“Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters, and the mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends. Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.”
This is my first attempt at reading a Joe Abercrombie book. I’ve seen his books for some time, aware they were more violent than what I’m used to in standard fantasy, though I’m not sure if that is good or bad, as the mainstream fantasy field has not surprised me for years (the usual suspects of being too many volumes, most overlong, and, ugh, romantasy). The Devils is also part of a subgenre of fantasy called Grimdark. That variety features a more darker, grittier, morally ambiguous world with violent and often nihilistic themes. It is defined by its bleak settings, anti-heroic and selfish characters, and frequent depictions of corruption, violence, and tragedy, blurring the line between good and evil.
So the book follows a monk, a cursed knight, a pirate, a werewolf, a vampire, a magician, and elf whom are tasked by the church to escort a former thief to Troy, where she is heir to the throne. So all the ingredients are here for the perfect novel, but something feels off and I can’t quite put my finger on why. Perhaps, part of the problem, lies with the feeling I’ve read this all before – like some forty years ago. It reminded me a lot of David Eddings The Belgariad and The Malloreon, which is not bad, as I enjoyed those novels. While Eddings work was not super complex, as it is here, both writers have a sense of humor and created memorable characters. The Devils is also episodic, despite the fact is has fast paced action, with barely a breath between set-pieces, and short chapters. And it works, but for someone reading a novel by him for the first time, I do not fully love this book, the first in a new trilogy.
Also, it’s a bit overlong, but I’ve finished it, and got at least a year wait for the next book. We’ll see if I will pick up book two or maybe, like other fantasy novels of late, have found nothing new to want me to continue on.
