On Vicious Worlds

Reviews / Votes

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 -- FANTASY BOOK CRITIC 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 -- BOOKPAGE on THESE BURNING STARS 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 -- KIRKUS on THESE BURNING STARS Readers who love smart thrillers and explosive SF won't want to miss this book. For fans of Everina Maxwell [and] Arkady Martine -- BOOKLIST on THESE BURNING STARS A fast-moving novel of action and intrigue, which Jacobs pulls off with vivid energy, bringing her threads together in an explosive conclusion -- LOCUS on THESE BURNING STARS Like every good revenge story, These Burning Stars is baroque, intense, inventive, vivid, violent and visceral: an impressive debut -- Kate Elliott, author of UNCONQUERABLE SUN, on THESE BURNING STARS 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 -- Michael Mammay, author of PLANETSIDE, on THESE BURNING STARS 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 -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, on THESE BURNING STARS 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 -- BLOGGING WITH DRAGONS, on THESE BURNING STARS 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 -- LIBRARY JOURNAL, on THESE BURNING STARS