Which Voyage of the Dawn Treader recording should you buy?
Narnia is sold as two parallel sets — straight readings and BBC full-cast dramatisations — and the listings do not make it obvious which is which.
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C.S. Lewis · 3 Audible UK recordings compared
Short answer
Derek Jacobi for the book itself. The BBC dramatisation is genuinely good and worth having as well, but at just over two hours it is an adaptation, not the text.
The recordings, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Jacobi Our pick | 5 hrs 51 mins | Unabridged | Part of the set where each Narnia book gets a different well-known reader. |
| Sir Michael Hordern | 2 hrs 22 mins | Abridged | A much older abridged reading. |
| Stephen Thorne, Sylvester McCoy and a full cast | 2 hrs 15 mins | Full-cast dramatisation | The BBC production. A different thing from the book, and good. |
The recording we recommend is also on Audiobooks.com — the same Derek Jacobi reading, listed at 5 hrs 49 mins when we checked on 11 September 2026. Their one-credit plan is listed at £7.99 a month before applicable taxes, and its credits expire after three months — the two models compared. We earn a commission on that link.
