These Burning Stars
The thrilling, Phillip K. Dick Award-winning space opera
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4.6 • 24 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
**WINNER OF THE PHILIP K. DICK AWARD**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL**
'5 hundred thousand freaking beautiful, burning stars!! I freaking loved this so much' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
reader review
Jun Ironway, hacker, con artist, and only occasional thief, has got her hands on a piece of contraband that could set her up for life: evidence that implicates the powerful Nightfoot family in a planet-wide genocide seventy-five years ago. The Nightfoots control the precious sevite that fuels interplanetary travel through three star systems. And someone is sure to pay handsomely for anything that could break their hold.
Of course, anything valuable is also dangerous. The Kindom, the ruling power of the three star systems, is inextricably tied up in the Nightfoots' monopoly - and they can't afford to let Jun expose the truth. They task two of their most brutal clerics with hunting her down: preternaturally stoic Chono, and brilliant hothead Esek, who also happens to be the heir to the Nightfoot empire.
But Chono and Esek are haunted in turn by a figure from their shared past, known only as Six. What Six truly wants is anyone's guess. And the closer they get to finding Jun, the surer Chono is that Six is manipulating them all - and that they are heading for a bloody confrontation that no one will survive unscathed.
'One of the best SF books I've read. Period' Michael Mammay, author of Planetside
'These Burning Stars pulls off one of the most brazen, gasp-inducing reveals I've experienced in an age' Esquire
'Vivid, violent and visceral: an impressive debut' Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun
'Intricately plotted and tightly paced . . . Space opera fans will eat this up' Publishers Weekly
'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
'A fast-moving novel of action and intrigue, which Jacobs pulls off with vivid energy, bringing her threads together in an explosive conclusion' Locus
Reader reviews:
'6/5⭐️ This book is quite literally the definition of perfection to me' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I feel like I just overdosed on emotions. This book is extraordinary . . . 5 stars and I only wish I could give it more' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'It is a crime that this book isn't more popular, and I will be throwing myself at the feet of Bethany Jacobs for the next in the series' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I cannot seem to find the words to convey how much I enjoyed this book. The only thing I can say is . . . holy shit' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'What kind of intergalactic masterpiece did I read?' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jacobs debuts with a solid, plot-driven space opera, the first in a series. The three Hands of the Kindom control the star system of Treble: Clerics, responsible for religion; Secretaries, responsible for law; and Cloaksaan, responsible for enforcement. Ruthless Cleric Esek Nightfoot has left many enemies in her wake, including Jun Ironway, whose family Esek exterminated to cover up the Nightfoot family's involvement in a past genocide. Since then, Jun has grown into an expert hacker, and she's determined to exact her revenge by exposing Esek's crimes. As Esek and fellow Cleric Chono hunt Jun down, their mission is complicated by a figure from their mutual past: the enigmatic Six, a promising former classmate of Chono's who caught Esek's attention as a potential future Novitiate—until it all went horribly and mysteriously wrong. Since then, Esek has repeatedly tried and failed to kill Six, and as Chono becomes convinced that Six is somehow involved in Jun's revenge quest, Chono's loyalties are tested. 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 installment. Space opera fans will eat this up.
Customer Reviews
Religious Suppressed Dystopia
Moves along well, with several seperate plots and characters that interact with each other to form a complex story line.
Definitely one for the WImin set and all main characters are female or “Gender Identified”…
Set in a Galaxy Far Far Away the distant relatives of mankind grind away with the elite both Foundation families and religious leaders that exercise power and control with a basket full of major and minor gods… One apparently not enough so that various devotees of individual gods can be controlled by the church enforcement squads with deadly consequences for anyone out of line or challenging to the status quo…