Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente, 294 pagesWhat would humanity do if we were told that our existence as a species depended on the performance of a single musical act? How would we even decide who should represent us? Thankfully(?) for us, in Catherynne M. Valente's Space Opera, our sponsoring alien race has chosen the defunct glamrock pop group Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes to create a brand new song to perform at the 100th Metagalactic Grand Prix. Perform admirably, and Human sapiens sapiens is determined to be sentient and left alone; come in last, and we're annihilated. Fun stuff!
And I really mean that: this is a fun book. Valente goes full Douglas Adams in her logic-defying book about the alien races competing in the Eurovision of the Milky Way. It's zany, rambling, and infinitely inventive. I love Valente's snark, and I particularly love Capo, the cat. My only complaints are that the book is a bit lacking in the way of a plot, and I really wish we'd spent even more time with Capo, who is really the best.
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