I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Jitterbug by Gareth L. Powell Published by Titan Books on March 3 2026
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 336
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: High stakes, big action, political intrigue and humor join forces in Gareth L. Powell’s latest, a fun, fast paced sci-fi adventure with heart.
“Never forget, Copernicus, that just like the rest of us, you are the product of coincidence and luck.”
Gareth L. Powell is one of the most creative writers I’ve had the pleasure to read, and his latest space opera Jitterbug takes that creativity to the next level. And while this didn’t quite hit the highs of some of his previous books, it was so much fun. If you’re a Powell fan you’ll recognize some of his trademark elements, like the found family trope, sentient space ships and plenty of humor. Fans of Firefly will have a blast!
Copernicus Brown is the captain of the Jitterbug, a ship that he inherited from his father Malcolm. Ever since the shocking events surrounding Jupiter and Saturn sixty years ago, when an alien entity disassembled the planets and created a new “planet” out of them called the Swirl, new opportunities for income have arisen. Copernicus is a bounty hunter, going after criminals who often hide out in remote areas of the Swirl, and along with his crew—pilot Kiki, engineer Ulf, and his cousin McKenzie—they scrape by, hoping for the next big job.
One day they are heading to Mars when they answer a distress call. They arrive to find a destroyed freighter and a pirate ship, and lurking in the debris of the freighter is a woman who calls herself Amber Roth. Copernicus brings her aboard only to find out she’s concealing a data crystal with military grade encrypted information. When the data is finally accessed, it’s grim news: something big is headed through space towards the Swirl, and a ticking countdown clock suggests whatever it is will arrive soon.
With the help of his crew, a political advisor named Danielle Lanzo, and the Jitterbug itself (as well as Roth’s ship the Slinky Lynx), Copernicus must figure out a plan to save the world, all while facing the demons in his past.
Let’s talk about the Swirl first, since it’s such a fascinating idea. It’s almost like a manufactured planet, composed of eight segments that surround the sun like sections of an orange peel (at least that’s how the author describes it). There are two sides to each segment, separated by a mile of dense material: the bright inside edge, and the darker, outside edge which is exposed to the stars. It’s so vast that most of it is unoccupied. Powell uses just enough scientific jargon to make it all seem plausible, while allowing readers to easily grasp the concept. It also plays a big part in the final battle, and if you’re wondering who created it, well, you’ll have to read the book to find out!
My other favorite element was the sentient ships, a trope I adore. Jitterbug has a physical avatar in the form of a parrot, which makes it easy for the ship to “accompany” Copernicus anywhere. After the crew intercepts the Slinky Lynx, that ship’s sentience becomes part of the story in a very cool way. Jitterbug and Slinky Lynx even meet in virtual space as their avatars to make plans when things start to go sideways, giving the ships a new way of expressing themselves.
The chapters alternate among several characters’ first person points of view, including Copernicus, Jitterbug, Amber Roth and Danielle Lanzo (who provides an interesting political perspective). We also get lots of backstory for each character—how they ended up here, past secrets and traumas, etc.—although I would have liked more “show” and less “tell” during these sections. I also liked the online message board “ads” at the end of each chapter: “BOUNTY: C134K New Luna Credits for capture of ‘Light-fingered’ Lou De La Fosse. Wanted for embezzlement. Believed to be on Swirl Segments #2 or #3.” They immerse the reader even further into this world, and I thought they were a nice touch.
What didn’t work as well for me was the length of the book. I do love the punchiness of a shorter page count, but sometimes it hurts the story. In this case, there is a surprise twist that happens in the last fifty pages that felt a bit rushed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cool, mind-bending twist, but it’s very complex, and the explanations didn’t completely work and left me confused. I think with more time to build the suspense and allow the reader to catch up with the crazy action, it would have been more successful. There’s also a romance between Copernicus and Roth that seems to come out of nowhere, and although it’s a crucial later in the story, it would have been nice to see more development.
But aside from that, Jitterbug is another winner from an author who consistently puts out quality stories. Readers looking for a shorter sci-fi romp will love this.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Im glad you enjoyed this one overall. I always love the kind of character backstory depth that you’ve mentioned here – although its a shame it had a bit of a ‘tell’ feel to it – and am very curious about the sentient ship. I think I’m going to try the authors 2025 release first but maybe circle back to this one if that goes well.
Hmm, this does sound fun! I’ve read a couple of other reviews and the reception seems a little mixed, but it sounds worth a try to me.