Book Review: The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Del Rey (June 27, 2023)

Length: 416 pages

Author Information: Website

Connie Willis is an author whom I’ve seen many others rave about, so it’s hard to believe it has taken me this long to finally read one of her books. Still, better late than never—and I can’t tell you how glad I am that it was The Road to Roswell because this novel was all kinds of awesome!

The story begins by introducing us to protagonist Francie who has flown to New Mexico to be the Maid of Honor at her former college roommate and bestie Serena’s wedding—or rather, she hopes to be talking her friend out of a big mistake. Just like the last time Serena had been about to tie the knot with someone who was all wrong for her, this time her fiancé is a bigtime UFO fanatic and true believer, hence the wedding taking place at Roswell’s UFO Museum on the anniversary of the Roswell Incident which conspiracy theorists believe was a huge government coverup for an alien spaceship crash. A level-headed skeptic, Francie is confident that once she can talk some sense into Serena, her friend will also see how crazy it is and want to call the whole thing off.

Upon her arrival though, Francie discovers everything in disarray. Not only is it days until the Fourth of July holiday, but the airport is also crawling with tourists and UFO enthusiasts who are in town for Roswell’s UFO festival. Serena is running all over the place trying to get everything squared away for the wedding, and the two friends don’t get a chance to talk as Francie is roped into helping with the preparations. That is how, while retrieving some decorations from Serena’s car, Francie is suddenly ambushed and held hostage by a tumbleweed-looking tentacled life form—literally abducted by an alien. Thankfully though, it doesn’t seem to want to hurt her. The alien thing, which Francie dubs “Indy” on account of the way it cracks its tentacles like a certain whip-wielding fedora wearing adventurer archaeologist, just wants her to take it…somewhere.

Not being able to understand what Indy wants, Francie can only start driving in the direction the alien indicates, hoping that a way to communicate will eventually present itself. Somehow, along the way they also pick up fellow road trippers Wade, a hitchhiker; Eula Mae, a retiree whose sweet old exterior belies a wily gambler; Joseph, a film buff touring the southwest in his gigantic RV (AKA the “trail wagon”) who happily shares his love of classic Westerns with Indy; and Lyle, a UFO nut who thinks aliens are here to take over the world.

If all this sounds completely absurd, that’s because it is. But it was also fantastically fun and hilarious! I was delighted the whole way through, either smiling at the characters’ antics or straight-up belly laughing at all the uproarious humor. This is contemporary sci-fi comedy at its finest, offering up just the right amount of fluff and lightheartedness without being completely silly. The story is a mix of adventure (the novel’s entire premise is essentially a group of humans aiding an alien on his epic quest), mystery (What does Indy want? Why is he here? And what is up with his obsession with Monument Valley?), a little bit of romance (some adorable rom-com action happening here), and even a light dollop of Western (teaching Indy about humans and the way of our world through classics like Paint Your Wagon or Support Your Local Sheriff! was a sheer stroke of genius).

What more can I say? There was nothing too cerebral or even complex about this novel, but of course that was never the point. It came at the perfect time, scratching a very particular itch while raising me out of a mood funk which had resulted from reading a string of darker, more thematically heavy books. The Road to Roswell succeeded in that it was very effective in being an entertaining and engaging read, and I enjoyed every moment. This book has also sold me on Connie Willis, and I look forward to picking up more of her books.