With Space Oddity, Catherynne M. Valente returns to the Eurovision-inspired interstellar setting of her 2018 novel, Space Opera, for a high-flying, fast-talking sequel that's a multiplanetary road trip through space, time, and truly excellent drum solos.
Decibel "Dess" Jones and Mira Wonderful Star are on an interstellar tour to celebrate their big win at the Metagalactic Grand Prix, a universal song contest. Okay, technically they finished 10th, but their performance convinced the galaxy not to exterminate humanity. Dess has a case of existential angst over his constant proximity to Mira, his formerly dead lover who's now alive and 22 years old while Dess is "hip-checking his own upper decades." Mira, "freshly scooped from the timestream by an interdimensional red panda named Öö," can't exactly get on with this new life since the universe yanks her back to the site of her death every hour or so. Then Dess orders their spaceship to take them "somewhere cool." The ship obliges by finding an uncontacted civilization, putting Dess and Mira on the spot to make the first connection and mentor their less-than-gifted Metagalactic Grand Prix contestant. As Dess and Mira work to help the new species gain acceptance, an enemy strives to push the galaxy back into all-out war.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy meets Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in this cosmic combination of alien cultures, temporal antics, and self-assured philosophy. Valente explores galactic history and bureaucracy, further fleshing out her smart yet slightly screwball fantasia of a technicolor future. Fans of the first book and readers who like a side of playful tangents with their plot should snap this up. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads