Audiobook Narration Practice Script · Fantasy audiobook chapter opening
The Last Gate (Fantasy Chapter One)
Fantasy audiobook sample script with two character voices: a frozen courier argues with a dry old gatekeeper in a witty chapter-one opening.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Length
- 205 words · ~1 min 22 sec
- Skills
- character differentiation, narrative pacing, dialogue in narration
- License
- CC BY 4.0
The script
Chapter One. The Last Gate.
The snow had been falling for three days when Wren reached the top of the pass, and by then she'd stopped feeling her toes. The gate rose out of the mountain like a closed fist, iron black and taller than any tree she'd ever climbed.
She pounded on it with both hands. Nothing. She pounded again, harder, and a small square window slid open at eye level.
'We're closed,' said a voice. It was old and dry, like a hinge that hadn't been oiled in years.
'You can't be closed,' Wren said. 'You're a gate. Being open is the whole point of you.'
'Half the point,' said the voice. 'The other half is being shut. Come back in the morning.'
'I'll be frozen solid by morning!'
There was a long pause. Then the voice said, almost kindly, 'Then at least you'll be quiet.'
The window slid shut. Wren stared at it. Then she reached into her coat, pulled out the letter with the silver seal, and slapped it flat against the iron, right where the window had been.
The window opened again, very slowly. 'Ah,' said the voice, and for the first time it sounded afraid. 'You'd better come in.'
Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0. Original script drafted with AI assistance and edited by SceneDub; any resemblance to existing characters is coincidental.
Practise it now
The teleprompter scrolls at the speed you set in words per minute. Tick "Record audio while reading" to capture a take; the audio stays in your browser until you download it.
Coaching notes
- Keep the narrator neutral enough that the two characters pop. Wren can be higher, quicker, and chattering with cold; the gatekeeper slow, low, and creaky, like the hinge in the description.
- Play the gatekeeper's jokes completely straight. 'Then at least you'll be quiet' only works if he isn't trying to be funny.
- The last paragraph is the hook. Slow down on 'very slowly,' let 'for the first time it sounded afraid' shift the mood, and make his final line smaller than anything he's said before.
Try it three more ways
- Read it as a cozy fireside storyteller sharing the tale with a group of kids.
- Read the gatekeeper as a tiny, squeaky creature instead of an old man, and notice how the comedy changes.
- Read it as a dark, serious epic fantasy, with Wren desperate rather than annoyed.
Take it further
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Frequently asked questions
How long is the "The Last Gate (Fantasy Chapter One)" script?
205 spoken words, about 1 min 22 sec at a conversational 150 words per minute and 1 min 35 sec at a slower 130 wpm. Your take will vary with pauses and character choices.
Can I use this script in my voice acting demo reel?
Yes. SceneDub's original scripts are licensed CC BY 4.0. You can perform, record, edit, and publish them, including in demo reels, classes, and auditions, as long as you credit "Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0" where you share the recording or the text.
How should I practise this script?
Read it silently once, then perform it with the direction above: wry, adventurous, cold-weather atmosphere, steady narration at ~145 words per minute, quicker in the dialogue. Record a take with the teleprompter, listen back, and try one of the alternate reads to stretch your range.