The premise is simple and savage: an Intergalactic Committee is debating whether Earth is ready to join the cosmic family. Various species turn up to observe us, assess us… and slowly conclude we’re a scrappy, emotional, snotty little species flinging sand in the sandbox. The tone stays playful, but the satire has teeth. This isn’t “ominous invasion fleet” sci-fi. It’s “we came to help and now we need a lie down” sci-fi.

One of the best bits of our conversation was how Momoko builds aliens that feel distinct on the page. She’s got range, from familiar forms with a twist to properly weird creations, and she’s not shy about blending genre ingredients. The first species readers meet is the Feline Federation. Yes, cat people. And yes, they use what she calls “biscuit therapy”. If you’ve ever had a cat kneading you like it’s proving dough, you know the motion. In Momoko’s world, it becomes a method of behavioural intervention, delivered via tiny electrodes in their paws. It’s absurd, it’s oddly specific, and it’s funny because she plays it straight.

From feline healers to Greys, she leans into the comedy that comes from misunderstandings. The Greys, for example, don’t just “study humans”; they struggle to make sense of us at all, like watching a civilisation crawling through mud and arguing over who owns the mud. That gap between intention and comprehension is where a lot of the humour lives.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a proper space story without bad actors. There are power-hungry factions in the mix, the kind that see Earth and think “property opportunity”. With close to ten species (including some gloriously odd mashups), Momoko had to stop the cast turning into a soup of “alien of the week”. Her solution was refreshingly practical: she created profiles for each species, listing positives, negatives, appearance, and what makes them different. Behaviour-first worldbuilding. Not just costumes.

Structurally, the book is twelve interconnected chapters, each spotlighting a different species or thread. Momoko knows that can feel random early on, and I think she’s asking readers to trust the payoff. The links become clearer as you go. Some people will love that mosaic approach, some won’t. 

Under the silliness, she does touch real-world nerves, including pollution, health, and the ways human systems can be both impressive and ridiculous. Her medical background shows up in the thinking, especially around neuroscience and how environment shapes behaviour, but it never turns into a lecture. The comedy keeps it light, while the ideas keep it from being disposable.

We also talked about the reality of writing comedy. It’s hard. Jokes die on the page if you’re not careful. Her way of testing it is simple: beta readers who will tell her, bluntly, what landed and what flopped. Not everyone wants funny sci-fi. Some people come expecting hard science and bounce off. You can’t write for everyone.

Hello Humans is book one of a planned trilogy. Book two is in editing, and book three is currently in the “how on Earth do I tie all this together?” stage. But that fits the whole vibe: serious questions, delivered with a grin, and a willingness to embrace the chaos as long as it stays readable.

If you’re in the mood for sci-fi that pokes at humanity without drowning you in doom, this is a very particular kind of cosmic intervention.

Momoko’s website: ⁠http://momokowrites.com/⁠

This episodes discussion page: ⁠https://richardsonsrubicon.com/community/season-5-speculative-fiction-where-worlds-meet/can-comedy-tackle-serious-themes-in-speculative-fiction/⁠

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