The Litany of Vise

by Tripp Ainsworth

Lieutenant Olivia “Vise” Argenti serves in the Navy of Europa, a minor, neutral power orbiting Jupiter, caught between the remnants of Earth’s superpowers after World War III turned the planet into ash. While Mars and Venus flex fleets and send threats across the void, Europa clings to relevance with aging tech, fragile alliances, and patrol routes that rarely see action.
But when a pirate strike leaves an outpost in flames and an entire mech squad dead, Olivia’s team is rearmed and deployed to the asteroid belt to track down the killers. What begins as a hunt through storms and shadows turns into something far stranger, and far more dangerous, than anyone expected.
Haunted by loss, bound by duty, and driven by a quiet faith she barely admits to herself, Olivia finds that the line between sailor and survivor gets thinner with every mission. Especially when the enemy might not be entirely human.

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 3, 2025

About the author

Tripp Ainsworth joined the Marines as a combat cameraman so he could steel people’s souls—sorry, bad handwriting; he meant steal. He’s put his boots down in every time zone and refused to take a nap in any of them. Somewhere between firefights and film reels, he outwitted a sphinx, gave cured ham the disease it needed the injection for, and started writing stories to make sense of the absurd.
Legend has it that after Afghanistan, he found God—or at least inspiration—in a burrito behind the Purple Church in Oceanside. When the woman who made that divine creation, Sister Maria, was deported and took a vow never to cook again, Tripp went AWOL, stole a nuclear submarine, grafted its reactor into an AMC Javelin, and cooled it with Jägermeister. Time travel happened. Mussolini challenged him to a race, Dracula refused a drink, and Stalin tried to weaponize Maria’s recipe. Somewhere between chaos, faith, and a hangover, a writer was born.
Today, Tripp writes books like Smokepit Fairytales and The Litany of Vise—gritty, darkly funny tales about war, ghosts, and the long, strange road to redemption. He’s still chasing the perfect burrito.

Reviews

[Randy Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, Great set up, the last Half of the book I couldn't put it down!! Will definitely read more by Tripp Ainsworth!

[Damien Larkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘A Litany of Vise’ is a standalone novel set in the expansive world of Smokepit Fairytales set around book 6, told from the perspective of a Europan officer.

Caught between the American-run Mars and Russian controlled Venus, Europa stands alone. Lieutenant Olivia Vise runs her mech squad with ruthless determination, but with outdated tech, low on funds, and weak politically, worries about Europa’s fate in a shooting-war. Her world shatters in the aftermath of a vicious pirate attack threatening all-out war in the solar system.

Against all odds, Europa sets out to capture and destroy the vicious pirate leader El Gran Diablo. Clinging to her unshakable faith, Vise suffers set backs, the deaths of comrades and the horrors of war, determined to destroy the devil himself.

In typical Smokepit Fairytales fashion, there’s plenty of action, violence, cigarettes, booze, sex, cigarettes, chaos, dark humour and, well, cigarettes. Fans of the series will love this. Not to be missed!

[Andrew Herring]

This was a ride from open to close, and reminded me of training with French Marines

I like that this book views Thatch from the perspective of the Europan sailors he's terrorizing in "Six Pistols And A Dagger." I caught a few of the Easter Eggs that Tripp hides in his book. I'm sure when I read it again I'll catch a few more.

Olivia "Vise" Argenti learns how outclassed she is by US Marines, learns some lessons and applies them in combat.

There's mechs, blood, whiskey, vomit, Santana's and gunpowder. A few characters from the original space opera make appearances and a Europan learns what makes US Marines the finest fighting force to ever grace the Solar System.

Semper Fi.

[Michele Packard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gritty, mind-bending sci-fi military adventure that’s anything but black and white. Tripp nails the character arcs, delivers cinematic battles, and even slips in a little romance. You’ll question history, heaven, and hell—literally. No spoilers, but this standalone demands a sequel. Oh, and the artwork? Stellar.