On Vicious Worlds

A galactic game of cat and mouse comes to a head in Jacobs’s riveting sequel to These Burning Stars. The Jeveni people have fled to the planet of Capamame to escape the Kindom’s totalitarian constraints, but the cruel legacy of Kindom cleric Esek Nightfoot haunts them. With the support of former cleric Chono, genius spellcaster Jun Ironway, and an enigmatic figure known simply as Six, the Jeveni remnant struggle to build a life for themselves on a new world. But the Kindom’s reach is far and unrelenting as its power-hungry Secretaries work to bring the Jeveni and their sevite trade back under Kindom control. There’s no shortage of twists, betrayals, and unexpected alliances in this intricate story of revenge and survival. The byzantine plot combined with the constantly shifting narrators, all with their own agendas, occasionally make it a struggle to stay on top of everything, but readers willing to be kept on their toes will find plenty to enjoy. This sets things up nicely for a grand finale in book three. Agent: Bridget Smith, JABberwocky Literary. (Oct.)