The Lesser Devil by Christopher Ruocchio 
Crispin lives with the memory and the shadow of his lost brother; was he kidnapped, did he run away? He's not sure, but Crispin just hopes he's all right, even if he almost did beat him half to death before he left... But when Crispin finds himself in a crisis with only a mysterious group of people to rely on, he realizes that his last hope as the lesser devil of the Marlow house is to be at the mercy of this strange and frightening group of people who worship an ancient God.
This review will contain spoilers under the blurred boxes, you've been warned!
Artistry and Craft
The Lesser Devil was a very interesting novella.
I found the pacing of the story, as well as the descriptions Ruocchio uses, to be very well done. It has a fast and captivating flow that is refreshing after reading his first book, Empire of Silence. I loved the implementation of Catholicism in sci-fi; I thought it was very thrilling to read in a "secular" book. Sci-fi usually has a speculative narrative to it, but showing the gospel and Catholicism apart from the usual critical tropes that can be found in most sci-fi books when referencing or alluding to Christianity was very refreshing.
This unbiased focus of Catholicism gave way to an inverted trope effect, diverting from what you find in other sci-fi novels when they're looking to critique religious systems— very often Catholicism, Christianity, or generally the messianic figure. In this placement, Catholicism is considered an ancient museum religion by the Chantry, the dominating religious force in the empire that Crispin lives in.
I wasn't expecting a secular book to share the gospel in the way The Lesser Devil did.
It's showing you why God and His word are important and true, rather than telling you why or preaching at the reader. It lets the reader come to their own conclusion, leaving the book's ending with a sense of an open-ended question that only the readers can reflect on.
I loved the insight into Crispin and how he operated, and loved to see his character growth. I think that he's probably one of my favourite characters in the Sun Eater world. Crispin is a character who's rough around the edges and has a questionable past, but learns to do right, and his desire to do right is cultivated into action. One of his most selfless acts in this book is inspired by Christ Jesus and a crucifix he finds in the church, which I really loved and found epic—that without knowing everything there is to know about Christ, witnessing a portrayal of His sacrifice alone inspires him to emulate Christ in following His sacrifice to protect others.I also appreciated how the writer didn't assume the reader knew what he was talking about when it came to the biblical narrative or story. When Christopher added religious elements, he didn't treat the audience as in or knowledgeable, but wove it into the story as something the readers gradually understand by the words and deeds of the characters rather than preaching to them. I found this part to be really refreshing.
Specifically, Crispin goes through a moral transformation and a relational transformation on how to care about others, and fosters the desire to care about others. Instead of crushing this desire when the going got tough, or when he went through situations where he could have easily let darkness and hatred drive him, he chose to let love and self-sacrifice drive him, choosing to let it grow.
This also gives a good explanation as to why the Chantry was made, and I feel like this is another aspect that will enrich my further readings into this series. ★★★★★
Themes and Messages
The novella asks what happens to the man who feels powerless when he's always been expected to have power and has had power over others.
Crispin at the beginning of the book—and in the first book of the Sun Eater series, Empire of Silence —is careless, a womanizer, vulgar, and brutish, not minding to kill slaves in the Colosso for the social benefits and acknowledgment of his people and his cold, indifferent father. But all this changes in the book; The Lesser Devil begins to care through the transformation of a huge growth arc, challenging his previous carelessness.
This book also quotes scripture, and not in a cliché way that's meant to signal to a particular community, whether Christian or not. This book focuses on one or two scriptures and lets the plot itself explore what that verse means until the main characters eventually understand what's happening around them.
What happens when Crispin has to rely on the generosity of others? Not because those people are expecting something from him, but when they claim that it is the right thing to do and that their God would want them to do it? ★★★★★
Final Thoughts
When I opened the book by Christopher Ruocchio, The Lesser Devil, I didn't think that I would be opening up a book that explored Catholics in space in the Sun Eater universe, I can't wait to read more about Christopher's world. This book isn't necessary for reading the Empire of Silence series, but it adds extra insight that changes the way readers think about character perspectives, which I find invaluable.
Overall, this medium-sized novella of two hundred pages was excellent, and I find it adds a lot of context to the Sun Eater universe, as well as a very satisfying redemption for the character Crispin. This novella also includes the backstory of the Marlowe house at the back of the book, after the novella ends, to help readers understand the history of the Marlowe family. I rate this book five out of five stars as my favourite book in the series thus far.
Content Discretion:
Death, greed, assassination attempt, child death, war, gore, language.
That's all folks! If you enjoyed the review, feel free to share it and/or leave a comment below. I'd love to hear your perspective! ❤❤❤
📬 Stay Updated! I've added a subscription option to my blog’s main page, so you can subscribe and receive email notifications whenever I post. 😊
Comments