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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Once upon a time on a small, watery, excitable planet called Earth, in a small, watery, excitable country called England (which was bound and determined never to get too excited about anything), a leggy, psychadelic ambidextrous omnisexual gendersplat glitterpunk financially punch-drunk ethnically ambitious glamrock messiah by the name of Danesh Jalo was born into a family so large and benignly neglectful that they only noticed he'd stopped coming home on weekends when his grandmother was nearly run over with all her groceries in front of the Piccadilly Square tube station, stunned into slack-jawed immobility by the sight of her Danesh, twenty feet high, in a frock the color of her customary afternoon sip of Pernod, filling up every centimeter of a gargantuan billboard.
There are a few things you should know before picking up this book:
1. Catherynne M. Valente (who can't even spell her name like a sensible Catherine) has a ridonkulous imagination. I would be happy to read a book just about the galactic history she invented. As it was, I ended up going back and taking notes to keep track of all the different species ("time-traveling red pandas," "human body, head = hippo + chainsaw + spiny puffer fish"), the various locations and winners of the Metagalactic Grand Prix, and Goguenar Gorecannon's Unkillable Facts*.
2. Ms. Valente's writing style is not for the faint-of-heart or the weak-of-concentration. (See the first sentence of Chapter 2 above for an example.) The first time I attempted to read this novel, I was not in the right state-of-mind and I found my eyes glazing over. But having read Ms. Valente's middle grades Fairyland series, which begins with [b: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making|9591398|The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)|Catherynne M. Valente|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388179691s/9591398.jpg|6749837], and enough reviews and quotes from this one, I knew it would be worth the effort. So I set it aside, read something else, and then came back to this one, and am very glad I did. (Also, there's quite a bit of profanity, sex -- both intra- and inter-species --, and some mild violence. Y'know, if you're bothered by that type of thing.)
3. While parallels have been drawn to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it's not (in my opinion, having recently reread that entire series) derivative. It's in the same genre, sure, but if HG is the story of space over a few pints, this is the story of space on 'shrooms. This is not that.
My one criticism of this highly entertaining novel is that the actual plot is a bit slow. Ms. Valente set out to write the story of a galaxy-wide version of Eurovision, but that all plays second fiddle to her vivid descriptions of galactic life and history. Of the three earthlings that get the most page time (the two surviving members of the Absolute Zeroes: lead-singer Decibel Jones -- born Danesh Jalo -- and musician-extraordinaire Oort St. Ultraviolent -- otherwise known as Omar Caliskan--, and Omar/Oort's cat, Capo), I like the cat the most. They don't even arrive on the planet where the biggest musical contest in the galaxy, which will determine whether humans qualify as a sentient species (as opposed to "meat"), until over halfway through the book. And the history of the Absolute Zeroes was pretty bland compared to the history of the Sentient Wars, wormholes described as being like giant pandas that eat regret, and a sentient species of a zombie virus that speaks in puns through its host's mouth (or the closest thing to a mouth said host possesses).
Despite the fact that the point is pretty much beside the point, this is a fabulous read, a lava lamp of prose in every color, full of wry humor, and one that I will read again (with my notes). {Reread before reading Space Oddity -- couldn't find my notes, enjoyed it anyway.}
*The first of these (at least the first sentence) is repeated throughout the book: Life is beautiful and life is stupid. You can only ever fix one of these at a time, and wouldn't it be nice if anyone could agree on which is the bigger problem? The other four of the (at least) twenty that are included in the book are profanity-laden and equally apt, summarized (in my notes) as: Spoiler 2. Everything is used by something/someone else. 5. Justice takes too long. 6. Reality doesn't make sense. 20. No one is every really satisfied with what they have.
Read for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt #31: A Book Where Music Plays an Integral Part of the Storyline
There are a few things you should know before picking up this book:
1. Catherynne M. Valente (who can't even spell her name like a sensible Catherine) has a ridonkulous imagination. I would be happy to read a book just about the galactic history she invented. As it was, I ended up going back and taking notes to keep track of all the different species ("time-traveling red pandas," "human body, head = hippo + chainsaw + spiny puffer fish"), the various locations and winners of the Metagalactic Grand Prix, and Goguenar Gorecannon's Unkillable Facts*.
2. Ms. Valente's writing style is not for the faint-of-heart or the weak-of-concentration. (See the first sentence of Chapter 2 above for an example.) The first time I attempted to read this novel, I was not in the right state-of-mind and I found my eyes glazing over. But having read Ms. Valente's middle grades Fairyland series, which begins with [b: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making|9591398|The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)|Catherynne M. Valente|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388179691s/9591398.jpg|6749837], and enough reviews and quotes from this one, I knew it would be worth the effort. So I set it aside, read something else, and then came back to this one, and am very glad I did. (Also, there's quite a bit of profanity, sex -- both intra- and inter-species --, and some mild violence. Y'know, if you're bothered by that type of thing.)
3. While parallels have been drawn to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it's not (in my opinion, having recently reread that entire series) derivative. It's in the same genre, sure, but if HG is the story of space over a few pints, this is the story of space on 'shrooms. This is not that.
My one criticism of this highly entertaining novel is that the actual plot is a bit slow. Ms. Valente set out to write the story of a galaxy-wide version of Eurovision, but that all plays second fiddle to her vivid descriptions of galactic life and history. Of the three earthlings that get the most page time (the two surviving members of the Absolute Zeroes: lead-singer Decibel Jones -- born Danesh Jalo -- and musician-extraordinaire Oort St. Ultraviolent -- otherwise known as Omar Caliskan--, and Omar/Oort's cat, Capo), I like the cat the most. They don't even arrive on the planet where the biggest musical contest in the galaxy, which will determine whether humans qualify as a sentient species (as opposed to "meat"), until over halfway through the book. And the history of the Absolute Zeroes was pretty bland compared to the history of the Sentient Wars, wormholes described as being like giant pandas that eat regret, and a sentient species of a zombie virus that speaks in puns through its host's mouth (or the closest thing to a mouth said host possesses).
Despite the fact that the point is pretty much beside the point, this is a fabulous read, a lava lamp of prose in every color, full of wry humor, and one that I will read again (with my notes). {Reread before reading Space Oddity -- couldn't find my notes, enjoyed it anyway.}
*The first of these (at least the first sentence) is repeated throughout the book: Life is beautiful and life is stupid. You can only ever fix one of these at a time, and wouldn't it be nice if anyone could agree on which is the bigger problem? The other four of the (at least) twenty that are included in the book are profanity-laden and equally apt, summarized (in my notes) as: Spoiler 2. Everything is used by something/someone else. 5. Justice takes too long. 6. Reality doesn't make sense. 20. No one is every really satisfied with what they have.
Read for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt #31: A Book Where Music Plays an Integral Part of the Storyline
Sigh. I’m pulling the plug on this one. I wanted to love it! I wanted to find it weird and delightful and epic. Instead I found it...really freaking annoying.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
(2.5 stars)
Despite how much I wanted to love this, I was disappointed. It failed to hold my attention on two separate occasions, and it took a third try to finally get through it. And I still debated finishing it.
It is the best example of trying too hard. The premise is good, the writing is sharp, but it does not reach the level Catherynne Valente has achieved in her previous books. I'm really not sure why that happened. Maybe because no one can out!Douglas-Adams Douglas Adams.
Despite how much I wanted to love this, I was disappointed. It failed to hold my attention on two separate occasions, and it took a third try to finally get through it. And I still debated finishing it.
It is the best example of trying too hard. The premise is good, the writing is sharp, but it does not reach the level Catherynne Valente has achieved in her previous books. I'm really not sure why that happened. Maybe because no one can out!Douglas-Adams Douglas Adams.
In Catherynne Valente's latest novel Space Opera the fate of Earth and human civilization is placed in the hands of 2/3 of a washed up glam punk rock group Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes. The band is chosen as representatives by an alien race of "seven-foot-tall ultramarine half-flamingo, half-anglerfish thing", known as the Esca that looks like the Road Runner cartoon character. The band must compete at a galactic version of the Eurovision competition and not be eliminated. Along the way they encounter a host of other alien races with their own ideas about sentience, music, and Earth's chances in the finals.
The writing is fast paced, witty, absurd, and satirical, which is to say right up my alley. I listened to the audiobook version and I have to give a standing ovation to Heath Miller's superb performance as narrator. From voicing alien races of sentient computer code, to time-travelling red pandas, to the afore mentioned Road Runner, and to the earthlings Decibel Jones and Oort St. Ultraviolet, Heath manages to switch up a number of accents effortlessly, as well as conveying the emotional duress that Decibel and his companions are under.
I'd recommend this book to those that appreciate humor of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett.
The writing is fast paced, witty, absurd, and satirical, which is to say right up my alley. I listened to the audiobook version and I have to give a standing ovation to Heath Miller's superb performance as narrator. From voicing alien races of sentient computer code, to time-travelling red pandas, to the afore mentioned Road Runner, and to the earthlings Decibel Jones and Oort St. Ultraviolet, Heath manages to switch up a number of accents effortlessly, as well as conveying the emotional duress that Decibel and his companions are under.
I'd recommend this book to those that appreciate humor of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett.
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF @ 40%
like the premise but audiobook wasn't holding my attention. mostly just made me want to reread becky chambers.
like the premise but audiobook wasn't holding my attention. mostly just made me want to reread becky chambers.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Valente’s writing was like wonderful dense curlicues of language, a cross between Douglas Adams and Dickens or Thackeray. I listened to the audiobook and some days it delighted me beyond words and some days my brain couldn’t handle it; this was not the fault of the book, but of how much brain room I had available on any given day. Obviously this style is not for everyone but it was right up my alley. Heath Miller’s delivery is perfection.
Content-wise it’s not for everyone either, and I wouldn’t have cared for it nearly as much without the elevation of Valente’s writing and Miller’s reading.
Content-wise it’s not for everyone either, and I wouldn’t have cared for it nearly as much without the elevation of Valente’s writing and Miller’s reading.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
The colourful language of this short novel was so impressive it got me sidetracked. I ended up not really caring for the characters but delighted in the energetic phrases. In the end there was not all that mich depth to any of it, but a mostly enjoyable read anyway. I was a bit surprised by all the musical references that were not connected with Eurovision. Not that I would get a whole lot of ESC specific references anyway.