1996 Bestselling Book That Inspired a Hit TV Show Is Among the 'Most-Streamed Audiobooks of All Time'
It's not just the HBO series that fans love, but the Game of Thrones novel that started it all is a seriously popular audiobook.
A Game of Thrones, the first book in the best-selling series by George R. R. Martin, was recently named one of the Most-Streamed Audiobooks of All Time, according to new Spotify data. The streaming platform recently released a series of "Top 20" lists to celebrate its 20th anniversary, unveiling roundups of the most-listened-to songs, albums, artists, podcasts and of course, audiobooks.
The audiobooks list ranks the Top 20 most streamed audiobooks in premium plans on Spotify (as audiobooks aren't included with free plans), with A Game of Thrones coming in at No. 12 on the list.
Martin's famous fantasy novel was released in 1996 and served as the first book in what would come to be known as the bestselling literary series A Song of Ice and Fire, followed by four other sequels: A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005) and A Dance With Dragons (2011). The series is expected to have a total of 7 books, but two of them have not yet been released.
The audiobooks of Martin's high fantasy novels are narrated by Roy Dotrice, who voiced all 224 characters in the book. (He also appeared in the second season of the TV series in 2012 before his death in 2017.)
Since the first Game of Thrones story hit bookshelves 20 years ago, Martin has also published two other books from the Game of Thrones universe that were adapted into TV shows: 2018's Fire & Blood, which provided the source material for HBO's prequel series House of the Dragon, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (1998), which was adapted into the 2026 TV series of the same name.
What Other Audiobooks Made Spotify's List?
Here's the full list of Spotify's Top 20 Most-Streamed Audiobooks in Premium:
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
- Lights Out by Navessa Allen
- A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
- The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
- A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
- Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
- It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
- The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
Related: 2005 Film Based on a Classic Book Is One of the 'Most Rewatched' Romance Movies Ever
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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 9:32 AM.