Roadkill

By: Dennis E. Taylor

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Three 20-somethings are all that stands between an otherworldly threat and the survival of Earth in the latest thrill ride by Dennis E. Taylor, author of the Audible and New York Times best-selling Bobiverse series.

Jack Kernigan is having a bad day...a bad year...a bad life. After being booted out of MIT, he’s back in his Ohio hometown, working for the family business, facing a life of mediocrity. Then one day, out on a delivery, his truck hits...something. Something big...something furry...something invisible. And, it turns out, something not of this Earth.

Fate can play funny tricks. Which is why Jack suddenly finds himself the planet’s best hope to unravel a conspiracy of galactic proportions that could spell the end of the human race. All Jack and his best friends, Natalie and Patrick, have to defeat an alien threat is their wits, a lot of coffee, and a rather snippy AI named Sheldon. Plus, their own spaceship.

After all, if you’re going to rescue the world, the least you can get out of it is your own spaceship.

©2022 Dennis E. Taylor (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC.

The least helpful review of Roadkill

Uh… yeah… well, I didn’t not like it. It was entertaining. However, I expected more from Mr. Taylor. He’s in my top five favorite authors list. My “pause whatever else you’re doing and listen to his new book” list.

So, what went wrong?

This was a little too tongue-in-cheek for me. Too rushed. Too influenced by Craig Alanson. The characters acted in unusual ways. Most of the time authors do this to force the plot along, but in this case it was different in a way I can’t quite describe. Example: “Oh, I’m the first human ever to make extraterrestrial contact? Wow. Cool. Well, it’s my bedtime. See you tomorrow.” WTF! No one acts like this! I kept thinking that this was a great story concept, but slow down! Explore the nuances. Hash out the details. This audiobook could have been half again as long and it would have been for the better.

Seriously, Dennis E. Taylor is one of my favorite authors. If you’re unfamiliar with him, don’t start here! Go listen to the Bobiverse series. Do this now! I mean, right now!

So, what went right?

Two words: Ray Porter.

That’s all I got.

Looking forward to a sequel!

I really enjoyed this! Ray Porter shines (as always) and the story keeps a great pace. Some good social commentary mixed in with the fun. I'm really looking forward to future adventures with these characters. In fact, I may have a new favorite character of all time!

6 stars

Can’t give 6 stars but it would be well deserved. Absolutely loved Sheldon with his “upper class snobbery”. The narrator gets a 10.

Outstanding Book

Another outstanding book by Dennis E. Taylor. And Ray Porter is a rockstar narrator as always. Keep ‘em coming, you guys!

And my personal observation of those posting the 1 star reviews… you’re part of the problem. ‘Nuff said.

Another great book

No complaints, good story, well written, great performance.

Note to the author: maybe look at switching over to a different voice actor for new story lines. Ray Porter is great but it makes it feel a little too much like Outland.

Good light listen

easy light listen with great narration by Ray Porter. not getting too deep into the sci-fi details is good for a change.

Political? Pu…lease!

Disclaimer: I’m a big fan of Dennis Taylor. Great science, great fiction, great humor, great relatable characters. The criticism of this being overly or overly political are hogwash. Put your big boy pants on and enjoy the ride. Dennis has artfully taken stock of current events and woven them into a funny and often touching narrative. Heck I’m now inclined to look around for suspicious lookin “cloaked” figures. It is certainly less troublesome than pondering on what’s really going on in our world. It would be comforting to think we haven’t lost our collective minds.

Lighthearted and fun

This book is great if you really like Dennis’ work. It’s full of Taylorisms and follows a somewhat similar flow to his previous works. Ray’s narration is as good as always. It does feel like a spin-off of bob work due to shared referencing from the characters between the series, but that’s what you sign up for with Taylor’s books. I had a good time with it. It felt pretty in touch with the state of the world and shrugged off the need for realism in favor of a fun adventure.

I can't decide if I hope this is fiction or...not

Dennis E Taylor's books often hit a little too close to home, when set in the present day (like this book). I can't decide if I hope this is all baseless fiction, or if I hope publishing as fiction was the only way to document things that really happened. I sure would love it if a small group of plucky heroes could actually save us from the consequences we've spent centuries crafting. Now that really would be a happy ending.

Witty irreverent and oh so humorous

The narrator can do sarcasm like nobody’s business. I think he narrated We Are Legion (We Are Bob). Great story.