One of my favorite fantasy series is Joe Abercombie’s First Law.
Full of amazing characters, extremely dark humor, and compelling prose, the series is beloved among many a fantasy fan.
So, when Abercrombie released the first installment of a new trilogy, The Devils, I was sure to pick it up.
Having recently finished it, I can definitely say I am on board for this trilogy.

Set in an alternate version of Europe, the ruling church has become divided.
To unify it against a coming horde of man-eating elves, a monk named Brother Diaz is entrusted with ensuring a thief named Alex inherits the throne of Troy.
However, with many after Alex’s head, Brother Diaz requires the aid of the Chapel of the Holy Expediency.
Essentially a medieval Suicide Squad, the Chapel is a group of expendable monsters the church sends to do its dirty work.
The titular Devils includes Jakob of Thorne, the knight who cannot die; Babtiste, the woman of many previous professions; Balthazar, the egotistical necromancer; Rikard, the dumpling loving vampire; Sunny, the invisible elf; and Vigga, the nordic, sex obsessed werewolf.    
Naturally, this provides a wide range of characters for Abercrombie to explore across The Devils’ 500 plus pages. 

Unfortunately, I would say some of the characters, like Babtiste and Rikard, do get the short end of the stick in terms of page time and exploration.
However, Abercrombie excels with the other characters, making them relatable, terrifying and often hilarious.
Speaking of the latter, The Devils is the most comedy driven Abercrombie novel to date.
Some readers have criticized this, saying that there is way too much humor, but I personally found it to be a good blend with the serious stuff.
Other criticisms include the book being a bit repetitious at times and some of the ending twists being obvious.
While I will admit these things were noticeable, the good far outweighed the bad, especially with the character interactions. 

The growing bonds between Sunny and Alex, and Brother Diaz and Vigga were particular highlights for me.
Along with that, the commentary is also stellar, with Abercrombie once again showing the corruption of power, which works well with both the alternate Europe and his brand of dark humor.
Overall, The Devils is a lot of fun.
It is hilarious, gory, and has a lot of great characters who I would like to read about again in the future.
I look forward to reading the rest of Abercrombie’s new trilogy.