I am open to good works of fiction (particularly historical and science) too.
I have one Audible credit left and I plan to cancel after that. I have a lot of audiobooks that will last me for a long time now.
Pillars of Earth, read by John Lee, is another one, simply about building a cathedral in medieval europe. Great characters, a villain you love to hate.
If you haven't, you cannot claim to be a fan of science if you haven't listen to Foundation by Issac Asimov.
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss, read by Nick Podehl. It's Harry Potter but for grownups. Fantastic story.
Edit - I'm adding this because I doubt anyone will mention it - there is an audio production company called Graphic Audio, their tagline is "a movie in your mind."
The absolute BEST story I have ever heard, in my entire life, is the Stormlight Archives Series - Way of Kings & Words of Radiance books. These are written by Brandon Sanderson. I don't actually read much fantasy when I read fiction it tends to be scifi or historically based. But this series, with the voice actors and the properly timed music/sfx, is absolutely fantastic. I know OP mentioned audible and Graphic Audio isn't available there, and they are very expensive. But if you can afford it, you won't get a better experience. There are some "jump out of your chair and fist pump" moments in these books.
The two that stand out from that time are both by Robert Graves: I, Claudius and Claudius the God. It was such an immersive experience into the Roman Empire that it made my long commute not only bearable but an anticipated joy. Both books are available on Audible by a different narrator than those I heard. If you want more of Graves’ Julio-Claudian drama, it’s hard to beat the BBC adaption starring the great Derek Jacobi [1]. For more, top it off by actually reading the books.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Claudius_(TV_series)?wprov=...
Ron Chernow’s biographies of Grant, Hamilton, and Washington.
Candice Millard‘s “Hero’s of the Empire” (about Winston Churchill) and “River of Doubt” (Theodore Roosevelt) are both interesting looks at important historical figures in situations we don’t often prescribe to them. Her first book “Destiny of the Republic” (James Garfield) is also good but the other two are superior.
“David and Goliath” by Malcolm Gladwell.
Porter is a master narrator, using different voices for the sea of characters in the trilogy that really immerses you in the story. I listened to all the books -- The Power of the Dog, The Cartel, and The Border -- and am worried no other books will match Porter's deft acting.
Don't fuck with the mongols.
Also, there are some books whose authors wrote with a musicality that they are far better on audio than on paper. Included in this category are:
- Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein
- Souls of Black Folk by WEB DuBois
Start with Why by Simon Sinek
Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness
Game Changers by Dave Asprey
Shoe Dog
by Andrew Roberts read by John Lee
Worth the time to listen to the 32+ hours.