Jimmy
I think it’s hard to deny that The Devils is a very entertaining book from Joe Abercrombie. The question is whether the entertainment is delivered in a way that is enjoyable to every reader, and that is where it becomes quite subjective. The dark scatological humour is dialled up to the max, the violent action is generally as graphic as it is gratuitous, and the characters are equal parts colourful and caricature. The storytelling style is direct, vivid and draws the reader in, and often borders on being over-dramatic. The pacing ebbs and flows well in my opinion, but as others have noted, did have a movie-like cadence - even feeling like a video game storyline with boss battles of increasing scope and difficulty. I can see how this was immediately picked up for film adaptation, though I’m not sure I see James Cameron in this as much as something more in the style of Matthew Vaughn.
A number of other factors ended making this middling for me. The overall plot was completely predictable after the first dozen chapters or so, though there were a few twists in how it reached the end. The prose suited the tone of the story and I often found myself having a little wry chortle, though it also sometimes became a bit repetitive and overdone with some of the characters' internal and external dialogues. As for the characters themselves, while I found them both individually distinctive and engaging as an ensemble, I didn't feel like I built any strong emotional connections with any of them, and they seemed to have the same overall arc of being more than meets the eye with their vice being as much be their virtue. And I think that's a lot of what it comes down to - I certainly enjoyed reading The Devils, but this is also not a book that leaves you with lasting emotions, resounding themes or profound thoughts, and that meant it couldn't really be elevated beyond some good fun. There's definitely a place for this kind of book in my reading rotation, but it isn't calling for a reread soon.
I think it’s hard to deny that The Devils is a very entertaining book from Joe Abercrombie. The question is whether the entertainment is delivered in a way that is enjoyable to every reader, and that is where it becomes quite subjective. The dark scatological humour is dialled up to the max, the violent action is generally as graphic as it is gratuitous, and the characters are equal parts colourful and caricature. The storytelling style is direct, vivid and draws the reader in, and often borders on being over-dramatic. The pacing ebbs and flows well in my opinion, but as others have noted, did have a movie-like cadence - even feeling like a video game storyline with boss battles of increasing scope and difficulty. I can see how this was immediately picked up for film adaptation, though I’m not sure I see James Cameron in this as much as something more in the style of Matthew Vaughn.
A number of other factors ended making this middling for me. The overall plot was completely predictable after the first dozen chapters or so, though there were a few twists in how it reached the end. The prose suited the tone of the story and I often found myself having a little wry chortle, though it also sometimes became a bit repetitive and overdone with some of the characters' internal and external dialogues. As for the characters themselves, while I found them both individually distinctive and engaging as an ensemble, I didn't feel like I built any strong emotional connections with any of them, and they seemed to have the same overall arc of being more than meets the eye with their vice being as much be their virtue. And I think that's a lot of what it comes down to - I certainly enjoyed reading The Devils, but this is also not a book that leaves you with lasting emotions, resounding themes or profound thoughts, and that meant it couldn't really be elevated beyond some good fun. There's definitely a place for this kind of book in my reading rotation, but it isn't calling for a reread soon.