Abercrombie has done it yet again. Alex is a thief, she must return to her home to become empress in this epic fantasy tale. Pope Benedicta has assembled a ragtag bunch of devils to combat other devils. This was a rip roaring fast paced story. Brother Diaz leads a knight, an elderly vampire, an invisible elf among others on this quest as famind ravages Europe. The bloody battles keep you engrossed. Filled with laugh out loud moments, you will not be disappointed.

5 stars.

Thank you to Tor Books and Macmillan Publishers for the ARC.

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie.

Stories like this are why I love the fantasy genre. I've got a major book hangover and my heart feels ripped out of my chest. I laughed and laughed, and then I cried! There's so much to these characters; I love every one of them. Right when I get my physical copy, it's going on my favorites shelf.

Thank you to netgalley, tor, and the author for the e-arc to review.

A devilishly good read, The Devils is a rib-tickling, blood-soaked adventure that could very well be his best yet. If you are a fan of The First Law series, you'll feel right at home w/ this cheery lot. This is THE fantasy book to read this Summer.

What a wild ride! This was my first Joe Abercrombie read, but it won't be my last. The character work is so good that I fell in love with a bunch of monsters who kept doing terrible things. I appreciate the humor to balance some of the gore and grim topics. I wasn't expecting a werewolf to make me cry (and laugh), but here we are.

Joe Abercrombie is back with a new fantasy series to knock your socks off. The Devils is the first novel in a new series by the same name, and boy, does it start off with a bang. Everything you love about this masterful author is back with a vengeance (best-in-class characters, stunning action sequences, a riveting plot, and a world you could not pay me to live in), but we have some new elements as well. The Devils appears to take place in an alternate version of our own world, making this a strange historical fantasy mash-up. The book defies classification, but it still remains one of the top contenders for the best book of the year.

Elves. The elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh. They have boiled over the holy land, killing and eating every godly man and woman who rightfully belongs in the hallowed hills. When faced with this sort of existential threat, it is no wonder the papacy has turned to alternative soldiers to fight God’s most difficult battles while God looks the other way. While The Devils are definitely not God’s chosen favorites, they are some of his stronger soldiers.

Our story picks up during a moment of crisis in the church. There has been a split in the clergy, and the church is divided between two major sects, each propped up by a royal throne. When the lost heir of the Serpent Throne of Troy is discovered in a back alley, the papacy sees an opportunity to put them on the rival throne as a puppet and mend the sects of the church. Only together can the united church stand against the elvish crusade. Getting our lost heir onto the throne will be a difficult and harrowing journey, but such a task is nothing new for The Devils. With a brand new handler to steer them in the right direction, this chaotic group of divine rejects will make it to Troy through hell and high water.

The Devils is a very dark, grisly, and fun story that feels like Abercrombie’s take on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets The Suicide Squad. As always, with an Abercrombie book, I generally try to say as little as I can about the story, as his novels are always best to read without any priming. However, I will say that this is an absolutely fabulous book. Most of Abercrombie’s work feels very theme-forward; or rather, he starts with the big ideas and messages he wants to convey and then builds incredibly intricate characters around them to deliver the perfect narrative punches. The Devils has incredible commentary and themes, but it also feels like Abercrombie is having a bit more fun than usual.

The book is extremely crass as a way of both building ambiance and conveying the horrors of the world, but know going in that the general vibe is ‘gross.’ Bodily fluids are involved basically every few pages, and the dialogue is basically a constant stream of cursing. Part of this is because contextual repetition is one of the cornerstone themes of the story, and I absolutely love it. If it isn’t immediately clear what that means: Abercrombie spends the book essentially repeating dialogue, circumstance, and experiences both within characters and across multiple characters, but tweaks the context slightly each time so that a “God Damnit” has a different emphasis and meaning each time. I am absolutely sure that some readers will find this style aggravating, but I found it absolutely delightful.

As mentioned, the characters are also delightful. There are eight members of The Devils, and they each combine the best of popular classic tropes and Abercrombie’s flair for detail and depth. All of the cast exist as contradictions in their own special way, and much of the book is an exploration of the ways the world pulls them in multiple directions. There is a lot of care given to cross-group dynamics on the quest, and it is really interesting to see how each member of The Devils has a different vibe with each other member. Some pairings are romantic, some are friendships, some are rivalries, and some are genuine hatred. The result is a chemistry that is powerfully explosive. Their choices feel like they have a weighty agency, and the collective group is forced to adapt constantly as they encounter trial after trial on their deranged quest. The result is people and monsters who end the book in very emotionally different places than they started, and I am starved for more information about where their journey will take them next.

This first book in the series manages to tell an extremely self-contained story that reads like it doesn’t need any follow-up, while also simultaneously prepping the way for an exciting new chapter. Given the big theme of repetition in a new context, I wouldn’t be surprised if the sequel is doing the journey a second time, but as their new altered selves from the end of book one. Regardless of what the next story is, I can’t wait to get my hands on it. The entire thing is a Devil of a tale, and I will happily let it damn my soul.

Rating: The Devils – 10/10
-Andrew

This book is brilliant and so much fun, I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to tag-a-long with this group of dynamic and interesting misfits. Alex was my kind of princess and the way each character is written so vividly and purposefully really made this book so much more than others it didn’t just feel like a story but a fully immersed experience that I absolutely loved to the very last page. This is my first experience reading this authors work and the writing style was unique and far superior in executing an intelligent and thrilling plot than others with an underlying wit and comedic tone I found masterful. The pacing was perfection I didn’t want to put it down I was buckled in for the wild ride and loved every minute. I appreciated how the battle scenes were paired with clever banter that kept me engaged and loved how cinematic those scenes felt when reading. Really excited to read more from this author and this brilliant world with these characters I’ve grown to both love and hate. I honestly may reread it immediately it was just so much fun. Highly recommend for lovers of fantasy and supernatural creatures, this book was epic, easily a five star read for me, Truly brilliant!

Joe Abercrombie’s new novel, The Devils, is violent, chaotic, devious—and I loved every page of it. I knew when I picked it up that I was going to get high-stakes fights and superlative, gritty worldbuilding, given my experiences with other books he’s written. I wasn’t expecting the emotional depth Abercrombie developed along with the snarky banter and backstabbing. I loved this book so much that I ended up with a significant book hangover. This hasn’t happened to me in a while, but I actually had to sit with my feelings for a bit after I finished this outstanding novel.

Brother Diaz thought he was going to be given a sinecure by the Popess as a reward for fixing things for his previous boss, only to find himself in charge of the Papacy’s secret Congregation of Holy Expediency. This congregation includes a knight who cannot die, a woman who’s done a little bit of everything, a necromancer, a vampire, an elf, and a Norse werewolf. Their objective is to deliver the long-lost daughter of the deceased empress of the eastern empire to Constantinople and see her crowned. This motley crew barely makes it out of Rome before people start attacking them.

Abercrombie leavens all the blood and gore (and there is a lot of both in The Devils) with scenes of genuine comedy. Necromancer Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi—who insists that he is a wizard, thank you very much—provides a lot of it with his constant efforts to get rid of the magical bond that prevents him from buggering off back to his library and experiments. There’s also the delightful banter from Baptiste, a woman of all trades with friends and enemies everywhere, and Vigga, a werewolf with a lust for life. I laughed and snickered along with them as they trudged down various Mediterranean roads. Vigga especially stole my heart. I worried about her every time she had to fight, even though she seems near impossible to kill.

Abercrombie is rough on his characters and, unlike a lot of other genre writers, isn’t afraid to actually maim or kill off his characters. Consequently, my heart was in my mouth every time Alexia and her escort had to square off against yet another cousin who wanted the Serpent Throne. This genuine fear for the characters plus the outstanding worldbuilding of The Devils made this one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in a long time; it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a while in any genre. I am so glad that the last chapter of the book started to set the stage for a sequel. I very much want to spend more time with these violent, lovable weirdos.

I admit I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book. Ambercrombie does dark, bloody, gritty and violent. Usually too much so for my slightly squeamish sensibilities. This one grabbed me from the start and is a page turner. Don’t get me wrong. It’s absolutely dark, bloody, gritty and violent but it’s also funny in a horrible sort of way…. And the characters are interesting. Unless you’re truly delicate of sensibility give it a try! It was a fun read!

I’ve heard before that Joe could write a heck of a story. This was my first and now I know that I need to go back and check out his earlier stuff.

I loved the story, it was very unique. It’s not too often you read about a pope working with devils. I mean, how do you not fall straight into a story like that? But maybe that’s my religious trauma talking. That being said, the dark humor was right up my alley.

This misfit group of characters were well thought out and easy to love. While you’re along for the ride, it shows all kind of life lessons and humility.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I might and highly recommend it.

This was my first Joe Abercrombie book and now I am convinced I need to read everything by him. These characters are all standout characters that will live with me for a bit. The plot was fun and typical of a fantasy adventure, but these characters were phenomenal.

I love the idea of the pope sending a group of “devils” on a holy mission to install an empress in another city. The group of devils is a werewolf, “an ineffectual priest, an enervated knight, a misanthropic elf, and an antique vampire. It sounded like the start of a bad joke to which the tragic punchline was yet to be revealed.” Each of these characters pops off the page in their own way - from humor, to gore, to their own motivations - every bit of them is larger than life, larger than the plot itself, in a very good way.

There were, of course, a few plot twists. One I definitely did not predict, partially because I forgot about a character that had been MIA for a bit, others were a bit more predictable, yet still enjoyable. The story felt like it hit an ending at about 75% into it, yet I am also satisfied with how it continued and chose to wrap up instead. I can’t wait to see where these devils go next.

Thank you to @torbooks and @netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you so much to the publisher Tor for this eARC.

Beyond stunned by this book!! The dark humor, character development, and descriptive combat scenes left me feeling awestruck. One of my favorite reads this year and I am already foaming at the mouth for the next one.

This is my first book by this author, and honestly, it’s not going to be my last and I might go look at their other books. This has one of the most unique plots and involves religious tones and demons and all of the other creatures that just proved to be a great time. It’s a chunky one but well worth it.

Book review - The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
5/5 stars 🌟

Released on 6th of May

The empress of the Byzantine empire is dead and the heir has been found in Rome. It is up to a ragtag band of monsters led by an upstart priest to get her to her throne, but will they get there?

Joe Abercrombies book needs little to no introduction, as one of the most hyped books of the year. I've seen it described as a gothic horror suicide squad and that is actually really accurate. The story somehow also feels like a religiously tinted of a tabletop RPG.

Of course Abercrombies character work is where this book shines. He makes me feel for a Werewolf, like a Vampire and sort off respect a snobby Necromancer. His writing always feels like coming home. He also makes you wonder who the true monsters are.

The world created here feels both familiar and totally foreign. His take on alternative history where the byzantine empire never fell, gothic horrors and religious fantasy are prefectly blended to the point that it almost feels like real history.

In writing the Devils Abercrombie has done the impossible in that I want to add more alternative historical fantasy to my TBR. I highly recommend this to everyone who likes a good quest story with some morally grey characters!

Thanks to TOR, Gollanz and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a lot of fun to read: one of those misfit groups that somehow manages to get things done and succeed against all odds. And when I say "misfit" I mean really misfit (a vampire, a man cursed to immortality, etc.). And their trek from the Sacred City to Troy to safely ensure that Alex gets to be crowned Queen is going to take all their special talents.

My biggest complaint is that there are several battle scenes and they not only go on too long, they're repetitive. A few snips with the editorial scissors was called for there.

How this will become a series is a question: will the Devils be sent on another mission entirely, or will they be back with Alex in Troy? I can't wait to find out.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

4.5/5 Stars

ARC Disclosure: This book was received free of charge from Tor Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

The Devils represents Abercrombie’s most daring project yet as it fuses historical fantasy with monstrous components to produce an original yet recognizable experience. Readers receive all the familiar elements they desire—moral intricacy and brutal violence alongside biting humor—but the narrative also explores new dimensions that enhance Abercrombie’s unique style.

The greatest accomplishment of The Devils is its ability to portray literal monsters with deep humanity. Abercrombie skillfully develops characters and crafts interactions which transform supernatural archetypes into complex individuals where their monstrous traits serve to deepen their characterization. The characters’ battles with outside dangers and inner demons reach beyond the book’s dark fantasy elements to create emotional impact.

World-building earns equal acclaim for its ability to create an environment that appears historically authentic despite the presence of supernatural components. The fantasy version of Europe devastated by plague and facing elven attacks creates an ideal setting to examine the concepts of corruption and redemption as well as the true nature of monstrosity. This world holds the same value for salvation as Diablo’s Sanctuary even though it exists in ruins.

Full review can be found on our site at https://bromantasy.com/reviews/the-devils/

This was actually a 4.5.

Positives:
* The characters are amazing, even minor ones! I cared about all of them and thought they were incredibly unique. They had amazing chemistry with each other and succeeded both at being hilarious and characters I could take seriously. Despite being in their heads, they were still able to pull plot twists out on me in regard to their backstory and I think this was pulled off super well.
* Adding on the dialogue is awesome! I think this falls into the same category of the characters and their chemistry being amazing.
* I have,, no idea where the next book is going to go and I love it.

Negatives:
* While it did manage some plot twists, others such as the entire final act when they reach Troy were,,,,completely predictable. I definitely would have preferred for these plot points to have been set up only for my expectations to be subverted and that’s almost what I expected with how talented of a writer I know Joe Abercrombie is. That made it incredibly disappointing when everything played out exactly as you’d think it would.
* Some of the humor fell…very flat. While other points were hilarious to me, the number of shit piss sex type of jokes got old fast. Definitely subjective and not something completely out of left field for Abercrombie, but something I could do with less of.

Not necessarily positive or a negative, but we realize early on that this world is some kind of alternate to our own. We have Europe, but with an entirely new religion (with close similarities to Catholicism) and nations like Troy that didn’t exist in the time period it seems to be set in. I loved this, but wish we could’ve learned more about what exactly made the world different from our own.

The Devils was my first Joe Abercrombie book, and I had no idea what to expect but wow, I loved every second of it. The writing is sharp, the humor is dark and perfectly timed, and the pacing kept me locked in from start to finish. It’s clever, bold, and wildly entertaining in all the best ways. I found myself grinning, gasping, and fully along for the ride. If this is what Abercrombie brings to the table, I can’t wait to dive into more of his work. What a fantastic introduction.

When it comes to grim-dark fantasy, Joe Abercrombie is one of my favorites. I love how he balances the gory, dark parts with a little bit of humor. His books are just so fun!

Joe's writing is so bingeable, too! This is a 560 page book, but you don't even realize it when you are reading. The story just flies off the page and before you know it, the book is over.

I am also a sucker for stories with unlikely allies being forced to work together to accomplish a common goal.

I'm highly anticipating the next book in this new series.

3.75 ⭐️ rounded up

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting when I picked up the next Abercrombie novel but it was a fun time. If you’re in mood for action-packed episodic adventure with a misfit crew…here you go. It felt like if you took the toungue-in-cheek nature of the Suicide Squad and gave it the campy aesthetic and vibes of Van Helsing that would be this book. This story would be PHENOMENAL as a movie or TV series, but in book form it was good but not great. In typical Abercombie fashion, though, the characters all have distinct and fun personalities so going on adventures with them was a good time. I will say that you won’t get to the actual meta plot until more than halfway in to the book, so just be aware going in the first half will be just random adventures.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for review via NetGalley.

Fun characters! Fun plot points! But overly long.

The episodic nature of the quest adventure would have been so much better in tv show format, for me personally. Each new little side quest/adventure just dragged on for far too long. The first one, at the inn, was fine. But after that each one was about 5 chapters too long for my personal taste.

And the characters were entertaining, but for some reason they got a bit tedious. Probably because of the pacing issues I had. It felt like it took FOREVER to finally get to Troy.

I kind of like where we left off though, so I MIGHT pick up the sequel to see how I fare with it. But I also might not. It'll depend on if it's just a rinse & repeat New Quest Times plot. If it looks like that's what it will be, then I will definitely pass. Unless the sequel is 400 pages or less. 600+ pages of episodic quest adventures again... no thanks.