Sun Eater: The Lesser Devil by Christopher Ruocchio (2020)

I am reading the Sun Eater books in story order rather than publication order, and this novella appears between the first and second novels. The placement immediately suggests what the book is: a side quest rather than a major installment in the central narrative.

The story follows Crispin Marlowe, the brother of Hadrian Marlowe, as he becomes involved in an assassination plot. The novella expands the setting, provides a different perspective on the Sollan Empire, and adds depth to characters who are likely to become more important later in the series.

While reading it, I was reminded of writing exercises that authors sometimes use to discover their characters. Such exercises place a character into a difficult situation and explore how that character thinks, reacts, and changes. I remember completing similar assignments during my own misspent youth writing unpublished fiction. The Lesser Devil often feels like that sort of exercise. The story helps Ruocchio flesh out personalities, motivations, and relationships that exist outside Hadrian's immediate experience.

The novella is enjoyable enough, but its scope is narrow and its connection to the main story arc is limited. Readers invested in the larger series will appreciate the additional context and characterization. Readers looking for major developments in the central narrative may find the book somewhat incidental.

I am glad I read it, but I would not consider it essential. 3/5 stars.