When the Esca, a birdlike alien race, appear to every human on Earth one afternoon to inform them of their responsibility to participate in the coming Grand Prix, it’s our turn to choose how to portray our species.Īnd so humanity will be represented by two washed-up rockstars: Decibel Jones and Oort St.

If a petitioning new species comes in dead last, their artifacts and culture will be recorded and they will be summarily scrubbed from existence to let the next smart bit of flora or fauna on their planet have a chance in a few million years. It is, in fact, nothing less than intergalactic Eurovision in the fine stylistic tradition of Douglas Adams-madcap, bizarre, comedic, and shot through with a certain wholesome kindness.Īfter the near-fatal cosmic consequences of the Sentience Wars, the universe at large decides who gets a seat at the table of sentient species-and where the resources get distributed-via a pop music competition.

Valente’s novel Space Opera is a marked shift from the seriousness of Deathless (2011) or Palimpsest (2009). With the delightfully garish neon tagline “In space, everyone can hear you sing” emblazoned across its cover, Catherynne M. In the lead-up to the 2019 Hugo Awards, we’re taking time to appreciate this year’s novel and short fiction Finalists, and what makes each of them great.

Cat valente space opera