The Lesser Devil

The Lesser Devil is a fantastic novella from the Sun Eater universe that follows the series’ protagonist Hadrian’s younger brother (Crispin) some thirty years after Hadrian has escaped from their father’s clutches. Now usually I don’t listen to that many novellas simply because their short length doesn’t justify a full Audible credit when there are much longer stories that I could get for the same price. Here, however, I made an exception because this series is utterly fantastic, dancing that perfect balance of literary fiction with pacing that keeps you constantly wanting more. It was only after I decided to buy this novella that I discovered that it was (at the time of writing this) being offered for FREE on Audible, which immediately shone it in a good light from my perspective, and wouldn’t you know, I enjoyed it so much that I would have gladly paid full price if I’d had to.

Unlike the decades and sometimes centuries spanning timelines of other novels in this series, The Lesser Devil take place entirely over a couple of days, focusing entirely on an attempted assassination plot against Crispin and his younger sister Sabine. As with any of my novella reviews, I can’t really go too deep into the story without giving away too many spoilers, so all I’ll say is that Crispin and his sister are shot down and rescued by a secluded community of originally French Catholics, and from there things get rather kinetic. The story itself is simple, but as with the rest of the series, Ruocchio can wonderfully draw out what other authors might cover in a couple of chapters to produce some engaging and dramatic storytelling. Despite its size, this book manages to introduce and build not just the main character of Crispin who you genuinely care for but also a host of supporting characters with more much depth and substance than some other authors could squeeze out in a full-sized novel. One way I can always judge when a character has made a real impression on me is by how much I am dying to find out what happens to them after all the action of the main story has ended. There are two supporting characters that this happens with in this novella, and I was left truly hoping that either they or tales of their fates would crop up again later in the series because I became that invested in their success, let alone what I felt for Crispin himself.

Ruocchio is one of those authors that must have a background in philosophy or theology by the way he creates and dissects some of fantastic themes of human nature within his writing, and here he manages to do it within such a small wordcount without ever getting bogged down in the pacing cement-shoes that so many authors often fall into when tackling such issues. Here it is done via the opposing views of Crispin and his cohort against the archaic views of the Catholics they find themselves saved by. In a universe where heresy and inquisitions are very much a part of the cultural norm, finding a group that have wildly differing religious view but who are protected from any kind of persecution by imperial degree means that some of these more in-depth conflicts can be explored by the characters without fear of the usual censure and ignorance that might stifle too much introspection otherwise. This is a brilliant narrative device that allow for some fantastic philosophical exploration within the book and leaves you at the end having not just listened to a wonderful, action-packed story but having also come away maybe feeling a little wiser for your time.

In short, this book was a brilliant listen from start to finish. It had moments of true suspense and anxiety as well as deep, meaningful explorations of aspects of human nature. And on top of all that, there was plenty of action and even a laugh or two. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who has started the Sun Eater series, regardless of whether the title stays free or not. A great book.

As for narration, Saul Reichlin does a brilliant job both in his range of voices and delivery. It would be incredibly hard to impart some of the deep emotion of Ruocchio’s prose without having someone equally capable of delivering it audibly, and Reichlin does so like a true professional.

Personal Score: 4.75 stars

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Buy 'The Sage's Lot (Blood and Balance, Book 1)' here!