The Road to Roswell Audiobook By Connie Willis cover art

The Road to Roswell

A Novel

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The Road to Roswell

By: Connie Willis
Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky
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A delightful novel about alien invasions, conspiracies, and the incredibly silly things people are willing to believe—some of which may actually be true—from the Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of Blackout and All Clear

“An absolute blast with abundant humor, copious references to old westerns, and . . . a delightful, intergalactic twist on the romantic comedy.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • LOCUS AWARD FINALIST

When level-headed Francie arrives in Roswell, New Mexico, for her college roommate’s UFO-themed wedding—complete with a true-believer bridegroom—she can’t help but roll her eyes at all the wide-eyed talk of aliens, which obviously don’t exist. Imagine her surprise, then, when she is abducted by one.

Odder still, her abductor is far from what the popular media have led her to expect, with a body like a tumbleweed and a mass of lightning-fast tentacles. Nor is Francie the only victim of the alien’s abduction spree. Before long, he has acquired a charming con man named Wade, a sweet little old lady with a casino addiction, a retiree with a huge RV and a love for old Westerns, and a UFO-chasing nutjob who is thoroughly convinced the alien intends to probe them and/or take over the planet.

But the more Francie gets to know the alien, the more convinced she becomes that he’s not an invader. That he’s in trouble and she has to help him. Only she doesn’t know how—or even what the trouble is. 

Part alien-abduction adventure, part road trip saga, part romantic comedy, The Road to Roswell is packed full of Men in Black, Elvis impersonators, tourist traps, rattlesnakes, chemtrails, and Close Encounters of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth kind. Can Francie, stuck in a neon green bridesmaid’s dress, save the world—and still make it back for the wedding? Science Fiction Funny Witty Comedy Humorous Fiction First Contact Romantic Comedy Disappearance Feel-Good Romance
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Critic reviews

Paise for Connie Willis

“A novelist who can plot like Agatha Christie and whose books possess a bounce and stylishness that Preston Sturges might envy.”—The Washington Post

“One of America’s finest writers . . . Willis can tell a story so packed with thrills, comedy, drama and a bit of red herring that the result is apt to satisfy the most discriminating, and hungry, reader.”—The Denver Post

“A wit with a common touch who’s read more great books, and makes better use of them in her work, than two or three lit professors put together.”—Newsday

“A national treasure.”—San Antonio Express-News

“Willis can tell a story like no other. . . . One of her specialties is sparkling, rapid-fire dialogue; another, suspenseful plotting; and yet another, dramatic scenes so fierce that they burn like after-images in the reader’s memory.”—The Village Voice

“Willis’s fiction is one of the most intelligent delights of our genre.”—Locus

“[Willis’s] six Nebula Awards and ten Hugo Awards confirm her eminence in speculative fiction, but her versatile range and forthright wit wouldn’t be out of place in the literary mainstream.”—Publishers Weekly
Lighthearted Adventure • Quirky Characters • Humorous Dialogue • Unique Alien Concept • Engaging Plot Twists

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Connie Willis’ The Road to Roswell is a light-hearted, comedic road trip story involving an alien. Francie is the maid of honor at her friend’s wedding taking place in Roswell, NM. The groom is a UFO-nut and while Francie hopes to talk her friend out of marriage, she is kidnapped by a real alien. Along the way, they acquire an eclectic band including a con-man, another UFO-nut, a little old lady who turns out to be a professional gambler, and vacationing gentlemen who loves Westerns. Communication with the alien occurs through closed captioned old western movies. Everything then gets a bit more complicated, but thunderstorms turn out to be the focus of interest.

Willis crafts a fun tale with a quirky band of humans trying to help a wayward alien. There’s a bit of a Men in Black motif thrown in, but for the most part, Francie is someone who is a great friend and will always lend a hand to help someone in need. The alien communication problems are handled well with a western theme to the alien’s responses adding humor along the way.

The narration is excellent with very good character distinction. Pacing is smooth and a bit brisk.

Road trip with an alien

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Willis’ most fun book since To Say Nothing of the Dog! Starts out like a realistic adventure, but soon turns pretty wild. Lots of fun.

A Fun Romp

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... you love them to death, but communicating with them is almost impossible!

Cute story... aliens are real, which makes the premise of Francie warning her BFF off her wedding to a nutjob alien chaser a moot point. As she and a cast of characters, all well voiced!, drive all over the SW as they figure out what their alien wants and fix it.

indy is like a frustrating toddler...

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As I listened I kept expecting more from the plot and characters. It is not a fully developed story.

Story is missing something

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There were parts of the story that went slow, but overall I was laughing out loud. Really enjoyed this book!

Starts slow but hillarious

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