First few chapters of Audio Book (Dany + Melisandre) voice change

[Dante]

I'm about three hours into listening to the audio version narrated by once again by Roy Dotrice. Dotrice's reading really grew on me for the previous books but he is driving me crazy in this book because he completely changed the way he reads Dany and Melisandre's parts from how he did them in the previous books. He is now making Dany sound like a old serving lady and Melisandre has gone from a cool smokey voice to a high pitched accented voice, kind of like he reads Dany's maidservants. It is horribly distracting after getting used to hearing him read them the other way. I know it has been 11 years since he did the last book, but is it too much to ask for some consistency. Isn't there someone directing him to point out these dumb changes. Any other audio listeners annoyed by this?

[Ruka]

several of the voice changes have bothered me, I listened the entire series in the last month. I had read the first 3 then purchased the 4th book on CD, so initially the 4th book narrator change didn't bug me, but having listened to them all in a row I was ready for the book 4 difference but the changes to Dany, Melisandre and few others are just disconcerting.

I am enjoying the return of Roy D. but man his changes for voice on certain favorites is very very odd. Melisandre for certain, she had a great husky smoky quality for before, what is with the stupid accent?

[JackintheBeanstalk]

Very much so, Dante. Tyrion still sounds great, but Dotrice is even reading Hodor (!) differently! Dany and Mel sound awful, and that's not an exaggeration. Dany should sound queenly, not querulous. Mel should sound menacing, not mincing.

Dotrice was never my favorite. Narrator, because his. Pacing and emphasis have never quite matched. The rhythm of the written, word. And yet his characterizations were so good that you could overlook those flaws in time as you got used to it. I am pretty disappointed that I spent $44.00 to listen, and sad for Dotrice and his dwindling talent.

[Ruka]

Listening to the audible version of this, with the breaks I have no earthly idea of what chapter I am in, I am almost to the end of part 2/6 and 10 chapters in on that part, but they include the welcome to audible and thanks for listening as chapters so it really throws it all off.

The Reek chapters sound a great deal like Sam is talking, I like the characterization but if the characters start getting muddy it makes it harder to appreciate it.

Dany and Mel are the worst so far, such dramatic changes they don't even sound remotely like the other books, Tyrion has stayed the same, Davos kept his smugglers swagger, although I like the audio version so I can listen on my ipod at work :)

[Dante]

Glad to see that I'm not alone. As much as I hate to say it, if Roy D. continues the voices this way, I hope they switch the reader again for the rest of the series (a bridge that won't be crossed for a quite a bit).

It is really weird that no one from Random House audio called Roy D. on these changes, or even GRRM. Its kind of like if Carrie Fischer as Princess Lea started talking with a craggy southern drawl, and James Earl Jones as Darth Vader had a high pitched, Indian accent, but ONLY in Return of the Jedi, it would make Jedi unwatchable (more so than Ewoks).

As a huge fan of audio books, I hope they bring in Steven Pacey, the guy who read J. Abercrombies's First Law books. That dude was awesome. Or maybe we could have Roy D. re-read all the parts with the original voices and re-release a fixed version of this book.

[Lord Phydeaux]

*Post Deleted*

[Lord Phydeaux]

And I'm glad I'm not the only one waiting for Dany to say, "You know nothing, John Snow.." :)

[marccoogs]

Yeah I cant get into his voices. Most of the men sound like the Seas Captain from The Simpsons, and most of the woman sound like The Cryptkeeper. Characters like Dany, Red Priest, & Cersei should have softer more seductive voices. Dany is a teenage girl. Why does she sound like it should be Old Nan talking then her.

[Ruka]

ARGHHH he changed how he said Valar Morghulis and Valar Dohaeris, I am living with the voices and such, since I can't lay hands on the book until my wife finishes with her nook or I want to sit in front of my laptop for hours trying to read. .... a few other things bug me about his new reading but I'll shush

[Valar_Morghulis]

Though I haven't listened to ADWD yet, I have gone through the audiobooks for the rest of the series, and I always thought the outpouring of love for Roy Dotrice on these boards and elsewhere was a little odd. Drogo and Sandor both sounded excessively piratical, and most of Dotrice's attempts at female voices just aren't very convincing. Oh, and speaking of inconsistency, I remember one extremely annoying instance where a minor female character (IIRC, Fat Walda) is read with a high-pitched, squeaky voice for one line, and her VERY NEXT LINE is read with a totally different voice!

By the same token, I should say that I didn't mind the AFFC audiobook, which is narrated by a different person (John Lee) and which most people seem to think is vastly inferior. Granted, the narrator didn't attempt a different voice for every character, but I'm totally OK with that. I don't actually listen to audiobooks that often, but I don't think it's strictly necessary for each character to have a different voice, especially if there's only one narrator for the whole book. I am able to get into the story and keep the characters straight without a multitude of voices. In fact, it's more jarring if the voice the narrator uses doesn't match my idea of what the character should sound like, or if (as in this case) the characterization changes mid-stream.

Before I get attacked by any Dotrice fans out there, I should point out that I do admire his attempt to create so many different characters. In fact, I seem to recall seeing something about how he either won or was in the running for a Guinness world record for the number of characterizations in one audiobook, so I give him full marks for that. Maybe it's just a case of a good reader with bad direction, as some others have pointed out. :D

[Ruka]

Like I said, I read the first 3 books, then listened to the 4th book so I didn't get broken up about the John Lee reading, I also came late to the series and am no rabid fanboi (no offense, I just can't quote chapter and verse) and didn't even read the books until about 2004, I bought and listened to the audio version from Audible and didn't even listen to them again until just this year so I never knew of the rift between the Roy D. John Lee crowds.

I just find it painful that he can't pronounce names, our phrases has he did in the earlier readings, albeit that was a dozen years ago. Shouldn't he have a taken a listen at the series to put back the voices that he had used. I give credit where it is due, hours and hours of reading trying to give life to so many different characters must be taxing. I think total it runs on 199 hours basically. aDwD is an hour and a half longer than aSoS on the audio. John Lee only took 31.25 hours of that load, and Roy D. or John Lee I like the listen. but consistency would help a lot.

[I love Cersei]

Or maybe we could have Roy D. re-read all the parts with the original voices and re-release a fixed version of this book.

Please someone make him do that. I liked his interpretations of the first books, but now he's awful, Dany and Melisandre especially, I have to agree with the OP.

Consistency is very important in such a work, and Dotrice didn't give us that. I want my money back.

[Elimeny]

I could put up with some of the changes, but the change to Dany's voice makes it nigh unbearable. I always thought melisondre SHOULD have some sort of accent, and I like the voice he uses for Davos. I liked that there was just enough similarity in all the Lannister accents that you could tell from voice alone if someone were a Lannister. But the change to Dany? Dany is NOT Ygritte. The voice he always used for her before was excellent, I cannot understand why it was changed. To me, it's a problem with the director.

Good audiobook readers are hard to find. Can we lobby for a Jim Dale reading?

[I love Cersei]

I could put up with some of the changes, but the change to Dany's voice makes it nigh unbearable. I always thought melisondre SHOULD have some sort of accent, and I like the voice he uses for Davos. I liked that there was just enough similarity in all the Lannister accents that you could tell from voice alone if someone were a Lannister. But the change to Dany? Dany is NOT Ygritte. The voice he always used for her before was excellent, I cannot understand why it was changed. To me, it's a problem with the director.

Good audiobook readers are hard to find. Can we lobby for a Jim Dale reading?

I like Dotrice well enough in the first three installments, but if we can have Jim Dale, count on my vote.

[MyDogIsNamedDanerys]

I cannot understand why it was changed. To me, it's a problem with the director.

Yeah, IIRC his voice for Dany before was basically just his normal voice, pitched to sound a bit softer than for other characters. Which was great. Now she sounds like some kind of demented gnome.

Oh well.

It's been like 8(??) years I guess he just forgot how he did the voices since then.

[anouk85]

Hello everyone, This morning I finished adwd (the audiobook version). I was EXTREMELY pleased to read that Dotrice would be reading it, i had started book 4 read by john lee but couldnt stomach it. Overall I am happy although the voicework is not as well as in the first 3 books. He changes melisandes voice for example and does not seem to have the seem range as back then. At times it just sounds really painful, But, i got used to it after a while and, while it was not as good as earlier work I was still extremely happy to hearhis pronounciations and speaking rythms. So I wonder what you all think? Greetings, Anouk,

[maestersfool]

I'm 25% through the audio for this, and though the voice for Dany threw me off at first, by now I'm used to it. Roy is the man, but over all his characterizations are a tad "cartoony." I'm ok with that. John Lee, who did the last book had a good voice for Podrick Payne. (I don't know how to spell some names having only heard it on audio.)

[dorkwingsdorkwords]

I agree, Dany's voice was all wrong. I loved Melisandre's voice in the previous books. It really fit her character. I made it through the book but it definitely was a distraction.

[Lord of Fire]

Before I get attacked by any Dotrice fans out there, I should point out that I do admire his attempt to create so many different characters. In fact, I seem to recall seeing something about how he either won or was in the running for a Guinness world record for the number of characterizations in one audiobook, so I give him full marks for that. Maybe it's just a case of a good reader with bad direction, as some others have pointed out.

I think it was actually then Jim Dale getting the world record for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix or Goblet of Fire.

would be great to have him continue in a couple of years, when the next one is coming out.. :D

Loved the first three books read by Dotrice though, but Dani now gives me the creeps.

[Addam]

I much preferred Roy Avers, who read the books as part of a government project for audio books for the blind (I believe). This makes his books easier to find in libraries. Regardless, I feel he did a much better job, and wish he did all the readings. I heard him for Got and SoS, with Doltrice in the middle with ACOK, and man did I long for Avers reading during the ACOK time.