In this episode we dive into The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. It’s a departure from the grim world of The First Law, leaning into a "monsters vs. monsters" heist set in a supernatural, alternate-history Europe. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if the Vatican recruited a werewolf, a vampire, and a deathless soldier to save the world - well, you're in luck. We discuss the shift in tone, the hilarious "refrains" Joe uses for his characters, and whether this new direction lives up to his legendary fantasy status.
We break down the entire motley crew—from Jakob’s "righteous" path to the mystery of Baptiste—and comparing the action to Abercrombie’s previous work. Is Viga the new Bloody Nine? Does the humor land as well as the sword-swings? We also feature some of the best takes from our Discord book club, including debating character rethreads, the themes of the book, and who is likely to love the book. Stick around to hear our final scores and why this might be the most "fun" Abercrombie has ever been. And make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss our next episode, where we’ll be pivoting to discuss the best of Young Adult (YA) scifi and fantasy!
As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion.
Similar books we recommend:
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
- The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
- Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
This episode is sponsored by Pilgrims by M.R. Leonard.
If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:
- 00:00 Intro
- 01:17 Our review (4/5)
- 04:15 Sponsor - Pilgrims by M.R. Leonard
- 04:48 Incredibly entertaining fight scenes
- 07:53 Genuinely funny writing
- 12:34 Religion, power, and worldbuilding
- 14:32 The League of Extraordinary Gentleman
- 15:10 The First Law Trilogy
- 16:03 Night Watch
- 17:10 POST SPOILERS book summary
- 18:49 POST SPOILERS the characters
- 24:21 POST SPOILERS redemption?
