Space Opera (Space Opera, #1)

by Catherynne M. Valente

That surface is wholly, utterly, indescribably black, from pole to pole, peak to peak, sea to shadowed sea. It is far blacker than coal or petroleum or the heart of a high school poet,

*continues*

far blacker than a mere total absence of light. It is surrounded by a mob of moons made of the same swarthy stuff, which block out starlight like bouncers at the hottest club in town. Sagrada is a study in darkness, an adoringly monogamous commitment to the gothic aesthetic. Beside Sagrada, ravens are as bright as parrots, widows are as flamboyant as cabaret dancers, and black holes suffer from crippling penumbra envy.

I mean, okay, that's funny, but it's a long road.

destined to forever stare into the candy-store window of their culture,

Because the opposite of fascism isn’t anarchy, it’s theater. When