The Lesser Devil

- First Released
- April 14, 2020
- Publisher
- Highmatter Books
- Cover Artist
- Peter Ruocchio
- Word Count
- 59,000
- Series
- Sun Eater, Book 1.1
- Succeeds
- Empire of Silence
- Precedes
- Howling Dark

- First Released
- April 14, 2020
- Publisher
- Highmatter Books
- Cover Artist
- Peter Ruocchio
- Word Count
- 59,000
- Series
- Sun Eater, Book 1.1
- Succeeds
- Empire of Silence
- Precedes
- Howling Dark
For my brothers, Matthew and Andrew. I'll say it just this once: I love you both.
— The Lesser Devil dedication
The Lesser Devil is the first novella in the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. It tells the story of Crispin Marlowe and his first encounter with an ancient cult living in the mountains of Delos. A tale of legacy, leadership, and treachery, it was first published by Highmatter Books (Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing) on April 14, 2020. The events of The Lesser Devil are preceded by Empire of Silence and followed by Howling Dark.
Full The Lesser Devil spoliers below, proceed with caution.
Synopsis
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 there.
With 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 . . .
— Synopsis from Highmatter Books
Summary
Pending Summary Information
Broadly summarize the book here. It should be no more than a few paragraphs.
Publications
Print and Ebooks
Edition | Cover | Publisher | Cover Artist | Interior Artist | Format | Pages | Dimensions (MM) | ISBN-13 | Publication Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Edition | ![]() |
Highmatter Books (Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing) | Peter Ruocchio | N/A | Ebook | 205 | N/A | B0852RDGDH (ASIN) | April 14, 2020 | Hardcover edition with reworked text and updated cover art in development, anticipated in AD 2026. |
Trade Paperback | 203 | 156 x 227 | 9798617354135 | April 14, 2020 | ||||||
Anderida Books Special Edition | ![]() |
Planet 9 Press | Kieran Yanner | N/A | Signed Hardcover | 459 | 143 x 223 | 9781838406387 | September 24, 2024 | Contains the Short Stories from Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1. Second printing (not numbered/lettered) published as part of a three-volume collection along with Queen Amid Ashes and Other Stories and The Dregs of Empire and Other Stories. A limited number of slipcases were offered for the set. Signed and Limited Edition; 500 Numbered / 52 Lettered. Lettered edition features textless cover art. |
Signed Numbered Edition | 459 | 143 x 223 | 9781838406301 | September 21, 2021 | ||||||
Signed Lettered Edition | 459 | 143 x 223 | N/A | September 21, 2021 |
Audiobooks
Publisher | Narrator | Runtime | Format | ISBN-13 | Publication Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Recorded Books | Samuel Roukin | 5h 46m | Unabridged | 9781980083153 | April 14, 2020 |
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