Review: The Novel, The Best of All Possible Planets...

Who doesn’t love a carnival? They’re so much fun! With rides, the fun house, games, cotton candy, peanuts, and—my favorite—funnel cake, how could you go wrong? I can almost smell that greasy dough frying topped with powdered sugar—now I crave funnel cake!

Carnivals can be just as fun in literature. But where would it belong, you ask? It’s simple. In Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of carnival and literary parody, such an absurd celebration exists.  And The Best of All Possible Planets, by author and fellow writers’ group member Alex Shvartsman, is an excellent example!

A space-opera tribute to Voltaire’s Candide, TBOAPP combines episodic, absurdist sci-fi humor, à la Futurama, with a distant future backdrop where Earth—renamed "Planet Dirt"—is on the brink of destruction due to the failure of its protective force shield. Led by the hapless Dhawan and his date, Rada, a small crew of clueless misfits boards the O.F. Theseus and ventures across the galaxy. Their mission is of course to find and procure said shield barrier and save humanity; humans on Earth, anyway—many have explored and colonized other planets in the galaxy at this point. 

Bakhtin argues that the carnivalesque temporarily disrupts social norms, hierarchies, and taboos. Via this satirical and deconstructionist critical lens, Shvartsman embraces this idea by replacing the traditional elite space crew with bumbling amateurs navigating absurd worlds, including an AI-run gated community controlled by a tyrannical homeowners association. Through this Bakhtinian lens, the novel uses carnivalesque humor to undercut cosmic catastrophe and philosophical authority. By confronting Leibnizian optimism—“The Best of All Possible Worlds”—with planetary destruction and absurd misfortune, it transforms lofty philosophy into satire while presenting humor as a defense against existential dread. Utilizing Bakhtin’s notion of heteroglossia, Shvartsman intertwines various voices, genres, and cultural allusions, incorporating parodies of Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who to engage familiar science-fiction traditions in conversation. This clash of styles not only honors but also mocks the genre, questioning its norms while establishing a uniquely self-aware comedic universe.

TBOAPP also satirizes “The Grand Quest for Survival” trope. The premise—clueless humans fleeing “Planet Dirt” to replace its failing force shield—mocks the self-important "Chosen Savior" and epic artifact-hunting elements common in classic space opera. The novel parodies the “planet-of-the-hat” sci-fi tradition, where entire alien cultures are defined by a single eccentric trait, through a series of absurd encounters. “Many Bothons have died…” exemplifies this while parroting a famous Star Wars: Episode IV line. Human manifest destiny is not spared here either; it just expands to outer space. Humanity’s brightest and most ambitious left Earth long ago, leaving the aimless and unmotivated to manage what remains of the homeworld.

Common criticisms of TBOAPP include noting its derivative style, identifying its niche appeal, and pointing out its lack of depth. Some reviewers argue that the novel’s strong resemblance to Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy can weaken its sense of originality. Its absurdist humor, eccentric worldbuilding, and playful approach to cosmic disaster strongly echo Adams, sometimes making the novel feel more like an affectionate homage than a distinct comic voice. The novel’s humor depends heavily on rapid-fire parody, meta-commentary, and absurd episodic scenarios. Because many jokes rely on recognizing and subverting familiar science-fiction conventions, genre-savvy readers may find the satire more rewarding than those less familiar with speculative fiction. The novel prioritizes fast-paced comedy and eccentric alien encounters over detailed worldbuilding and emotional depth.

If you’re a fan of speculative fiction, especially sci-fi, then you’ll find this novel an absolute hoot, as enjoyable as any carnival. I highly recommend it and commend Alex Shvartsman for another fine job!