Dune (1965, 1993 Recorded Books version) – written by Frank Herbert, read by George Guidall and Davina Porter Free Audiobook

Written by Dune Frank Herbert George Guidall and Davina Porter
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

NOVEL:

“Dune is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, originally published as two separate serials in Analog magazine. It tied with Roger Zelazny’s ‘This Immortal’ for the Hugo Award in 1966, and it won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. It is the first installment of the Dune saga, and in 2003 was cited as the world’s best-selling science fiction novel.

Set in the distant future amidst a feudal interstellar society in which noble houses, in control of individual planets, owe allegiance to the Padishah Emperor, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides, whose noble family accepts the stewardship of the desert planet Arrakis. As this planet is the only source of the ‘spice’ melange, the most important and valuable substance in the universe, control of Arrakis is a coveted – and dangerous – undertaking. The story explores the multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, as the forces of the empire confront each other in a struggle for the control of [Dune.]”
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_%28novel%29

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NARRATION:

“In 1993, Recorded Books Inc released a 20-disc audio book narrated by George Guidall. In 2007, Audio Renaissance released an audio book narrated by Simon Vance with some parts acted out by Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, and other performers.”
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_%28novel%29#Audiobook

In this member’s humble opinion, this earlier version is the definitive one, and one of the very best audiobooks ever recorded, plain and simple.

George Guidall is terrific throughout, and I find his renderings of Atreides retainers Gurney Halleck and Thufir Hawat in particular to be as close to perfection as anything I’ve ever listened to. And if that weren’t enough, Davina Porter’s cut-crystal delivery of Princess Irulan’s pseudo-historiographic chapter prefaces is just as sublime: By the time the character eventually makes her first actual appearance within the plot, she has already come entirely alive in one’s mind, merely by virtue of having listened to “her” talk about other people every once in a while.

In short, this demonstrates as clearly as may be why it is properly called “voice acting”, and not (usages above notwithstanding) something feebler like “reading” or “narrating”. 😀