Leonard Richardson's 2020 novel Situation Normal is a science-fiction satire about ordinary people caught up in a galactic war.

"A triumph: madcap and trenchant, dancing on the precise meridian between funny and weird, with a wild, imaginative boldness that reinvents space-opera from the gravity well up."
- Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother, co-editor of Boing Boing, IP activist

"Situation Normal is an entertaining look at the question of what war is for, as well as a clever demonstration of the supreme power of chaos."
- Don Sakers, Analog

"A fast-paced romp reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut channeled through the wild inventiveness of Charles Stross and the irreverent political attitude of Cory Doctorow."
- Don Vicha, Booklist (starred review)

"Seamlessly blending serious subject matter with humor, this book shines a light on today's issues in a way that will have readers laughing one minute and wanting to cry the next."
- Elisabeth Clark, Library Journal

"[A] hilarious, deeply moving, fast-paced yarn that catches hold of its reader and never lets go." - Kelly Jennings, Strange Horizons

You can read a free excerpt (PDF version). If the story grabs you, you can order a DRM-free ebook or paperback directly from the publisher.

The ebook edition is also available through Kobo, Nook, Chapters Indigo, or Amazon; the paperback is available from bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

You might also enjoy Constellation Games, Leonard Richardon's first novel, and "Four Kinds of Cargo" the 2012 short story that serves as a direct prequel to Situation Normal.

Author commentary

Following the publication of Situation Normal, I wrote some commentary essays going into detail on the construction of the world of the novel:

1. Planning and overall plot structure.
2. Large-scale worldbuilding.
3. Physiology and culture of the various alien species.
4. Inside the fictional religions.
5. Deleted scenes.
6. Cover design, the content note, and miscellaneous references.
7. Follow-up works such as the proposed (and immediately scrapped) sequel.