The story itself is quote easy to follow: a washed up, broken up band is asked to participate in the Metagalactic Grand Prix, the Universe version of the Eurovision Song Contest. The catch? If they lose, their whole species is incinerated.

Space Opera is written extremely dense. The back and forth between the plot and the past contests, the other participants, and the history of the whole arrangement makes it a rich world with a lot of different species and places to keep in mind. You definitely need to focus, or you'll miss all the little details.

Having only just started reading Valente's works, I'm once more surprised by her flexibility in style. This reads different than anything I have previously read of hers.