At the start of The Devils, the Eastern and Western churches are stuck in a vicious religious war. The only solution is to re-throne the Empress of Troy and heal the schism. Our main character, Alex, has grown up as a thief in the slums, and never dreamed that she’s actually long-lost royalty: the Princess Alexia Pyrogennetos. To protect her on her journey to Troy, four magical creatures are bound into her service. There is Balthazar, a world-renowned necromancer, Sunny, an elf who can turn invisible, Baron Rikard, a vampire and Vigga, a werewolf. Along with a priest, a privateer and an ancient knight, Alex has to cross continents and fend off murderous assassins, including a terrifying army of half-human abominations.
The characters making up the band of Devils are absolutely unforgettable and the best part of this story. My standout character is Vigga, who is a loud, rude and scatter-brained werewolf constantly looking for her next lover. She’s written as a comedic character, but Abercrombie’s treatment of her wolf nature as a dangerous part of herself is confronting and, ultimately, heartbreaking.
Abercrombie’s writing ranges from laugh-out-loud witty to edge-of-your-seat tense, to undeniably bawdy. The result: this 500-page book is never boring. While it is fantasy, the half-human, half-animal abominations are so gross and frightening that the story verges into horror and, be warned, there is a ton of blood, guts and gore. The Devils has a few obvious twists, but the way Abercrombie executes them is so engaging that I didn’t mind that I knew where the plot was going.
There is so much to love about this book, and it is a must for adult-fantasy fans.
Reviewed by Rachel Denham-White
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHORJoe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster, England, on the last day of 1974. He was educated at the stiflingly all-boy Lancaster Royal Grammar School, where he spent much of his time playing video games, rolling dice, and drawing maps of places that don’t exist.
He worked as a freelance film editor, and has worked since on a range of documentaries, awards shows, music videos, and concerts for artists ranging from Barry White to Coldplay.
In 2001 he sat down to write an epic fantasy trilogy based around the misadventures of thinking man’s barbarian Logen Ninefingers. The Blade Itself, was completed in 2004. The First Law trilogy was snatched up by Gillian Redfearn of Gollancz in 2005 in a seven-figure deal. The sequels, Before They are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings were published in 2007 and 2008, when Joe was a finalist for the John W. Campbell award for best new writer. Best Served Cold, a standalone book set in the same world, was published in June 2009, and a second standalone, The Heroes, came in January 2011 and made no. 3 on the Sunday Times Hardcover Bestseller List. A third standalone, Red Country, was both a Sunday Times and New York Times Hardcover Bestseller in October 2012.
The first part of his viking-inspired Shattered Sea series for young and old adults, Half a King, came out in July 2014, when it won the Locus award for best young adult novel. The other two books, Half the World, and Half a War, followed in January and July 2015.
A new trilogy set in the world of the First Law, The Age of Madness, began in September 2019 with A Little Hatred. The Trouble with Peace followed in September 2020, and the final part, The Wisdom of Crowds in September 2021. The first book in a new series, The Devils, will publish in May 2025.
Joe now lives in Bath with his wife, Lou, his daughters Grace and Eve, and his son Teddy. He spends most of his time writing edgy yet humorous fantasy novels…
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