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The Devils

The epic fantasy sensation – prepare for a wickedly dark and twisted adventure

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The Devils

By: Joe Abercrombie
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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Summary
 EUROPE STARES INTO THE ABYSS

Plague and famine stalk the land, greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions, and an ancient evil lurks beyond the edges of the map..

When only dark paths lead towards the light - paths the righteous dare not tread - the Chapel of the Holy Expediency steps forward. Its congregation of cursed monsters and convicted heretics will cross every line, commit every sin, and turn every mission into a disastrous bloodbath in the service of the greater good.

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.©2025 Joe Abercrombie Action & Adventure Best of 2025 Dark Fantasy Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Fantasy Historical Funny Scary Witty

Critic Reviews

The Devils is just an incredibly fun, incredibly action-packed and, by the end, incredibly affecting book. It slammed the living shit out of me
The Devils is Joe Abercrombie at his best: exciting, witty, vicious. History buffs (like me!) will love the fantasy-historical setting overflowing with brilliant little details
Joe Abercrombie is, to me, the undisputed master of creating deep, distinct characters that leap off the page, and never more so than in The Devils. This book is hilarious, profound, tragic, and so thrillingly paced one scarcely has time to breathe between one calamitous adventure and the next. I loved every page, and can't wait to see where the story goes from here. Straight to hell, I hopefully suspect!
Visceral, vivid, and violent, The Devils is exceptionally good. Every page is laced with an edge, an energy, written with a fiercely confident voice that demands and deserves your attention. Packed with insightful commentary and sharp wit, this is a delightfully irreverent tale from a master of his craft. If competing works of fantasy literature are a forest, Abercrombie is a damn flamethrower
Deliciously wicked, surprisingly moving. The Dirty Dozen, but fantasy, and with literal monsters. An irresistible vampire, an undying knight, a not-to-be-f***ed with librarian, and the lustiest, most killy, most entertaining werewolf in fantasy or horror conspire to elevate a turdish thief to the throne of empire in this razor-sharp, genre-bending romp. Abercrombie's best to date. Beware
Devilish fun, an unholy delight. Wielding his trademarked grit and stiletto-sharp prose, Abercrombie is at his bloody best weaving a tale of monstrous heroes who discover the humanity in themselves
Mixing the central conceit of Suicide Squad with Hammer Horror vibes, as viewed via the lens of alternate history, Joe Abercrombie's The Devils is a gore splattered roller coaster ride from start to finish. Probably the most fun you can have reading a fantasy novel
Bloody, eloquent, and so fucking charming!
The Devils is ferociously imagined, and rumbles along with the unstoppable force of a city-burying avalanche. It's also frequently shout-out-loud-with-laughter funny. When it comes to big, shamelessly entertaining fantasy, Abercrombie is in a class of his own
Devilish fun, an unholy delight. Wielding his trademarked grit and stiletto-sharp prose, Abercrombie is at his bloody best weaving a tale of monstrous heroes who discover the humanity in themselves.
The Devils is ferociously imagined, and rumbles along with the unstoppable force of a city-burying avalanche. It's also frequently shout-out-loud-with-laughter funny. When it comes to big, shamelessly entertaining fantasy, Abercrombie is in a class of his own
All stars
Most relevant
With The Devils, it seems to me that Joe Abercrombie is shedding off some of the more complicated story elements from The First Law & Age of Madness series to focus on what he most enjoys writing. Characters.

The underlying story of The Devils seems purposefully simple, but that moves the spotlight onto its deeply engaging, hilarious, and at times tragic characters as they adventure through this new, higher fantasy world.

I loved my time with The Devils and look forward to the next entry in this series. Kudos again to Steven Pacey for his incredible performance.

Fresh & Familiar

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The story is epic and imaginative, a great journey. The characters are a good collection and fun. The charactor development is bit inconsistent in terms of important and depth as the book progresses. Wished the ending of the book matches the significance as rest of the book.

Fantastic imaginative story and fun collection of characters

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I'm glad this book turned out to be so good, I was worried about not having a new First Law book while waiting for this trilogy to finish but it's actually amazing that he can build such a good world without the constraints from the First Law's world. I can almost guarantee the people leaving bad reviews are just mad it's not what they expected and haven't even given it a real try. If you liked any of the First Law books, especially the standalone books, then you will love this.

This book is peak Abercrombie. Great humour, character building and world building.

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Well written, beautifully narrated, great dialogue, very funny. Canterbury tales for the twisted. I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Bloody good

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If you like Abercrombie’s other work or you’re a fan of character driven narratives, you should give this a shot

Another instant classic from Abercrombie

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