Space Opera

by Catherynne M. Valente

Softcover, 294 pages

English language

Published Dec. 18, 2018 by Saga Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-4814-9750-3

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy meets the joy and glamour of Eurovision in bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente's science fiction spectacle, where sentient races compete for glory in a galactic musical contest . . . and the stakes are as high as the fate of planet Earth.

A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented—something to cheer up everyone who was left and bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, and understanding.

Once every cycle, the great galactic civilizations gather for the Metagalactic Grand Prix—part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part continuation of the wars of the past. Species far and wide compete in feats of song, dance and/or whatever facsimile of these can be performed by various creatures who may or may not possess, in the traditional sense, feet, mouths, larynxes, or faces. And if a new species should wish to be counted among the high and the mighty, if a new planet has produced some savage group of animals, machines, or algae that claim to be, against all odds, sentient? Well, then they will have to compete. And if they fail? Sudden extermination for their entire species.

This year, though, humankind has discovered the enormous universe. And while they expected to discover a grand drama of diplomacy, gunships, wormholes, and stoic councils of aliens, they have instead found glitter, lipstick, and electric guitars. Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny—they must sing.

Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes have been chosen to represent their planet on the greatest stage in the galaxy. And the fate of Earth lies in their ability to rock.

2 editions

qboq@bookwyrm.social reviewed Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente

A mixed bag

3 stars

As other reviews stated, this book is in the style of Douglas Adams. The main idea was what convinced me to read this book, but the story was a bit light. The chapters switched between story and background and the background chapters felt like they were written to be as wordy as possible for the sake to be as wordy as possible, a bit like this sentence. Also, the end was a bit too much Deus Ex Machina, which as a bit meh compared to the buildup.

I did enjoy the story for all its imperfections, but would not be quick to recommend it to others.

Billy The Kid reviewed Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente

Review of 'Space Opera' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

"Which of us are people and which of us are meat?"

Let's set the stage (you can read all of this on the front cover so no spoilers):

In Space Opera, an intergalactic World War 2-standin breaks out, causing much destruction and suffering (while humans remain woefully unaware of this).

As a result of this confrontation, the remaining alien civilizations unite and organize a Eurovision-esque contest (the Metagalactic Grand Prix) to determine how the resources of the galaxy will be shared amongst the participants for the following year (based on their relative ranking in contest).

Importantly, if a civilization is participating in the competition for the first time then coming in last place leads to them being exterminated.

Of course, eventually, humans find themselves participating for their first time and send an oddball duo of has-been musicians who've either settled down (and "sold out") or wasted the rest of their lives away trying to recapture the success of their youth.

Hijinks ensue.

...

The novel executes on this wacky premise in a comedic way reminiscent of Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I actually laughed out loud quite a few times and that's something i cherish because writing comedic novels is anything but easy.

The novel has a unique voice that might rub some people the wrong way. The way that the many run-on sentences were written gave the text an almost lyrical vibe that felt like a good fit given the premise of the book.

I would have given Space Opera a 5/5 but unfortunately I feel as though the book would have benefited greatly from more of a focus on the main character Danesh and his partner in crime Oort. Spending more time with them, experiencing their newly expanded world (filled with many alien aliens) from their perspective would have been great. Instead, many chapters are spent describing in detail the events/winners of past Metagalactic Grand Prix(s).

These chapters are fine in isolation but, within the context of the rest of the novel, they clash with the more personal chapters preceding and following them leading to a less fulfilling read (at least for me).

Overall, I recommend Space Opera if you're looking for something light, that might make you smile and chuckle more than you would expect.