A review by beansandrice
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

5.0

Wow!!!!! Queer maximalist sci-fi and fantasy about the music and the Asian-American experience in southern California. Perplexing yet amazing premise, and an incredible follow-through. This is one of the most remarkable stories I've read in a long time.

Light from Uncommon Stars is just as compelling on a breezy read for fun as it is on a deep and academic read. The seriousness of the subject matter never keeps it from being silly, and the silly moments of the book never detract from the seriousness of its message.

Of course it's not a perfect book, like there are a few loose plot threads that could've been cleaned up with just a teensy bit more editing, and some chapters felt like they should've ended a paragraph or two earlier than they did. That said, this book is a massive inspiration for me on both literary and philosophical levels, and I'm going to be thinking about it for years to come.