I try to buy ebooks direct from publishers when I can. There are a few small publishers that are really good for this, such as Rebellion.When I go to their site for a particular book I almost always wind up buying a couple of random other books that just sound fun. Such as Interstellar Megachef by Lavanya Lakshminarayan – I mean, that’s quite the title, right?

A queer SF tale about an intergalactic cooking show, this sounded like it would be completely silly fluff. Which I was very much in the mood for when I bought it and when I decided to read it. But this is actually much better and less fluffy than I expected. Though it does have its sillier moments, and comedic ones too, this is largely a story about prejudice, migration, xenophobia and bullying.

Saras has run away from Earth, arriving on Primus with nothing but a small bag of belongings, her little robot Kili and a dream of winning the galaxy’s most watched, most prestigious cooking show, Interstellar MegaChef. As one of Earth’s most celebrated chefs she thinks she stands a good chance, but she is in for a rude awakening to reality.

Although the majority of Primus’ population is human, they call themselves Nakshatrans and consider themselves so superior to the population of Earth that Saras faces shocking levels of prejudice at every turn. It’s both open name-calling and assumptions of stupidity/ineptitude. But gradually Saras makes friends on Primus and it looks like she might be okay here – as long as her family don’t come after her.

“Of course, all humans in the cosmos owed their origins to the planet Earth…but in the nearly two thousand sur-years that had elapsed since Primus was first settled, those left behind on Earth had done little to restore their planet to even a shadow of its former natural splendour. While the Nakshatran settlers chose to tread lightly…on Earth, well, the gold and jewels gleaming at the princeling’s throat said everything Optimism Mahd’vi needed to know.”

As well as Saras, our other main character is Serenity Ko. (All the people on Primus choose their own first name when they reach adulthood, from a short list of desirable attributes. As well as Serenity there’s Good Cheer, Optimism, Grace and just a few more. In building a whole world of characters, Lakshminarayan of necessity has had to repeat some of these chosen names. Which means everyone has to be known by two names to tell everyone apart.) Ko is the designer of immersive virtual reality experiences. She’s obsessed with her work, to the detriment of her health.

Initially it seems that Ko is somewhere between clueless rich idiot and outright bitch. While Saras seems to be an adorably hopeful underdog. But they are both more complex and the story is richer for it. And it also enables them to have a believable spark of attraction that they both resist. Without getting into spoilers, I will just say that we learn early on that Saras is travelling under a pseudonym, and her reasons are not exactly what they seem. The Earth she has left is a mess, though exactly in what way is again something we learn gradually.

Lavanya Lakshminarayan is a speculative fiction writer and game designer from Bengaluru, India. Her experience of game design is evident in the way she writes about Ko’s work. And her background informs that of Saras, whose homeland back on Earth sounds a lot like southern India. Saras delights in big flavours, hot chilli peppers, whole spices – which is at odds with the Primian trend for subtle flavours and minimalism.

This world does feature some alien species as well. Lakshminarayan’s thoughtful consideration for how varied intelligent life could be while still living in the same city reminded me at times of Becky Chambers. There is a sequel to this novel out, in which I hope some of those alien characters become more central. In Interstellar MegaChef it did feel at times as though the aliens were largely there to demonstrate the tiers of xenophobia. There is society-wide prejudice targeted at all aliens, but somehow the worst is saved for Earthlings. Which makes sense in-world, but it did feel like Saras could have learned more from aliens who are long-term residents of Primus about how to deal with it.

Another aspect that I felt could have been made more of – the majority of Primus residents live in the megacity of Uru, but there are many people living outside the city and there is a clear divide socially. Uru is heavily based around technology and everyone there has a high standard of life. Outside of Uru life appears to be scrappier, less reliant on technology but also more varied and colourful. I was interested in this but we don’t really spend much time outside Uru. Perhaps that’s another thing explored in the sequel(s).

For the most part I thoroughly enjoyed the ride this novel took me on. I appreciated the combination of comedy, great characters and big themes.

Published 2024 by Solaris/Rebellion Publishing.

Source: bought direct from publisher.