Witty short science fiction with Allison Wall

 

FOOTNOTES ON A SPACE OPERA: a musical first encounter short story
By Allison Wall, alumna of Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp & Writing Retreat, Inc.
 
Short Science Fiction
19 pp.
Published September 6, 2021
Available on Amazon .99 
 
About the Story
When aliens land on Earth, opera—one of Western culture's greatest but most polarizing musical traditions—becomes our planet's greatest interstellar export.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy meets Arrival on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
Told from the distant future, this short story imagines a reality in which aliens are opera fans, the representative of the human race is a retired coloratura soprano, and classical music is the ticket to the stars. What could possibly go wrong?

Author and classically trained soprano Allison Wall fuses her love of opera with dry humor in this innovative story that will have readers laughing out loud.
 
My Review
Dry wit and clever contemplation combine to deliver an excellent little story about badly handled introductions and the poignant devastation of passing fancies.
 
Wall’s musicality renders her story of operatic domination in full, universal acclaim. A first-page footnote on the word Destiny: “humanity would rather not explain, we assign responsibility to Destiny rather than face complex or uncomfortable truths,” sets the tone and pace for this short and cautionary tale of fascination and determination to possess what one does not have.
 
Footnotes are the key to understanding much of what happens in this alien encounter adventure. Wall chose the terms to explore in footnotes of the text and worded their explanations in a rich and colorful manner while keeping perfect sotto voce as the unseen narrator until the end. Recommended for those who appreciate short stories, find opera colorful, and laugh at Murphy’s Law.
 
About the Author
Allison Wall is an American writer. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University and has published short fiction and personal essays and book reviews.

Allison is trained as a classical singer and pianist, and she works as a music teacher, dissertation editor, and academic tutor.

In the general chaos of 2020, Allison found out she is neurodivergent (autism, ADHD). She is passionate about sharing her experiences, advocating for empathy, and contributing to a world in which neurodiversities are seen on an inclusive spectrum of brain differences, not pathologized as illnesses. To that end, she runs NEURODIVERSION, a monthly newsletter that centers neurodiverse news, research, and current events.
 
Connect with Allison on her website, or on Twitter, @awritingwall.