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The Devil's Mercy
"What's your principle worth when people suffer because of your moral consistency?"
In the heart of the desert city of Andoona lies the Devil's Mercy, the world's largest casino. It is named after a tradition: some of the lost souls there receive a chance to overcome their addiction. Twelve years have passed since Miles Carduroy took up that offer, and he now works at the casino as a security guard. And, between magical and regular cheaters, there's more than enough work to distract him from his past vices.
Regular work is also what he thinks of when he catches a particularly mischievous mage called Nova. However, she quickly reveals that her intentions are more than making a quick buck. With a flirty demeanour, she unveils dangerous secrets involving his co-workers, but crucially also the owner of the Mercy. Cracks form on Miles’ image of the woman who once granted him the Devil's Mercy.
With no way to tell who to trust, the only thing left to do may be the very thing that caused his addiction: relying on his gut feeling. Something that he swore never to do again when he took up his current job.
In the heart of the desert city of Andoona lies the Devil's Mercy, the world's largest casino. It is named after a tradition: some of the lost souls there receive a chance to overcome their addiction. Twelve years have passed since Miles Carduroy took up that offer, and he now works at the casino as a security guard. And, between magical and regular cheaters, there's more than enough work to distract him from his past vices.
Regular work is also what he thinks of when he catches a particularly mischievous mage called Nova. However, she quickly reveals that her intentions are more than making a quick buck. With a flirty demeanour, she unveils dangerous secrets involving his co-workers, but crucially also the owner of the Mercy. Cracks form on Miles’ image of the woman who once granted him the Devil's Mercy.
With no way to tell who to trust, the only thing left to do may be the very thing that caused his addiction: relying on his gut feeling. Something that he swore never to do again when he took up his current job.
380 pages, Paperback
Published January 19, 2024
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Florian Müll
2 books15 followersFlorian Müll is a human and terribly interested in the workings that make up our minds. He seeks answers to his questions both in academia and in the stories he comes up with. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and has written four novels, of which his latest, the Devil’s Mercy, marks his first publication. His biggest achievement is that he has DMed two DnD campaigns to completion.
You can find him on Instagram for reviews and information about what he’s working on: florianmuellbooks.
You can find him on Instagram for reviews and information about what he’s working on: florianmuellbooks.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 27, 2024
Mystery, love, manipulation and a deep dive into the moral complexities of right and wrong - you may find all of these in this book.
Not only has this been a fantasy book with a refreshingly unique setting and magic system, it also found a great balance between all of the above. To me, this seems like a book for fantasy, as was simply fiction and mystery fans in general, given it's not really a high fantasy setting, but makes it's magic system simply feel integral to the world, without shoving it in your face, thus only enhancing the plot that is worked into this novel in a touching and beautiful style of writing, leading you on a journey through human nature and the extreme changes any given individual can undergo. Absolutely recommend given this a try yourself!
Not only has this been a fantasy book with a refreshingly unique setting and magic system, it also found a great balance between all of the above. To me, this seems like a book for fantasy, as was simply fiction and mystery fans in general, given it's not really a high fantasy setting, but makes it's magic system simply feel integral to the world, without shoving it in your face, thus only enhancing the plot that is worked into this novel in a touching and beautiful style of writing, leading you on a journey through human nature and the extreme changes any given individual can undergo. Absolutely recommend given this a try yourself!
January 25, 2024
What a ride. The story makes sure you never know what's coming and what side the characters are on. Until the last page I wasn't sure how this was gonna end (neither was Miles, lmao).
If you're looking for something that will keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you thinking what the characters intentions and views are, this is the book to read. And while I rarely could get myself to agree with the characters, I found myself constantly fascinated by what lengths they were willing to go through to align their goals with their morals (or sometimes lack thereof).
If you're looking for something that will keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you thinking what the characters intentions and views are, this is the book to read. And while I rarely could get myself to agree with the characters, I found myself constantly fascinated by what lengths they were willing to go through to align their goals with their morals (or sometimes lack thereof).
February 1, 2024
Damn it is hard to write this. Okay, I will try to do this book justice. Let me start with this: I really fell deep into the story and that was mostly because of the unique writing style of the author. Now regarding the plot: I didn't like a single character in this book and I still loved it. And that really is the magic of The Devil's Mercy. I didn't understand their moral compasses at all, I wanted to argue with them over what they think is reasonable and most of all I wanted to wash Miles head because he was so stuck in his "emotion vs reason" thing. And in the end everybody loses.
April 15, 2024
4.5/5
The author crafted a beautiful world with interesting takes on religion and magic. The writing is really good; I'd often find myself imagining the scenes depicted in the book, even though doing so usually doesn't come easily to me. I adored the film noir setting, and I'd love to read more stories set in this world. I also enjoyed pondering upon the philosophical questions raised by the characters, but at times, I couldn't imagine them caring about such deep moralities while being placed under immense stress. The story was captivating and well-paced, at first I was worried that I might hate the ending but I liked the way things got wrapped up.
The author crafted a beautiful world with interesting takes on religion and magic. The writing is really good; I'd often find myself imagining the scenes depicted in the book, even though doing so usually doesn't come easily to me. I adored the film noir setting, and I'd love to read more stories set in this world. I also enjoyed pondering upon the philosophical questions raised by the characters, but at times, I couldn't imagine them caring about such deep moralities while being placed under immense stress. The story was captivating and well-paced, at first I was worried that I might hate the ending but I liked the way things got wrapped up.
March 10, 2024
A very clever and unique mix of Film Noir story and fantasy inspired magic. I‘ve enjoyed reading this very much; the plot keeping me attracted throughout. Good writing as well, with enough hints to make the image of a world of it‘s own appear before my inner eye, while sparse enough to develop the image myself.
The characters are complex and have their depths and contradictions, it’s not the simple blacks and white scheme. Consequently the plot has twists and turns, some off them hit me off guard!
I‘m keen to find and read more by the author.
The characters are complex and have their depths and contradictions, it’s not the simple blacks and white scheme. Consequently the plot has twists and turns, some off them hit me off guard!
I‘m keen to find and read more by the author.
February 18, 2024
*Minor spoilers ahead*
Overall, I had a great time reading this book. The writing style was just amazing, especially in the second part of the story. Even though I've already read the book's beta-version I was still intrigued by the story and Nova's betrayal hit me like the first time reading it (Miles may be an idiot, but he didn't deserve any of that). The author also manages to craft a colorful world, full of magic in which I wanted to get lost in while following the plot. However, I feel like I was only allowed to get a small bite of the world, when I actually wanted to devour it. This world has so much potential and I would totally read another story (maybe some sort of prequel or so?) that's set in there. I wished to fully explore the magic system and everything else in this exciting new world, and not just have it as a gimmick for the main plot (even though I really enjoyed it). Anyways, despite my criticism the book was a quick and fun read for me, and I would recommend it to everyone who's willing to give new authors a chance and looking for an entertaining and fast-paced fantasy story. What I also like about TDM is that you could just experience the story in a superficial but delightful way, but at the same time you can choose to dive in deeper into the more serious topics of the story, like gambling, addiction, and philosphical questions that will challenge your own perception of what is right or wrong. That's just what great fantasy does in my opinion.
Overall, I had a great time reading this book. The writing style was just amazing, especially in the second part of the story. Even though I've already read the book's beta-version I was still intrigued by the story and Nova's betrayal hit me like the first time reading it (Miles may be an idiot, but he didn't deserve any of that). The author also manages to craft a colorful world, full of magic in which I wanted to get lost in while following the plot. However, I feel like I was only allowed to get a small bite of the world, when I actually wanted to devour it. This world has so much potential and I would totally read another story (maybe some sort of prequel or so?) that's set in there. I wished to fully explore the magic system and everything else in this exciting new world, and not just have it as a gimmick for the main plot (even though I really enjoyed it). Anyways, despite my criticism the book was a quick and fun read for me, and I would recommend it to everyone who's willing to give new authors a chance and looking for an entertaining and fast-paced fantasy story. What I also like about TDM is that you could just experience the story in a superficial but delightful way, but at the same time you can choose to dive in deeper into the more serious topics of the story, like gambling, addiction, and philosphical questions that will challenge your own perception of what is right or wrong. That's just what great fantasy does in my opinion.
January 25, 2024
I know reviewing your own book is kind of cliché, but I really poured a lot of heart in form of thoughts, time, and energy into this novel and I would really appreciate it if you, whoever may read this, would give it a chance.
There's a lot of discussion about addiction, religion, philosophy, and even some romance in there. And it proved an excellent opportunity to connect the things I learned about the human mind during my psychology degree to this novel.
So, if you might be interested in that, pick the book up. Especially the second half is a wild ride, if I may say so myself.
There's a lot of discussion about addiction, religion, philosophy, and even some romance in there. And it proved an excellent opportunity to connect the things I learned about the human mind during my psychology degree to this novel.
So, if you might be interested in that, pick the book up. Especially the second half is a wild ride, if I may say so myself.
March 26, 2024
Honestly I‘m a little disappointed with the author, because this book could have been incredibly good, if only he had taken a little bit more time to develop the story.
The writing style is pretty good and you get a hint of the feeling of reading a film noir.
On, the one hand it‘s because of the story, that starts with a teriffic atmosphere, but doesn’t reach its potential. Especially at the casino at the gaming tables, I would have wished for more scenes. Unfortunally thats why everythings seems a little bit superficial.
Especially Nova seems midly flat. Although at the end she grew a little bit more into the character I wished for, I struggeld with her throughout the book. Something is missing. On the first impression she seemed to be very attractive, and I was curious were this mix of danger and sexappeal would lead, but it was lacking the depth of her personality. There was this cat and mouse play going on between her and Miles, and I think the mouse got caught a little bit to early. At times she reminds me of a Bond-Girl. At the begining misterious and sexy and then suddenly just sexy. Of Course this changend at the end of the Story, but in the middle of the book I was quite annoyed. Maybe the author should have left some brackets of feelings, despite the black and White thoughts she had, esspecially because I feel like she was a quite morally grey character.
Miles on the other hand was an extraordinary hero and I liked that he really does not fit into the „classic“ stereotype of a hero.
But the same way he didn’t care about what happened in his life, neither did I.
It wasn't easy to root for a character who often times just let himself go with the flow and only afterwards asked the question of what was morally right or wrong. His loneliness, which certainly seemed to be his main plot motive, also got me annoyed at some point because he simply never actively tried to fill this gap himself.
But what I really liked about the book was the world that was created. Not only the mathematical magic, which once you finally understood it, triggered a “Eureka” moment in yourself, but also the religious or spiritual aspects were very refreshing.
The story has an incredible amount of potential and I can recommend it to anyone who just wants something new, for whom the setting and a good writing style are particularly important and who also likes to get lost in philosophical thoughts.
The writing style is pretty good and you get a hint of the feeling of reading a film noir.
On, the one hand it‘s because of the story, that starts with a teriffic atmosphere, but doesn’t reach its potential. Especially at the casino at the gaming tables, I would have wished for more scenes. Unfortunally thats why everythings seems a little bit superficial.
Especially Nova seems midly flat. Although at the end she grew a little bit more into the character I wished for, I struggeld with her throughout the book. Something is missing. On the first impression she seemed to be very attractive, and I was curious were this mix of danger and sexappeal would lead, but it was lacking the depth of her personality. There was this cat and mouse play going on between her and Miles, and I think the mouse got caught a little bit to early. At times she reminds me of a Bond-Girl. At the begining misterious and sexy and then suddenly just sexy. Of Course this changend at the end of the Story, but in the middle of the book I was quite annoyed. Maybe the author should have left some brackets of feelings, despite the black and White thoughts she had, esspecially because I feel like she was a quite morally grey character.
Miles on the other hand was an extraordinary hero and I liked that he really does not fit into the „classic“ stereotype of a hero.
But the same way he didn’t care about what happened in his life, neither did I.
It wasn't easy to root for a character who often times just let himself go with the flow and only afterwards asked the question of what was morally right or wrong. His loneliness, which certainly seemed to be his main plot motive, also got me annoyed at some point because he simply never actively tried to fill this gap himself.
But what I really liked about the book was the world that was created. Not only the mathematical magic, which once you finally understood it, triggered a “Eureka” moment in yourself, but also the religious or spiritual aspects were very refreshing.
The story has an incredible amount of potential and I can recommend it to anyone who just wants something new, for whom the setting and a good writing style are particularly important and who also likes to get lost in philosophical thoughts.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews