I was lucky enough to score an ARC of this book and am about halfway done with it.


I'm really not sure what to say. It's like Abercrombie watched Suicide Squad and decided to write a book.

The book really is just Suicide Squad if it took place in an alternative version of Earth's Middle Ages where magic, elves, vampires, werewolves, etc... were real and Jesus was female and killed on a circle instead of a cross.

It's cliche and tropey as hell.

We've got the street urchin/thief turned princess.
The old soldier who can't die and is gruff but really does care about everyone.
The selfish priest
Elves are supposed to be bloodthirsty savages who eat humans but "our" elf can turn invisible and is nice and is always secretly doing nice things for everyone
and the werewolf who is pretty much just Harley Quinn with a sex drive turned up to 1000.

Oh, I forgot. We've also got a 10-year-old Pope who just happens to be the strongest magic user in the world.

The book started out strong but then dove straight into cliches and tropes.

Not sure I'm going to finish this one.

Joe Abercrombie is back, folks, with his highly anticipated historical fantasy horror romp, The Devils— his most action-packed novel to date and the first in a brand new series.

Cover Image of The DevilsEurope is in turmoil: the Eastern and Western Churches are in schism and the usurper Empress Eudoxia is dead. Only one thing is certain: the elves are coming and they will eat everyone.

In a bid to consolidate power in the East, Her Holiness, Pope Benedicta the First, commands the hapless Brother Diaz to lead a ragtag bunch of ne’er do wells to install a thief upon the Serpent Throne of Troy. Comprised of a self-important necromancer, a geriatric vampire, an undead knight, an ex-pirate, an oversexed werewolf, and a vanishing elf, the Church of Holy Expediency makes haste towards its destination. But Eudoxia’s sons are closing in, and they have their mother’s hideous experiments in tow. To fight devils, one must be prepared to use devils…

Clocking in at well over 500 pages, The Devils makes for a fine bludgeoning weapon in-hand, but whips along at a rapid, raucous pace that had this reviewer devouring it in the space of just 48 hours. Veteran fans will be no strangers to Joe Abercrombie’s beautifully crafted battle scenes and cinematic set-pieces, and I’m pleased to report they feature in abundance here. From a creepy haunted house to the swashbuckling high seas, to a battlefield atop an ancient tomb filled with decaying corpses, the Church of Holy Expediency give us a whistle-stop tour around an absolutely bonkers alternative medieval Europe sure to have the history buffs chuckling knowingly and laughing at an in-joke or two.

At times the fast-paced action sequences and abrupt location changes feel a little too whirlwind—in fact, combined with an ensemble cast and an abundance of new world-building information to absorb, it often feels downright chaotic. However, overall, The Devils’ chaos is enormous fun, and although the break-neck pace may come as something of a disappointment to those who adore the slower, deeper political machinations and character work present in Joe’s The First Law series, it simply cannot be denied that no one writes action as beautifully and as viscerally as Joe:

“He came open like an old coat, insides sliding out in a red-black slurry.”

Pure poetry.

Speaking of character work, Joe’s, as always, is unmatched. In the case of The Devils, it’s the glue holding all the aforementioned chaos together. Although he doesn’t quite plumb the deep dark depths of the human condition as much as he’s done in the past, it’s no small feat that every single one of The Devils’ characters has their own highly distinctive, unique voice—even those who turn up for a chapter or two only to then immediately die (often horribly).

The titular Devils themselves are of course the crowning glory, each of them riffing on a different classic horror monster such as the Wolfman, Dracula, the Invisible Man and many more (there’s even a whiff of the Island of Dr Moreau around some of Eudoxia’s sons’ henchmen). Whilst I’m certain many Grimdark Magazine readers will absolutely love the ridiculously crass and hyper-violent werewolf, Vigga, it’s the necromantic sorcerer—sorry, magician—Balthazar who takes the cake for my personal favourite. His too-high opinion of himself combined with his increasingly desperate, hilarious attempts to remove Benedicta’s papal binding are an absolute joy to read, and a scene in which a Duke is summoned from the depths of Hell legitimately had me laughing out loud for several minutes.

Overall The Devils is fast, furious, and an absolutely rollicking good time. The cast is wonderful, the plot fast-paced and action-packed, and it’s easily Joe’s funniest work to date. It marks Lord Grimdark’s triumphant return to the fantasy genre, and here at Grimdark Magazine, we’re already clawing at the bars and slathering for the sequel.

This was AMAZING! Loved the characters, loved the fast paced plot, loved the humor and loved the writing. Joe Abercrombie has started something new and brilliant and I can't wait to see what comes next!

“Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds.”

This is like the fantasy version of the Suicide Squad. The Church has imprisoned a group of murderers, monsters, and magicians. And when they need a little bit of work done and can’t soil their hands, who you gonna call? The Chapel of Holy Expediency, that’s who.

It's bad guys working towards good ends, and it’s a great story – more humorous than the First Law books, but the same fantastic writing. Abercrombie is an amazing character writer, and you absolutely end this book on the side of the Devils. But don’t be worried about the humorous part, if you want your typical Abercrombie brutality. There’s plenty of combat and carnage to go around.

It’s set in an alternate history Europe where magic and monsters are real, Troy never fell, and it seems Carthage destroyed Rome instead of the other way around, so that’s the seat of the Church. The worldbuilding is impeccable, the writing is exquisite, but the characters! I love them all, and we get POVs from many of them. The dialogue was often laugh-out-loud funny, and you know how much I love witty banter. I can’t tell you how THRILLED I am that this is a series and not a stand alone, because I can tell you right now this little found family of misfits is going to become one of my favorite fantasy groups. A shy elf who spends most of her time invisible, a decrepit old vampire that’s full of charm, a self-obsessed necromancer, a scrawny orphan thief, a super thirsty werewolf, the cursed knight, a saucy pirate, and the poor beleaguered monk who’s trying to keep them all in line. What’s not to love?

This book isn’t out until May, but trust me when I say you want to put this on your TBR right now. It’s an absolutely brilliant and darkly funny book, full of action, intrigue, magic and redemption.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review!

Joe Abercrombie is back with a darkly fun, historical fantasy novel that is the first installment in a brand new series. It has all the trappings of an Abercrombie novel that we have come to know and love—fast-paced action sequences, deliciously dark humor, and top notch character work.

In a fantasy version of medieval Europe, the western and eastern churches have split over matters of theology, famine and plague haunt the land and the false Empress has recently died, leaving a power vacuum that her four sons are competing to fill by whatever ruthless means necessary. Oh, and the flesh-eating elves are waiting just beyond the borders to devour the humans. Pope Benedicta, in an attempt to combat the coming apocalypse and establish her puppet empress in Troy, commissions Brother Diaz to lead a motley crew of monsters to see a thief turned princess safely ensconced on the throne. Brother Diaz's "congregation" consists of a vampire, an elf, a werewolf, a knight, a pirate, and a sorcerer--er, magician of the dark arts. As they embark on their journey across the continent, monsters of a different sort pursue The Devils and chaos and mayhem ensue. The Devils might be Abercrombie's most plot heavy book to date--spanning four total parts and approximately 560 pages--he really packs in a lot of action. The action sequences are the exquisite bloodbaths that you would expect from Joe--and he gives you just enough time to catch your breath before we're whisked to a new location, with new enemies and more death and gore. At times, this can be a bit jarring as a reader, but it's oh so much fun, and as a result, easily overlooked.

When it comes to character work, Abercrombie once again proves why he is one of the best. While he doesn't give us quite the character depth that we are accustomed to from his series set in the First Law universe, every character still has a remarkably unique voice. Even the most minor characters leave a lasting impression. One thing I found interesting, and was even a little disappointed by, was the fact that we don't get a POV from every member of the Church of the Holy Expediency--a couple of characters are noticeably left out in this regard. There is one in particular I would have loved to get inside their head--as terrifying as that might have been.One of the overarching themes in the novel is that of redemption—is it possible to overcome previous bad deeds by trying to do the right thing or will the terrible things you’ve done always define you? And while all the characters are the morally gray, self-serving kind we should expect from Joe, many do attempt to do “the right thing” even if it doesn’t always work out. And let’s be honest, this is a typical Joe novel, so characters trying to do the right thing rarely works out. While every member of The Devils congregation has their endearing qualities, far and away my favorite was practitioner of the dark arts, Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi, one of the top three necromancers in all of Europe (self-proclaimed). I eagerly anticipated each of his POVs—his disdain for the rest of the group gave me life. Speaking of the group, another theme explored in The Devils is that of the found family and sense of belonging. At times, these themes were expressed in the most poignant of moments, leaving me deep in my emotions.

Overall, I found The Devils to be a darkly funny, wildly fast, and furiously action-packed ride. The character work from Joe does not disappoint and is the nexus linking all the elements of the novel. If you are a fan of the First Law series, this new book will not disappoint. I look forward to the next installment in this series. Please leave me a comment below and let me know if you plan on reading this book when it comes out next year.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group for sending me an arc of The Devils in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Joe Abercrombie book, and it definitely won't be my last! The story had lots of action, witty dialogue, and an interesting cast of "devils" that you can't help but love!