The Devil's Hour

Rating: 4.5/5

‘Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds’. That is the opening sentence on Good Reads book description for Joe Abercrombie’s The Devils (2025). And no truer words have ever been spoken.

I was so excited about getting my hands on this one, having fully pledged myself to Lord Grimdark since being introduced to The First law Trilogy (2006-2008) early this year. And I pray this review will be convincing enough to make you join the flock.

Filled with laughter and heart, The Devils is an action-packed crusade of delectable destruction and unsavoury characters so sinful, readers can’t help but fall for them.

Set in an alternate reality where elves and humans fight for the holy lands and the church is run by women, The Devils follows a group of ‘highly classified’ characters sent on a mission to restore a ‘lost princess’ to the throne of Troy. But these characters aren’t normal and definitely not holy.

While Abercrombie’s stand alone, Best Served Cold (2009) still holds the top spot in his works, The Devilswas a book I could not stop talking about with friends and family.

It was a joy ride of chaotic fun that clearly allowed Abercrombie to experiment further with his writing. While I am still catching up on his other works, I do feel this is Abercrombie’s first time at setting his story in our world. Or at least one familiar to us. I liked his choice to set it around a time when religion was at its strongest and the world was still haunted by the horrors of the crusade. It enabled Abercrombie feel right at home highlighting the corruption and brutality of that time.

Though that isn’t to say there weren’t times when I felt a little overwhelmed by all that was happening. A lot happens in The Devils in a lot of different locations.

It did feel like the pacing was off at times and it became a bit of a struggle to keep my mind on track.  I do feel The Devils would have benefitted by holding back on some sub-plots for a later story. However, what it loses in pacing it makes up for in descriptively gory action sequences, which was enough to draw me back into the fray. As well as great settings, Abercrombie also leans more into his humour. I have heard some readers have expressed a disappointment with this, comparing it to the quippy remarks made in Marvel films. And while yes, the rogue of many trades Baptiste’s constant mentioning of Barcelona is eerily similar to Black Widow and Hawkeye’s banter about Budapest, I’m more inclined to say the humour is strongly satirical. I don’t know about anyone else but there’s almost something python-esque about having a ten-year-old girl as the pope. Or a married couple deciding to settle their spousal disagreement by declaring civil war on each other. Whether quippy or satirical the end results will get you smiling just as often as the shenanigans of its characters. 

Like The First Law trilogy, I loved and hated (in a good way) Abercrombie’s characters in The Devils. Imagine League of Extraordinary Gentleman or Guardians of The Galaxy on a holy quest through Europe. They are loveable misfits with questionable morals. It’s hard not to love at least one of them because Abercrombie fleshes them out so well. And while you shouldn’t be on the side of devils you can’t help but cheer for them all the way. There is the narcissistic Balthazar, a sorcerer, I mean magician, whose multiple attempts at escape is always fraughted in hilarious fashion. There is the Benjamin button-like vampire Baron Rikard whose mesmerising words can make even dumplings sound fascinating. Or the werewolf-cursed Viking, Vigga, whose short-term memory and raunchy behaviour hides a traumatized inner self trying to look on the bright side of life. All this and many more make up the story’s most dysfunctional family. But be wary of putting your complete devotion into this unlikely band because their fate can easily be snatched away before you can even say ‘WTF!?’

So, if you’re looking for a fantasy book that delves into humour, corruption and high-stake action, I highly recommend giving Abercrombie’s The Devils a chance and preaching its gospel to other readers.