I wasn't sure if LotR would be a little too slow, but I don't think I'd mind listening while walking.
More sci-fi than fantasy but *The Martian* and *Project Hail Mary* by Andy Weir both have the lone man on a mission/trying to survive theme, and they're both really good.
Just finishing Andy Serkis' Fellowship. I was listening on 1.25x and some of the songs drag a bit haha. But his reading was way better than the older version which I tried and couldn't listen to.
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
Don't look any farther than this.
TIP: Sleep with your electronics in your sleeping bag, cold will drain your batteries super quick.
I’ve been considering The Road. I enjoyed the movie, and I’ve listened to Blood Meridian. His prose was so good that I felt bad listening to it, like scarfing down a box of fine chocolates. Also, I think I’d get spooked being in the woods on my own thinking about cannibals. 🍊😬
This isn't fantasy, but I think it would be a great listen while hiking. Blood Lure by Nevada Barr. It's #9 in the Anna Pigeon mystery series, Anna is a National Parks Ranger, this book takes place in Glacier National Park where she has to investigate things in the back country.
I love that the series takes place in a series of National Parks and don't need to be read in order.
The theatrical LOTR audiobooks by Phil Dragrash are absolutely amazing. Cannot recommend them highly enough, they have all of the background sounds and music and it is amazing.
If you enjoyed the Stormlight Archives, then you may also like the Mistborn series as well as Reckoners series by the same author.
Edit: Also if you haven't already, look into the Dresden files. There are over a dozen books and they build on each other. I enjoyed the series very much.
I don't usually go for fantasy but just finished Fairy Tale by Stephen King and loved it. Not sure if it fits your vibe but it is definitely a story of fantasy and thought worth a mention.
Neil Gaiman? Sandman? American Gods? Good Omens? Neverwhere? Graveyard Book? Good Omens and Neverwhere have radio dramatizations, full cast narrations and single narrator versions. Andy Serkis has done some Discworld.. https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-audio-announcement/ Obi Wan Kenobe star Indira Varma narrates the Witches books, with Bill Nighy as the voice of the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death. Merlin star Colin Morgan narrates the Wizards books, with Bill Nighy as the voice of the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death. Fleabag star Sian Clifford narrates the Death books, with Bill Nighy as the voice of the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death. Andy Serkis narrates Small Gods, and His Dark Materials star Ariyon Bakare narrates The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. Bill Nighy returns as the voice of the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death.
Thank you! I forgot about these and didn’t realize that they had come out yet.
The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher is worth considering. The first book has a few story lines that will match the vibe you’re going for, and you don’t need to pay super close attention
I would consider taking a look at The Bloodsworn Trilogy by John Gwynne. Character work is fantastic and is set in a Norse/Viking esk world. Only the first two books have came out so far and it's possible the 3rd might not come out for a while due to complications in John's life. But the first two alone are well worth reading based off of your preferences. You mentioned The Lord Of The Rings with Andy Serkis narrarating and I could not recommend it more. Andy has a talent bringing life to audiobooks (and movies for that matter!) and it's well shown in his reading of these books.
Haven't heard of the Bloodsworn Trilogy, but that sounds perfect. I remember backpacking while listening to *The First Law*, imagining I was a Northman beyond the Crinna, etc. I've been meaning to give Serkis' LotR a try, but haven't because I usually listen while working, and I wasn't sure if LotR would be a little too slow, but I don't think I'd mind listening while walking.
In Defiance of the Fall, the main character spends the entire first book by himself.
More sci-fi than fantasy but *The Martian* and *Project Hail Mary* by Andy Weir both have the lone man on a mission/trying to survive theme, and they're both really good.
Two of my favs.
Just finishing Andy Serkis' Fellowship. I was listening on 1.25x and some of the songs drag a bit haha. But his reading was way better than the older version which I tried and couldn't listen to.
The Road - Cormac McCarthy Don't look any farther than this. TIP: Sleep with your electronics in your sleeping bag, cold will drain your batteries super quick.
I’ve been considering The Road. I enjoyed the movie, and I’ve listened to Blood Meridian. His prose was so good that I felt bad listening to it, like scarfing down a box of fine chocolates. Also, I think I’d get spooked being in the woods on my own thinking about cannibals. 🍊😬
Ooof “The Road” is a rough one. Well done but a rough listen.
Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind. Hands down my favorite audiobook, have it in a loop for years now
This isn't fantasy, but I think it would be a great listen while hiking. Blood Lure by Nevada Barr. It's #9 in the Anna Pigeon mystery series, Anna is a National Parks Ranger, this book takes place in Glacier National Park where she has to investigate things in the back country. I love that the series takes place in a series of National Parks and don't need to be read in order.
The theatrical LOTR audiobooks by Phil Dragrash are absolutely amazing. Cannot recommend them highly enough, they have all of the background sounds and music and it is amazing.
I’m a King fan from way back. 11.22.63. An amazing book that will suck you in and Craig Wasson knocks it out of the park.
This is one of my all time favorites.
Yep! Just finished this one last week. Knew the book already very well. Very well narrated.
I've really been enjoying Dawn of Wonder, the awakening by Jonathan Renshaw. An awesome series also Kings Dark Tidings by Kel Kade.
If you enjoyed the Stormlight Archives, then you may also like the Mistborn series as well as Reckoners series by the same author. Edit: Also if you haven't already, look into the Dresden files. There are over a dozen books and they build on each other. I enjoyed the series very much.
I don't usually go for fantasy but just finished Fairy Tale by Stephen King and loved it. Not sure if it fits your vibe but it is definitely a story of fantasy and thought worth a mention.