These Burning Stars

WINNER OF THE 2024 PHILIP K. DICK AWARD 

A dangerous cat-and-mouse quest for revenge. An empire that spans star systems, built on the bones of a genocide. A carefully hidden secret that could collapse worlds, hunted by three women with secrets of their own. This is an explosive space opera debut from one of the most powerful new voices in science fiction.

On a dusty backwater planet, occasional thief Jun Ironway has gotten her hands on the score of a lifetime: a secret that could raze the Kindom, the ruling power of the galaxy.

A star system away, preternaturally stoic Chono and brilliant hothead Esek— the two most brutal clerics of the Kindom—are tasked with hunting Jun down.

And tracking all three across the stars is a ghost from their shared past known only as Six. But what Six wants is anyone’s guess. It’s a game of manipulation and betrayal that could destroy them all. And they have no choice but to see it through.

★ “An intricate plot for revenge drives this far-future SF political thriller. An exciting start from a fresh talent.”―Kirkus (Starred Review)

★ "Readers who love smart thrillers and explosive science fiction won’t want to miss this book."―Booklist (Starred Review)

★ "A devilishly fun thrill ride … These Burning Stars is plotted like a chess match, confident and surprising as Jacobs moves each piece thoughtfully across her board."―BookPage (Starred Review)

• "Interesting and ambitious ... Fans of Elizabeth Bear or Ann Leckie may find much to entertain themselves here ... a fast-moving novel of action and intrigue, which Jacobs pulls off with vivid energy, bringing her threads together in an explosive conclusion."

  Locus

• “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 (Starred Review)

• "Readers who love smart thrillers and explosive sf won’t want to miss this book."

  Booklist (Starred Review)

• "Warps readers across the galaxy on a devilishly fun thrill ride ... These Burning Stars is 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 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."

  Publishers Weekly

• "These Burning Stars is a superb work of space opera science fiction by any measure, but the fact that it’s a debut makes it that much more impressive."

  Autostraddle

• “Immersive and epic; a sprawling space opera perfect for fans of A Memory Called Empire and Too Like the Lightning.”

  Kameron Hurley, author of The Light Brigade

• “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

• “A richly imagined space opera packed with intricate worldbuilding, compelling prose, and twisty politics, artfully woven together and delivered through a cast of fallible, endearing characters. An incredible debut perfect for fans of Ann Leckie, Kate Elliott, and Scalzi’s Interdependency series.”

  J. S. Dewes, author of The Last Watch

• “A sizzling political space opera exploring the borders of passion and monstrosity, hunter and hunted, obsession and devotion. Jacobs is an exciting new author to watch.”

  Essa Hansen, author of Nophek Gloss

• "I love a book that makes me pay attention and rewards me for it. I love even more a book with complicated, messy politics. But really, I'm here for the characters, and Jacobs ' are compelling, flawed, tragic and hopeful at the same time. What's that? There's a sequel? I can't wait."

  K. Eason, author of How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse

• “Jacobs’s characters and prose have a sharpness to them that’s both beautiful and devastating. These Burning Stars blew me away.”

  Marina Lostetter, author of The Helm of Midnight

• “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. And the characters! It's rare that an author can make you care about so many different characters the way that Jacobs does. Go ahead and pencil her in for your Astounding Award ballot for best new author.”

  Michael Mammay, author of Planetside

• “With a cast of deliciously dangerous characters and a gloriously executed plot that twists like a knife, this propulsive debut heralds the start of a sweeping space opera saga in the vein of Ann Leckie and Alastair Reynolds. Bethany Jacobs is an ingenious worldbuilder and a stunning new voice to look out for in sci-fi.”

  Ren Hutchings, author of Under Fortunate Stars

• “The vivid characters and ratcheting plot tension kept me racing through the book. And as soon as I hit the last page, I immediately wanted to turn right back and read it all over again just to savor the elegance with which it builds to its explosive conclusion. Jacobs' trilogy is destined to be the space opera of the decade and I can't wait to have the next one in my hands!”

  Rebecca Fraimow, author of The Iron Children