Series: The Devils #1
Release date: May 6th 2025
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 512
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

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.

Review

Lord Grimdark is back with a new book, and it’s a wild ride.

The story follows the Chapel of the Holy Expediency – a secret order of monsters who are sent on a mission to escort a long lost princess back to Troy in order to reclaim the throne and stop the coming apocalypse. There is no line these monsters won’t cross, no sin they won’t commit – what could possibly go wrong?

I completely devoured this book and it is without a doubt going to be my favourite book of 2025. Full of Abercrombie’s trademark humour, I could not put this book down. The story is compelling and cleverly executed – the premise hooked me in straight away and the story was full of action and adventure. There is of course plenty of intense battle scenes and bucketfuls of gruesome, gritty moments.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the story of this book, where The Devils truly shines is the incredible cast of characters. I’ve come to expect exceptional character work from Joe Abercrombie but I think Abercrombie outdid himself in this novel. I completely fell in love with this group of misfits – there’s a magician, a werewolf, a vampire and an elf. I loved the utter chaos the group created as they band together in an attempt to survive this epic journey. This is such a compelling cast of characters and I cannot wait to see where Abercrombie takes them in book two.

The Devils is a wildly addictive, entertaining read. It’s a book that will have you on the edge of your seat, with characters you can’t help but root for. The Devils is a book you absolutely do not want to miss and I am counting down the days until the release of the next instalment.