This book was the quirky, fun, and cerebral read I needed.
Durston does an incredible job at presenting big questions and themes while providing
a nerdy and silly sandbox to ask them in. Each Little Universe is, at heart, a
story of discovering where you fit in the puzzle that is the universe and how
we all are strangely and serendipitously there together. It’s less plot-based
and more being a fly on the wall to the curious happenstances of the main cast
of characters. After finding a girl who has come from the stars (akin to STARDUST),
who is marvelously David Bowie-esque in appearance, our dynamic duo Veggie and
TM set about to…well, continue on the merry way but with an extraterrestrial in
tow. The humor is delightfully British and pun-tastic. I appreciate how the
characters acknowledge their own silliness, and it reminded me a lot of how I
am with my friends when we’re goofing around and being ourselves while battling
real life dilemmas. It’s not ALL fun and games, though. When they realize the
consequences of a life from the stars taking a vacation to Earth, things ramp
up into a non-stop adventure. Overall, it is a marvelous story on friendship,
philosophy, video games, and life itself. It’s a relaxing read, where you can
just sit and enjoy being along for the ride without having to worry about
complexities and subplots. I definitely recommend this if you enjoy British
humor and tone, nerd culture, or merely reading for the pleasure of the act
itself.