I listened to the full Harry Potter audiobook from Audible. It’s as magical as I had hoped
I listened to the full Harry Potter audiobook from Audible. It’s as magical as I had hoped
By Abrar Al-Heeti | Published: 2025-10-29 13:00:00 | Source: CNET
There’s no shortage of ways to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, starting with books and films to Parks and Stores. But when I press play Audible’s new production of the popular seriesI felt myself being transported into something both familiar and startlingly new.
Audible, in partnership with Pottermore Publishing, launches for the first time Full audio production Out of all seven Harry Potter books, starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on November 4. The remaining six books will be released every month after that. More than 200 actors contributed to the project, and their characters’ voiceovers are complemented by the original recording and immersive sound effects that work together to bring the wizarding world to life in a new way. Harry Potter: The Complete Audio Editions Available for pre-order on Audible now.
I took an early listen to this new version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the book that launched the series when it was published in 1997 (albeit as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the UK), and immediately knew I was in for a magical auditory escape. The audiobook begins with lively music that sets the scene for the wizarding world Harry is about to enter, before we are introduced to narrator Cush Jumbo, known for her lead roles in TV shows The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Her smooth, seductive sound is sure to charm you, whether this is your first foray into the wizarding world or simply your latest adventure.
For returning wizards and muggles, the first chapter brings us back to old friends with new voices. We meet the snobbish Dursley family, along with other characters like the stern Professor McGonagall (voiced by Michelle Gomez), the eccentric Albus Dumbledore (Hugh Laurie) and the loveable Rubeus Hagrid (Mark Addy), who looks strikingly like the film character played by Robbie Coltrane.
Watch this: How Dolby Atmos makes you feel immersed in movies and music
As Harry (Frankie Treadway) voiced his first lines, I held my breath in anticipation: How would this new voice fit in with a protagonist who had already lived in my head for years, thanks to Daniel Radcliffe’s filmography? Fortunately, Audible’s new fiction maintains Harry’s curious and strong-willed demeanor, whether through the sassy retorts he makes to his uncle or the longing in his voice at the mention of the parents he never knew.
Likewise, the portrayal of Harry’s best friends Ron Weasley (Max Lister) and Hermione Granger (Arabella Stanton) is also in keeping with their bold and witty personalities seen in the books and on screen. Listening to this audiobook made me even more eager to see Stanton play Hermione in the movie Upcoming HBO TV seriesGiven how well she embodies the confident and assertive character here.
The full audio releases begin with the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on November 4.
This doesn’t mean that every character looks like their movie counterpart. Perhaps the most striking difference lies in Riz Ahmed’s portrayal of Professor Snape. It’s almost impossible to emulate the languid, resonant tone with which Alan Rickman so brilliantly voiced the film version of the character, so I’m glad the audiobook producers stayed away from trying to imitate it. Instead, Ahmed efficiently delivers a tone of quietly reimagined sarcasm, which still makes the listener feel like there’s more to Snape than meets the eye.
Although the book’s characters are voiced by a group of prominent actors, their celebrity status does not detract from the story. If I didn’t already know that Matthew Macfadyen was voicing Lord Voldemort, I never would have guessed it was him. The beauty of just hearing the actors rather than seeing them also has the added benefit of making their portrayal more believable; Otherwise I might have been too distracted thinking about how the man who played the dreamy Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice is now the most evil wizard in the world.
Dolby Atmosa spatial audio technology that can apparently place sounds in specific places around you, helps identify characters within scenes, so you know whether they’re looming in the background or center stage. For example, when Harry picks up his wand in Ollivanders, the shopkeeper’s low voice seems to come from a dusty corner of the shop. And fading in and out of the evil voice of Peeves as he overtakes the Hogwarts students conveys his mischievous nature.
Atmos also adds a sense of realism to sound effects, both mundane and magical. There were times when I had to stop to check if the whistler truck was backing up Privet Drive or outside my window, or if birds were chirping through my headphones.
The incorporation of real-world (and unreal) sounds is what ties this production together, drawing readers into scenes of exciting detail. The hum of passengers and announcements at King’s Cross station helps me picture Harry navigating the bustle for the first time. And the whispers and cheers that echo in the Great Hall during the Sorting Ceremony make me feel like I’m sitting there on the benches, too.
I have listened to and cherished the previous audio book releases of Harry Potter (Jim Dale for life). But Audible’s full production is a whole new experience that brilliantly merges literature and film. I can imagine every scene as the characters, music, and sound effects come together to make the magical world tangible and vivid in my mind.
It may seem like a stretch, for an audiobook to make a fictional world seem real. But as Dumbledore says later in the series, “Of course it’s happening inside your head, Harry, but why does that mean it’s not real?”
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