The Lesser Devil
Ratings51
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings51
Average rating3.8
CAN THE YOUNGEST SON OF A NOBLE HOUSE SAVE HIS FAMILY FROM A PLOT GENERATIONS IN THE MAKING?Crispin Marlowe grew up in his brother's shadow, but Hadrian is gone, and his grandmother-the duchess of Delos-is dying.Answering her summons, Crispin takes off on what should be a routine flight to the ducal palace from the castle at Devil's Rest. But he is flying into a trap. There are whispers of treachery among the duchess's many daughters, rumors of hidden knives in the planet's court . . . if he can even make it thereWith no one coming to save him and only his sister, Sabine, and a few injured guardsmen to protect him, House Marlowe's least famous son must make his heroic stand, and contend not only the foes arrayed against his house, but with the cultists who dwell in the mountains above his family's ancestral home . . . .PRAISE FOR THE LESSER DEVIL: "A deep and vividly told story that promises an even larger epic in the main body of the series. It's science fiction in the vein and legacy of Dune with its own satisfying voice." - R.R. Virdi, Two-Time Dragon Award-Finalist, Nebula-Finalist, Amazon Bestselling AuthorPRAISE FOR CHRISTOPHER RUOCCHIO: "Empire of Silence is epic science fiction at its most genuinely epic. Ruocchio has made something fascinating here, and I can't wait to see what he does next." -James S.A. Corey, New York Times-bestselling author of The Expanse novels"Empire of Silence is a rich tapestry of future history and worldbuilding, a galactic-sized story of a hero, a tyrant, but portrayed as a man." -Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times-bestselling author of The Dark Between the Stars "Space opera fans will savor the rich details of Ruocchio's far-future debut, which sets the scene for a complicated series.... Readers who like a slow-building story with a strong character focus will find everything they're looking for in this series opener." -Publishers Weekly"Although stretched across a vast array of planets, the story line is often more focused on the intimate than on the expanse, giving it a wonderful emotional punch. This wow book is a must for fans of Pierce Brown and Patrick Rothfuss." -Library Journal (starred review)
Featured Series
6 primary books14 released booksThe Sun Eater is a 14-book series with 6 primary works first released in 1950 with contributions by Christopher Ruocchio, L.J. Hachmeister, and 11 others.
Reviews with the most likes.
Was a pretty good and quick read. Wasn't a huge Crispin fan in EOS but here he was a lot more bearable and likeable. Now onwards to Howling Dark.
Political intrigue with a decent helping of a familiar ideology. You encounter some original characters from the debut novel to help expand the original settings world and development. It’s an entertaining novella that offers a different perspective to the Marlowe family line.
A short novel about Hadrian's misunderstood(?) brother. It is well written, I actually enjoyed first 100 pages more than I enjoyed Empire of Silence because the book was showing how things have changed on Delos and third person narration was refreshing. But second half gets too predictable. Nevertheless, it was fascinating to see adult Crispin. He is perhaps... too likeable compared to what he was in EoS but maybe Hadrian had more influence on him than we thought.
He needs a therapy, though. This book takes place about 30 or even 40 years after Hadrian left Delos but Crispin still keeps thinking about him every chance he gets. I knew of father and mother issues, apparently Crispin has brother issues. If Hadrian wasn't mentioned so often I think it would only improve Crispin's story because it would have made him more independent.
I understand that the novel was written after EoS was sold but before it was published and so there was probably desire to connect it tighter to the main story but I really think it wasn't necessary to invoke his name in almost every chapter.
