On Vicious Worlds
- Author Bethany Jacobs
- Narrator Natalie Naudus
- Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
- Publish Date 17 October 2024
- Run Time 14 hours and 54 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Science fiction: space opera.
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What to expect
One of the most exciting new voices in space opera returns with the thrilling sequel to the Philip K. Dick Award-winning These Burning Stars, the explosive space opera debut that launched the dangerous cat‑and‑mouse quest for revenge that will define a people forever.
The Jeveni have finally found freedom on the distant planet Capamame, delivered from Kindom oppression through their alliance with stoic Cleric Chono, intrepid caster Jun Ironway, and Six, the wildly unpredictable manipulator who has outwitted the Nightfoot family.
But when Six and Chono return to the Treble star systems, the dream of freedom meets a dangerous test. The Secretaries of the Kindom are intent on reclaiming power in the Treble, as well as control over the Jeveni. Meanwhile, Jun Ironway and Jeveni collector Masar Hawks struggle to protect Capamame from a population brimming with resentment, not to mention a faceless saboteur spreading mayhem and murder.
As the two groups struggle to outwit their enemies, divergent battles wend toward a climatic reunion that will spark a revolution. But over it all hangs the cruel legacy of Esek Nightfoot, whose rippling effects may prove impossible to survive.
Reader reviews:
'Did the impossible feat of being even better than book one. One of the best sci-fi books ever written' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This is the sequel I was hoping for, filled with tension, political intrigue, and action. The finale is going to be epic' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I fear I may never read a space opera as entertaining as this ever again' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I continue to stand in awe of Bethany Jacobs . . . the sequel to These Burning Stars is everything I had hoped for' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I can't say enough about how much I love this series, but as ever, that is more expressed in shakingscreamingcrying and memes than uh . . . useful words . . . If there's any science fiction you should be reading right now, it's this series' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Praise for These Burning Stars:
'An exciting start from a fresh talent, offering emotional and political complexity plus plenty of interplanetary action' Kirkus (Starred Review)
'Readers who love smart thrillers and explosive sf won't want to miss this book' Booklist (Starred Review)
'Plotted like a chess match, confident and surprising as Jacobs moves each piece thoughtfully across her board . . . If Jacobs' second entry is anything like the first, we'll have so much more to discover across her universe in the years to come' BookPage (Starred Review)
The Jeveni have finally found freedom on the distant planet Capamame, delivered from Kindom oppression through their alliance with stoic Cleric Chono, intrepid caster Jun Ironway, and Six, the wildly unpredictable manipulator who has outwitted the Nightfoot family.
But when Six and Chono return to the Treble star systems, the dream of freedom meets a dangerous test. The Secretaries of the Kindom are intent on reclaiming power in the Treble, as well as control over the Jeveni. Meanwhile, Jun Ironway and Jeveni collector Masar Hawks struggle to protect Capamame from a population brimming with resentment, not to mention a faceless saboteur spreading mayhem and murder.
As the two groups struggle to outwit their enemies, divergent battles wend toward a climatic reunion that will spark a revolution. But over it all hangs the cruel legacy of Esek Nightfoot, whose rippling effects may prove impossible to survive.
Reader reviews:
'Did the impossible feat of being even better than book one. One of the best sci-fi books ever written' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This is the sequel I was hoping for, filled with tension, political intrigue, and action. The finale is going to be epic' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I fear I may never read a space opera as entertaining as this ever again' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I continue to stand in awe of Bethany Jacobs . . . the sequel to These Burning Stars is everything I had hoped for' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I can't say enough about how much I love this series, but as ever, that is more expressed in shakingscreamingcrying and memes than uh . . . useful words . . . If there's any science fiction you should be reading right now, it's this series' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Praise for These Burning Stars:
'An exciting start from a fresh talent, offering emotional and political complexity plus plenty of interplanetary action' Kirkus (Starred Review)
'Readers who love smart thrillers and explosive sf won't want to miss this book' Booklist (Starred Review)
'Plotted like a chess match, confident and surprising as Jacobs moves each piece thoughtfully across her board . . . If Jacobs' second entry is anything like the first, we'll have so much more to discover across her universe in the years to come' BookPage (Starred Review)
Critics Review
On Vicious Worlds is a stellar follow-up to These Burning Stars, keeping the tensions as high as the stakes in this thrilling sequel . . . On Vicious Worlds is exactly what I was hoping for in a sequel to my favourite sci-fi book of 2023: more action, more intrigue, more plotting . . . If you enjoy any variation of space opera, thrillers, or political intrigue, I cannot recommend this series enough
A multi-layered saga full of courtly intrigue and indelible characters, Bethany Jacobs' These Burning Stars warps readers across the galaxy on a devilishly fun thrill ride
An intricate plot for revenge drives this far-future SF political thriller . . . An exciting start from a fresh talent, offering emotional and political complexity plus plenty of interplanetary action
Readers who love smart thrillers and explosive SF won't want to miss this book. For fans of Everina Maxwell [and] Arkady Martine
A fast-moving novel of action and intrigue, which Jacobs pulls off with vivid energy, bringing her threads together in an explosive conclusion
Like every good revenge story, These Burning Stars is baroque, intense, inventive, vivid, violent and visceral: an impressive debut
If I were to say that this was the best debut novel I've read in a long time, I would be doing it a disservice. It's more than that - it's one of the best SF books I've read period. It has it all: Jump off the page action, wild twists, superb world building. But the characters! . . . Even after the story's climax, I wanted to keep reading because I was so invested in these people and wanted to know where they were going next
The resulting multiplayer cat-and-mouse game is intricately plotted and tightly paced with a satisfying ending that sets the stage nicely for the next instalment. Space opera fans will eat this up
If you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat science fiction novel rife with multiple strong, morally grey female characters, revenge, queer characters and romance, plus political and religious intrigue, and brewing rebellions, look no further than These Burning Stars. I'll definitely be reading the next book in this series as soon as humanly possible
The protagonists are carefully crafted, with their layers slowly built to impressive complexity. This buildup pays off as the chase escalates across planets and comes to a stunning conclusion . . . Full of political intrigue and impressive worldbuilding, Jacobs's superb debut launches this space opera trilogy
User Reviews
sci-fi. The author writes characters well, particularly the female ones (males less so) and the plot develops in a way that makes you want to follow. However, the world-building element is frustratingly underdeveloped. For example, the book puts a lot of emphasis on gender but the way that gender works in this future human society isn’t really fleshed out or explored much. It’s just asserted. Same for the oligarchic/theocratic/technocratic political system that somehow rules The Treble system - seeimingly with some of the trappings of a free society but also imposing order with a brutal iron fist. The cyberpunk hacker component is also a bit superficial too. It’s all a bit vague and this lack of definition makes the future alien world rather blurry in the background of an otherwise entertaining spy thriller / lesbian* love story, rather than a rich or complex alternative to the society we live in.
* I say lesbian as although Six is nominally asexual she’s written very much as a female character. Perhaps that’s just my male interpretation though.
28/09/2025
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