Jesse Vilinsky and Connie Willis have a marvelous time in this delightful homage to road trips, old Westerns, romance, alien hunters, and, well, aliens. When Francie arrives in Roswell during the UFO Festival, she's trying to stop a friend's UFO-themed wedding. Then she's abducted by an alien who is on an unusual quest. When they're joined by an elderly gambler, a UFO hunter, an RV owner, and a mysterious hitchhiker, the adventure is on. The frantic UFO hunter has a nasal whine, the RV owner is "aw-shucks" great, the gambler's quavery enthusiasm is grin inducing. Vilinsky also knows exactly what a teenage alien's texts sound like. Never has "No, no, no" been so variously and hysterically rendered. Throughout, Vilinsky's technicolor performance radiates the story's essential kindness and joy.
Pub Date: June 27, 2023
Duration: 14 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593743027
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Asimov's sweeping tale of the disintegration and fall of the Galactic Empire has never been more relevant or poignant. In the third book of the original trilogy, Dan Lazar handles the material adequately. He uses his limited range of voices nicely, if sometimes amusingly--he sometimes sounds like a foreigner attempting to mimic American accents. Varying pitch and pacing make for a lively narration, and his reading of a precocious young woman, who is ultimately an important figure, is delightful. Technical and editorial problems plague the title. Hearing Lazar repeatedly mispronounce a word that the text itself explains how to pronounce is very frustrating. Intermittent fade-outs on one channel; inconsistencies when switching sides; and low, rumbling background noise mar the sound quality.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Asimov's sweeping tale of the disintegration and fall of the Galactic Empire has never been more relevant or poignant. McKeever reads rapidly, but he also manages to identify individuals, if minimally, and the main characters are voiced consistently. His voice for the aging professor, in fact, is quite charming. Narrative passages are read competently with appropriate emotional expression. Technical and editorial problems plague the title. Intermittent fade-outs on one channel; inconsistencies when switching sides; and low, rumbling background noise mar the sound quality.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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