Book Review: The Devils (The Devils, #1) by Joe Abercrombie
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Devils is irreverent, vulgar, gruesome, and some of the most fun I’ve had in a very long time. Abercrombie gives us a cast of unforgettable but definitely gray characters, high stakes paired with intense action, and some of the wittiest, most hilarious writing I can ever remember reading. And when you pair all of that with the brilliant audio narration, it’s absolute perfection. Steven Pacey and Joe Abercrombie are a match made in some funhouse mirror version of heaven.
The Chapel of Holy Expediency is a fantastical Suicide Squad, muscling their way through an alternate, medieval-ish Europe. They are comprised of: a philosophical vampire, a narcissistic necromancer, a kind but sarcastic elf, a horny werewolf, a cursed knight, the most experienced woman in Europe, and a monk who wants nothing to do with any of them. This motley crew is tasked with safely transporting a thief-turned-princess to her throne and seeing her crowned Empress of Troy. And, because this is Abercrombie, things go frequently and violently off the rails.
I adored every member of this cast. The elf is the kindest member of the group, in spite of the prejudice she faces just by existing. The vampire has a better grasp on true theology than the monk, though Brother Diaz’s growth over the course of the story was some of my favorite character work Abercrombie did here. Princess Alex blossoms beautifully, as well, while holding onto the core of her personality. The knight is exhausted and sick to death of the pain of living. Our magician is kind of a terrible person, but he never failed to amuse. And then there’s Vigga, the Viking werewolf. She was equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.
As I mentioned, this book is highly irreverent, but it somehow never makes the leap to blasphemous, in my opinion. It’s vulgar and violent and often straight-up gross. But above all, it’s insanely funny. I actually belly laughed. Multiple times. The ending was more bitter than sweet, as I’ve come to expect from Abercrombie, master of grimdark. But all in all, I had just the best time. The Devils was an adventure from start to finish, chockfull of heart and snark, unforeseen twists and unforgettable characters.