What do you think?
Rate this book
The Jewel and the Comet
Not yet published
Expected 18 Aug 26A quirky new space opera featuring charming characters and sarcastic spaceships. Perfect for fans of Seven Devils.
Glenn is a normal graduate student (aside from his kinkiness and genderfluidity), living a normal life with his normal girlfriend, Vivy. Until he finds out that Vivy isn’t as ordinary as he thought – she’s a spy for an interdimensional agency.
After a cruel twist of fate, Vivy gets called away on a scouting trip to stop a rogue comet, and Glenn finds himself pulled away from his normal life and on an adventure he never asked for, having to navigate the multiverse with only a snarky starship as his guide.
Set on two separate missions, both Glenn and Vivy must face dangerous foes – with Glenn battling an evil cult leader with a limitless supply of power, and Vivy trying to recover a stolen jewel that can devastate entire universes.
Their paths will cross again, but first they must recover the jewel, stop the cult, and avoid a full-blown war with aliens from neighbouring realities, all while navigating their own interpersonal issues.
A humorous and thrilling space opera with a hint of romance that will have readers on the edge of their seats and rooting for the characters, despite all the odds stacked against them.
Glenn is a normal graduate student (aside from his kinkiness and genderfluidity), living a normal life with his normal girlfriend, Vivy. Until he finds out that Vivy isn’t as ordinary as he thought – she’s a spy for an interdimensional agency.
After a cruel twist of fate, Vivy gets called away on a scouting trip to stop a rogue comet, and Glenn finds himself pulled away from his normal life and on an adventure he never asked for, having to navigate the multiverse with only a snarky starship as his guide.
Set on two separate missions, both Glenn and Vivy must face dangerous foes – with Glenn battling an evil cult leader with a limitless supply of power, and Vivy trying to recover a stolen jewel that can devastate entire universes.
Their paths will cross again, but first they must recover the jewel, stop the cult, and avoid a full-blown war with aliens from neighbouring realities, all while navigating their own interpersonal issues.
A humorous and thrilling space opera with a hint of romance that will have readers on the edge of their seats and rooting for the characters, despite all the odds stacked against them.
400 pages, Paperback
Expected publication August 18, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’m going to presume (!?), prospective Reader, that you’ve read the publisher’s blurb and therefore have an idea of what Tim Pratt’s new sci-fi novel, The Jewel and the Comet, is about. It may seem … familiar: unique characters, human and non-human; a shadowy organization operating in multiple dimensions; and a powerful Big Bad that must be stopped. What sets this particular story apart from the rest? In a word: heart. There’s a ton of heart in these characters, especially the couple taking turns telling us this tale: Gwen/Glenn and Vivy. Ultimately — to me — this is a story about trying to make a connection to someone (or thing) else, and recovering from the mistakes made in doing so. It was a fast-paced, fun, read that I enjoyed a lot.
This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for that purpose. The book will be available on August 18, 2026.
I’ve recently begun working my way through Iain M. Banks’ Culture books and found some distant parallels in this story, including sentient non-human intelligences operating as spaceships, exotic weaponry and implanted ‘upgrades,’ and the organization Gwen/Glenn and Vivy work for has a whiff of Special Circumstances about it, too. Banks was a bit more circumspect in describing the hedonistic proclivities of his characters, but one wonders if that would be true today if he was still alive and writing about the Culture. Too, although there is at times some humor in the Culture stories I’ve read, they have been much darker in tone than The Jewel and the Comet.
About that blurb, which includes the words genderfluidity and kink. I’ll further presume (?!), Prospective Reader, if you’re here, scanning reviews, that you’re not put off by these terms. Gwen/Glenn (and why is ‘Glenn’ mentioned in the blurb when most of the book features Gwen?) provides an illuminating description of the former and how the latter factors into their relationship with Vivy. That they are, and do, brings nuance and a deeper understanding of who they are as characters, but the main storyline would be the same if they were not, and did not. In other words, this is an exciting and fun sci-fi tale whose characters happen to be … who they are.
Fast-paced action, nuanced characters — heroes and villains, humans and not — and an interesting multi-dimensional setting, make The Jewel and the Comet a great read.
This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for that purpose. The book will be available on August 18, 2026.
I’ve recently begun working my way through Iain M. Banks’ Culture books and found some distant parallels in this story, including sentient non-human intelligences operating as spaceships, exotic weaponry and implanted ‘upgrades,’ and the organization Gwen/Glenn and Vivy work for has a whiff of Special Circumstances about it, too. Banks was a bit more circumspect in describing the hedonistic proclivities of his characters, but one wonders if that would be true today if he was still alive and writing about the Culture. Too, although there is at times some humor in the Culture stories I’ve read, they have been much darker in tone than The Jewel and the Comet.
About that blurb, which includes the words genderfluidity and kink. I’ll further presume (?!), Prospective Reader, if you’re here, scanning reviews, that you’re not put off by these terms. Gwen/Glenn (and why is ‘Glenn’ mentioned in the blurb when most of the book features Gwen?) provides an illuminating description of the former and how the latter factors into their relationship with Vivy. That they are, and do, brings nuance and a deeper understanding of who they are as characters, but the main storyline would be the same if they were not, and did not. In other words, this is an exciting and fun sci-fi tale whose characters happen to be … who they are.
Fast-paced action, nuanced characters — heroes and villains, humans and not — and an interesting multi-dimensional setting, make The Jewel and the Comet a great read.
July 9, 2026
3.5/5 stars
The Jewel and the Comet is a multiversal space opera by Tim Pratt and is technically a sequel to The Knife and the Serpent. Glenn/Gwen is a kinky, genderfluid grad student whose girlfriend and domme, Vivy, has been revealed to be both an alien and a spy for the Interventionists, an interdimensional anarchist agency. When two mysterious artifacts from the furthest reaches of the knowable multiverse arrive in theirs, Vivy and Glenn, now a junior probationary trainee, are sent on separate missions to investigate them. The jewel and the comet may become the greatest threats the multiverse has ever faced, and the Interventionists must recover them before they fall into the wrong hands.
Although marketed as a standalone novel set in the same universe as The Knife and the Serpent, this is essentially a direct sequel featuring mostly returning characters on a new mission. Since I hadn’t read the first book, I can confirm that it still works as a standalone. Glenn opens the novel with a brief recap of the previous story, which was enough to get me up to speed without any confusion. That said, I do think I would have appreciated this book more had I read its predecessor first.
Overall, I found the book to be just alright, though it ultimately wasn’t my kind of science fiction. Its brand of absurdity doesn’t always quite work for me, and the tone often felt less serious than the story needed. It was still a fun read, however, and I can see the humor landing well for readers who enjoy this style. I also appreciated the inclusion of Glenn (who spends most of the novel as Gwen) and their genderfluidity, which remains an underrepresented aspect of queerness in media. As for the kink elements, they were much less thoroughly explored here, though perhaps more so in the first book.
My biggest issue was that the plot felt underdeveloped. At just 264 pages, the novel moves at such a rapid pace that there’s little time to build tension or flesh out its new characters, especially the main antagonist, Cutter. Aside from a late reveal about her backstory, she never develops beyond feeling somewhat cartoonish. I also think making the artifacts effectively all-powerful was a misstep, as the story constantly has to invent ways to limit or negate their abilities. As a result, it became difficult to believe that Gwen, Vivy, and their allies ever had a realistic chance against such an overwhelmingly powerful foe, even with the restrictions placed.
The Jewel and the Comet is an imaginative multiversal adventure that was entertaining but also left me wishing it had been given more space to breathe.
*Thank you Angry Robot Books for the early copy!
The Jewel and the Comet is a multiversal space opera by Tim Pratt and is technically a sequel to The Knife and the Serpent. Glenn/Gwen is a kinky, genderfluid grad student whose girlfriend and domme, Vivy, has been revealed to be both an alien and a spy for the Interventionists, an interdimensional anarchist agency. When two mysterious artifacts from the furthest reaches of the knowable multiverse arrive in theirs, Vivy and Glenn, now a junior probationary trainee, are sent on separate missions to investigate them. The jewel and the comet may become the greatest threats the multiverse has ever faced, and the Interventionists must recover them before they fall into the wrong hands.
Although marketed as a standalone novel set in the same universe as The Knife and the Serpent, this is essentially a direct sequel featuring mostly returning characters on a new mission. Since I hadn’t read the first book, I can confirm that it still works as a standalone. Glenn opens the novel with a brief recap of the previous story, which was enough to get me up to speed without any confusion. That said, I do think I would have appreciated this book more had I read its predecessor first.
Overall, I found the book to be just alright, though it ultimately wasn’t my kind of science fiction. Its brand of absurdity doesn’t always quite work for me, and the tone often felt less serious than the story needed. It was still a fun read, however, and I can see the humor landing well for readers who enjoy this style. I also appreciated the inclusion of Glenn (who spends most of the novel as Gwen) and their genderfluidity, which remains an underrepresented aspect of queerness in media. As for the kink elements, they were much less thoroughly explored here, though perhaps more so in the first book.
My biggest issue was that the plot felt underdeveloped. At just 264 pages, the novel moves at such a rapid pace that there’s little time to build tension or flesh out its new characters, especially the main antagonist, Cutter. Aside from a late reveal about her backstory, she never develops beyond feeling somewhat cartoonish. I also think making the artifacts effectively all-powerful was a misstep, as the story constantly has to invent ways to limit or negate their abilities. As a result, it became difficult to believe that Gwen, Vivy, and their allies ever had a realistic chance against such an overwhelmingly powerful foe, even with the restrictions placed.
The Jewel and the Comet is an imaginative multiversal adventure that was entertaining but also left me wishing it had been given more space to breathe.
*Thank you Angry Robot Books for the early copy!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Tim Pratt’s The Jewel and the Comet left me with the distinct impression that several essential drafts never happened. It’s sold as space opera, but the sci‑fi elements feel more like decorative stickers than actual worldbuilding. A few ideas show up, linger briefly, and disappear before they can matter. Nothing is developed, nothing is grounded, and the pacing is so frantic that even the potentially interesting pieces slide past without impact.
What the book does commit to is a constant stream of gender fluidity, kink‑adjacent details, and sexual themes. They’re not explored with depth or intention — they’re simply omnipresent. If the goal was to center identity, the book achieves that. But then it should be marketed accordingly, with proper content warnings. As sci‑fi, it barely scratches the surface.
The pacing is exhausting. Scenes rush by as if the author was trying to outrun his own plot. There’s no tension, no atmosphere, no moment where the story slows down enough to let the reader invest in anything.
The dialogue doesn’t help. It tries to be witty, but the humor feels strained and oddly juvenile. Characters speak in quips that don’t land, and the tone repeatedly undercuts whatever seriousness the story attempts to muster.
This is a relatively short book, yet I struggled to finish it. I don’t remember the last time a novel this brief felt like such a chore. For a book under 300 pages, it took me an absurd amount of time to get through — not because it was dense, but because it was chaotic and absurd.
By the end, the novel doesn’t offer much: no memorable characters, no coherent world, no emotional weight, and no stylistic merit to compensate for the chaos. In my opinion, the book could been significantly better if it had trimmed half of its noise and actually committed to telling a story.
ARC provided by Angry Robot via NetGalley; thoughts are entirely my own.
What the book does commit to is a constant stream of gender fluidity, kink‑adjacent details, and sexual themes. They’re not explored with depth or intention — they’re simply omnipresent. If the goal was to center identity, the book achieves that. But then it should be marketed accordingly, with proper content warnings. As sci‑fi, it barely scratches the surface.
The pacing is exhausting. Scenes rush by as if the author was trying to outrun his own plot. There’s no tension, no atmosphere, no moment where the story slows down enough to let the reader invest in anything.
The dialogue doesn’t help. It tries to be witty, but the humor feels strained and oddly juvenile. Characters speak in quips that don’t land, and the tone repeatedly undercuts whatever seriousness the story attempts to muster.
This is a relatively short book, yet I struggled to finish it. I don’t remember the last time a novel this brief felt like such a chore. For a book under 300 pages, it took me an absurd amount of time to get through — not because it was dense, but because it was chaotic and absurd.
By the end, the novel doesn’t offer much: no memorable characters, no coherent world, no emotional weight, and no stylistic merit to compensate for the chaos. In my opinion, the book could been significantly better if it had trimmed half of its noise and actually committed to telling a story.
ARC provided by Angry Robot via NetGalley; thoughts are entirely my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I liked this just fine but a few things prevented me from loving it.
I didn’t expect this to be so overtly sexual. I was expecting quirky fun space crew but it was much more focused on Glen/Gwyn’s pronouns (explained often why they choose them) and what they’re into sexually. I feel it didn’t add anything to the already minimal plot and took away from the story. It doesn’t offend me at all to talk about any of that but it just started getting old when you had to read the reasoning for each pronoun selection a third time by like chapter 5. If you’re going to spend a lot of time on repeated plot elements, the book needs to be long enough to accommodate the story. The conflict of the plot was super rushed and not well explained and I feel if more time was spent on that focus it would have been more entertaining for a broader audience. I liked all the characters and the humor was perfect in my opinion, so if there ends up being a sequel, I’d probably check it out.
Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I didn’t expect this to be so overtly sexual. I was expecting quirky fun space crew but it was much more focused on Glen/Gwyn’s pronouns (explained often why they choose them) and what they’re into sexually. I feel it didn’t add anything to the already minimal plot and took away from the story. It doesn’t offend me at all to talk about any of that but it just started getting old when you had to read the reasoning for each pronoun selection a third time by like chapter 5. If you’re going to spend a lot of time on repeated plot elements, the book needs to be long enough to accommodate the story. The conflict of the plot was super rushed and not well explained and I feel if more time was spent on that focus it would have been more entertaining for a broader audience. I liked all the characters and the humor was perfect in my opinion, so if there ends up being a sequel, I’d probably check it out.
Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Entertaining, witty, and fast-paced space opera.
I received this book from NetGalley. Thank you to Tim Pratt and Angry Robot. All opinions are my own.
I received this book from NetGalley. Thank you to Tim Pratt and Angry Robot. All opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews