Space Oddity

In this gonzo sequel to 2018’s Space Opera, Valente dives deep into cosmic absurdity and intergalactic hijinks, throwing temporal paradoxes, uncaring bureaucracy, and myriad pop culture references together in a glittering cacophony of extended metaphors and weird imagery. Mere days after saving Earth by surviving the interstellar music contest known as the Metagalactic Grand Prix, aging rocker Decibel Jones and his temporally resurrected bandmate Mira Wonderful Star now navigate a capricious, chaotic cosmos as part of their “Contractually Obligated Publicity and Interstellar Diplomacy Tour.” It’s relatively uneventful, until Decibel asks their ship to take them “somewhere cool” and promptly stumbles across a previously undiscovered species. Cue another round of the Grand Prix, as Jones and Mira sponsor a representative of the profoundly uninterested Vedriti in an effort to prove the species’ sentience as per the galaxy’s standards. This narrative through line hides within a solar system of alien logic, random asides, laugh-out-loud humor, and introspective time-outs. Still, Valente finds scattered moments of genuine emotion for her protagonists. Dense, elaborate, and wacky, this reads like Douglas Adams writing on a sugar high. Agent: Howard Morhaim, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. (Sept.)