Harry

In retrospect, Ryka Aoki's “Light from Uncommon Stars” is the best new science fiction / fantasy release of 2021, and, it's a little bit of both genres all mashed up together. This one book is so cute and fuzzy but dead serious at the same time - I mean, can an author pull off a somber comment on LGBTQ rights, alien invasion, and Doctor Faustus in the same novel (not to mention some great musical references) - but then make that story into Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? This a novel that had me smiling, chuckling, and rolling my eyes all the way through. I loved it. I recommend it highly (and it's, gasp, not a doorstop!).

It's really hard to believe this book got on the short list for nomination of the Retro Hugo awards (it lost). This is a great read if you are in the mood for total kitsch. Otherwise, skip. I couldn't write a pastiche of pulp stories from this era that's this absurd. The action moves along, making it a quick read, that's the positive I can say, if you can manage to grit your teeth through the naked women, blood covered women, blunt force fights, inexhaustible fighting abilities, and seemingly amazing linguistic abilities of the hero.

This book has two major premises: (1) American irrationality is as old as the republic itself, older. It's as American as apple pie. (2) Right wing and Christian ascendency and imperviousness to facts share a common origin with left wing hippie culture of the 1960s, i.e. create your own reality. However you weigh the accuracy of the arguments, this book is a delight to read in both its accessibility and its inspiration.