The Devils
Europe stares into the abyss. Plague and famine stalk the land, monsters lurk in every shadow and greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions. Only one thing is certain: the elves will come again, and they will eat everyone. Sometimes, only the darkest paths lead towards the light. Paths on which the righteous will not dare to tread... And so, buried beneath the sacred splendour of the Celestial Palace, is the secret Chapel of the Holy Expediency. For its congregation of convicted monsters there are no sins that have not been committed, no lines that will not be crossed, and no mission that cannot be turned into a disastrous bloodbath. Now the hapless Brother Diaz must somehow bind the worst of the worst to a higher cause: to put a thief on the throne of Troy, and unite the sundered church against the coming apocalypse. When you're headed through hell, you need the devils on your side.
Stats for nerds
3recommend
4mentions
4people
2025–2026years
75% recommend25% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Asked Gemini for a list of books recommended on this page multiple times:
Top Recommendations
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams: This was the most mentioned book on the page, with five different users discussing its "cautionary tale" regarding power and idealism.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: A favorite for both readers and audiobook listeners, praised for its engaging story and high-quality narration.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman: Multiple users recommended this LitRPG series, particularly noting that the audiobook experience is exceptional.
Mother of Learning by nobody103: This time-loop progression fantasy appeared in several lists and was described as a "must-read" for fans of the genre.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: A classic that continues to resonate, with several users discussing its humor and depiction of the human condition.
Other Notable Duplicates
Apple in China: Cited three times for its insights into the relationship between the tech giant and Chinese manufacturing.
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb: Featured in both re-read lists and debates about its emotional intensity.
Permutation City by Greg Egan: Highly recommended by sci-fi fans for its "stimulating" concepts regarding digital consciousness.
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie: Mentioned by three users as a top new release for the year.
- My top book this year was Joe Abercrombie "The Devils".
Also highlights were:
- Brandon Sanderson "Wind and Truth" & "Yumi and the Nightmare Painter"
- Indrek Hargla most of "Apothecary Melchior" series (didn't read all yet :)
- Jim Butcher "Brief Cases"
- James Islington "The Strength of the Few"
Rest of the stuff:
- I. Hargla "Süvahavva" series
- John Gwynne "Ruin" & "Wrath"
- nobody103 "Mother of Learning" I, II, III
- Daniel T. Jackson "Gatebound"
- Brandon Sanderson "Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England"
Re-reads (mostly on audio for dozing off, but then got hooked .. again):
- James S.A. Corey "Caliban's War" & "Cibola Burn"
- George RR Martin "Game of Thrones"
- Robin Hobb "Assassin's Apprentice"
- Some highlights from this year include:
- The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
- Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
- A Frog In The Fall (And Later On) by Linnea Sterte (A graphic novel)
Overall I'm at 65 books on the year—I maintain a reading list[1] on my personal site that has the rest.
- I've noticed a lot in the SFF genre, including my current fiction read: Joe Abercrombie's latest release The Devils[1].
You'll see something like the following on the bottom of book details:
> At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
