Space Opera (1) (Space Opera, The) Paperback – December 18, 2018

Science fiction has long been overtaken by "serious" stories and concepts, and often heavy morals and messages that tend to overpower the story and characters. With every sci-fi book seeming to strive to be a warning of things to come or a means to deliver a barely-concealed message about our current state of affairs, it seems the genre has forgotten how to have fun. We forget that while sci-fi can be a powerful tool to say things regular fiction can't easily do, it can also be entertaining, dazzling, funny, and even -- dare I say it -- glamorous. Thankfully, Catherynne Valente's "Space Opera" is a huge breath of fresh air in a genre that's taking itself all too seriously anymore, and delivers a fine blend of witty humor in the vein of Douglas Adams, gloriously imaginative alien races and cultures, and a very human element that manages to be touching and deep without being heavy-handed. And all is told with Valente's trademark wordplay, beautiful and delectable.In "Space Opera," Earth -- described as a "small, watery, excitable planet" -- is introduced to the universe at large by way of the Esca, a race of birdlike aliens who have been chosen to usher humanity into the fold of sentient races. The galaxy is still reeling from the Sentience Wars, a bloody conflict that pitted the many alien races against one another to determine just what qualified as a sentient being. To prevent such a cataclysm from happening again, a Metagalactic Grand Prix has been established -- an interplanetary music extravaganza where bands from every sentient civilization compete against one another... and newly discovered races have a chance to prove their sentience through song, or be annihilated. Now it is humanity's turn to compete for their lives... and the fate of all humankind now rests on Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes, a one-hit-wonder glam rock band whose remaining members must emerge from retirement to sing, rock, and glam their way to victory... if their clashing egos and private ghosts and demons don't destroy them first.As a longtime fan of Valente's, I'm a sucker for her writing -- lush, imaginative, and full of clever wordplay. Her vivid imagination always makes reading her work a treat, and "Space Opera" is no exception. You won't find the usual stock aliens here -- here you have empathic birds, time-traveling red pandas, sentient computer programs, an entire race locked in a never-ending MMORPG, clouds of intelligent gasses all named Ursula, and that's just scratching the surface. I know that when I dive into one of Valente's worlds, I'm never going to be bored -- and I'm never going to accuse her of being unoriginal either.The story itself is not only a fantastic adventure into a psychedelic and glitter-spangled galaxy of Valente's crafting, but a loving tribute to music, glam rock and Eurovision in particular. It glories in the weird, the music on the fringes of what's considered popular, and prides itself in the fact that music is just as much about spectacle as it is about the songs themselves. I dearly wish that someone would create a soundtrack to accompany this book -- perhaps it'd be impossible to truly capture the alien music, but I'd at least love to hear some of Decibel Jones' oeuvre.Some reviewers have complained that Valente's writing in general, and "Space Opera" in particular, is mostly just fluff. But it's enjoyable fluff, dangit... and there's still a story weaving through that fluff, one that manages to be quietly thoughtful and powerful amid the spectacle of aliens and glam rock. Yes, there's much to dazzle the mind, but there's also the emotional drama surrounding Decibel Jones and his surviving band member Oort, and the anger and grief both have carried through the years and that weighs them down even as they struggle to write the song that will elevate humanity to the stars. There's a low-key but still powerful human element in this book, a touch of bitter to even out the sweet, and the book is stronger for it.If I have any complaints, it's in the female member of the Absolute Zeroes. Maybe this is just me being finicky reading "Space Opera" so soon after "The Refrigerator Monologues" (another masterful work by Valente), but it's a little startling and weird to see Mira reduced to a posthumous character in this book after "Monologues," which was itself a powerful manifest about how women in fiction tend to be nothing more than tools to further the male characters' plots, especially via their deaths. So having Mira be pretty much a "refrigerator girl" in "Space Opera" was a little disheartening. But that's a minor complaint.Fans of sci-fi need to be reminded that the genre started out as weird and fun, has been weird and fun at various points in history, and still can be weird and fun in the right hands. "Space Opera" is a dazzling romp through a sequin-spangled galaxy, a technicolor kick in the pants to a genre in dire need of some levity and lightness, and I found myself not wanting to leave it. I hope Valente revisits this universe someday...

"Life is beautiful and life is stupid. As long as you keep that in mind, and never give more weight to one than the other, the history of the galaxy, the history of the planet, the history of a person is a simple tune with lyrics flashed on-screen and a helpful, friendly bouncing disco ball of glittering, occasionally peaceful light to help you follow along."When the end of the world arrives, no one expects it to be announced by a giant blue half-flamingo, half-anglerfish creature with the voice of an angel, or the person you love most in the world, or a non-threatening American waitress in Cleveland depending on who you ask.Humanity is even less prepared to learn that Earth's very last hope is the washed out, broken up, and decidedly no-longer-good former glam rock sensation Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes.But that's jumping ahead. Really, it all started a hundred years ago when the Sentience Wars almost destroyed the galaxy.While everyone is always pretty clear on if they, themselves, are sentient it turns out that's a harder decision to make about your neighbors--especially neighbors who may or may not be parasitic zombie maggots, clouds of intelligence known collectively as Lola, or a race of beings who spend all of their time participating in a planetary Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game while building up their corner of the universe.In the peace following the Sentience Wars, everyone involved felt like it was time to celebrate while also expressing their sentience. And, you know, also imposing a non-negotiable hierarchy on civilization while distributing galactic resources. Also there's the matter of seeing if the continued existence of newcomers is a sure thing. Or . . . not.Thus began the Metagalactic Grand Prix, a combination talent show, beauty pageant. fight for supremacy where all participating species can demonstrate their sentience along with as many special effects and as much stagecraft as they can manage.Now all we have to do is put all of our faith in two thirds of what used to be the greatest glam rock band ever and hope that they can sing their hearts out to prove our entire species' sentience, our ability to rock, and how very much we should not be summarily vaporized in Space Opera (2018) by Catherynne M. Valente.Have you ever asked yourself what The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy would have been like with ninety-nine percent more singing? If the answer is yes, then Space Opera is the Douglas Adams inspired homage to Eurovision that you've been waiting for.Space Opera is so much better and funnier and crazier than I ever could have imagined. This is a story about friendship, hope, and what makes us human. But with singing, glitter, and time paradoxes aplenty.Highly recommended for readers in need of funny, escapist sci-fi, fans of training montages, and anyone who is always ready to root for the underdog.Possible Pairings: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, Sci-Fu by Yuhi Mercado, Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, Space Battle Lunchtime by Natalie Riess, Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

If you're looking for glamour, music and words that dance through your mind and lift up your soul in a Dirty-Dancing-lift, look no further! This book is a glittering disco ball, a bright light in dark times. Enjoy your trip!

Please download an extract before buying the book.Fun and unique story but impossible to read. It’s more about they way the story it’s written than what it intends to tell. Long and overly complicated grammar constructions that difficult the understanding of simple situations. The author seems to be more interested in displaying their writing skills than telling us a story.True, english is not my first language but I couldn’t tell the characters apart, the storyline from the references and the linear events from the complicated explanation of thoughts, feelings and parallelisms.To this point i’m even unsure if I understood how it ends (??)

“Space Opera” is a delightful homage to the works of Douglas Adams, David Bowie, and the Eurovision contest. Like Adams’s work, the book goes back and forth between telling the story of two hapless people thrust into a terrifying galactic community, and skewering the political and cultural scene of the day. Like Eurovision and Bowie, the book celebrates the wacky individuality and creative expression of everyone. The struggle of Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes to save the Earth in a bizarre galactic music contest encapsulates the struggle of each of us to be recognized for our lives, but most especially of marginalized people to be granted basic human dignity by a society that isn’t quite sure they count as persons. A timely novel with timeless style. Highly recommended for all, but especially for fans of Adams or Pratchett.

This book is incredibly funny. It’s also full of lovable characters, incredible worldbuilding and the smartest prose I’ve ever read. It was totally worth the effort of reading it in English even if it’s not my first language.

The hardback isn’t out till October, so it was a very pleasant surprise to have this appear on the Kindle now, both because it’s a fabulous book and because it feels like witnessing the birth of something great.They say it’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. Catherynne Valente points a thousand-watt spotlight at a mirror ball and blows the darkness clean away on an irresistible tide of glitter, glam, and utterly fearless prose. It has everything from badgers to Bowie and the truth about cats, and that’s before we’ve even mentioned the aliens, who are glorious. It’s optimistic, which is something this old world direly needs.The crack about seagulls still makes me smile :-)