If you’re a regular reader of SFFWorld reviews you should know that we are usually HUGE fans of Joe Abercrombie’s fantasy writing. So, any announcement of a new book set in a new world (for Joe, anyway) makes us sit up and take notice.
And this one has been on the cards for a while now.
Whereas Joe’s last trilogy was set in some sort of Industrial Revolutionised Europe, The Devils is set in an oddly alternate mediaeval Europe, at a time of plague and famine. (Personally, I was thinking the Black Death, but it is not clear.) So, Troy, Carthage and Rome are mentioned, but they don’t seem to be like the places we know and would recognise. Even so, it is a time when belief in the Christian church and its enemies – demons, devils and so on – were seen as real. The Church itself is in trouble, as the Eastern Empire and Western churches (presumably think Christian and Islam?) are in schism at a time when they need to be united against their enemies.
Brother Diaz is given is given the position of vicar of the Chapel of the Holy Expediency, a secret group who take on special tasks on behalf of the Pope (who here is a 10-year old girl.)
If you’ve read Joe before, as you might expect in an Abercrombie novel, most of the characters are varied, imaginative and memorable. Jakob of Thorn is a barbarian soldier with a unique ability. His counterpoint is Baptiste, a more subtle female mercenary, reminiscent a little of Monza Murcatto from Best Served Cold. Sunny is an elf, a race despised by humans following a war in the past, the mere mention of whom will cause fear and anger (because after all, elves eat people, you know.). Baron Rikard is an ancient vampire with – well, you know, all those special needs and skills a vampire has (He can go out in daylight, though.) Vigga is a Viking werewolf woman, as dramatic and as violent as that sounds, who tends to act first and think later. Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi is an ever-complaining necromancer whose ability to use ‘the Black Art’ is often professed by – well, Balthazar, who forever whines about the injustices he has been given.
As this is an ensemble piece, I am sure that you will have favourites amongst the troop by the end of the novel. Think of it as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Suicide Squad in a Grimdark epic fantasy.
All of these characters are reluctantly enlisted and bound to a purpose none of them want nor can escape from. The task Diaz and his troupe are given is to escort Alex, a street urchin, who is believed to be actually Alexia Pyrogennetus, long-lost heir to the Serpent Throne of Troy. By doing so it is hoped that the religious rift in Europe will be healed.
This will involve Alex being taken to Troy, but as you might expect the journey is not a simple or easy one. Those in power, such as Empress Eudoxia, who would be usurped by Alex’s reemergence, are not happy about this change of events and will do anything to stop Alex reaching her throne. Eudoxia and her four sons – Marcian, Constans, Sabbas, and Arcadius – are determined to kill her before she gets to Troy, and so the journey on land and sea is not easy. This means that the group are given the task of defending her, tethered to the act by the Pope papally binding them to it. As you should expect in an Abercrombie novel there is no guarantee that everybody will survive until the end.
So: lots of positives. Abercrombie does all of this with his customary wit and style, that darkly cynical snarky tone that is a hallmark of his work. There are graphically descriptive battles and memorable characters, combined with that gallows humour and violence, not to mention the coarse language deliberately designed to push buttons that regular readers will know and love. This may be a shock if you are new to Joe’s writing, although fans will recognise it and relish in it.
If there are any negatives, I would say that I did feel that there were times when Joe’s was trying too hard with his use of colourful language and creative descriptions of blood and guts violence and – erm, basic bodily functions. This was particularly felt at the beginning, where the first few pages felt to me a little bit overworked – when almost every sentence feels like a quip or a quotable line, it can be a bit relentless and wearying.
Surprisingly, I also felt this about some of the battle scenes, which are usually one of Joe’s strengths. For example, a sea battle in the middle of the book felt a little bit too much, too relentless, even though it was well done. On the whole though, once the story settled down, we’re back to our normal (or what passes for normal) state of play in Joe’s world.
However, all of the elements come together by the end, and the book really picks up in his last quarter, when the group arrive in Troy. There are some surprising twists that I didn’t see coming and some very exciting developments towards the end of the book, which will be continued in the next book.
In summary, The Devils is a journey-based quest novel, one of those ensemble pieces that are not too uncommon these days. What elevates this one above the majority is that it is imbued with Joe’s trademarks of gallows humour, spicy language and explicit violence. This gives The Devils a style that is unique to Joe; his writing is identifiable because of it.
It is not for everyone, and I do wonder what new readers will make of it at first; but if you like Joe’s unique style and tone, you will love this. I am really looking forward to seeing where these books go.
© 2025 Mark Yon
Hardback | Gollancz
THE DEVILS by Joe Abercrombie
May 2025 | 536 pages
ISBN: 978 139 9603 560
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Gollancz.
