Björn recenserade Space Oddity av Catherynne M. Valente (Space Opera, #2)
None
3 stjärnor
I loved Space Opera. At the time I didn't feel it needed a sequel, but when one pops up I'm not going to not read it.
Trouble is, I'm not sure Cat Valente thought it needed a sequel either. Like many Difficult Second Albums (not that this is Valente's second book, obviously), a lot of it feels familiar, a lot of the things you love about the first one is here too, but... doesn't it all feel a little bit like outtakes? The DNA and Pterry influences are even more obvious, and it's not really that a novel as mad as this needs an intricate plot. But when there's almost no plot, all we're left with is Valente doing endless asides on the worldbuilding, which is a lot of fun, but even DNA knew when to rein in his worst tendencies and speak plainly; Space Oddity can't relax for …
I loved Space Opera. At the time I didn't feel it needed a sequel, but when one pops up I'm not going to not read it.
Trouble is, I'm not sure Cat Valente thought it needed a sequel either. Like many Difficult Second Albums (not that this is Valente's second book, obviously), a lot of it feels familiar, a lot of the things you love about the first one is here too, but... doesn't it all feel a little bit like outtakes? The DNA and Pterry influences are even more obvious, and it's not really that a novel as mad as this needs an intricate plot. But when there's almost no plot, all we're left with is Valente doing endless asides on the worldbuilding, which is a lot of fun, but even DNA knew when to rein in his worst tendencies and speak plainly; Space Oddity can't relax for a second, hiding its very bare-bones structure behind tons of glitter bombs and key changes. It's impressive, and I do love a lot of what is here, but it's not a substitute for a killer hook.
A few exceptions aside (ABBA, Celine Dion, maaaaybe Måneskin), most Eurovision winners either get stuck hopelessly in One Hit Wonder territory or shrug "That was weird" and go back to their regular career. Valente is obviously in the latter category. I wouldn't mind her revisiting this world, but I'll probably read the reviews first.