Space Opera

Catherynne Valente

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Book Cover: Disco ball with neon rings around it looking like Saturn, giant neon letters saying SPACE OPERAThe intergalactic community is ready to welcome Earth into its foldā€¦but only if we prove to be sufficiently civilizedā€¦by placing in an interstellar version of Eurovision. If we loseā€¦well, ā€œeliminationā€ is the right word in more ways than one.

Absurdity, social satire, lots of music references, and a fast read that still feels like a wall of words at times. In the same vein as Hitchhikerā€™s Guide to the Galaxy and Year Zero (though in this case humans are the worst musicians in the galaxy). Fun, though itā€™s got some dark moments. The world isnā€™t totally awesome or totally awful, itā€™s both: Everything is messy, and you can find the sublime in chaos.

More info at Space Opera.