Reader’s Notebook, 1/27/26

The Devils – Joe Abercrombie
Another book that appeared on multiple Best Of lists I scrolled through at the end of 2025. With good reason: it was one of the best books I’ve read in the past year or so.

At its core this is your classic quest novel. A teenager is identified as the presumptive heir to a throne that could reunite two churches that have been split for ages. Her ascension promises not just to bring those two wings together, but protect the Western world against invaders from the East.

Abercrombie builds his world on a mashup from multiple genres and ages. The story seems to take place in the Middle Ages in Europe. The religious schism is clearly based on the divide between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. The battles with the Eastern invaders are obviously modeled on the Crusades. However, the Eastern invaders are not Muslims or forces from Asia, but rather Elves. Evil Elves. So there are ties to fantasy fiction.

And then there is the travel party for the young princess, selected by Papal decree to transport her to the city of Troy where she can reclaim her rightful place. There is a monk with faith issues. A knight who has been cursed by a witch with immortality, meaning no matter how grievous the injuries he suffers in battle are, he will survive them and live to fight more. A jaunty pirate with an oddly broad work history. A sorcerer, err, magician.[1] A horny werewolf who will either fuck or kill just about anyone who crosses her path. A laid back vampire. And, oh no!, and elf.

Also there is an inter-species, same sex relationship. Not sure I’ve ever written that phrase before, as I’ve never read a story that included that angle.

This may sound messy and even dumb, but Abercrombie makes it work. And work well.

The magic of his book is that he takes this story that is set in some ancient, mythical world, and has the characters speak and behave as if they are alive today. Lots of sarcasm and cynicism. His party members needle each other as much as they fight for each other. Anytime one of them gets a little too proud, their partners immediately humble them. In the end, naturally, they come together and bring it to a (mostly) happy ending.

There are also elements of horror in the story, as Abercrombie’s descriptions of the violence in the battles reminded me of an early Stephen King novel.

Even when you mash up all these disparate elements, when the core story is fairly straight forward and familiar, you can’t be lazy if you hope to engage readers. Abercrombie’s writing is excellent. He captured my full attention from the opening pages and kept it to his conclusion.

Even if you aren’t into fantasy, or Middle Ages European history, or horror, I think any reader would find something in this book to love. On top of being just a terrific tale, it made me laugh out loud constantly. That alone, these days, can make a book worth the effort.