The Lesser Devil (Sun Eater) Paperback – February 25, 2020

Christopher Ruocchio knocks it out of the park on everything he writes in my opinion. I had no idea how much I would enjoy getting to hang with the little brother, Crispin.

3.5 Stars for this one. I liked the setup and payoff quite a bit. And it was good getting to understand Crispin better. But the middle of this was not up to the same level as I have seen in Empire of Silence. I believe this was written very quickly, and it kind of shows. Really looking forward to getting on with the main series again.

One of the best novellas that I’ve read to date, and I’ve read some pretty fantastic novellas through the years. When I saw that this was a story about Crispin during the time of Hadrian’s absence, I was really ecstatic to see what happened to him and to see if some theories I had came to fruition. I didn’t expect to come away from this story liking Crispin the way that I do now, I was expecting to see him end up as the really bad kid that got worse as an adult, but that wasn’t the case, and this story shows a major evolution into him and I truly hope there’s more to his story going forward.“If you answer violence with violence, you will inherit violence without end. Whoever slays the killer quickly discovers that killers are avenged sevenfold.”This novella feels like it was written to show the contrasts of the two brothers, Hadrian and Crispin. In Empire of Silence we got to see the pov of Hadrian and his inner thoughts on Crispin, now we get to see Crispin’s and just how much he actually looked up to him. I connected with Crispin on a much bigger level than I expected because as a little brother also, we can come off a bit annoying and sometimes seem like we are getting favored more to the older sibling. Beyond that though, I loved how action packed this was, with how Empire of Silence was more slow and methodical with some action which fit Hadrian’s personality, The Lesser Devil is near non-stop adrenaline ride that fits more woth Crispin’s.And of course I have to mention the stellar performance of Samuel Roukin, who knocks it out of the park again. Between him, Tim Gerard Reynolds & Steven Pacey, this may be the holy trinity of SFF narration, and I will stand firmly on that hill. I also have to mention Ruocchio’s incredible writing that just sucked me in from the get go. Just phenomenal storytelling, world build and character work.

An awesome read before heading into Howling Dark! Crispin is a great, well-written chracter! The world building is phenomenal and the action is off the charts!

For me? Its opposites. I like Crispin's dynamic with Sabine. He's direct. He knows what his short comings are. He doesn't over-bloviate words. It was telling that their Dad showed a smigin of affection with Sabine. Shocked me.Cheeky about the Baptists line. "Oh yes! They died out!" Oh my!You get a bit more on what the Chantry actually is. Sure, has elements of corrupted church but its akin to Tech Inquisition Bureaucracy to prevent rampant AI or tech abuses. Of course, like with anything that started off with basic goals? It grew into a monolith. (The setting is darker for this angle but still on par with Babylon 5 in terms of heroics vs darkness moments.)Crispin thinks he's useless but I find he's a good contrast to his sister. Even to Hadrian. You really get the idea hit home about how their parents were emotionally distant. Even with the daughter added in. Kyra was a nice callback to the first book. Insight into why she did help Hadrian in Silence. She had a bit of a mom roll for Sabine. Much like Gibson had a father role for Hadrian.At least in Dune, Paul was loved by his parents. Which is why I don't think its quite fair to books to make "This is an X meets Y brand!" comparison. Hoping my newer reviews will help people make choices. Sure, it can be a useful shorthand but I think it's a double edged sword.In the end? I think Crispin, if not the next ruler of Devil's Rest? Will be a nobler figure in the future. He's not the thug that Hadrian thought he was. Which adds to the fact that Hadrian's blinders will lead to more conflicts in the future. I do love the fact that he was a protective big brother to Sabine. They had a healthier dynamic.Crispin burns hot where Hadrian burns cold. If that makes sense. But each of them have their virtues. One cannot just make characters on faults alone.

Buy this! This is a must read for any Sun Eater fan. I look forward to more stories in this universe.