Sovereign: Transgression (Antius Ascending, #0.1)

by E R Arroyo

[shannonmiz]

Since I loved Sovereign and The Offering, I knew I had to jump at the chance to read Transgression, the first in a series of short stories in the Sovereign series. I knew this would be from the point of view of a supporting character, and when I found out it would be none other than the villain, Nathan Burke, I had mixed feelings. Often, the story of the villain is an attempt to get the reader to feel sympathy with the villain, to connect with him on some level. This is not that story.

No, this story is extremely honest about Burke's character. Yes, there were moments that I was empathetic toward him and toward his situations. But this isn't a story that is meant to sugarcoat a villain so he's "not such a bad guy", this is a gritty look into how Burke's mind works, what his motivations are, what makes him tick.

I was completely engrossed in this story. I loved being able to experience the inner workings of the series' madman. Also, this story takes place before the events in Sovereign, so it is a great chance to learn a bit about the world before Sovereign. I was definitely impressed with both the world building of the "before" (especially when done so well in such a short vehicle) and the character development of Nathan Burke. This is an absolute must read for any fan of the Sovereign series!

(Copy provided for review)