Ms. Hen reviews Light from Uncommon Stars

 

Light from Uncommon Stars

Ryka Aoki

Tor

2021

Ms. Hen usually finds books in unconventional ways, but she found this book by listening to a science fiction podcast on the website Bookriot. She decided to search out books, rather than having them come to her. This book was featured in a podcast called "Comfort Reads in SFF." She thought it sounded intriguing, so she picked it up.

A lot is happening in this book right from the start. A woman some people call "The Queen of Hell," Shizuka Satomi, is looking for another soul to damn to hell by becoming their violin teacher. She finds Katrina Nguyen, a transgender runaway from outside of Oakland, in a park near Los Angeles. She gives Katrina her card, and leaves her, but Katrina does not come to her house for a week. 

Lan, the captain of a starship, takes over Stargate Donuts, which has a big donut on top of it. She has to create a stargate with her family and crew. Shizuka goes to Stargate Donuts, and likes the Alaska Donut, but only half, since it's so big, and she and Lan become almost friends, and feed stale donuts to the ducks in the park. Shizuka has had her soul damned by a demon, and she has to produce seven souls to him in order to play music again. She wants Katrina to be the seventh soul.

Ms. Hen thinks this novel has an excellent world building aspect to it. This takes place in present day, but focuses on violin competitions, a specialty community. It's also about immigrant culture, and transgender people. But there is science fiction aspect that is hilarious. The team of aliens living in the donut shop bring humor to this novel. STAR TREK is mentioned a few times. A lot of food and eating appears in this novel, not just at the donut shop. The characters go out to eat a lot, and the food is described in an ambrosial way.

Several chickens appear between these pages, since this book is brimming with food. Shizuka is thinking about how she writes music, and she thinks, "When you heard that hum on the way to the donut shop bathroom. When you heard chickens outside your window." Shizuka is thinking of the important parts of her life.

Ms. Hen knows that this is one of the best books she has read this year. She thinks it's surprising and funny and complicated and important. And many other things, but if you like this sort of novel, she thinks you should stop everything you're doing, and start reading this right now.