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A review by ninegladiolus
These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My only regret about Bethany Jacobs’ debut novel These Burning Stars is that it has taken me months to get around to singing its praises. This has to be one of my favourite sci-fi debuts (and a favourite read of 2023) in a long, long time.
This novel follows Jun, Chono, and Esek on an adrenaline-fueled space opera full of political intrigue and high stakes. Jun, a scoundrel of a hacker, scores a prize that threatens the power and influence of the Nightfoot family. The Kindom, the religious ruling faction of the universe, needs the Nightfoot family to stay in power and in control, so they send two clerics, Chono and Esek, on a chase through the systems to find Jun and retrieve the offending contraband. Except a mysterious entity known as Six seems to influence the chase at every turn, their goals enigmatic but their purpose clear: the change the stakes of the game.
These Burning Stars just checked every box for me. For once (and this is rare), I agree with the marketing comps. If Arkady Martine’s intricate political intrigue mixed with the visceral, often violent works of Kameron Hurley, you’d get the unique experience that is These Burning Stars. The characters are utterly compelling; juggling several POVs in a novel with a scope this broad is no small feat, but Jacobs pulls it off with aplomb. In particular, the contentious relationship between Chono and Esek sent me (though I also have a thing for the blending of the sacred and the violent, which is pretty much the Kindom’s whole thing), though every character was brilliant. The worldbuilding was seamless and immersive. I felt at times I was watching a movie in my head, which is how you know you’re in deep. It is, of course, queer.
I cannot wait to see where this trilogy goes and cannot recommend it enough. If you’re a fan of queer, action-packed space opera with vivid characters and a three-dimensional world, you should absolutely pick up These Burning Stars posthaste. I can’t wait to see where the second book in the series goes.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.
This novel follows Jun, Chono, and Esek on an adrenaline-fueled space opera full of political intrigue and high stakes. Jun, a scoundrel of a hacker, scores a prize that threatens the power and influence of the Nightfoot family. The Kindom, the religious ruling faction of the universe, needs the Nightfoot family to stay in power and in control, so they send two clerics, Chono and Esek, on a chase through the systems to find Jun and retrieve the offending contraband. Except a mysterious entity known as Six seems to influence the chase at every turn, their goals enigmatic but their purpose clear: the change the stakes of the game.
These Burning Stars just checked every box for me. For once (and this is rare), I agree with the marketing comps. If Arkady Martine’s intricate political intrigue mixed with the visceral, often violent works of Kameron Hurley, you’d get the unique experience that is These Burning Stars. The characters are utterly compelling; juggling several POVs in a novel with a scope this broad is no small feat, but Jacobs pulls it off with aplomb. In particular, the contentious relationship between Chono and Esek sent me (though I also have a thing for the blending of the sacred and the violent, which is pretty much the Kindom’s whole thing), though every character was brilliant. The worldbuilding was seamless and immersive. I felt at times I was watching a movie in my head, which is how you know you’re in deep. It is, of course, queer.
I cannot wait to see where this trilogy goes and cannot recommend it enough. If you’re a fan of queer, action-packed space opera with vivid characters and a three-dimensional world, you should absolutely pick up These Burning Stars posthaste. I can’t wait to see where the second book in the series goes.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.