This Brutal Moon

by Bethany Jacobs

Overview

Bethany Jacobs returns with the thrilling conclusion to The Kindom Trilogy that began with the Philip K. Dick Award–winning These Burning Stars, the debut epic space opera trilogy about revenge, power, and the price of legacy.
 
Violence has erupted across the Treble. The colony that Jun Ironway and Masar Hawks have fought to protect is now woefully compromised, and its people, unwilling to submit to tyranny once more, face a brutal fight for their lives and freedom.

In the midst of upheaval and rebellion, new enemies arise at every corner, including a familiar player who won't let power slip through his fingers again. Not when he has every Kindom Hand under his heel. And whether he will be as bloody-minded as his predecessors remains to be seen. 
 
As the quiet ones launch their attack and all hope seems lost, Cleric Chono looks to unlikely allies to fight a final battle for peace. But one crucial question remains: where is Six? 

Praise for The Kindom Trilogy: 

★ “An exciting start from a fresh talent, offering emotional and political complexity plus plenty of interplanetary action.” – Kirkus (Starred Review) on These Burning Stars

★ “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) on These Burning Stars

"There’s no shortage of twists, betrayals, and unexpected alliances in this intricate story of revenge and survival. This sets things up nicely for a grand finale in book three." –Publishers Weekly on On Vicious Worlds 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316463669
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	12/02/2025
Series:	The Kindom Trilogy , #3
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Bethany Jacobs is a former college instructor of writing and science fiction, who made the leap to education technology and now teaches tech heads how to write. She lives in Buffalo, New York with her wife and her dog and her books. These Burning Stars was her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

"An intricate political space opera comes to an explosive finale in the Kindom Trilogy’s last installment. Jacobs keeps up the excitement she generated in the two previous books; the thrilling climactic conflict takes place across multiple locations, battles, and clever infiltrations of the enemy stronghold, reading like a more complex and considerably more violent version of The Return of the Jedi finale. A rewarding and thought-provoking wrap-up."—Kirkus on This Brutal Moon

"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."—Publishers Weekly on On Vicious Worlds

“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) on These Burning Stars

"Readers who love smart thrillers and explosive sf won’t want to miss this book."—Booklist (Starred Review) on These Burning Stars

"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) on These Burning Stars

"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 on These Burning Stars

“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 on These Burning Stars

“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 on These Burning Stars

“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 on These Burning Stars

“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 on These Burning Stars

"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 on These Burning Stars

“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 on These Burning Stars

“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 on These Burning Stars

“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 on These Burning 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 on These Burning Stars

From the Publisher