Series: Devils #1
Published by Tor Books on May 13, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Horror
Pages: 560
Format: Hardback
Source: Purchased
Content Warnings: Violence, Death, Gore, Sexual Content, Cursing, Racism, Religious Discrimination, Gender Discrimination, Child Death, Ableism, Murder, Suicidal Ideation, Self-Harm, Abuse
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The Devils is my introduction to Abercrombie's work, and what an introduction it was! Now the reviews for this book are all over the place, with some people loving it and others absolutely hating it. I fall into the "loving it" camp. I thought The Devils was such a fun, fantastic ride from start to finish, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for our ragtag team of misfits.Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters, and the mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends. Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.
“Smile while you can, that's what I say. The world'll kick you in the twat soon enough.”
Abercrombie seamlessly weaves humor, bloody battles, character development, and world-building to create an immersive reading experience in this dark epic fantasy set in an alternate medieval Europe. I found myself laughing, crying, and celebrating with each of the characters, especially Vigga, a rambunctious Scandinavian werewolf. There was no telling what Vigga would say or do next each time she was on the page, making for a hilariously wild ride through towns, cities, fields, and over the sea. The humor in The Devils is definitely low-brow, but honestly, it was exactly what I needed at the time. Sometimes you need off-the-cuff, low-brow humor to get you out of a slump.
At no point does The Devils slow down as our motley crew of undesirables races to place Alex, a long-lost princess, on her rightful throne before her cousins can take it. Abercrombie alternates between points of view, giving us an in-depth look into each of our characters and their motivations, slowly building their backstories as we go. We learn about the Devils as Alex learns about them, with a few exceptions, making the cast mysterious yet intriguing for much of the book. Even by the end, we still have much to learn about the quieter characters, particularly Sunny and Jakob the Thorn. I cannot wait to learn more about these two in the next book and hope Abercrombie continues to flesh them out.
“You need to stop clinging to the notion that there is only one right path. You’ll waste half your time panicking you’re not on it, and the rest backtracking to find it.”
While this is a fantastical tale, there are certainly a number of parallels between our modern world and that of The Devils, particularly our political climate. This alternative version of medieval Europe is teetering on the brink of collapse, as the schism in the church deepens, plague, famine, and warring nobles ravage the countryside, and monstrous experiments roam the land, fighting alongside princes to seize control of the kingdom. On top of all of this, a growing threat is blooming on the horizon as the elves, who were once thought to be vanquished, return. This political climate is eerily similar to today's, with a schism deepening between political parties, billionaires vying for resources, and common folk struggling to survive, all while the threat of climate change and "foreign invaders" looms in the background. The Devils is an exploration of how a few misfits can change the course of the entire world, for the better or for the worse. It isn't always the righteous who end up doing great things.
“Courage is catching. If one man shows it, it spreads. Fear is the same.”
It is through the actions of our antiheros that Abercrombie builds his new world. We are given snippets of information in offhanded comments and references, and even through songs. He does not bog us down with information dumping, as some authors often do, and at no point did I feel truly lost. By the end, I had an excellent understanding of the context in which the story takes place, its customs, magic systems, political climate, religious beliefs, and even family trees.
I found myself continuously rooting for our antiheros, laughing and suffering right along with them. At no point did I feel like I was reading a 560-page book. This is largely because I enjoyed Abercrombie's storytelling, but also the overall pacing and the unpredictability of it all. The characters were so wild, their lives so crazy, it was hard to determine what would happen next. Multiple unexpected twists and turns were flawlessly executed. Even now, months after having finished The Devils, I am smiling.
“Happy endings are just stories that aren't finished yet.”
While I recognize The Devils will not be for everyone, it was certainly for me. I cannot wait to see where Abercrombie takes us next.
