The story begins simply. On an interstellar vessel, the captain dies. Looking for a scapegoat, the new-to-ship officer, Virika Sameroo, is found guilty in what history would call a "kangaroo court." Tried, sentenced, and left for dead, Virika's journey has only just begun. What follows is a stirring tale as she transforms into a major threat against a corrupt government.

Science fiction has always been a platform for safely commenting on societal ills. Palumbo, a self-described Trinidadian-Canadian dark speculative fiction writer, creates from a world she knows. The novella is not as dark as her earlier work, aligning more with some of Dumas' writings. Here, she has produced a vivid character that I would like to see more of in the future.

Recommended for YA's and adults looking for something without a hint of genre snobbery.

Full disclosure: I received this ARC from NetGalley and ECW Press in exchange for an unbiased review.

A queer, Caribbean, anti-colonial sci-fi gender swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo? Here we go! The story follows Virika Sameroo who lives in a colonized space under the Æerbot Empire. She's worked hard to go up the ranks in the empire's merchant marine but when she's given the position of first lieutenant things begin to go wrong as Virika becomes accused of murder and those around her betray her. Now in prison and tortured... she plots her freedom and when she gets out revenge is hers. She has an empire to destroy, people to protect, and revenge against all those who had betrayed her on her mind. I am a huge fan of the Count of Monte Cristo, it's one of my favorite classics ever, so hearing it got a genderbent retelling with a queer character, I couldn't resist. This follows a lot of the original beats of the original story, which I appreciated, but definitely leaned heavier on the anti-colonialism story and departed from the classic, even the ending had me a bit "eh". I really wanted to like this but it just didn't have the magic or vibes that I was looking for in a new retelling of one of my favorite classics. If you are a fan of just sci-fi revenge stories that deal with anti-colonialism, I'd definitely recommend it for you!

Release Date: September 10,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and ECW Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

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.

Speculative fiction writer Suzan Palumbo’s book “Countess” is one of the most unique and well-developed sci-fi horror books to come out this year. Although I am not a fan of science fiction or the genre’s so-called “hard SF,” I am a huge fan of anything Suzan does, and I was eager to see what she would do with this universe. She starts off with Captain Virika Sameroo who is approaching Invicta, the most important planet of the Aecerbot Empire. She remembers staring at Invicta from an immigrant ship, Zarak, twenty years ago. Palumbo’s world-building jumps off the page with incorporations of Virika’s identity of brown skin and Exterran Antillean heritage. She’s on a ship that expects a Captain Kirk and not someone like Virika, and she fights this trapping with every fibre of her being. This also puts a strain on her as Palumbo juxtaposes the pressure on Virika to show nothing but strength while on the inside, she is struggling to keep things together.

Virika’s mother showed great worry before she went on this mission, and speaks in a Trinidanian accent which is awesome. Within the first few pages, Palumbo — like other SFF writers of colour, particularly form the Caribbean, including Nalo Hopkinson — disrupts any notions that this is going to be a typical sci-fi adventure or that it’s going to be like any of the popular media properties out there. The book is not simply a metaphor of layers of challenges that immigrant populations and refugees in crisis experience. “Countess” goes there boldly and doesn’t flinch.

I can’t describe beyond this how immersive and awesome this book is. And how much we need more books like it in sci-fi and fantasy sections—how we have needed so much more like this for years. And it is unapologetically, fiercely queer.

The details Palumbo has woven into the page-turning narrative are vivid and will keep readers wanting more.

Virika’s struggles with her family also form a large part of who she is and how she functions within the narrative with these dual modes of being.

She is imprisoned on false charges and things only get worse for her from there.

Everyone needs to pay very close attention to this book. It deserves the widest possible recognition for genre awards for which it is eligible, and needs to elevate Palumbo to greater heights.

Virika has given her life to the Empire. When her superior officer dies under mysterious circumstances, she is accused of murder and treason and imprisoned for 10 years. When she escapes, she only has one thing on her mind: revolution.

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I do not have words for how much I loved this sci fi novella twist on the Count of Monte Cristo. We get bits and pieces of an enormous universe with conflict and colonization affecting multiple planets, enough that we understand what’s going on, but never too much to feel like an info dump.

And in our very first introduction to Virika, we have a clear understanding of her character, the trials she’s gone through, her strength of will, and her desires. And my heart breaks for her. She gave up so much, trying to mold herself to be what she believed the Empire wanted her to be, and in the end it meant nothing.

The only thing I would complain about is the length. I would have happily read a novel equal in length to Dumas’s original novel for this story. I wanted so much more. More of the political intrigue, more of the romance, more of the revolution! Everything moved so quickly, even with the time jumps. I wanted to sink into this world, and it felt like I as rushed through.

Many thanks to both NetGalley and ECW Press for this arc!

Two stars for the book, plus one for the gorgeous cover!

For a book that's described as a Caribbean-infused, queer space opera retelling 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.

Brimming with rage, this is a clever reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo where the enemy is an oppressive system. This was a fascinating take on the story that will get you fired up and raging on the characters' behalf!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

This was a retelling for The Count of Monte Cristo with an anti-colonial perspective and queer representation. The bookcoffered a unique perspective in terms of the story plot. It was also very fast paced, so it was a quick read. In some ways I believe it was too quick because the characters development and relationships were lacking in different ways. The world building was okay. Overall, it was an okay story but somewhat underwhelming.

Thank you ECW Press and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a queer anti-colonial sci-fi retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo which I’ve never read before, so I can’t comment on how it is as a retelling, but as a novella in its own right, it’s SO good.

The plot of this book was absolutely gripping. It’s fast-paced, being only 160 pages, and it had me hooked the entire time. There were things I would have liked to have spent more time with, like when the main character is in prison hatching her plan, but overall I loved the plot.

Virika is a great main character. She’s strong and proud and incredibly sympathetic. It’s so easy to root for her, to want everything to go right for her, which I think is part of the reason I was so gripped by the story.

It was her relationships with other characters that I felt were a bit lacking. I didn’t feel any of Alba’s betrayal or the loss of Kalima or Dominique’s loss either. I would have liked this book to be longer just to establish these relationships more concretely for more emotional impact.

Nonetheless, I did really enjoy it and definitely recommend it if you’re after a quick read that packs a punch.

This was about a 3.5* for me. I enjoyed the adventure of it, and the anti colonialist and collective bargaining themes, and I love a gender swapped classic too even if I admit I've never fully read the Count of Monte Cristo. I thought the pace was fast but not terrible. I was hoping for a little more revenge in a revenge story, so the ending didn't really land for me as much as I'd hoped, but I can also appreciate the importance of a movement over an individual.

There were some substantial formatting issues on kindle (excessive line breaks in portions). This was an ARC from netgalley so hopefully that will be corrected before sale.

Space colonization had not been the great equalizer the capitalist billionaires had advertised. When their homes vanished due to the rising seas, the people of the Antillean islands found no sanctuary from any nation on Terra. With nowhere to go, they signed contracts that put them back in bondage, to work jobs on the far-flung mining and agricultural planets. [loc. 204]
This novella, described by the publisher as 'a queer Caribbean anti-colonial Count of Monte Cristo set in space', snagged my interest. Virika Sameroo lives in the Æcerbot Empire: the Exterran Antilles star system is nominally independent, but economically and politically subjugated by a number of competing empires. Virika has risen quickly to first lieutenant in the Æcerbot merchant fleet -- but when her captain dies under suspicious circumstances, a jealous rival frames her for murder and treason, and Virika is imprisoned in solitary confinement in the terrible Pit of the prison planet Tintaris. When she creates art in her cell, she's punished. She is medicated, without her consent. She has no hope of escape: but one of the warders, Kalima, is sympathetic to her plight. And finally Virika, with a decade's worth of rage, is free...

Countess has the framework of a good novel, but doesn't really work at novella level. There's little sense of the passage of time (that 'decade's worth of rage' comes from a random comment about something happening a decade ago) and the vengeance consists mostly of piracy and sabotage, with a side order of tracking down the rival who framed her. Virika's title of 'Countess' is never really justified, and her personal relationships feel shallow.

There is much to like here, but I'd have enjoyed it more at novel length with more depth, more sense of the interminable imprisonment, more explication of Virika's post-prison rise to success and happiness.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 10 SEP 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.

A betrayed marine seeks out revenge on the interplanetary empire that’s subjugated and wronged her and her people for generations in Suzan Palumbo’s Countess.
Virika Sameroo has worked hard to rise in the ranks of the Æerbot Empire’s merchant marine and when her captain falls ill and dies under suspicious circumstances Virika is arrested for murder, sedition, and treason. Imprisoned, Virika is determined to not lose herself or her past, drawing the faces of those she loves on the walls and cautiously befriending a guard, Kalima, who helps Virika to escape from the prison and reignite a rebellion against the empire. Using the chance to her advantage, Virika becomes the Countess of Sando and opens negotiations with the empire with the hope of bettering life for her people, but the empire’s greed and oppressive tendencies run deep, making the negotiations a deadlier endeavor than envisioned.
Inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo and situated within a colonized, Caribbean interstellar setting, the heavily condensed and swiftly moving narrative that covers many years in rapid succession remains a familiar tale, not only with the story from which it draws inspiration but also the anticolonial sentiments conveyed, which resonates as a pervasive refrain. A strong sense of identity is portrayed through Virika, both through her personally as she strives to maintain her sense of self and memories of loved ones while imprisoned and more broadly culturally as she struggles with the constraints and control the empire places upon those they’ve colonized and belittled. The titular Countess is a transformation of Virika and while portions of that transformation are briefly discussed and manifestation of her domineering presence is shown, a majority of how that persona came to be it is glossed over and the Countess is a powerful figure so being able to witness that growth would have been much more impactful to the plot for revenge that’s at the heart of the story.
Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Last year, Suzan Palumbo's short story collection Skin Thief 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 in the genre. I just wish the last half of the story could have lived up to the promise of the first half.

Thank you to Net Galley and ECW Press for the ARC. I was really excited to read this and enjoyed the beginning. Unfortunately, events in this book went by so fast, there was barely any space for me to care about the characters. The revenge was also really short and fast, I wish I could have seen more and also without saying too much, the ending did not satisfy.

This was really good! Such a fun way of considering earthly tensions and hatreds continued into space expansion.


Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.


Countess really is a queer, Caribbean, anti-colonial sci-fi story. None of these aspects are hidden or unclear. I was hungry throughout the novella because of the fantastic descriptions of Antilles’ dishes. And the accents of Antilleans continue into space. This is a novella that covers over a decade of time so there are bits that I wish were expanded, like the development of certain relationships or what Virika’s time post-prison was like a little bit more. But what is there is a really strong narrative of someone within the system realizing the system is what it is and always will be and fighting for her people. There are fantastical elements briefly briefly encountered and some talk of science, though not to any degree that would confuse a casual or serious reader of sci-fi.
I liked this novella a lot and wish there were more than 150 pages. A fun, sad read for me.

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.

A compelling narrative of why assimilation is not the answer to a society that hates you. It did spend a larger amount of the book than I would have liked on setting up the protagonist's circumstances, but that did build a world I could picture easily.

Thank you ECW Press and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A queer Caribbean take on Count of Monte Cristo I am so there! Virika has grown up under an empire that had colonized her people. Her people are treated poorly, but she has managed to make a name for herself in the military and when her Captain dies she finally gets a chance to lead. That is until she is arrested for the captains murder. Unwilling to allow injustice to happen she must clear her name and in the meantime she may just spark her people to rise up too. Can she save herself and her people? A short and quick read that’s exciting and full of adventure! A sci fi centered around revenge and revolution that speaks to fighting back against colonizers and those who see to oppress! Definitely worth the read!

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.