Jonas reviewed The Old Goat and the Alien by Veo Corva
Colourful, cosy space fantasy drama
5 stars
The Old Goat and the Alien tells the story of Avari and Jenna. Jenna is a human immigrant just arrived on one of the twin planets of the animal-shaped cosmorans. Avari, a goat-shaped cosmoran who is verian (= the cosmoran equivalent of autistic), reclusive, and bitter, is the first to meet Jenna just after the portal spat her out in the wild, and is obliged to help her until she gets settled. Told from Avari's point of view, we see them getting used to and befriending Jenna, and doing their best to support her during various struggles.
It's a story about changes, helping each other and finding community. I enjoyed how diverse and inclusive the book is, with prominent characters who are chronically ill, use prosthetics, or have multiple personalities. Bonus points for trans, non-binary, aromantic, asexual representation and same-gender relationships, although these aspects felt slightly more like accidental side …
The Old Goat and the Alien tells the story of Avari and Jenna. Jenna is a human immigrant just arrived on one of the twin planets of the animal-shaped cosmorans. Avari, a goat-shaped cosmoran who is verian (= the cosmoran equivalent of autistic), reclusive, and bitter, is the first to meet Jenna just after the portal spat her out in the wild, and is obliged to help her until she gets settled. Told from Avari's point of view, we see them getting used to and befriending Jenna, and doing their best to support her during various struggles.
It's a story about changes, helping each other and finding community. I enjoyed how diverse and inclusive the book is, with prominent characters who are chronically ill, use prosthetics, or have multiple personalities. Bonus points for trans, non-binary, aromantic, asexual representation and same-gender relationships, although these aspects felt slightly more like accidental side features compared than the neurodiversity, illness, and disability.
I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of setting information at the start - the first few chapters felt overloaded, and I needed time to adjust to the setting tourism that's baked into the novel. Similarly, I was unable to keep track of the names and animal shapes introduces in short succession. What shapes did Avari's mothers have again? And who's who in the group from the cafe? Thankfully, you can follow the story without those details, but I was a bit frustrated by my inability to properly visualize several scenes due to this.
While Jenna's experience as an alien among the cosmorans and Avari's growth are the focal points, the narrative doesn't shape that into a traditional plot arc. Instead the story is more like a stream of slice-of-life moments. That felt appropriate, but within this slice-of-life approach I would have liked some motives (like Avari's work on an improved cleaning solution, or the question of the beaded goatee) to be incorporated more consequently into the story. The cleaning solution felt completely forgotten and then resurfaced unexpectedly. The braided, beaded beard popped up now and then, but lead nowhere.
Overall, these are small gripes. I enjoyed the book, the vision of a non-scarcity society without money, the fantastical locations, and I empathized with the struggling characters. The Old Goat and the Alien is an entertaining story encouraging us to be kind, and open.
