In the last year I’ve fallen in love with dramatised adaptations, in particular the Graphic Audio version of The Empyrean Series and it made me think about the long lasting debating in the book community as to whether listening to audiobooks are classed as ‘reading’. This debate isn’t a clean cut argument of ‘well, you’re not reading the audio, only listening’ and the snobbery of whether certain genres like romantasy are respected as ‘real’ literature. This also brings into question other discussions like comic books not being classed as proper reading because it’s mainly pictures – which I completely disagree with but that’s a discussion for another day.
This argument needs to be broken down: Are readers classing that the dissemination of a story is solely from the act of reading the words on the page, or it is simply how someone experiences the story or the ideas presented?
In an ideal argument, reading is simply eyes scanning a page and that equals the definition of reading. If that is the case, then no, audiobooks do not count. But this arguments needs to be unpicked further. When someone is listening to an audiobook that is literally one narrator reading the book without anything removed or added to add to the experience – that is still reading in a loose sense, in my opinion. The author’s intended words are still being told to the reader, and a lot of the interpretation is down to the listener / reader, the narrator may decide to add additional emphasis to certain phrases or even change their voice to match the characters, but it is still the straight text despite being performed. However, this argument becomes a little more complicated when including dramatised adaptations into the mix. The written word and fictional world becomes enriched, layered even, with sound effects, a cast of voice actors – some even voicing multiple characters – and this in itself turns the written word into a performance and something that isn’t as intimate as reading because the listener’s imagination is being processed and utilised in a different way. For example, while listening you are presented with an already decided voice for that character and not one you have decided based on the words alone. I will use The Empyrean series as an example – I love the adaptation and have no problem with the choice of voices. Readers have expressed surprise when a character’s voice doesn’t quite live up to what they imagined it to be, such as Tairn – Violet Sorrengail’s grumpy black dragon. Furthermore, I noticed fans who have read the book, then listened to the audio, complain that certain scenes particularly from Iron Flame are omitted. The listener / reader are then experiencing two different versions of the same story. By creating a very immersive experience, the listener can piece together the scenes through their imagination, but it is done in a very different way that is enriched and even influenced by the accents of voice actors or even the sounds. I think it is also interesting to note that I didn’t read the books first, I found the first person narrative (in all books, not just this one) to be hard to follow, so I was able to fall in love with Rebecca Yarros’s story through the audio – it’s like someone is telling me the story rather than having to see the story through the character’s (in this case, Violet’s) eyes.
Since having this gateway into dramatised adaptations, I’ve been able to enjoy other books where I couldn’t quite get on with the writing style or narrative choice. I’ve recently started listening to the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas, again a brilliantly produced Graphic Audio production. I’m on the third book in the series and you can imagine my surprise when I heard some of my favourite voice actors from The Empyrean series grace my ears (I immediately said what’s Xaden and Swayer doing here?!) – like being greeted with old friends in a weird way. Audiobooks have never been something I enjoyed the idea of because it requires a lot of focus when following the story and I find the audios with one narrator to being a little hit or miss. But since listening to the dramatised versions, it has really broadened my horizons of consuming stories in a different way. The audio breaks down those barriers and helps more people enjoy the story irrespective of how. I wish I’d discovered Graphic Audio or dramatised versions sooner!
Overall, while this topic is hotly debated and often causes a few rows over on book social media, I think ultimately it is all down to semantics. The literal definition of reading is words and the physical action attached to it. But this is very limiting to those with visual impairments or dyslexia, just to name a few examples. Suddenly this is creating an isolating barrier to people who may want to track the stories they’ve consumed on sites like Goodreads (I don’t know if they have a separate shelf for audio or if you need to create you own). “I’ve read these books” instead of “these are the stories I’ve consumed.” Ultimately people read fiction to consume the story, the worlds and become immersed regardless on how that story is presented. It needs to be noted that when the written text is suddenly ‘performed’ by a narrator or adapted, it does change the experience from what the author may have originally intended and becomes a different entity. Ultimately it is down to personal opinion whether someone decides to say they’ve read an audiobook and include that in their end of year books wrap up or not. As long as people are having a good time and enjoying stories, I don’t think it matters a great deal.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and her action-packed debut novel, CORNELIA FAIRFIELD AND THE DARKENED HEART is set to be published on 19 May 2026! Available in paperback here: WATERSTONES, AMAZON (ebook here), FOYLES, HATCHARDS. For more content read Amy’s book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey posts.
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