In 1977 - a world in which America launched its space program shortly after WWII - Mitch Ward followed Flynn, the lost love of his youth, into the US Spaceguard. Now, he’s stuck on a backwater moon base with his only friend, Gloria, watching every shuttle in the hope Flynn will be on it.
After an inexplicable encounter with a strange, euphoric being, Mitch and Gloria find themselves dishonourably discharged, and stuck in a USA rapidly sliding into fascism with no plans and no future. There’s nothing for it but to move to Los Angeles to chase their dreams, and find their people in the discos of the city.
But when Flynn crashes back into their lives, claiming to be the host for an emissary of a utopian civilization approaching Earth, he offers Mitch the power to protect himself and friends across the queer community, so they never have to live in the shadows or face oppression again. With the world on the brink of cataclysm, and Mitch and his friends being squeezed out of every space, it’s down to this community of disco-loving outcasts to stand up for what is beautiful and right.
The Disco at the End of the World by Nathan Tavares will be published June 2, 2026. Titan Books provided an early galley for review.
The 1970's and disco? That was enough to put this on my radar. Throw in the sci-fi genre, and color me very interested.
It is easy to be pulled into a book when the POV main character has a distinctive voice that shines through right from the start. I found Mitch to be very likable and fun.
Tavares does a fine job in those opening chapters to acclimate the reader into this world (his prose is rich and evocative without overpowering). The worldbuilding continues to unfold as the story moves planetside, layering in the political topics and themes that echo much of the current landscape as it does for the story's 70's setting.
While not exactly what I was expecting, the story took me on an interesting ride to be sure.
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