I've ever listened to.

The only real rival is the Harry Potter books.

For starters, there are several voice actors.'

Second, pretty much everyone does a credible, believable job doing other characters.

I know a lot of folks may dismiss this as some young adult drivel due to a 16 year old girl being the central protagonist, but it's truly far from it. People also get the idea that it's about the internet, which is also far from true. It's a Robert J. Sawyer book, fyi.

The story in a nutshell:

A blind girl is able to "see" the internet due to an error in a device created to help her see. At the same time, a sentient being composed of cellular automata is accidentally created on the internet. This being is able to "see" through her lense. The blind girl happens to be a brilliant mathematician, as she is the child of two equally brilliant parents with PHD's (Her mother is a Game Theorist, her father is an autistic Doctor of Theoretical Physics. The blind girl basically becomes the beings teacher.

So, WebMind, as he comes to be called, becomes a boon to society, solving many of the major problems of society and helping millions in smaller, more personal ways. Meanwhile, the US government is trying to take him out.

It's an exceptionally well written story to begin with, one that seems to deviate a great deal from the canon of AI centered sci-fi. The relationship between WebMind and Kaitlyn (the blind girl) is intriguing enough on it's own. In the end, WebMind exhibits a special brand of gangsta that I can't reveal. Great book though and very, very well acted.