I Should Read That

Book review¹

Europe stares into the abyss.

Plague and famine stalk the land, monsters lurk in every shadow and greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions. Only one thing is certain: the elves will come again, and they will eat everyone.

Sometimes, only the darkest paths lead towards the light. Paths on which the righteous will not dare to tread . . .

And so, buried beneath the sacred splendour of the Celestial Palace, is the secret Chapel of the Holy Expediency. For its congregation of convicted monsters there are no sins that have not been committed, no lines that will not be crossed, and no mission that cannot be turned into a disastrous bloodbath.

Now the hapless Brother Diaz must somehow bind the worst of the worst to a higher cause: to put a thief on the throne of Troy, and unite the sundered church against the coming apocalypse.

When you’re headed through hell, you need the devils on your side.

As a huge fan of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series, I was both excited and saddened to hear that his next trilogy would be something totally new. Saddened because the First Law world is one of my favourite fantasy series, but excited to see what he’d come up with next – this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. It’s not a huge surprised to hear that I absolutely loved The Devils (I’d read Abercrombie’s shopping list – you know it would be endlessly entertaining). The Devils is and action-packed book fuelled by Abercrombie’s trademark wit, grit, and humour.

This book takes place is a world that is both familiar and alien. A Medieval world in which many of the great, ancient cities never fell, the Saviour of the Catholic church is a woman who died on the wheel, and elves are very real (and will probably eat you), I immediately tumbled into this world and loved every step. This is the kind of book that makes me long for a Fire and Blood-style book just about the history – the lore is deep. Abercrombie writes with exquisite detail and creates a world that’s lush and feels so incredibly real.

As usual, the characters are the stars of the show. The story revolved around Alex, a street urchin plucked from her life in the gutter when it’s discovered she’s actually the long-lost Princess Alexia, heir to the throne of Troy, and the mission to get her to Troy alive to claim that throne before her psychopathic cousins murder her. There’s only one group who can do it – the Chapel of the Holy Expediency, which can also be described as the Pope’s suicide squad. As you’d expect with one of his books, the cast of characters is where The Devils really shines. In true Abercrombie fashion, everyone is complex and multifaceted; completely horrible, homicidal, and so damn loveable. They’re monsters by most people’s definitions, but you can’t help but fall in love with this ragtag group of misfits. The chemistry between the cast is incredible, whether they’re working together or annoying each other to the point of murderous rage. He is an absolute master of dialogue and character interaction, and his skill is absolutely on display in this book. Although I have a soft spot for everyone, I particularly loved Vigga the werewolf (who doesn’t?), Sunny the elf, and Balthazar the much put-upon magician.

The Devils is a rollicking tale of violence, action, and absolute mayhem. If you’re a fan of the First Law series, I really think you’re going to love The Devils.

1. A copy of this book was provided to me by Gollancz in exchange for an honest reivew. ↩︎