Like many people who’ve written science fiction novels, author Bethany Jacobs cites other writers of sci-fi as influences in the following email interview about her space opera / space fantasy novel On Vicious Worlds (paperback, Kindle, audiobook), which is the second book of The Kingdom Trilogy after 2023’s These Burning Stars.
But unlike her fellow science fiction writers, Jacobs also cites a certain cult classic fantasy TV show as being just as big an influence on this saga.
Photo Credit: Mary Ganster
For people who didn’t read the first book in this series, These Burning Stars, what happened in that novel, and when and where was it set?
These Burning Stars is a space opera set in the Treble, a trio of star systems connected by jump gates and ruled by a three-tiered government called the Kindom.
It kicks off with the story of capricious Esek Nightfoot, a cleric of the Kindom who, upon discovering a talented student studying to join that government, fucks up their whole life just to see what will happen.
Flash forward twenty years, and a hacker con artist named Jun Ironway has gotten her hands on a data chip that implicates the Nightfoots in a genocide. Cleric Nightfoot and her protégé, Cleric Chono, set out to track Jun down. But as they chase her, they realize that they, too, are being chased, by a phantom from their pasts.
And then for people who have read These Burning Stars, and thus can ignore me writing SPOILER ALERT, what is On Vicious Worlds about, and when and where does it take place in relation to Burning?
On Vicious Worlds takes place about a year after the closing events of These Burning Stars, and deals primarily with the consequences of the political upheaval that Jun, Chono, Six and Masar caused in Stars.
In one storyline, the Jeveni contend with a shadowy saboteur on their new colony on Capamame, while in the second storyline, Six and Chono return to the Treble to try to hold the Kindom responsible for its crimes.
These two storylines wind toward an intersection as revolution sparks across the Treble, and the Jeveni find themselves still the target of powers who want them corralled and enslaved to the sevite trade.
These Burning Stars started on a dusty backwater; On Vicious Worlds has Jun and Masar living on an ice planet. Is there a reason you refuse to send these people somewhere nice? Y’know, some planet that’s like the Bahamas on a good day?
Because suffering builds character. Or something. Esek does get to vacation on a tropical beach at one point, but of course she doesn’t deserve it.
As you said, These Burning Stars was a sci-fi space opera story. Is On Vicious Worlds one as well, or are there other genres at work in it?
I would still call On Vicious Worlds a space opera, in that it deals with the interactions of different civilizations across space and different planetary bodies.
That said, it’s definitely more terrestrial than the first book, with the majority of the action taking place planetside.
It’s also got elements of noir and cyberpunk, the detective story, the political thriller. And the series overall is strongly influenced by the fantasy genre.
So then are these books more space fantasy than space opera? Or are they both?
I would say they are both.
On Vicious Worlds is obviously not the first thing you’ve written. Are there any writers, or specific stories, that had a big influence on Worlds but not on These Burning Stars?
I wouldn’t say that there was any book that I was consciously emulating or drawing from, and yet I am deeply influenced by other writers. Reading and writing together is a practice of jumping into different conversations, listening, responding, learning.
In terms of who I’ve learned the most from: Ursula Le Guin and Octavia Butler are my mothers for sure. Contemporary interlocutors would include Yoon Ha Lee, Rivers Solomon, N.K. Jemison, Arkady Martine. These authors share themes of state violence, colonialism, gender identity, and resistance, and those are my themes, too. I could go on and on about this.
What about non-literary influences; was On Vicious Worlds influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games?
People laugh when I say this, but without a doubt Xena Warrior Princess. That series is fundamentally about the power of intimate friendship (and women loving women) in the face of adversity, and at the same time that it contends with the sins of the past and the struggle to atone. Not only did this influence me thematically, but it’s one of the roots of my interest in fully realized, morally conflicted characters.
I was also definitely influenced by shows like The X-Files, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica. But Xena reigns supreme.
And what about your dog, Finnick? How did they influence On Vicious Worlds?
Finnick is my best boy! He’s actually tucked against my leg as we speak. I grew up with animals, but I’ve never loved an animal like I love him. My wife and I adopted him together over ten years ago. He is a very old man and a constant source of sweetness and hilarity, and having him as a snuggle buddy is a lifegiving privilege.
Finnick
As we’ve been discussing, These Burning Stars is the sequel to On Vicious Worlds. But do they form a duology, are they the first two books in a trilogy, or is this an ongoing series?
These Burning Stars and These Burning Stars are the first installments in a trilogy. That was partially influenced by market circumstance. When my publisher bought Stars, they wanted to know if it could be a trilogy, so I said yes. But the arc of the stories leant itself to three books rather easily.
That said, there are other stories I could see myself writing in this universe. So, who knows, it may eventually become a longer series. Though I’m really looking forward to writing a standalone after all of this.
So, do you know what the third book will be called and when it will be out? Also, does this series have a name?
Yes! This Brutal Moon is the final installment of The Kingdom Trilogy, and will come out sometime between late 2025 and early 2026.
Upon hearing that These Burning Stars and On Vicious Worlds are the first two books of a trilogy, some people will hold off reading them until all of the books are out. But is there any reason why people shouldn’t wait? Or that they should?
You know what, I am all about bingeing media. I’m all about that instant gratification. But I do think that our culture is a little too focused on the binge experience. These days with Goodreads dominating reader culture, it seems like people strive to read as many books in a year as possible. I don’t think that’s bad, but there’s something to be said for lingering over stories. There’s something to be said for anticipation. Some of my favorite reading experiences have been rooted in that having-to-wait element, that cliffhanger agony. And there’s a unique pleasure in rereading a book in anticipation of the sequel or threequel. So lean into that experience. Buy my books now.
Earlier I asked if On Vicious Worlds was influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games. But to flip things around, do you think On Vicious Worlds — and, by extension, These Burning Stars — could work as some movies, a show, or a game?
I really think these books would make a fantastic TV series. It’s a very cinematic story, probably because I’m such a huge movie and TV buff. And I really don’t think you could do it justice as a movie or three movies. Plus, in my opinion, the best stories being told on the screen right now are on TV. It’s a fun fantasy to entertain.
And if someone wanted to make These Burning Stars and On Vicious Worlds into a TV show, who would you want them to cast as Jun, Masar, Cleric Choni, Six, and the other main characters?
This is so funny because when I sent notes to my amazing audiobook narrator, Natalie Naudus, I included casting notes to help her get a sense of the characters. So, I actually have cast my entire series.
Esek I imagine as Tessa Thompson, particularly in her swaggery Valkyrie era [Thor: Ragnarok]; Chono as a young Jenny Shimizu — there’s something mesmerizing about that woman’s look, a kind of gravity and intensity; Jun as [West Side Story‘s] Ariana DeBose (the sass, the wit!); Masar as Alexander Ludwig, à la Vikings. Those are the main players, but I’ve cast everybody.
So, is there anything else a prospective reader might need to know about On Vicious Worlds? Or These Burning Stars for that matter?
One thing that I will say about the series is that it deserves some trigger warnings. It contains graphic violence, themes of genocide, and references to childhood sexual assault (though that happens entirely off page).
But if you go into that ready and willing, I will add that it’s a complex story. It’s a house of cards. It’s thick with worldbuilding, but also action packed, and I’ve heard it said that you have to pay attention. If that’s your jam, I think you’ll love these books.
Finally, if someone enjoys On Vicious Worlds, and they’ve already read These Burning Stars, what sci-fi space opera novel or novella of someone else’s would you suggest they check out next?
Hmm… Megan O’Keefe; Arkady Martine — I’m thinking primarily of her Teixcalaan series, but her upcoming novella Rose / House was also very good — Yoon Ha Lee; perhaps Neon Yang’s science fiction (they are exquisitely weird); Martha Wells’ Murderbot might be your thing, though I think it is everyone’s thing; Evan Winter if you like epic violence and revenge; Fonda Lee if you like complex family dynamics. I’ve also heard people say Stars attracts them in the same way as Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon The Ninth, so do with that what you will! Just read. Read everything!
