This book is tap dancing on my last nerve. The prose is HILARIOUS, a pastiche of Douglas Adams that is so genuinely clever that I’m not even mad that it’s quantifiably too much. 

However, I am so frustrated with the book’s structure. Mainly, chapters that are 99% funny side information about the universe with 1% plot thrown in toward the end. It’s not enjoyable to read. It feels like slogging through a travel guide in the hopes that there’s a plot somewhere to be found between restaurant recommendations and hiking destinations. 

But I just kept going, because what plot exists is SO interesting. The characters are so loveable and unique. Catherine is truly a brilliant writer. If this were a collection of worldbuilding essays on the universe of Space Opera, I would have been SOLD. If it were a novella about the events mentioned in the novel, I also would have been sold. 

Instead I’m in a place where I don’t know if I can recommend one of the funniest, most heartfelt books I’ve read because the actual act of reading it makes it less impactful. This structure was clearly intentional, but I also am of the opinion it wasn’t the best idea. 

**read via e-arc on netgalley courtesy of Saga Press**