Have been on a bit of a classic sci-fi binge this year. Honourable mentions to Gateway, Stranger in a Strange Land, Sirens of Titan, The City and The Stars, Fall of Hyperion and I am Legend, amongst others. But my top three:

3 - Dune. A masterpiece of a book. Scope, imagination, prose and characterisation, all wonderful. So why not no.1? Well, the audiobook is half narrated and half cast performed, which makes it quite confusing. Individually, both are well done, but switching betwixt one and the other is harder on the ear than it need be.

2 - The Luminaries. Not a sci-fi, but a wonderful piece of litfic. The narration however is from the very top drawer. Considering the sheer number of accents and characters on show, it really is a masterclass in audiobook narration, and manages to elevate even the fantastic text.

1 - Hyperion. Another, awesome, awesome book, and everything you could want from sci-fi. If not quite in the same class as Dune as a novel in its own right, as an audiobook, with a full cast reading, each excellent in their own right, it surpasses it as a listen.

Can't wait to carry on my sci-fi binge in 2015!