Mara Lynn Johnstone Knihy

Hubcap used to be a rescue bot, getting humans out of every boneheaded scrape imaginable. His new career as a TV star suits him much better: he can poke fun at the humans instead, while harvesting jetpods and tackling alien predators faster than any of them. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also immune to the mysterious “space frenzy” that keeps sending his coworkers into a froth. The robot worries for his human friends, though he would never admit it. Not when it’s much more fun to deploy weapons-grade sass. Making sure the meatheads don’t kick the bucket while filming is hard enough, but when a rival show pops up aiming to steal their sponsor, the pressure is on. Hubcap has to film the most spectacular footage yet, while avoiding dangerous wildlife, plantlife, and emotions. The frenzy is getting worse, and this planet might not be uninhabited after all. The entire galaxy is watching. Time is short. But if anyone is up to the task, it’s the robot with skills second to none, and an ego to match.

In science fiction, humans are usually boring compared to other spacefaring small, weak, with no claws or tentacles, and no special abilities to speak of.  If we're lucky, humans have an indomitable spirit when the chips are down.  Not much more than that. But what if they weren't? What if humans were the ones who all the other aliens talked about, in tones of appreciation, fear, or utter confusion? What if humans weren't the boring ones, but the weirdest things among the stars?28 authors explore some of the many ways that we can be the talk of the cosmos.

The plot revolves around a veterinarian, an accountant, and an angry gorilla who communicate through sign language, as they pursue space poachers who have endangered a delicate alliance by releasing Earth animals on an alien planet. Their mission is driven by a mix of urgency and determination to rectify the chaos caused by the poachers, highlighting themes of loyalty and the protection of interspecies relationships.