Book Review: The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of The Devils

Publisher: Tor Books | Macmillan Audio (May 13, 2025)

Length: 576 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

I feel like I read a different book than everyone else. Despite the raving reviews for Joe Abercrombie’s The Devils, I personally walked away with far more fixed feelings than I expected. Don’t get me wrong—there’s plenty to admire in this irreverent dark fantasy adventure, and as a longtime fan of the author, I was happy with the colorful cast of memorable characters and the gloriously brutal action. That said, something didn’t quite click in place for me. As folks tend to say, I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

Set in an alternate version of what feels like medieval Europe, the book opens on a politically tumultuous time. Brother Diaz is a devout yet somewhat sheltered monk who suddenly finds himself appointed to lead the Chapel of Holy Expediency, a secret taskforce comprised of convicted supernatural beings bound to serve the Church whenever their special talents are required. And right now is one of those times. The mission? A young street urchin named Alex, believed to be the long-lost heir to the throne of Troy, must be safely escorted across a war-torn landscape to her rightful place as Empress so she can unite the fractured church before the whole world burns down around them.

The crew of condemned misfits include Jakob, a centuries-old immortal driven by a stoic dedication to the task at hand; Sunny, a mild-mannered elf whose people may be waging a war against the empire, yet manages to remain hopeful in a world that fears her kind; Vigga, a fierce and uninhibited werewolf whose volatile nature makes her both the muscle and the loose cannon on the team; Baron Rikard, an ancient vampire whose taste for decorum never fails to add a touch of civility even as the group storms its way across the continent, leaving chao in their wake; Baptiste, a slick rogue with a jack-of-all-trades skillset, bringing versatility to whatever task needs doing; and Bathazar, a cantankerous necromancer who can get on everyone’s nerves, but whose deep knowledge of all things arcane proves nothing short of invaluable.

Let’s start with what worked for me, because to be fair there was plenty. First, in true Abercrombie fashion, the characters here were all fantastic and delightfully over-the-top, with group dynamics clearly mirroring the key roles in a heist crew. What makes it even better is that each member draws inspiration from classic horror archetypes, which is especially obvious when it comes to characters like Vigga and her impulse control issues, or the very gentlemanly Baron Rikard. Each one also brings something unique to the table, whether it’s magic, brute force, or just pure charm.

However, all this does come with a caveat. For although the Devils are arguably the stars of this show, for me it’s the “normies” Alex and Brother Diaz who form the heart and soul of the novel, because they are the only ones not defined by familiar archetypes or playing to expectations. Like many ensemble cast stories, The Devils prioritizes leveraging group dynamics for the sake of punchy banter and gallows humor, glossing over genuine and meaningful character development. Maybe this is simply Abercrombie trying new things, and I certainly don’t begrudge him for it, but this shift is noticeably different from his earlier works like The First Law trilogy.

I was also slightly underwhelmed with the book’s middle section. While the first few chapters blew me away with a near-perfect introduction into our characters, the conflict, and the quest, this momentum proved unsustainable. The pacing began to lag, making it feel as though the story was treading water as it saved the best it had to offer for climax and conclusion. Granted, character interactions kept things engaging, but there was no longer that sense of urgency or excitement which fueled the opening act. Perhaps what the plot needed was more engaging side quests, but instead it relied too heavily upon snappy dialogue and kinetic action to carry it through to the final stretch. Paradoxically, even though Abercrombie is still the king when it comes to writing tight, brutal, heart pounding and adrenaline pumping battle sequences, the more of them we got, the more the pacing felt largely static.

In the end, The Devils is an entertaining ride, delivering an action-packed fantasy romp with a killer cast of characters and Joe Abercrombie’s signature dark, sardonic wit. It’s undeniably entertaining, and I admire the author’s willingness to cut loose—after all, this is easily the most popcorny book I’ve read from him yet. However, even after the explosive, mayhem-filled finale, I still found myself curiously ambivalent, my feelings tempered by issues like unbalanced pacing and an inability to invest in the story emotionally. Bottom line, this is by no means a bad book, but ultimately, it also wasn’t quite what I thought I was signing up for.