Intergalactic Feast

In the entertaining sequel to Interstellar Megachef, Lakshminarayan once again indulges readers with a zany sci-fi plot and delicious descriptions of food. After winning the Interstellar Megachef competition, Saraswati Kaveri and Serenity Ko have made waves in Primian culinary circles with the announcement of Feast, their new food sim “delivering flavour and audio-visual experiences straight into the brain” via nutrient bites, which are coded to trigger memories and experiences based on food. The product has to be perfect in time to serve at the launch party, Millennium Feast. Their effort to create a new way of experiencing food is not without its detractors, however, with much vitriol aimed at Saraswati due to her status as an Earthling on Primus. Ko is torn between protecting Saraswati at every turn and fighting the romantic feelings that threaten to overwhelm her. Politics and xenophobia threaten to derail their project, and Saraswati faces manipulation from all sides as her secrets come back to bite her. Lakshminarayan’s meditations on food and culture and the different ways of experiencing both mix smoothly with the politics and intrigue that the main characters find themselves caught up in. Fans of the first book will not want to miss this. Agent: Cameron McClure, Donald Maass Literary. (Mar.)