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Static Over Space: Gravity and Lies
Most cosmopolitan city in the universe, and a guy can't even get a freakin' sandwich.
It should be the least of Izo's concerns. Afterall, he's already been kidnapped by aliens and dragged halfway across the galaxy so they can make a buck off his abilities. And sure, he knew being able to fly made him a little unique. But he had no idea the cult-like—yet strangely marginalized—reputation Avarians held beyond Earth's boundaries. As he arrives on the Imperial Capital, IA, he's got one choice: cooperate with his captors so they'll get him back home, or split and head out on his own, taking his best shot at returning to Earth—a planet no one's ever heard of.
It isn’t much of a choice. Being extorted by a mean reptile, a tele-empathic linguist, and a giant teddy bear who could crush a car seems as bad as it gets—until a powerful CEO-Senator appears from deep within the IA’s darkest corners. With things changing from annoying to alarming, it’s up to Izo to navigate a dangerous game of befriend and befraud, or be trapped on the wrong side of the universe forever—several million lightyears from the nearest deli.
It should be the least of Izo's concerns. Afterall, he's already been kidnapped by aliens and dragged halfway across the galaxy so they can make a buck off his abilities. And sure, he knew being able to fly made him a little unique. But he had no idea the cult-like—yet strangely marginalized—reputation Avarians held beyond Earth's boundaries. As he arrives on the Imperial Capital, IA, he's got one choice: cooperate with his captors so they'll get him back home, or split and head out on his own, taking his best shot at returning to Earth—a planet no one's ever heard of.
It isn’t much of a choice. Being extorted by a mean reptile, a tele-empathic linguist, and a giant teddy bear who could crush a car seems as bad as it gets—until a powerful CEO-Senator appears from deep within the IA’s darkest corners. With things changing from annoying to alarming, it’s up to Izo to navigate a dangerous game of befriend and befraud, or be trapped on the wrong side of the universe forever—several million lightyears from the nearest deli.
- GenresScience FictionAliens
410 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 7, 2022
CG Volars is an amazing author who takes you on a witty and sharp adventure through a wild and original universe. Static Over Space, Gravity and Lies is unfailingly entertaining with a strong and unique cast of characters that keeps you laughing and thinking while hooking you in on every chapter.
March 5, 2022
Entertaining and captivating! The exciting tale of Izo's alien abduction hooked me in the first few pages and I couldn't put it down. Interesting characters and clever, witty writing make the perfect combination for CG Volars' debut novel. Its a must read, for sure!
February 27, 2022
As much as I adored the main character, I just couldn’t get on board with the ‘lovable sentient-being traffickers’ thing, which it did seem like the narrative was trying to make me do. The worldbuilding didn’t work for me either – every member of every alien species is the same??? I am TIRED of that trope. Then there’s the entire concept of Avarians – people who can fly. Avarians can be any species, but regardless of their species the entire universe considers them sex objects??? Like. How can you even tell if someone’s an Avarian, if you don’t see them flying??? Couldn’t anyone just claim they were one, for the various modelling and sex-work jobs that are dying to get their hands on Avarians? Who’s going to know they’re lying?
Maybe later on in the book it’s explained – I made it to 21% – but what I read seemed to imply that there wasn’t a way to tell, so??? (The scout who picks up Izo never asks to see him fly, just overhears him saying he’s an Avarian and takes him at his word. The agent the scout brings him to also doesn’t ask for proof!)
This is without going into the fact that I wasn’t in love with the prose – it’s not bad or anything, but I want prose that’s lush and descriptive and preferably purple as hell, which this isn’t. (That will be a selling point to many other readers, I know.) More of a problem is the dissonance between tone and theme – Gravity and Lies is set up as light and funny, but again, it’s about some poor human teenager being kidnapped off his planet and forced to make money for his kidnappers if he ever wants to get home, with bonus objectification, victim-blaming, and one of the kidnappers having a ‘cute’ crush on him. None of that is fun.
Izo himself? Amazing. 10/10, I love his snark and his refusal to be impressed by the Capital of the Universe, his intense desire to get home and how he doesn’t take any of his kidnappers’ crap, fighting tooth and nail for every bit of independence and control he can get. I would love to read a book about him, but not this one.
I don’t think this is a bad book – I can see lots of people really enjoying it – it just didn’t work for me.
Maybe later on in the book it’s explained – I made it to 21% – but what I read seemed to imply that there wasn’t a way to tell, so??? (The scout who picks up Izo never asks to see him fly, just overhears him saying he’s an Avarian and takes him at his word. The agent the scout brings him to also doesn’t ask for proof!)
This is without going into the fact that I wasn’t in love with the prose – it’s not bad or anything, but I want prose that’s lush and descriptive and preferably purple as hell, which this isn’t. (That will be a selling point to many other readers, I know.) More of a problem is the dissonance between tone and theme – Gravity and Lies is set up as light and funny, but again, it’s about some poor human teenager being kidnapped off his planet and forced to make money for his kidnappers if he ever wants to get home, with bonus objectification, victim-blaming, and one of the kidnappers having a ‘cute’ crush on him. None of that is fun.
Izo himself? Amazing. 10/10, I love his snark and his refusal to be impressed by the Capital of the Universe, his intense desire to get home and how he doesn’t take any of his kidnappers’ crap, fighting tooth and nail for every bit of independence and control he can get. I would love to read a book about him, but not this one.
I don’t think this is a bad book – I can see lots of people really enjoying it – it just didn’t work for me.
April 30, 2022
A quirky, queer, sci-fi adventure with a tough, trash-talking, bisexual Latino MC and a big cast of lovable and hateable aliens.
Izo Lopez has not had an easy life, cycling through the foster system and surviving homeless. But he has a big goal and a bigger secret. He is scrambling to save enough money to save his best friend from the foster system and create a stable family life for them both.
Oh yeah, and he can fly.
But when he’s snatched up and transported across several galaxies by alien traffickers, he finds himself on a new world where his powers of flight make him a hot commodity, and his kidnappers are the only ones who know how to get him back to the obscure little uncharted planet he calls home.
Volars pulls the rug out from under the classic damsel in distress tropes of adventure novels with a delightful, gender-bending twist in the form of the tough, stubborn, sarcastic Izo. Then the author goes on to flip and twist every other stereotype, resulting in an aerial circus of sharply unexpected, delightfully wicked, and dynamically complex characters.
Above all, the story is fun! There are dark moments, and heartbreaking moments, and stand-up-and-cheer moments. But Izo’s indomitable spirit and sharp wit always lift us right back up again. We’re right there rooting for him as he fights a whole galaxy in a relatable search for home, family, and identity (and a sandwich!)
Izo Lopez has not had an easy life, cycling through the foster system and surviving homeless. But he has a big goal and a bigger secret. He is scrambling to save enough money to save his best friend from the foster system and create a stable family life for them both.
Oh yeah, and he can fly.
But when he’s snatched up and transported across several galaxies by alien traffickers, he finds himself on a new world where his powers of flight make him a hot commodity, and his kidnappers are the only ones who know how to get him back to the obscure little uncharted planet he calls home.
Volars pulls the rug out from under the classic damsel in distress tropes of adventure novels with a delightful, gender-bending twist in the form of the tough, stubborn, sarcastic Izo. Then the author goes on to flip and twist every other stereotype, resulting in an aerial circus of sharply unexpected, delightfully wicked, and dynamically complex characters.
Above all, the story is fun! There are dark moments, and heartbreaking moments, and stand-up-and-cheer moments. But Izo’s indomitable spirit and sharp wit always lift us right back up again. We’re right there rooting for him as he fights a whole galaxy in a relatable search for home, family, and identity (and a sandwich!)
December 12, 2022
Have you ever wanted to read The Mysteries of Udolpho but set in outer space? That's what you're getting here, except that this "tough damsel in distress" (as Volars describes her protagonist in an interview with scalzi.com) is a little bit more modern.
This novel follows our hero Izo's attempts to understand and navigate a new world after he has been kidnapped by aliens as part of a get-rich-quick scheme. He always knew he was special -- he has the ability to fly -- but now Izo learns that he is sexually irresistible to nearly every being in the universe. But even an alien world isn't completely unfamiliar as illustrated by Izo's telling of the Mexican legend of "La Malinche" and his listener's strong emotional reaction late in the novel. He may be going through an identity crisis, but he never loses sight of what's most important: getting back home.
The sheer number of characters, their unique species and traits, and the political constellations of the universe speak to years spent worldbuilding by the author. Though the novel came to a shocking conclusion, the story of Izo is far from finished, and I hope she finishes the next novel in the series soon.
This novel follows our hero Izo's attempts to understand and navigate a new world after he has been kidnapped by aliens as part of a get-rich-quick scheme. He always knew he was special -- he has the ability to fly -- but now Izo learns that he is sexually irresistible to nearly every being in the universe. But even an alien world isn't completely unfamiliar as illustrated by Izo's telling of the Mexican legend of "La Malinche" and his listener's strong emotional reaction late in the novel. He may be going through an identity crisis, but he never loses sight of what's most important: getting back home.
The sheer number of characters, their unique species and traits, and the political constellations of the universe speak to years spent worldbuilding by the author. Though the novel came to a shocking conclusion, the story of Izo is far from finished, and I hope she finishes the next novel in the series soon.
December 28, 2023
19 yo Latinx Izo presents as a smart arse who often maintains a light hearted, smart arsed attitude despite the severity of having been abducted by aliens and whisked away to a distant galaxy. Izo tries to mask his 'less manly feelings', and to restrict his swearing to Spanish (though the general meaning is easy to infer 😉). The story telling style is casual and often comical, with a few nods to prominent SciFi works and or their creators in jokes along the way.
One of Izo's abductors (Tearn) being a tele-empath is an interesting pairing alongside Izo's macho moods. The lead abductor (Glongkyle) is a bit of a dick, and the muscle (Wookie-like Yula) is a sweetheart. I found the dynamics between the four often amusing, and always entertaining.
Surprise meetings with the other two main pov characters added interest to the story, particularly when Izo's macho behaviour or ignorance on an alien planet limits his perspective, and other's can add insight to the story, and depth to the world building. There are many pov changes, and I found them smooth and seamless.
All in all, this was a funny, entertaining story which kept me guessing what may happen next. I anticipated the story being resolved in one book, but was still entertained right up to the dark twist at the end when it didn't, leaving things open for a next book in the series. A recommended read for SciFi fans and SFF lovers in need of a laugh.
One of Izo's abductors (Tearn) being a tele-empath is an interesting pairing alongside Izo's macho moods. The lead abductor (Glongkyle) is a bit of a dick, and the muscle (Wookie-like Yula) is a sweetheart. I found the dynamics between the four often amusing, and always entertaining.
Surprise meetings with the other two main pov characters added interest to the story, particularly when Izo's macho behaviour or ignorance on an alien planet limits his perspective, and other's can add insight to the story, and depth to the world building. There are many pov changes, and I found them smooth and seamless.
All in all, this was a funny, entertaining story which kept me guessing what may happen next. I anticipated the story being resolved in one book, but was still entertained right up to the dark twist at the end when it didn't, leaving things open for a next book in the series. A recommended read for SciFi fans and SFF lovers in need of a laugh.
June 25, 2025
Multi 3rd person POV
I felt like this had the makings to be something so great..
🪐 Space
👽 Alien abduction
👟 Superpowers
🪧 Political agendas
With such a strong base to build on, I felt like something was missing.
There are very dark themes with comedic relief. CW: . I was majorly disappointed that 2 characters didn't remain purely platonic, could have been such a good friendship.
Ends abruptly
I felt like this had the makings to be something so great..
🪐 Space
👽 Alien abduction
👟 Superpowers
🪧 Political agendas
With such a strong base to build on, I felt like something was missing.
There are very dark themes with comedic relief. CW: . I was majorly disappointed that 2 characters didn't remain purely platonic, could have been such a good friendship.
Ends abruptly
March 4, 2022
2,5/5 stars
Izo’s life has taken a turn for the worse when aliens capture him and drag him halfway across the universe to use his special ability to make some money. And if he ever wants to get back to Earth, it seems he will have to cooperate with his captors because they are the only ones who seem to know the way back to his home planet.
As much as I loved this premise, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It did remind me of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and some parts were really funny, but overall I just got a little bored after a while. On top of that, I didn’t really like the whole narrative of some of the main characters being human (or I guess sentient being) traffickers. Like, that would’ve been fine if they had been the antagonist or if it had been made clear that they weren’t good people, but instead there were chapters from their perspectives that seemed like I was supposed to sympathize with them. On top of that, the main character Izo was pretty much the only character I found interesting (like he’s great, really sassy, and funny and I love that in a character).
All in all, this book just wasn’t for me for various reasons, but it’s not badly written, so I’d say it’s worth checking it out for big fans of the Hitchhikers Guide and similar books.
Izo’s life has taken a turn for the worse when aliens capture him and drag him halfway across the universe to use his special ability to make some money. And if he ever wants to get back to Earth, it seems he will have to cooperate with his captors because they are the only ones who seem to know the way back to his home planet.
As much as I loved this premise, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It did remind me of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and some parts were really funny, but overall I just got a little bored after a while. On top of that, I didn’t really like the whole narrative of some of the main characters being human (or I guess sentient being) traffickers. Like, that would’ve been fine if they had been the antagonist or if it had been made clear that they weren’t good people, but instead there were chapters from their perspectives that seemed like I was supposed to sympathize with them. On top of that, the main character Izo was pretty much the only character I found interesting (like he’s great, really sassy, and funny and I love that in a character).
All in all, this book just wasn’t for me for various reasons, but it’s not badly written, so I’d say it’s worth checking it out for big fans of the Hitchhikers Guide and similar books.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews