On Vicious Worlds - Bethany Jacobs

These Burning Stars, the first part of Bethany Jacobs' Kindom Trilogy, set its tone and agenda from the outset, creating a complex world of competing families, religious and military orders in the system of the Treble. With stirrings of revolutionary activity, genocidal acts and bitter rivalries explored, the author established a dark and brutal tone that characterised the nature of the ruling classes and then sent it off through a series of explosive events built around a revenge plot from a mysterious lone assassin known only as Six. By the time we reached the conclusion, Jacobs dense plotting, characterisation and world building paid off with a number of surprise revelations and twists that I will try my best not to reveal in this review of the second book in the Kindom series.

Although These Burning Stars wrapped it up well and delivered on the promise, the conclusion felt a little rushed and not entirely satisfying. That appeared to be simply because there was a sense that there were still matters that remained unresolved but it didn't leave too much of a clue where it was headed next. What was clear was that the Jeveni remain central and important to the whole operation of the Treble, enslaved by the ruthless Nightfoot family for the purposes of manufacturing the sevite required to operate the jump gates that are essential for travel between the three worlds in the system. Enslaved and almost wiped out in an act of genocide, at the end of the first book all the Jeveni that could be mustered were transported forty light years away to the settlement of Farren Eyce on Caparmame.

The instigation for the problem that is central to On Vicious Worlds again rests with the fate of the Jeveni. 5,000 of them, unwilling to leave behind their old lives, have made the grave error of returning to the Treble and are being held in captivity. Six and Chono have left Farren Eyce to try to secure their release. Considering their behaviour when last there, well, let's just say that they can be sure that they won't exactly receive a warm welcome on their return.

All however is not well even for those on Farren Eyce. Someone is killing collectors, making their deaths look like possible suicides. The collectors mission had been to gather lost Jeveni descendants, an important role, their status respected by all, but it was always a dangerous operation and of the eleven collectors only five made the jump to Caparmame. Now there are only two, three having died in suspicious circumstances. The failure to resolve the murders is a source of immense frustration and sadness to Masar, the senior officer and his remaining colleague Dom. They are relying on Jun Ironway's skills with casting to help them find clues, but a dangerous adversary is about to push her abilities to the limit.

There are other background details to fill out, since for the larger part of These Burning Stars, Six remained a dark enigma, a deadly assassin, striking and disappearing without leaving a trace. The world has not stood still, there are other forces and groups now jostling for power and influence, rivalries intensifying between the principal families, the Hands and ambitious figures in the religious orders. Rebellion is brewing and starting to spill over leaving the Kindom in a precarious and unpredictable state at the moment. You also need to keep note of the year in the chapter headings of On Vicious Worlds, as there is a time discrepancy between the two different strands of the book in the Treble and on Caparmame, forty light years away

The two strands in the book, told in alternate chapters, are not equally thrilling. It depends on whether you find the romantic episodes on Farren Eyce necessary to the characterisation - and you could make a case for it - but honestly, little could measure up to what goes on when Six’s ire has been raised. Not that Six lacks human feelings - well hidden though they might be - but their response to them is just more exciting. And I've barely even mentioned Chono, who is really perhaps the most important figure in the book - in the Treble possibly. The two of them together bring back that fire that was in These Burning Stars, not just in the action sequences, but every confrontation and even diplomatic discussion is laced with irreverence, scarcely veiled threats and the potential for unpredictable behaviour. Violence indeed. In both strands however the writing and plotting remains tense and thrilling with plenty more twists and shocks to come. When those two parts of the book come together, you can be guaranteed of an explosive finale that will have you eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Reading notes: On Vicious Worlds by Bethany Jacobs, the second book in the Kindom Trilogy, is published under the Orbit imprint on the 17th October 2024. These Burning Stars was published a year ago, so I've been waiting a long time for the follow-up and was delighted when it was finally offered to reviewers on NetGalley. Jacobs mentions in her afterword that the writing and rewriting was particularly difficult as she had been suffering long Covid. I fear that it might be another long year before we see This Brutal Moon, the final book of the trilogy, but I am certain that however long it takes it will be worth the wait.