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Countess
A queer Caribbean anti-colonial Count of Monte Cristo set in space in which a betrayed captain seeks revenge on the interplanetary empire that subjugated her people for generations
Virika Sameroo lives in colonized space under the Æerbot Empire, much like her ancestors before her in the British West Indies. After years of working hard to rise through the ranks of the empire’s merchant marine, she’s finally become first lieutenant on an interstellar cargo vessel.
When her captain dies under suspicious circumstances, Virika is arrested for murder and charged with treason despite her lifelong loyalty to the empire. Her conviction and subsequent imprisonment set her on a path of revenge, determined to take down the evil empire that wronged her, all while the fate of her people hangs in the balance.
Virika Sameroo lives in colonized space under the Æerbot Empire, much like her ancestors before her in the British West Indies. After years of working hard to rise through the ranks of the empire’s merchant marine, she’s finally become first lieutenant on an interstellar cargo vessel.
When her captain dies under suspicious circumstances, Virika is arrested for murder and charged with treason despite her lifelong loyalty to the empire. Her conviction and subsequent imprisonment set her on a path of revenge, determined to take down the evil empire that wronged her, all while the fate of her people hangs in the balance.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2024
35 people are currently reading
6417 people want to read
About the author
Suzan Palumbo
19 books75 followersI write tragedies...
Suzan Palumbo is a Trinidadian - Canadian, dark speculative fiction writer and editor. Her short stories have been nominated for the Nebula, Aurora, World Fantasy and Locus Awards.
Suzan Palumbo is a Trinidadian - Canadian, dark speculative fiction writer and editor. Her short stories have been nominated for the Nebula, Aurora, World Fantasy and Locus Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
July 19, 2024
I wasn't exactly sure if I would enjoy this book. I usually like true crime stories or memoirs. This book will take you on a space opera journey of injustice and revenge worth every tensed nerve and desperate hope. It is a small book but powerful. Well written.
June 4, 2025
Last year, Suzan Palumbo's short story collection Skin Thief: Stories was a delightful discovery, a solid introduction to her ideas and themes. I really enjoyed it, and was looking forward to more - which is why I jumped at the chance to request this ARC as soon as I saw it, and was thrilled to receive it.
Countess has a great fun premise: take The Count of Monte Cristo, but genderflip it, put it in a sci-fi setting that tackles anti-colonialism from a Caribbean inspired perspective. The idea sounds great, but unfortunately for me the execution didn't quite hit the mark.
The story pretty faithfully follows The Count of Monte Cristo for the first half of the book. Virika is from a Caribbean-inspired planet and joins the colonizing military force, but is framed and locked away for over a decade. Her escape is where things really start to move away from the original story path, leaning a lot more into the anti-colonialism and revolution themes. That is also where things kind of went off the rails for me.
The betrayal and her time in jail all take about half of the book. She's jailed for a decade, which the storytelling kind of glosses over. Then, the entire story of how Virika gains her riches, builds up experience by finding family and love in a revolutionary space crew, leaves them, becomes The Countess and stirs up enough revolutionary zeal to bring the Colonizers to the negotiating table happens in a truly astounding short amount of time in the story, despite these things taking place over YEARS AND YEARS of time. We get no sense of the passing of time, only a sudden line here and there that says how much time has passed and how she's changed. We don't get to SEE Virika grow into her own as the hardened Countess that can take on the Empire, we're just told she is that badass now. It's incredibly disappointing when the whole point of doing a Count of Monte Cristo story IS THE GROWTH AND REVENGE.
Despite my many qualms with the back half of the book, the first half showed SO MUCH promise. I was invested in Virika and her story, which made the pacing and jumps in time later on feel so disappointing. Like I was cheated out of a true emotional arc for her.
I really think this felt like it should have been longer, and given so much more time to breathe. This story needed more room to expand and really showcase Virika's growth into The Countess.
The world Palumbo has created here feels like it could be so much more. It's so full of love for Caribbean culture - food and clothing and accents infuse this sci-fi world with a vibrancy not often seen. I just wish the last half of the story could have lived up to the promise of the first half.
Many, many thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Countess will be released on September 10, 2024.
Countess has a great fun premise: take The Count of Monte Cristo, but genderflip it, put it in a sci-fi setting that tackles anti-colonialism from a Caribbean inspired perspective. The idea sounds great, but unfortunately for me the execution didn't quite hit the mark.
The story pretty faithfully follows The Count of Monte Cristo for the first half of the book. Virika is from a Caribbean-inspired planet and joins the colonizing military force, but is framed and locked away for over a decade. Her escape is where things really start to move away from the original story path, leaning a lot more into the anti-colonialism and revolution themes. That is also where things kind of went off the rails for me.
The betrayal and her time in jail all take about half of the book. She's jailed for a decade, which the storytelling kind of glosses over. Then, the entire story of how Virika gains her riches, builds up experience by finding family and love in a revolutionary space crew, leaves them, becomes The Countess and stirs up enough revolutionary zeal to bring the Colonizers to the negotiating table happens in a truly astounding short amount of time in the story, despite these things taking place over YEARS AND YEARS of time. We get no sense of the passing of time, only a sudden line here and there that says how much time has passed and how she's changed. We don't get to SEE Virika grow into her own as the hardened Countess that can take on the Empire, we're just told she is that badass now. It's incredibly disappointing when the whole point of doing a Count of Monte Cristo story IS THE GROWTH AND REVENGE.
Despite my many qualms with the back half of the book, the first half showed SO MUCH promise. I was invested in Virika and her story, which made the pacing and jumps in time later on feel so disappointing. Like I was cheated out of a true emotional arc for her.
I really think this felt like it should have been longer, and given so much more time to breathe. This story needed more room to expand and really showcase Virika's growth into The Countess.
The world Palumbo has created here feels like it could be so much more. It's so full of love for Caribbean culture - food and clothing and accents infuse this sci-fi world with a vibrancy not often seen. I just wish the last half of the story could have lived up to the promise of the first half.
Many, many thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Countess will be released on September 10, 2024.
September 1, 2024
Two stars for the book, plus one for the gorgeous cover!
For a book that's described as a Caribbean-infused, queer space opera tale of vengeance that channels the The Count of Monte Cristo, I was pretty excited to receive this book as an ARC from Netgalley. And as great as the set up of the initial half of the book was, the second half of the book failed in its execution, providing a rushed ending that did not do justice to the premise of the novel. Ultimately, I wanted so much more than what was presented.
For a book that's described as a Caribbean-infused, queer space opera tale of vengeance that channels the The Count of Monte Cristo, I was pretty excited to receive this book as an ARC from Netgalley. And as great as the set up of the initial half of the book was, the second half of the book failed in its execution, providing a rushed ending that did not do justice to the premise of the novel. Ultimately, I wanted so much more than what was presented.
September 4, 2024
On my blog.
Rep: Caribbean lesbian mc, Caribbean side characters
CWs: racism, sexual harassment, self harm, attempted suicide
Galley provided by publisher
There was, let’s be honest, no real way that a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo — a book which is over 1200 pages long — can be done in a novella form. Countess was a mere 12.5% the length of the original (according to the Penguin Classics edition, even less if you pick a different edition) and suffered for it. So much happens in The Count of Monte Cristo that to try and retell the story in only an eighth of the space feels a futile task.
And, lo and behold, Countess falls short.
Much of my review is going to boil down to this one point: this is not a long enough book to satisfactorily retell the original text. And, even considering this book standing on its own without any association to Monte Cristo, it’s just not a well-crafted story. Much of the opening sequence relies on some familiarity with the original, simply to answer the question of why a lot of this is happening, or even what’s going on in the first place. As a result, much of it feels like it comes out of nowhere. By which I mean: there’s a whole lot of just referencing conversations and scenes going on and not seeing them. Call me old-fashioned but I prefer to read a story happening rather than a recounting of a story happening.
Of course, YMMV, but I’m of the opinion (on one hand) that you ought to be able to read a retelling on its own, and any familiarity with the original text is just a nice bonus. On the other hand, it ought to still be recognisably that story, with similar (or transposed across time) themes. Countess’ attempt to do the latter was interesting — and still consistent with the original, albeit perhaps in a different way than you might expect (now, a retelling from Haydee’s POV? I could get behind that). Alas, it had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the head and, I don’t know, I kind of need a bit of subtlety in my books. Also, it didn’t mesh well with the overarching theme of Monte Cristo, which is about a man relinquishing his desire for revenge. Because almost everything that happened to Dantes in the original was attacks on his person, transposing that to colonialism in general and systemic discrimination doesn’t lend itself to the conclusion that the original book comes to regarding vengeance. This adaptation, obviously! understandably!, doesn’t go for that approach, but then it feels like it’s lost sight of the original text. It no longer feels like a retelling to me. As other reviews have noted, the second half of this novella departs quite radically from the original text, but this is another YMMV point. It all depends on how closely you like your retellings to hew to the original.
My final point is similar to my first regarding length. The pacing in this book leaves a lot to be desired. Instead of lengthening scenes and, you know, showing more, this novella is scene after scene after scene with no time to process each of them or for their impact to be felt. Years pass in the blink of an eye, with no indication just how our protagonist develops — within a few pages, for example, she’s built up a sufficient power base to worry the empire, but god forbid we see any of that! — giving you the sense of this novella being a summary of something, not a work in itself.
In conclusion, then, sometimes longer books are better. Sometimes they’re even necessary! And that was certainly the case here.
Rep: Caribbean lesbian mc, Caribbean side characters
CWs: racism, sexual harassment, self harm, attempted suicide
Galley provided by publisher
There was, let’s be honest, no real way that a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo — a book which is over 1200 pages long — can be done in a novella form. Countess was a mere 12.5% the length of the original (according to the Penguin Classics edition, even less if you pick a different edition) and suffered for it. So much happens in The Count of Monte Cristo that to try and retell the story in only an eighth of the space feels a futile task.
And, lo and behold, Countess falls short.
Much of my review is going to boil down to this one point: this is not a long enough book to satisfactorily retell the original text. And, even considering this book standing on its own without any association to Monte Cristo, it’s just not a well-crafted story. Much of the opening sequence relies on some familiarity with the original, simply to answer the question of why a lot of this is happening, or even what’s going on in the first place. As a result, much of it feels like it comes out of nowhere. By which I mean: there’s a whole lot of just referencing conversations and scenes going on and not seeing them. Call me old-fashioned but I prefer to read a story happening rather than a recounting of a story happening.
Of course, YMMV, but I’m of the opinion (on one hand) that you ought to be able to read a retelling on its own, and any familiarity with the original text is just a nice bonus. On the other hand, it ought to still be recognisably that story, with similar (or transposed across time) themes. Countess’ attempt to do the latter was interesting — and still consistent with the original, albeit perhaps in a different way than you might expect (now, a retelling from Haydee’s POV? I could get behind that). Alas, it had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the head and, I don’t know, I kind of need a bit of subtlety in my books. Also, it didn’t mesh well with the overarching theme of Monte Cristo, which is about a man relinquishing his desire for revenge. Because almost everything that happened to Dantes in the original was attacks on his person, transposing that to colonialism in general and systemic discrimination doesn’t lend itself to the conclusion that the original book comes to regarding vengeance. This adaptation, obviously! understandably!, doesn’t go for that approach, but then it feels like it’s lost sight of the original text. It no longer feels like a retelling to me. As other reviews have noted, the second half of this novella departs quite radically from the original text, but this is another YMMV point. It all depends on how closely you like your retellings to hew to the original.
My final point is similar to my first regarding length. The pacing in this book leaves a lot to be desired. Instead of lengthening scenes and, you know, showing more, this novella is scene after scene after scene with no time to process each of them or for their impact to be felt. Years pass in the blink of an eye, with no indication just how our protagonist develops — within a few pages, for example, she’s built up a sufficient power base to worry the empire, but god forbid we see any of that! — giving you the sense of this novella being a summary of something, not a work in itself.
In conclusion, then, sometimes longer books are better. Sometimes they’re even necessary! And that was certainly the case here.
September 6, 2024
Countess is a Caribbean inspired space set retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. In the Æcerbot Empire, the descendants of people from the English speaking Caribbean were taken and placed on the planet of Orinoco. Virika has worked her way up to the top of the ranks in the merchant marines despite being seen as a lowly Antillean.
It's a very fast paced novella with some short and sweet revenge, anti-Colonial themes, and lots of good food!
It's a very fast paced novella with some short and sweet revenge, anti-Colonial themes, and lots of good food!
September 24, 2024
Of course when I heard about this book by Trini-Canadian author Suzan Palumbo I haaad to read it.
Countess moves quickly as it’s a novella but I loved how very in your face the anti-colonialism themes are. We get a lot coming at us at once with all the various histories of the Antillean people, and those of the many other planets too. But it was all so intriguing how the author set up this space opera-esque story of revenge.
The Caribbean-ness is very explicit alive in this book, and as a Trinidadian I was thrilled to see familiar place names and things that I’ve grown up knowing (Paria, Bocas, Calabash etc) and the foods!
Virika is wrongfully accused of murdering her former captain and tossed into the Pit, a prison where you’re basically left to diminish until you die. It was really intriguing to see how she navigated from giving her service to these people and assimilating into their ways and then they still looked down on her and tossed her away like she was nothing. Virika goes through a journey and becomes The Countess, finally coming face to face with the very person who orchestrated her arrest.
The onlyyyy thing that had me a lil iffy was the timeline, as ten years supposedly passed when Virika was in the pit but I didn't get that sense at all? We only knew how many years went by because one of the characters mentions it, BUT that didn't really take away from my enjoyment of it.
And the endiiiiing had me screaming omgggg!
Countess moves quickly as it’s a novella but I loved how very in your face the anti-colonialism themes are. We get a lot coming at us at once with all the various histories of the Antillean people, and those of the many other planets too. But it was all so intriguing how the author set up this space opera-esque story of revenge.
The Caribbean-ness is very explicit alive in this book, and as a Trinidadian I was thrilled to see familiar place names and things that I’ve grown up knowing (Paria, Bocas, Calabash etc) and the foods!
Virika is wrongfully accused of murdering her former captain and tossed into the Pit, a prison where you’re basically left to diminish until you die. It was really intriguing to see how she navigated from giving her service to these people and assimilating into their ways and then they still looked down on her and tossed her away like she was nothing. Virika goes through a journey and becomes The Countess, finally coming face to face with the very person who orchestrated her arrest.
The onlyyyy thing that had me a lil iffy was the timeline, as ten years supposedly passed when Virika was in the pit but I didn't get that sense at all? We only knew how many years went by because one of the characters mentions it, BUT that didn't really take away from my enjoyment of it.
And the endiiiiing had me screaming omgggg!
June 15, 2024
Countess destroyed me and put me through every possible emotion.
Countess is described as a Queer Caribbean Count of Monte Cristo and I think that description rings true. This book follows a similar plot structure to the classic epic, but does so with a science fiction flair and I really enjoyed that. This was like Count of Monte Cristo and Dune all rolled into one. It’s magical, out of this world, and is bound to leave you with questions galore.
My only complaint with this story is how short it is. Perhaps it’s because of my love for Monte Cristo, but this tried to accomplish a lot in just 150 pages. I feel like this could have easily been 500-600 pages. It felt almost at times like I was reading an abridge of an abridged version. However, despite this being a shorter story, the emotional impact was just as present. Like I cannot say how emotionally wrecked I am. The characters, the twists and turns all lead to an emotional rollercoaster of an ending.
Now this book didn’t end how I would have loved it to, but I’m willing to give it a pass because I’ve always wanted an unapologetically queer take on the Count of Monte Cristo and now I’ve finally gotten it. I think readers of classics and science fiction fanatics are going to flock to this story and devour it like I did.
Suzan Palumbo, you destroyed me, but I’ll forgive you this time because I loved this so much!
Countess is described as a Queer Caribbean Count of Monte Cristo and I think that description rings true. This book follows a similar plot structure to the classic epic, but does so with a science fiction flair and I really enjoyed that. This was like Count of Monte Cristo and Dune all rolled into one. It’s magical, out of this world, and is bound to leave you with questions galore.
My only complaint with this story is how short it is. Perhaps it’s because of my love for Monte Cristo, but this tried to accomplish a lot in just 150 pages. I feel like this could have easily been 500-600 pages. It felt almost at times like I was reading an abridge of an abridged version. However, despite this being a shorter story, the emotional impact was just as present. Like I cannot say how emotionally wrecked I am. The characters, the twists and turns all lead to an emotional rollercoaster of an ending.
Now this book didn’t end how I would have loved it to, but I’m willing to give it a pass because I’ve always wanted an unapologetically queer take on the Count of Monte Cristo and now I’ve finally gotten it. I think readers of classics and science fiction fanatics are going to flock to this story and devour it like I did.
Suzan Palumbo, you destroyed me, but I’ll forgive you this time because I loved this so much!
July 10, 2024
A queer Caribbean anti-colonial Count of Monte Cristo in space sounds like the best set up in the world. Unfortunately this book is just unable to reach the hype it created for itself with this synopsis.
I think the problem with this book is that it's too short. There's so much happening in it that there's no space for world building or getting to know our characters. We just jump from one situation to another and it almost gives you a whiplash because there's no time for the characters to process what's happening. There's already the next big scene coming.
I think it's extra disappointing because the writing on a technical level is great. It just feels like a first draft of a story that still needs a lot of work and plenty of rewrites to blossom into a good book.
I think the problem with this book is that it's too short. There's so much happening in it that there's no space for world building or getting to know our characters. We just jump from one situation to another and it almost gives you a whiplash because there's no time for the characters to process what's happening. There's already the next big scene coming.
I think it's extra disappointing because the writing on a technical level is great. It just feels like a first draft of a story that still needs a lot of work and plenty of rewrites to blossom into a good book.
December 27, 2025
Virika is a newly made spaceship captain in the Æcerbot Empire, to which her family moved as immigrants in Virika's childhood. She's the first of her people to reach such a high position in the fleet, but she barely has a day to celebrate her promotion before she's accused of murder and treason and dragged off to a sham trial. This novella is a queer retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo with the colonization and imperialism moved to space. It's a well executed retelling but it's also only 4 hours long on audio and so the story feels very compressed, and some parts kind of glossed. It results in quite a lot of telling instead of showing, but I also did like many of the choices the author made. I just wish it was a bit longer, or had some more development of the side characters.
January 29, 2025
3.5/5-ish
this was a pretty solid retelling, i enjoyed the character work present and the quick pacing. the ending was a little rushed imo and i felt that overall it's a plot type that lends itself more towards longer stories as to me a lot of it felt very black and white and i would have liked more character build-up.
this was a pretty solid retelling, i enjoyed the character work present and the quick pacing. the ending was a little rushed imo and i felt that overall it's a plot type that lends itself more towards longer stories as to me a lot of it felt very black and white and i would have liked more character build-up.
September 2, 2025
"Invicta would set blood as the price of freedom."
This was a good novella, but it would have benefited greatly from being longer. Any of the issues I had with this book stemmed from that one thing. It needed to be longer.
This was a good novella, but it would have benefited greatly from being longer. Any of the issues I had with this book stemmed from that one thing. It needed to be longer.
October 26, 2024
I wanted to love this book more than I did. It had me hooked at a queer Caribbean-inspired retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo mashed with a political space opera. The author's writing style was wonderful and drew me in. I loved the character of Virika and how she transformed from an immigrant who'd do anything to appear more amenable to the Aecerbot empire that had long rejected her people to the Countess leading a rebellion. I loved the descriptions of food and Antillean culture, and the steamy, established sapphic relationships.
I felt this story was too big for a novella, however. The pacing was relentless and the worldbuilding too compact. This beautiful story would have been better served as a novel. It's very faithful to the original Count of Monte Cristo and the main twist is the gender bent main character and the setting, so if you know the classic tale you'll find lots to appreciate here. I just wanted more.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I felt this story was too big for a novella, however. The pacing was relentless and the worldbuilding too compact. This beautiful story would have been better served as a novel. It's very faithful to the original Count of Monte Cristo and the main twist is the gender bent main character and the setting, so if you know the classic tale you'll find lots to appreciate here. I just wanted more.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 15, 2024
I feel really bad about 2 stars, but it is what it is. I’ve read The Count of Monte Cristo and watched a couple film adaptations, so I was curious about this retelling. I love the intricate revenge of the story. Well… that’s not what you have here.
The first half does feel at least vaguely inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo. You have an officer on a spaceship accused of a crime and wrongfully sent to prison. There are some unique features of this retelling that are compelling - SF setting, gender swapped MC, queer, immigrant. It felt like a solidly 3 star read for the first half.
Then the second half really has nothing to do with the source material. The intricate revenge I wanted is nowhere to be found. And the scope is way too big for a novella. It really should have been a novel because it’s underdeveloped in this form. I could’ve really enjoyed the novel version of this, too, so that’s disappointing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The first half does feel at least vaguely inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo. You have an officer on a spaceship accused of a crime and wrongfully sent to prison. There are some unique features of this retelling that are compelling - SF setting, gender swapped MC, queer, immigrant. It felt like a solidly 3 star read for the first half.
Then the second half really has nothing to do with the source material. The intricate revenge I wanted is nowhere to be found. And the scope is way too big for a novella. It really should have been a novel because it’s underdeveloped in this form. I could’ve really enjoyed the novel version of this, too, so that’s disappointing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
August 20, 2024
Author Suzan Palumbo's reinterpretation of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo is dark and tragic, and beautifully written. Setting her story in a future time in the galaxy where three human space-faring empires live, with a neutral zone between them.
The Æerbot Empire brought many people from Earth's Caribbean and settled them on the planet Orinoco many years before the start of this story. Then, these same people, known as Antillean, were made indentured servants of the empire, and set to labour in terrible conditions on empire colonies, performing work such as mining and farming. Æerbot citizens see the Antilleans as nothing more than filthy dogs.
Main character Virika Sameroo's parents managed to leave their home planet and took her to the empire's main planet, Invicta, where she was raised to be a staunch citizen of the empire, not learning her language and little of her culture. She worked incredibly hard, and rose through the ranks of the empire's merchant marine.
At the outset of the story, she and the crew are returning home to Invicta. She's Acting Captain as Captain Whitehall contracted a strange illness on one of their previous stops, but not many are happy that she, an Antillean, was selected, instead of Lieutenant Lyric, a native Invictan. Whitehall dies, and Virika is wrongfully arrested, tried for his murder, then sentenced to live out her days on a prison planet.
That this should have happened leave her shocked and disbelieving that such a thing could have happened to her. Then she's even more horrified at her treatment at the jail, and her cell, deep underground, where she spends ten, miserable, angry years, and emerges, intent on revenge.
I liked how the author used the classic by Dumas as inspiration, but deepened the narrative by weaving in commentary about imperialism, colonialism, indentured servitude, the treatment of workers, and identity.
These big ideas are buttressed by enough worldbuilding to provide background and set the scene, and a sympathetic main character who learns that her beliefs about her successes in the empire are built on very, shaky ground. The story’s pacing is measured till her escape from prison, but then things speed up as Virika collaborates with a group of Antilleans agitating for their rights to target the empire where it counts.
It's great to watch Virika awaken to her rage at all the injustices that not only she has suffered, but that her people have too, for too long. The story is moving and ultimately tragic, as the author shows us the high cost of taking on entrenched ideas and self-interest.
Thank you to Netgalley and to ECW Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.
The Æerbot Empire brought many people from Earth's Caribbean and settled them on the planet Orinoco many years before the start of this story. Then, these same people, known as Antillean, were made indentured servants of the empire, and set to labour in terrible conditions on empire colonies, performing work such as mining and farming. Æerbot citizens see the Antilleans as nothing more than filthy dogs.
Main character Virika Sameroo's parents managed to leave their home planet and took her to the empire's main planet, Invicta, where she was raised to be a staunch citizen of the empire, not learning her language and little of her culture. She worked incredibly hard, and rose through the ranks of the empire's merchant marine.
At the outset of the story, she and the crew are returning home to Invicta. She's Acting Captain as Captain Whitehall contracted a strange illness on one of their previous stops, but not many are happy that she, an Antillean, was selected, instead of Lieutenant Lyric, a native Invictan. Whitehall dies, and Virika is wrongfully arrested, tried for his murder, then sentenced to live out her days on a prison planet.
That this should have happened leave her shocked and disbelieving that such a thing could have happened to her. Then she's even more horrified at her treatment at the jail, and her cell, deep underground, where she spends ten, miserable, angry years, and emerges, intent on revenge.
I liked how the author used the classic by Dumas as inspiration, but deepened the narrative by weaving in commentary about imperialism, colonialism, indentured servitude, the treatment of workers, and identity.
These big ideas are buttressed by enough worldbuilding to provide background and set the scene, and a sympathetic main character who learns that her beliefs about her successes in the empire are built on very, shaky ground. The story’s pacing is measured till her escape from prison, but then things speed up as Virika collaborates with a group of Antilleans agitating for their rights to target the empire where it counts.
It's great to watch Virika awaken to her rage at all the injustices that not only she has suffered, but that her people have too, for too long. The story is moving and ultimately tragic, as the author shows us the high cost of taking on entrenched ideas and self-interest.
Thank you to Netgalley and to ECW Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.
March 25, 2025
I read this novella as part of the Nebula finalist packet.
This sci-fi queer rewrite of the classic Count of Monte Cristo is fantastically written, dark, and thought-provoking. It's also infuriating, as horrendous racism fuels the profound injustices suffered by Virika Sameroo. Honestly, it didn't take long for me to cheer for her just burning the whole universe DOWN. I can readily see why this made the finalists.
This sci-fi queer rewrite of the classic Count of Monte Cristo is fantastically written, dark, and thought-provoking. It's also infuriating, as horrendous racism fuels the profound injustices suffered by Virika Sameroo. Honestly, it didn't take long for me to cheer for her just burning the whole universe DOWN. I can readily see why this made the finalists.
November 15, 2024
A queer Caribbean retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo...IIINN SPAAAAACE. This ambitious debut novella is fast-paced (maybe too fast-paced, if I have one critique of it), compelling, and in-your-face about its politics. It hurts in the best possible way.
June 14, 2025
Very good! I wish it was a full length novel because I want to live in this world longer!
June 25, 2024
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher.
I've never read The Count of Monte Cristo, so I went into this to experience it purely for what it is. I absolutely love what this book was TRYING to do, but I'm very confused as to why the author chose to make it a very short novella when the story is clearly much denser and more nuanced than can fit in 150 pages. This book really should have been much, much longer - honestly it could have been stretched out into more than one book! It takes place over more than a decade, and an INCREDIBLE amount of things happen, none of which is given its full weight and breadth. There was SO MUCH here that could have been delved into - how her patriotism became so engrained, how her relationships are affected by existing inside of a colonialist structure that ultimately hates her, her experience in the Pit, how she comes to be the *leader* of the Resistance and find herself, I could go on and on.
To be honest when I requested the ARC of this book I didn't know the page length and I expected a thick novel, and was shocked when I saw how short it was. And because it was so short, and these long expanses of time and growth were collapsed into sometimes a single *paragraph*, it made the writing feel a little juvenile. (Incredibly complex things like how a small resistance group can affect the economic state of a galactic empire can't be simplified down to a couple of paragraphs without it feeling....well, simple.) It doesn't do the story justice - it is *such a good and necessary story* that deserves to be explored in its entirety! I just want MORE!
I've never read The Count of Monte Cristo, so I went into this to experience it purely for what it is. I absolutely love what this book was TRYING to do, but I'm very confused as to why the author chose to make it a very short novella when the story is clearly much denser and more nuanced than can fit in 150 pages. This book really should have been much, much longer - honestly it could have been stretched out into more than one book! It takes place over more than a decade, and an INCREDIBLE amount of things happen, none of which is given its full weight and breadth. There was SO MUCH here that could have been delved into - how her patriotism became so engrained, how her relationships are affected by existing inside of a colonialist structure that ultimately hates her, her experience in the Pit, how she comes to be the *leader* of the Resistance and find herself, I could go on and on.
To be honest when I requested the ARC of this book I didn't know the page length and I expected a thick novel, and was shocked when I saw how short it was. And because it was so short, and these long expanses of time and growth were collapsed into sometimes a single *paragraph*, it made the writing feel a little juvenile. (Incredibly complex things like how a small resistance group can affect the economic state of a galactic empire can't be simplified down to a couple of paragraphs without it feeling....well, simple.) It doesn't do the story justice - it is *such a good and necessary story* that deserves to be explored in its entirety! I just want MORE!
February 5, 2025
2.25 stars
Countess had a lot of potential but was just rushed. Almost all of the scenes had no time to breathe so the evolution of the protagonist felt unearned. It was difficult to relate to her because as a reader you didn't see how she changed. The author told too much instead of showing us. I just felt robbed of my emotional connection to the story. This is mostly the case because its impossible to retell The Count of Monte Cristo in a novella. Too bad there were passages where the author slowed down and showed promise. The prose and character work were a delight to read here but this wasn't enough to save the rest of the book.
Countess had a lot of potential but was just rushed. Almost all of the scenes had no time to breathe so the evolution of the protagonist felt unearned. It was difficult to relate to her because as a reader you didn't see how she changed. The author told too much instead of showing us. I just felt robbed of my emotional connection to the story. This is mostly the case because its impossible to retell The Count of Monte Cristo in a novella. Too bad there were passages where the author slowed down and showed promise. The prose and character work were a delight to read here but this wasn't enough to save the rest of the book.
September 30, 2024
Sort of like The Count of Monte Cristo meets Star Wars with a Caribbean lesbian MC, anticolonial politics and a diaspora perspective. Palumbo even captures Dumas' fast-flowing, action-driven prose while creating a story and characters rightfully her own. Wonderful fun. I hope to see more from this author.
September 17, 2025
This is well written. I have not read Monte Cristo but I have some vague understanding of the story, so I can't say if it was a solid retelling or if it was more just inspired by the classic.
I liked the main character and I was constantly curious about what was going to happen next. It's a good novella.
I liked the main character and I was constantly curious about what was going to happen next. It's a good novella.
November 21, 2024
A very clever, angry, queer, and anticolonial retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo. The end took me by surprise, and I liked that.
August 23, 2025
I know the horror buried at the foundation of the Empire. I am not afraid of Invicta.” - Countess of Sando
I needed this Space "Count of Monte Cristo/V for Vendetta"! I quickly got over my initial disappointment of this not being about vampires.🤷🏽♀️ You know I hardly read blurbs - I'm like the bird that likes shiny things but the trinkets in this case are covers.
Okidoki, let's talk killer planets👏🏽
I love the planet Bocas so much. The process of beating you down as you get closer and closer to your desire and drive to see if you break or rise was poignant. The funerary Ring of Bones was magnificent. I love that in the road to revenge this was the final stop.
In about 1000 years, if we become intergalactic colonizers, would we have our current dialects, accents, sense of morality, concepts of civility, same social constructs if race including the same slurs ... Will we just move from this planet to another with all our dirty baggage leaking across space trailing us like hot garbage or would we be different, new, maybe evolved into something else? I ask because this story has such a clear West Indies influence, felt like I was reading in a Barbadian accent. I loved it.
Virika Sameroo aka Countess, our Edmond Dantes has gone through it and by it I mean geez WTF, a non-stop barrage of childhood trauma, being yanked away from a homeland, thrust into the Empire, becoming a part of a world that is basically a futuristic Britain, the apex colonizing part, then there are squashed uprisings, pirates, a kangaroo court on some bullshit and a hole in the ground in the middle of nowhere prison...I could go on. You just know you can't trust the empire as far as you can throw it y'all. The road to revenge was littered with sacrifice.
I know it's probably a standalone novella but I'd love to delve more into this little corner of the galaxy post uprising and power struggles or even a whole story on Bocas.
Satisfying way to start my weekend readathon.
I needed this Space "Count of Monte Cristo/V for Vendetta"! I quickly got over my initial disappointment of this not being about vampires.🤷🏽♀️ You know I hardly read blurbs - I'm like the bird that likes shiny things but the trinkets in this case are covers.
Okidoki, let's talk killer planets👏🏽
I love the planet Bocas so much. The process of beating you down as you get closer and closer to your desire and drive to see if you break or rise was poignant. The funerary Ring of Bones was magnificent. I love that in the road to revenge this was the final stop.
In about 1000 years, if we become intergalactic colonizers, would we have our current dialects, accents, sense of morality, concepts of civility, same social constructs if race including the same slurs ... Will we just move from this planet to another with all our dirty baggage leaking across space trailing us like hot garbage or would we be different, new, maybe evolved into something else? I ask because this story has such a clear West Indies influence, felt like I was reading in a Barbadian accent. I loved it.
Virika Sameroo aka Countess, our Edmond Dantes has gone through it and by it I mean geez WTF, a non-stop barrage of childhood trauma, being yanked away from a homeland, thrust into the Empire, becoming a part of a world that is basically a futuristic Britain, the apex colonizing part, then there are squashed uprisings, pirates, a kangaroo court on some bullshit and a hole in the ground in the middle of nowhere prison...I could go on. You just know you can't trust the empire as far as you can throw it y'all. The road to revenge was littered with sacrifice.
I know it's probably a standalone novella but I'd love to delve more into this little corner of the galaxy post uprising and power struggles or even a whole story on Bocas.
Satisfying way to start my weekend readathon.
September 26, 2024
3.5 ★
Countess is a short novella that is a sci-fi version of inter-planetary colonialism inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo. The character arc for Virika sees her going from empire loyalism, to falsely accused for treason and imprisoned in basically hell, which sets her on her path to seek justice for herself and her impoverished and colonialized people.
My heart did break for Virika during her trial and imprisonment. The voice actor did a really good job of portraying her depression, heart-break, frustration and other emotions. There were individual voices, accents and personalities for the different characters, and I could tell everyone apert. I really enjoyed the Caribbean accent for some of the characters.
The writing was slow in the first half of the book for me. The events towards the end felt forced and rushed at times, with months of political tension and resistance basically glossed over in a few sentences. I struggled to connect with the last quarter of the book and didn't understand why the main character's quest to improve the lives of her people was not given the time and attention to detail it should have been given. I feel like there was opportunity there to do some interesting things. The closer towards the end, the more I stopped enjoying the book, and kind of hate the ending. That whole last quarter took this book from what could have been 4 stars to my 3 star rating, and I feel like it should be 3.5 stars, if I could give half-stars.
Countess is a short novella that is a sci-fi version of inter-planetary colonialism inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo. The character arc for Virika sees her going from empire loyalism, to falsely accused for treason and imprisoned in basically hell, which sets her on her path to seek justice for herself and her impoverished and colonialized people.
My heart did break for Virika during her trial and imprisonment. The voice actor did a really good job of portraying her depression, heart-break, frustration and other emotions. There were individual voices, accents and personalities for the different characters, and I could tell everyone apert. I really enjoyed the Caribbean accent for some of the characters.
The writing was slow in the first half of the book for me. The events towards the end felt forced and rushed at times, with months of political tension and resistance basically glossed over in a few sentences. I struggled to connect with the last quarter of the book and didn't understand why the main character's quest to improve the lives of her people was not given the time and attention to detail it should have been given. I feel like there was opportunity there to do some interesting things. The closer towards the end, the more I stopped enjoying the book, and kind of hate the ending. That whole last quarter took this book from what could have been 4 stars to my 3 star rating, and I feel like it should be 3.5 stars, if I could give half-stars.
June 13, 2025
3.5, rounding up for GR. Countess is a queer woman-centered take on Monte Cristo set in a universe in which some planets – Caribbean inspired ones – are exploited for their resources and labour by a centralized colonial power.
What I liked about this: it’s well written, and strikes a good balance between faithfulness and deviation from the reference text. One doesn’t need to have read Count of Monte Cristo for this to make sense. It’s fast paced, exciting, and includes meaningful queer representation without queerness being too much of a plot point.
What didn’t work: I love a novella, but this was too short. There is a lot of action and a significant amount of time – over a decade – elapses over the course of the book, and 160 pages just isn’t enough room to fit everything in without some parts (including the climax and ending) feeling rushed. The result is that massive shifts – including the main character’s transition from faithful soldier of the Empire to resistance fighter – seem to happen instantaneously and feel superficial.
Content warnings: violence, sexism, misogyny, sexual assault, racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, classism, colonialism, forcible confinement, torture, suicide, death of a parent, grief
What I liked about this: it’s well written, and strikes a good balance between faithfulness and deviation from the reference text. One doesn’t need to have read Count of Monte Cristo for this to make sense. It’s fast paced, exciting, and includes meaningful queer representation without queerness being too much of a plot point.
What didn’t work: I love a novella, but this was too short. There is a lot of action and a significant amount of time – over a decade – elapses over the course of the book, and 160 pages just isn’t enough room to fit everything in without some parts (including the climax and ending) feeling rushed. The result is that massive shifts – including the main character’s transition from faithful soldier of the Empire to resistance fighter – seem to happen instantaneously and feel superficial.
Content warnings: violence, sexism, misogyny, sexual assault, racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, classism, colonialism, forcible confinement, torture, suicide, death of a parent, grief
October 30, 2025
Actual rating 2.5 ⭐️
Have you ever wondered - what if The Count of Monte Cristo was a sapphic space opera? Me neither but I was definitely intrigued by the idea!
I liked the premise of this book, but it didn’t blow me away. Self admittedly I have a harder time being invested in Sci-fi stories/characters so take that with a grain of salt. I did really appreciate the Caribbean spin on anti-colonialism being the overarching theme.
My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. We weren’t well informed of the passage of time, some chunks were completely glossed over while others were more fleshed out. I think we were trying to do too much in too few chapters. Some of the story could have really benefited from having time to be fleshed out.
Have you ever wondered - what if The Count of Monte Cristo was a sapphic space opera? Me neither but I was definitely intrigued by the idea!
I liked the premise of this book, but it didn’t blow me away. Self admittedly I have a harder time being invested in Sci-fi stories/characters so take that with a grain of salt. I did really appreciate the Caribbean spin on anti-colonialism being the overarching theme.
My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. We weren’t well informed of the passage of time, some chunks were completely glossed over while others were more fleshed out. I think we were trying to do too much in too few chapters. Some of the story could have really benefited from having time to be fleshed out.
June 7, 2025
Ghost planets with rings made of bones, prison pits where songbirds are thrown to die, and a revolution that will not be subdued.
This is a fast-paced space opera that does not shy away from the necessity of violence and sacrifice, the harsh reality of subjugation, political and economic intrigue, and transcendent transformation. It deals with complex themes in a nuanced way, and introduces a protagonist who is fueled by spite as much as she is fueled by love.
This is a fast-paced space opera that does not shy away from the necessity of violence and sacrifice, the harsh reality of subjugation, political and economic intrigue, and transcendent transformation. It deals with complex themes in a nuanced way, and introduces a protagonist who is fueled by spite as much as she is fueled by love.
January 31, 2025
I don't know how the author captured the spirit of Count of Monte Cristo, a favourite book and movie of mine, but she hit this one out of the park. This was the perfect blend of sci-fi, Caribbean history, revenge, and the downfall of colonialism. The epigraph says it all. I can't wait to read more by Suzan Palumbo.
March 17, 2025
I couldn't get into this one. I tried but I don't think it's for me. 2.5 ⭐ rounded up for the cover.
July 29, 2024
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. In this case, a woman unjustly imprisoned. I would watch this as TV mini series in a heartbeat.
Disclaimer that I’ve not read The Count of Monte Cristo, but I know the plot of the book. I saw a few people gave The Countess poor reviews for being a novella. And while I agree it could easily have been longer, it is still outstanding. A space opera is perfect for the story the line.
There are many deep emotions, rage, and social issues in this book. If it doesn’t make you angry and ready for a revolution, I would be surprised.
Why I gave it 4/5 stars:
- The initial set up of the book was a bit dry, but it picks up pretty fast.
- There are a lot of planets (?) (places) and characters name dropped, I assume for the sake of world building. Which in a novella format was overwhelming.
- Some scenes I wanted more of were rushed. I really craved more descriptors, more vibes.
- The ending, while powerful, felt rushed.
Overall I loved this book! And I would recommend it to fans of space operas like Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. If you are ready for a revolution, this is for you.
Thank you to Net Galley and ECW press for this ARC copy. All opinions are my own.
Disclaimer that I’ve not read The Count of Monte Cristo, but I know the plot of the book. I saw a few people gave The Countess poor reviews for being a novella. And while I agree it could easily have been longer, it is still outstanding. A space opera is perfect for the story the line.
There are many deep emotions, rage, and social issues in this book. If it doesn’t make you angry and ready for a revolution, I would be surprised.
Why I gave it 4/5 stars:
- The initial set up of the book was a bit dry, but it picks up pretty fast.
- There are a lot of planets (?) (places) and characters name dropped, I assume for the sake of world building. Which in a novella format was overwhelming.
- Some scenes I wanted more of were rushed. I really craved more descriptors, more vibes.
- The ending, while powerful, felt rushed.
Overall I loved this book! And I would recommend it to fans of space operas like Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. If you are ready for a revolution, this is for you.
Thank you to Net Galley and ECW press for this ARC copy. All opinions are my own.
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