Before the Brittle Sea is a historical prequel set in the years before disaster reshaped the modern world.

In the shipyards of New York, Liverpool, and Belfast, a young man learns how power hides in ledgers, signatures, and silence. William Harker believes survival means knowing when to look away, when to comply, and when to take what is offered, no matter the cost.

Thousands of miles away, in the villages of Ukraine, Magda Asparov learns a different lesson. Survival demands resolve, restraint, and the courage to decide who you will not become, even when the world leaves you little choice.

Their lives unfold in parallel, shaped by corruption, ambition, and quiet compromises, as industry accelerates and the promise of steel begins to crack.

This standalone novella introduces the origins of two central figures whose choices echo throughout The Brittle Saga Trilogy, beginning with The Brittle Sea.