Harry Potter - the full-cast Audible edition

[TheNeighboursComplain]

Has anyone started this yet? The first book was just released today.

I'm only a couple of chapters in, and I really want to love it, but I'm not blown away so far. The narrator is good; I do like her voice - it's a nice and soothing voice. I really like the cast voices, but their voices are too quiet and sometimes quite tinny sounding. The sound effects can be really distracting, and too loud - it's quite hard to hear the cast voices over them. I'm hoping it improves!

I'm glad you've posted! I was looking forward to listening to the full cast edition.

I was wondering whether they would be, in any way comparable, to Stephen Fry!

It's very different to the Stephen Fry version - in no way comparable really.

I think it would be brilliant if not for the sound effects, because the cast really are great. There are lots of sounds such as Hagrid sitting down, or the sounds of the Dursleys just generally moving around their house, which just sound like random thumping noises - like someone has accidentally knocked the microphone while recording, or people forgot to leave the studio. I wish they hadn't added those.

I’m listening and like it. She has re written it ( I suppose it was j k Rowling ) so the narration doesn’t follow the books? Or am I remembering the books wrong? I could be. Anyway I’m enjoying it.

I think people are so used to what we have had for so long it may take a while especially when the new series comes out with different characters

As far as I know, it's the original text, unabridged.

I really like the sound effects when they're being used for things like the bricks at the Leaky Cauldron moving to reveal Diagon Alley, and the noises in the pub. It's more the general 'shuffling around' background noises I'm not getting on board with. However, I'm another couple of chapters in, and I'm getting more used to it, and am loving the cast and the narrator.

It isn’t the original text from the books. I have checked. So some parts are really new which is lovely. Like a new part of the book I have never read.

It is tempting and I have listened to the preview but not sure I can justify £70 to get new versions of audiobooks I already have - or having to wait 7 months to listen to them all.

From the preview it seemed like background noises of some kind were continuous. Not sure the balancing was quite right as Mr Dursley's one bit of speech in the preview was so quiet I could barely hear it compared to the narrator, but that could have been the device I played it on.

What kind of changes?

Which parts?

I left Audible and they gave me an offer to come back of 99p a month for 3 months, so I'll be buying the first 3 books using the offer. Could you get something similar?

"Not sure the balancing was quite right as Mr Dursley's one bit of speech in the preview was so quiet I could barely hear it compared to the narrator"

This is what I've found as well, although it has improved as it's gone on (or maybe I've just got used to it).

I thought they would just have the narrator reading the book and the cast saying the speaking parts on the book. But it isn’t. They have come up with something different. Same story obviously. But changed it up. As an example the first Christmas Day is really more in detail ie talking about how magical crackers work. So yes. It’s like listening to the same story but in a different way. I’m enjoying it. But I agree the background is hard. One thing is the sighing and groaning in the background that people are acting out. Who knew people moaned and groaned that much. But it hasn’t stopped me from listening.

It would be interesting to know if jk Rowling re wrote it or someone else did. Wether she added on parts she wished she had added in the original books

I've only just began, and there's some details about the crowd outside Dursley's office that I've noticed for one!

I've been wobbling on this for a while because I have such fond memories of the Stephen Fry narration - my mam got me the cassettes from the library when I was a nipper and I used to fall asleep listening to them.

I love the idea of it though so I might spend my credit on it this month.

It's not as I expected so far. I was really looking forward to the cast narrating, but they haven't really gone for it as I imagined!

I'm listening, they've just got to Hogwarts and I'm enjoying it immensely - the way McGonagall rolls her R's, How close to Robbie Coltrane Hagrid is, Hermione is on-point. Quirrells stammering.
I expect I will fall out of love with it the minute Snape speaks, as it's not our Alan.

Google says it's not been rewriten:

This is a completely new recording, not a rewrite of the original text, which remains the same and unabridged.

I haven't noticed anything new myself, but it does feel new because of the big cast and sound effects. The Hogwarts school song, for example, has got many voices singing it, all drowning each other out, so it sounds like JKR intended it when she wrote it - a funny song with no actual tune and everyone singing at different paces. Things like that are great.

It gives me hope that they do a better job of 'Weasley is our king' because that's dreadful in the Stephen Fry version!

Snape is alright, not an Alan imitation (What's the point, there's only one Alan) I'm enjoying a female narrator - I didn't have a dad, I don't remember having bedtime stories read to me as a child, so this is an unexpected comfort.
Hermione is magnificent, which bodes well for the hbo version, Neville is a delight. Draco just smarmy enough with a good level of Potter

God love him Stephen says himself he can’t sing so he just had to sort of chant it 😅

Those descriptions are in the book.

My bad (as the kids say!) @ThatWorthyAquaFox ! I didn't recognise some of it. Probably too used to Stephen Fry's audio version- it's my insomnia crutch!

This was discussed briefly on the world at 1 on radio 4 today, with some irritating chap who felt the need to lament that so much money had been invested on creating a radio play for a "problematic" franchise like Harry Potter (as opposed to something much more pure like Batman or Marvel...). I paraphrase.

They talked about the sound effects making it much more dense than an audiobook - so you can't casually listen, you need to dedicate your full attention to it.

They also played a different preview from when Harry arrives on Platform 9 3/4. I did find it hard to hear the narrator over the background noise for that clip. I'm just not sure the sound mixing is going to work for me.

Are you listening through headphones, a proper speaker system, or a phone speaker?

Thank you for posting this! Interesting. I’m looking forward to the TV production, unsure about this, will probably only listen to it if there’s a deal at some point.

Is it comparable in style to higher budget podcast dramas?

Disappointing if the sound balance is dodgy when they’re charging £7.99 or a credit!

I listened on a fairly decent Bluetooth speaker.

I know what you mean about the 'casual' listen! I did listen in that way, but I know the books well. If someone didn't know the books, I think they'd need to concentrate more.

I've finished it now, and overall enjoyed it enough to want to listen to the rest of them when they're released. It's definitely more immersive than a standard audiobook, and I can imagine later books being able to really ramp up the emotion and fear with the sound effects and large cast. The actors are terrific, especially the younger ones. I liked that the Snape actor didn't try to mimic Alan Rickman - he just made our his own.

However, I do think the balance is off. In parts the narrator is much clearer than the cast, who can at times sound muffled or tinny. I did get used to the background shuffling noises eventually, but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would.

@Civilservant I've never listened to a podcast drama so I'm not sure!

I'm also looking forward to the TV production. The girl playing Hermione is also in the audiobook and she's terrific. I hope TV Harry is a better actor than the films.