Harry Potter
They tell a story. Hardcover files every book in this run as fiction, and their readers there call them mysterious and adventurous. Facts, not factors: neither plays any part in our call.
Listen to it
Both halves point the same way: 127 readers call it fast, and Stephen Fry’s reading is better received than the book it came from (in the top 24% of our shelf of books, on 222,387 ratings of the narration). About as clear as this gets.
Length does not decide this
124h 36m to listen, at 1×99h 41m to listen, at 1.25×83h 04m to listen, at 1.5×71h 12m to listen, at 1.75×62h 18m to listen, at 2×about 143 hours to readabout 108 hours to readabout 86 hours to readabout 66 hours to readabout 54 hours to read
The runtime is Audible’s, 7 recordings added together, shown at the speed beside it. The reading time is our estimate: 4,300 pages in total at 30 pages an hour, the pace you told us. Ours is 50, about 300 words a page, read at 250 a minute.The runtime is Audible’s, 7 recordings added together, shown at the speed beside it. The reading time is our estimate: 4,300 pages in total at 40 pages an hour, the pace you told us. Ours is 50, about 300 words a page, read at 250 a minute.The runtime is Audible’s, 7 recordings added together, shown at the speed beside it. The reading time is our estimate: 4,300 pages in total at 50 pages an hour, which is about 300 words a page, read at 250 a minute.The runtime is Audible’s, 7 recordings added together, shown at the speed beside it. The reading time is our estimate: 4,300 pages in total at 65 pages an hour, the pace you told us. Ours is 50, about 300 words a page, read at 250 a minute.The runtime is Audible’s, 7 recordings added together, shown at the speed beside it. The reading time is our estimate: 4,300 pages in total at 80 pages an hour, the pace you told us. Ours is 50, about 300 words a page, read at 250 a minute.
Slot → commute-safe
About as demanding in audio as Slaughterhouse-Five.
Easier to hear than 71% of the books we hold.
About as much work in audio as most of the fiction we hold.
Easier to hear than 83% of the doorstoppers we hold.
Reading load against listening load
Where that puts this one among the books we hold: in the bottom 28% of our shelf of books for effort on the page and in the bottom 27% of our shelf of books for effort in your ears. The middle of the scale is not the middle of the shelf (most books sit below the average on both), so a book at 0.00 is already in the top 43% for effort on the page. Each of the three is measured against the whole shelf separately, so the bottom figure is not the top two subtracted. It is this book’s own distance from the middle.
What the audio disadvantage is made of. Two things and no others: how fast readers say this one moves, and how demanding the reviews we read found it. There is no third: the structural one has no data source, so it contributes nothing rather than being guessed at. Both directions are declared priors we have never fitted against a real verdict, which is the weakest-evidenced part of the whole model.
How the call was made
Where a bar carries ticks, the grey one is the middle of our shelf and a coloured one is a line we publish, cool where we start backing the page, warm where we start backing the recording. The evidence squares at the foot are a different thing: how far each of our four sources went, hatched where there was nothing to measure at all.
- The audio case
- 1.16It sits in the top 14% of our shelf of books for how far the recording outruns the page. Past the line where we start backing the recording.
- Narration payoff
- 0.57Stephen Fry’s reading is better received than the book it came from: in the top 24% of our shelf of books, on 222,387 ratings of the narration. This is a difference, not a score: it sets the reading against its own book, so a much-loved book with a merely good reading sits low on this shelf even where nobody disliked either.
- What is at stake
- 1.61It sits in the top 5% of our shelf of books for how well the print crowds think of a book: well enough regarded that a wasted first encounter costs more, so we lean towards protecting the page. Blended across 37,804,066 Goodreads ratings and 46,255 on Hardcover, each scored inside its own population first, and never added together.
For the page
- The print crowds think highly of it
For the recording
- The voice beats the book
- An easy listen anyway
- 222,387 listeners behind it
So the case for the recording won it.
A bigger dot counted for more: the voice and the ear are sized by their share of the sum above, the other two by how much stands behind them. A hatched square is a reason that did not apply here, which is not the same as one that counted for little.
- Evidence
- 1.00How much of the picture we actually have, out of 1.00: four questions, each answered as far as the source could answer it, less anything taken off for reading fewer reviews than we aim to.The reading222,387 people have rated this reading: as good as it getsThe second sourceHardcover knows this book, with 46,255 readers there: as good as it getsThe matchHow sure we are that the recording we scored is this book: as good as it getsThe reviewsWe read 2,100 reviews to judge how demanding it is: as good as it gets
What each crowd complains about
In the reviews we read, how often readers brought it up and how often listeners did, each against what is usual for that same crowd across our whole shelf, which is the grey tick. The track stops at 4×. Listeners are only ever compared with listeners.
Neither crowd brings any of the three up more often than its own crowd usually does. Whatever this book asks of you, its listeners are not saying the format is what makes it hard.
The books in it
Showing the stars as each shop prints them. The two crowds are not measured from the same place: on our shelf Audible’s listeners average 0.35 of a star above Goodreads’ readers, so a recording that is ordinary for Audible can still out-star a book that is genuinely well liked for Goodreads. Switch the toggle to take that difference off.Showing each figure as its distance from its own crowd’s middle on our shelf, in standard deviations, so 0 is a typical book for that crowd. Listeners start 0.35 of a star up, partly because anyone who finishes a twenty-five-hour recording chose it deliberately, and this takes that off. It is not a claim that audio is better, the story figure is still Audible’s own (people rating a story they heard), and none of it moves the verdict above.
One row per book: who reads it, how long it runs, then Audible’s listeners on the story and Goodreads’ readers on the book.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Stephen Fry8h 25m6h 44m5h 37m4h 49m4h 12mAudible 4.89+1.44Goodreads 4.47+1.28
overallAudible
overall, pooled by the shop, so we hold no ruler for it
53,791 ratings · performance and story, as the shop pools them
the performanceAudible
the performance, against Audible’s own crowd
How often this goes badly0.5% of the people who rated the performance gave it one or two stars. Fewer than most recordings here. The middle of our shelf is 2.0%, and half of it falls between 1.0% and 3.1%.
240 of 46,586 listeners gave the performance one or two stars
The shape of the room
- United, this one
- Warm
- Split
- Lukewarm
A united room: 94% of the listeners gave the performance five stars. A room that agrees this far leaves little to gamble on.
46,586 ratings
the story, as heardAudible
the story, as heard, against Audible’s own crowd
46,496 ratings
the book itselfGoodreads
the book itself, against Goodreads’ own crowd
11,812,480 ratings
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Stephen Fry9h 43m7h 46m6h 29m5h 33m4h 52mAudible 4.89+1.40Goodreads 4.43+1.10
overallAudible
overall, pooled by the shop, so we hold no ruler for it
34,857 ratings · performance and story, as the shop pools them
the performanceAudible
the performance, against Audible’s own crowd
How often this goes badly0.5% of the people who rated the performance gave it one or two stars. Fewer than most recordings here. The middle of our shelf is 2.0%, and half of it falls between 1.0% and 3.1%.
137 of 29,634 listeners gave the performance one or two stars
The shape of the room
- United, this one
- Warm
- Split
- Lukewarm
A united room: 95% of the listeners gave the performance five stars. A room that agrees this far leaves little to gamble on.
29,634 ratings
the story, as heardAudible
the story, as heard, against Audible’s own crowd
29,503 ratings
the book itselfGoodreads
the book itself, against Goodreads’ own crowd
4,671,261 ratings
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Stephen Fry12h 03m9h 38m8h 02m6h 53m6h 02mAudible 4.92+1.53Goodreads 4.58+1.77
overallAudible
overall, pooled by the shop, so we hold no ruler for it
32,380 ratings · performance and story, as the shop pools them
the performanceAudible
the performance, against Audible’s own crowd
How often this goes badly0.4% of the people who rated the performance gave it one or two stars. Fewer than most recordings here. The middle of our shelf is 2.0%, and half of it falls between 1.0% and 3.1%.
104 of 27,504 listeners gave the performance one or two stars
The shape of the room
- United, this one
- Warm
- Split
- Lukewarm
A united room: 96% of the listeners gave the performance five stars. A room that agrees this far leaves little to gamble on.
27,504 ratings
the story, as heardAudible
the story, as heard, against Audible’s own crowd
27,442 ratings
the book itselfGoodreads
the book itself, against Goodreads’ own crowd
5,041,017 ratings
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Stephen Fry20h 54m16h 43m13h 56m11h 57m10h 27mAudible 4.92+1.52Goodreads 4.57+1.73
overallAudible
overall, pooled by the shop, so we hold no ruler for it
31,732 ratings · performance and story, as the shop pools them
the performanceAudible
the performance, against Audible’s own crowd
How often this goes badly0.5% of the people who rated the performance gave it one or two stars. Fewer than most recordings here. The middle of our shelf is 2.0%, and half of it falls between 1.0% and 3.1%.
128 of 27,052 listeners gave the performance one or two stars
The shape of the room
- United, this one
- Warm
- Split
- Lukewarm
A united room: 95% of the listeners gave the performance five stars. A room that agrees this far leaves little to gamble on.
27,052 ratings
the story, as heardAudible
the story, as heard, against Audible’s own crowd
26,971 ratings
the book itselfGoodreads
the book itself, against Goodreads’ own crowd
4,347,401 ratings
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Stephen Fry29h 01m23h 13m19h 21m16h 35m14h 31mAudible 4.88+1.37Goodreads 4.50+1.41
overallAudible
overall, pooled by the shop, so we hold no ruler for it
30,017 ratings · performance and story, as the shop pools them
the performanceAudible
the performance, against Audible’s own crowd
How often this goes badly0.5% of the people who rated the performance gave it one or two stars. Fewer than most recordings here. The middle of our shelf is 2.0%, and half of it falls between 1.0% and 3.1%.
132 of 25,606 listeners gave the performance one or two stars
The shape of the room
- United, this one
- Warm
- Split
- Lukewarm
A united room: 95% of the listeners gave the performance five stars. A room that agrees this far leaves little to gamble on.
25,606 ratings
the story, as heardAudible
the story, as heard, against Audible’s own crowd
25,509 ratings
the book itselfGoodreads
the book itself, against Goodreads’ own crowd
3,924,148 ratings
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Stephen Fry20h 31m16h 25m13h 41m11h 43m10h 16mAudible 4.91+1.52Goodreads 4.58+1.77
overallAudible
overall, pooled by the shop, so we hold no ruler for it
27,462 ratings · performance and story, as the shop pools them
the performanceAudible
the performance, against Audible’s own crowd
How often this goes badly0.4% of the people who rated the performance gave it one or two stars. Fewer than most recordings here. The middle of our shelf is 2.0%, and half of it falls between 1.0% and 3.1%.
92 of 23,359 listeners gave the performance one or two stars
The shape of the room
- United, this one
- Warm
- Split
- Lukewarm
A united room: 96% of the listeners gave the performance five stars. A room that agrees this far leaves little to gamble on.
23,359 ratings
the story, as heardAudible
the story, as heard, against Audible’s own crowd
23,261 ratings
the book itselfGoodreads
the book itself, against Goodreads’ own crowd
3,774,897 ratings
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Stephen Fry23h 59m19h 11m15h 59m13h 42m12h 00mAudible 4.94+1.60Goodreads 4.62+1.95
overallAudible
overall, pooled by the shop, so we hold no ruler for it
49,088 ratings · performance and story, as the shop pools them
the performanceAudible
the performance, against Audible’s own crowd
How often this goes badly0.3% of the people who rated the performance gave it one or two stars. Fewer than most recordings here. The middle of our shelf is 2.0%, and half of it falls between 1.0% and 3.1%.
114 of 43,393 listeners gave the performance one or two stars
The shape of the room
- United, this one
- Warm
- Split
- Lukewarm
A united room: 97% of the listeners gave the performance five stars. A room that agrees this far leaves little to gamble on.
43,393 ratings
the story, as heardAudible
the story, as heard, against Audible’s own crowd
43,205 ratings
the book itselfGoodreads
the book itself, against Goodreads’ own crowd
4,232,862 ratings
The verdict is for the series as one commitment (124h 36m99h 41m83h 04m71h 12m62h 18m of it), because that is the decision you are actually making.
The series
Harry Potter
No more announced yet · One voice throughout
8 books numbered on Goodreads’ list, with 2 novellas or companions filed between them. Everything Goodreads lists is published, the last of it in 2024, and nothing new is announced, which is not the same thing as finished. We start saying finished after five quiet years.
Stephen Fry reads all of the 7 volumes Audible names in our records.
From Goodreads’ own series index, checked on 11 September 2026.
Every reading we hold
Two complete readings of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and one call above for the book: the verdict is a claim about format, not about a voice. Which voice to press play on is the next question, and this is our answer to it. Below 250 ratings of the reading we name a recording and decline to rank it.
- Stephen Fryour pick8h 25m6h 44m5h 37m4h 49m4h 12m · One voice · Audible UK and US
- The same voice all through
Performance 4.92 · Story 4.89 · 46,496 rated the reading · 0.5% of the people who rated the performance gave it one or two stars
Hear it · Audible’s clip, its length read from them on load
- Hugh Laurie, Matthew Macfadyen, Riz Ahmed and 12 more voicesalso worth hearing8h 41m6h 57m5h 47m4h 58m4h 21m · Read by 15 voices · Audible UK
All 15 voices in this reading
- Hugh Laurie
- Matthew Macfadyen
- Riz Ahmed
- Michelle Gomez
- Cush Jumbo
- Frankie Treadaway
- Max Lester
- Arabella Stanton
- Mark Addy
- Indira Varma
- Sacha Dhawan
- Nina Wadia
- Joel Fry
- Adeel Akhtar
- Tracy Ann Oberman
Performance 4.58 · Story 4.84 · 5,431 rated the reading · 6.6% of the people who rated the performance gave it one or two stars
Hear it · Audible’s clip, its length read from them on load
Listeners rate Stephen Fry’s performance 0.34 of a star above Hugh Laurie, Matthew Macfadyen, Riz Ahmed and 12 more voices’s: 4.92 on 46,496 ratings against 4.58 on 5,431 ratings.
Stephen Fry’s reading of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is in our Hall of Fame, and the figures that earned it are all on that page.
Stephen Fry’s reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is in our Hall of Fame, and the figures that earned it are all on that page.
Stephen Fry’s reading of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is in our Hall of Fame, and the figures that earned it are all on that page.
Stephen Fry’s reading of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is in our Hall of Fame, and the figures that earned it are all on that page.
Stephen Fry’s reading of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is in our Hall of Fame, and the figures that earned it are all on that page.
Stephen Fry’s reading of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is in our Hall of Fame, and the figures that earned it are all on that page.
Stephen Fry’s reading of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is in our Hall of Fame, and the figures that earned it are all on that page.
The recording we mean · Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- Runtime
- 8h 25m at 1×
- Read by
- Stephen Fry
- Kind
- One voice
- ASIN
- B017V568SY · Audible UK
- Rated in
- Audible UK and US · 40,401 + 6,185 ratings of the performance
- Judged on
- 222,387 ratings of the narration
- Published
- Pottermore Publishing · 2015
Audible sorts a search by newest, so ours may not be the first one you are offered. The runtime is the check: if the one in front of you says 8h 25m, that is the reading these numbers describe. “Judged on” is the crowd behind every judgement we make about this reading: the smaller of the performance and story counts, which is why it is a little under the two shop counts added. We do not link out to a shop, and we take nothing if you buy there.