New Book Spotlight

Jitterbug

A mini-interview with Gareth L. Powell

Tell us about your new book?

Jitterbug is set in the near future, only a couple of generations hence, in a solar system in which a mysterious force has disassembled the outer planets and converted their mass into sections of a huge liveable sphere around the sun. When criminals try to lose themselves on this new frontier, bounty hunters like Copernicus Brown and the crew of his sentient ship Jitterbug get paid to hunt them down. But when Brown rescues Amber Roth, sole survivor of a pirate attack, the Jitterbug and her crew find themselves the target of powerful political factions who want control of the data chip hidden in Roth’s stomach. And all the while, something vast and ancient creeps towards them from the depths of space…

What aspect of the book was the most fun to write?

I wanted a freewheeling Cowboy Bebop vibe mixed with the political skullduggery of The Expanse, so the whole thing was a great deal of fun, especially towards the end where things get a little… twisty.

If there is one emotion or theme that you would hope that the reader connects with, what would that be? 

I think the theme of this book is that individuals can make a huge difference to the world, if they are in the right place at the right time, and that our decisions shape our reality.