Do You Like The Audio Books By Roy Dotrice?

[Gneisenau]

Are these the audiobooks where Oberyn sounds like a Scot ?

[Aerys Ahai Reborn]

I'll admit, this is the only way I've actually "read" the series. Some of the voices are annoying (or way different from the show), but I got used to it.

I tend to have done most of my listening when doing mindless chores (folding laundry, mowing lawn, etc.), so the audiobooks helped me get thru the series very quickly.

Although I miss a few small things (I heard "snow", not "Snow" in Mel's POV), I still would prefer to listen than read if given the books for free (though the books must be much better to go back and re-read sections when discussing on the forum).

Anyway, since this thread has popped back up, anyone know by chance if Roy is gonna do WoW and when that will be releases (in relation to the book)? I have no idea, and trying to look it up on the interwebs did not help. Does the publication company allow the readers to record everything and release them simultaneously or will Roy be preoccupied and we just have to wait until he gets around to it?

[Michael Stark Thenextwolf]

I really like the audio books, ive listened to all of them (and read all the books exept dance). People are right about 4 and 5 being not as good as the first 3, but I still like them. I dont really get why people are saying they have a hard time paying attention to them, you just have to treat it like your reading. Im going to guess your not trying to watch tv or read comments on here at the same time your reading, you just need to listen to it like your reading it. I also think it makes it helps me visualize whats going on when im listening more so than reading.

Overall I really like what Roy has done with these in comparison to other things Ive listened to LOTR, HP, The Bourne books, some Michael Crichton stuff, and some Narnia when i was younger.

[Ser Not Appearing]

Updating my previous post... I give a hearty thumbs up to Dotrice after having listened to books 3-5.

[Buckthorn]

Some of the best audio books, but in my experience the World War Z audio book tops Roy Dotrice audio book.

[Iona]

I've read the books twice and I'm now listening the audiobooks (in the middle of ADWD now). At first, I thought I might not be able to listen to Roy Dotrice, since somehow he just sounded... wrong. I'm thinking it was the pronunciation of names that put me off at first. I still hate his Petyrs and Briennes, but after a while his voice sorta grew on me. So don't give up too easily!

This is my first time ever listening to audiobooks, and I would definately recommend reading the books first and listening to them only after that. It's so easy to miss something when listening, especially if you're doing something while listening. At least that's how it is with me... :D

[Steve Stark]

I loved it. Made me feel like I was there.

Now when I do physical book rereads I often times "hear" certain characters in the voices Dotrice gave them originally. And I've enjoyed the HBO version, for the record, but still when I read the books I see the characters how I originally saw them (the show didn't change any of my imagined characters...except maybe Tywin Lannister for some reason). Yet Roy's voices stay with me when I read. It was an awesome experience.

I thought his readings were awesome while I was commuting to work or running. I do wish he hadn't swapped Dany's voice in the later books though. That threw me off BIG time.

[Guillotine]

I love the audiobooks. Roy's quite good I think, I usually listen to them while commuting or in the gym but for my money John Lee's AFFC is the best reading

[Little Wolf]

I just about wet myself with laughter when he does the Undying/Prophecy parts:

"ONE FOR GOLD.... ONE FOR MONEY.... AND ONE FOR LOOOOoooOOOooooVE!!!!"

Over and over again.

Jesus Lord. I couldn't take any more of it after that.

[muffinpoodle]

I like Roy Dotrice for the most part. It's weirdly awesome being told about zombies and death and incest by this grandfatherly voice, haha.

Not being great at female or child voices is totally understandable given what his normal voice sounds like imo. Of course they sound like old men - he's an old man. What the heck else do you expect? xD

I have to admit, I hate how he pronounces "Brienne", I hate his Varys voice (biased because I love Conleth Hill's Varys so much), and I hate his Dolorous Edd voice. Always imagined Edd as this guy.

His Tyrion voice has become my headcanon though.

[dmo862000]

I do enjoy them though for some reason his Vary's drives me fucking nuts. Roy Dotrice is old as heck though which may explain the decline and I think he had some health problems. If you didn't know he had a cameo in the show as Hallyne the Pyromancer and was originally supposed to playPycelle but had to quit because of said health reasons. Interesting fact is all.

[Humbler_than_anyone]

I LOVE the first three books by him especially GoT. It helps me sleep like nothing else and I love Tyrion's voice and how he makes me love Bran's POV like just reading the books never could.

[Rooseman]

He has some really cool voices and accents, I love his Tyrion, Jaime, Victarion, Davos, Stannis and Walder Frey for example.

But his voices for Daenerys and Arya in the last two books almost destroy their chapters for me. He's an old man, fine, no amount of talking in a higher voice will make them sound more like young girls.

Especially Arya, I don't know what he did there. She shouldn't sound less mature in the later books, but she does. Not the voice itself, but the way he speaks is like you're listening to a five year old.

[muffinpoodle]

I admit I haven't listened to any of Dotrice's efforts past ASoS 'cause I couldn't get my hands on them. Listened to John Lee's AFfC, and just read ADwD. So I don't know what Dotrice's versions of the later books sounded like, but I can definitely believe it went downhill/sounded quite different, what with his health problems and the amount of time between recordings.

[Daendrew]

He is masterful. Best in the world. I have listened to countless audiobooks. He blows all of them away with his work on ASoIF.

I am on my second listen of the series. He is 90 years old now. I really hope he makes it through the series because his contribution is truly special.

[Tywin Smokin a Blunt]

I don't mind it, except the pro-nouncaition of Petyr Baelish. I can't stand how he pronounce Littlefinger as "Pe-Tire" rather than "Peter"

That really bothered me too. You would think five books in someone would tell him to stop doing that.

[Is He Dead Yet?]

From what I've heard, I think he's very good - a proper actor with a variety of accents. I'm an unsullied who became sullied, so some of the different accents are interesting (Davos being west country, which I suppose makes more sense than him being a random Geordie, for instance).Can almost see the logic in the Lannisters being Welsh, but can't really be doing with Walder Frey being Compo from Last Of The Summer Wine/Uncle Rubbish from the Grumbleweeds.

[RoamingRonin]

What! People hate his Varys? But it's so deliciously unctuous!

[The Santa of House Claus]

Instead of reading the ASoIaF books I have listened to them on the audio books narrated by Roy Dotrice. I'm rather curious what others think about the audio books.

For me the first three were incredibly enjoyable with the voices of Dolorous Edd, Sandor Clegane, Jorah Mormont, Drogo, Hodor, and Mormont's raven being huge highlights. Many of the voices Roy comes up with for these books are awesome and add a lot of depth to the characters. Unfortunately his voices on the next 2 books are disappointing by comparison with a common complaint being that Dany sounds like an old hag (a point I can't disagree with).

At any rate it's nice being able to listen to these books while I'm at work. It makes the day go much faster!

I agree, he does a great job with the voices, though I was not a fan of the changing of character voices he made in the last 2 books. But for a reason why, you just have to look at the release dates, the first 3 books were released in 2003 and 2004, the last 2 books were released in 2011, so he would have been out of the groove by then, so I give him a pass, it can't be easy to do so many voices with believable accents, let alone for so long.

[The Santa of House Claus]

That really bothered me too. You would think five books in someone would tell him to stop doing that.

But was he pronouncing it wrong, or did the readers just read Petyr as Peter because it is how we are use to pronouncing similar names?