Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for The Devils by Joe Abercrombie starting on May 13, 2025.


Happy Reading!

Thanks!

Spot!

I'm in! 📚

Just putting in an idea here--we could do Shattered Seas after Devils. ^_~

Nirkatze wrote: "Just putting in an idea here--we could do Shattered Seas after Devils. ^_~"

I am fine with that :)

Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Just putting in an idea here--we could do Shattered Seas after Devils. ^_~"

I am fine with that :)"

Are you solid enough with that "fine" for me to put in a request for #1 June 13? ^_______^

Nirkatze wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Just putting in an idea here--we could do Shattered Seas after Devils. ^_~"

I am fine with that :)"

Are you solid enough with that "fine" for me to put in a req..."

Yup, I am looking forward to a grimdark YA series lol

Queue the maniacal laughter. Request made!

Can't wait for this!!

Saving my spot too! Abercrombie yay!

In! (Coming out of my Sanderson delay and back into active in this group).

Welcome back Rob!

Shattered Sea first book link is live too!
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hi all! I haven’t done a buddy read on here before. Can’t wait for The Devils to come out!

Welcome Christyne! I'm also excited for a new Abercrombie world...

My Broken Binding edition is now in the USA, so hopefully will have it soon...

Exactly!! I was like, whoa! I'm actually going to get my book on time for once!

I got my Broken Binding edition yesterday!! And my Waterstones special edition. They're both gorgeous!

I am struggling with reading at the moment with a newborn, need to finish my current physical book then start this immediately!

Some people and their shiny book collections...

Le Sigh...

:D

Good luck finding reading time...

We haven't seen Emily in awhile... and Marie has one on the horizon... so many babies getting in the way of a good book, this year ;)

Siobhan wrote: "I got my Broken Binding edition yesterday!! And my Waterstones special edition. They're both gorgeous!

I am struggling with reading at the moment with a newborn, need to finish my current physica..."

Mine came in yesterday too......I should be starting soon..

That's amazing it got to you so quickly Chris!

Haha I know Iain, darn those babies!! 🤣

Chris wrote: "Mine came in yesterday too......I should be starting soon..."

My first thought was "Chris also had a baby come in?" LOL

I will keep my fingers crossed that y'all's babies will be quickly indoctrinated to the love of books properly.... "shhh, mama's reading! and if you're good, she'll read to you too!"

We had a new grandbaby a couple of months ago....so that counts

Grats for that!

My copy apparently just arrived in town. Usually that means it'll be delivered tomorrow!

I have it I have it! I just need to finish some chapters in my current read so I could start this.

I just got it and then my request for Abundance came in from the library and given the number of Holds on it.....agh.

Mine just came. I’m excited. I didn’t read the synopsis before I bought it cause I trust the author. The inside binding pictures look awesome.

I’ll be listening for this one so got my Audible access today. This is my first buddy read, so how does this work? Will this thread be moved to current reads or a new thread started in current reads? Excited to start this one!

Christyne wrote: "I’ll be listening for this one so got my Audible access today. This is my first buddy read, so how does this work? Will this thread be moved to current reads or a new thread started in current read..."

I ignore the folders, lol, but I think other folks use them? I follow the link here from my [BR tracker] or from notifications...

As for how this works--share your thoughts as you read! The main thing we ask is if you are talking about spoilers, please put in a spoiler tag. You can click the (some html is ok) upper right of the comment box to see how to spoiler tag, but it looks like this without the spaces:
< spoiler >this is inside a spoiler< / spoiler >

So we'll do things like this:
So I just started with Chapter 1 yesterday and (view spoiler)[can you believe it OMG! (hide spoiler)]
^ total lie, haven't started yet ^

this is a bit difficult since the chapters are named, but not numbered.

I just finished the A Flock of Black Sheep chapter (6% mark in the Kindle edition)
(view spoiler)[it is an interesting world, so around Byzantium-equivalent era? So far the monk's chapter is more engaging than the found princess's one but Abercrombie is known for great character development so I am looking forward for the future Alex. (hide spoiler)]

Abercrombie doesn't believe in chapter numbers

I forgot about that *sigh

Thanks for the BR Tracker tip, @Nirkatze! That’s very handy.

finished with Part I
ok that was crazy
(view spoiler)[that inn fight was mental lmao Balthazar has been a really funny POV and that poop pen omg what the heck was Joe thinking when he wrote it ewww

I am curious how the Baron and Sunny spent most of the fight since they were offscreen. I suppose the Baron drank some mutts' blood but how about Sunny? aside from taking the key and released Vigga... and speaking about Vigga...yikes LOL but I guess she had a really hard past, really felt bad about her. (hide spoiler)]

the book made me lose sleep already so that's a good sign.

Christyne wrote: "Thanks for the BR Tracker tip, @Nirkatze! That’s very handy."

Happy to help!
I also keep the spreadsheet bookmarked permanently, just in case I miss anything:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1a7w3x...

Finished with Part II

(view spoiler)[I think the ship battle was kinda boring and not as exciting as the first one. The plot is going in circles I need more.

The heist was okay though. And where was the Baron during the whole ship battle?

and I think I smell some bit of future romance between Alex and Sunny. (hide spoiler)]

I knew this book was going to be a different style than Abercrombie’s First Law books and I was a bit nervous because I love those books (as well as other grimdark series). The style difference was apparent right away and I wasn’t quite sure if I was into it. Though I found myself quickly becoming invested in our characters and enjoying the different POVs. And there’s definitely a delightful Abercrombie-ness in the writing. The Devils is certainly not like the First Law books but I’m about a quarter a way into it and am enjoying the journey. In an article or interview I saw the style labeled as GrimCom and I think that fits well. I think the rest of this journey is going to be a fun time with some grit throughout. Cheers to Joe for trying something new.

GrimCom! Interesting. It sure is the most quirky book Joe's ever written. I am waiting for the grim part to come, the first half's been more comedy....

I mean... When it's a movie it's just a dark comedy...

Part III was more interesting. That feat by
(view spoiler)[Balthazar was mental. He did get lucky with the setting, all those bodies beneath. Horrifying mental image on how the Duke got pulled down yikes (hide spoiler)]

I however got tired of (view spoiler)[how repetitive some relationship (and even some action) aspects were. Like, we got how these ppl got the hots for each other, so at least some *finally* got laid and stuff but who cares, and could we just move on with the more important plot please?? it's almost like video game now.

Yet I did enjoy the way the Demon refused Balthazar's request haha, though it took a silly subplot to get there - like I KNEW the feuding nobles were in a relationship or something (hide spoiler)]

More rants tonight.

@Silvana, sure it’s not as grim as grimdark but the characters are morally grey, there’s violence (mild)/gore (mild)/things you don’t talk about at the dinner table, and in true Abercrombie fashion I find myself caring about characters that are not heroic in any way and do not have a lot of admirable qualities. Though I do have to say Abercrombie may have written in a character in The Devils that IS actually a wholly good person … it’s too early to tell though. But with a chapter ending with a quote, “… no one’s really happy where they are … and everyone’s lonely,” I’d put it at least on the light end of the scale of grim.

Another grim quote, “ … and clutch with both hands at any flicker of warmth that can be clawed from the uncaring darkness of existence.” The Devils is in the style of comedy but has some grim to it.

I listened to this over the weekend and I loved it, such a group of characters, so stupid and bad but in the best way possible. Of course the action scenes were plentiful and so fun to read, I laughed many times while listening. It wasn't as "grim"dark as I was anticipating but it worked for me and I loved it. (view spoiler)[I think Balthazar was my favorite with his determination to break the pope's binding and failing but there wasn't any of the group that I disliked. The world-building was interesting and the book was just an engaging read from the first page to the last. I was sad to see it end and will absolutely continue the series! (hide spoiler)]

Haven't started yet, changed my weekend plans ... Expect to listen really soon tho

If y'all aren't doing the print book, check out this artwork!!

https://www.instagram.com/torbooks/p/...

Black and white in the regular books, but color in a special edition, I think... They're the endpapers and illustrations at the book Parts.

Almost done with my current eye-read, looking forward to jumping into this.

Started.. feels very Abercrombie ... Then again, that might just be the narration by Steven Pacey giving everyone recognizable First Law voices...

I just started this yesterday. It is a bit different of a story. Just finished part 1, and finally starting to get into the characters, a much slower start for his previous books, of course a new world, but still the grittiness that we expect from the author.

I'm through 50% and into part 3 or 4' and it feels very similar to me... Maybe less serious, but similar world/characters/tone... Easy to forget this is an alt-Earth and not a pure fantasy world...

Just finished! Overall I liked it very much but due to the repetitiveness I could only give four stars. Looking very much forward to the next book! Anyone knows when? Hopefully next year *praying*

Christyne wrote: "@Silvana, sure it’s not as grim as grimdark but the characters are morally grey, there’s violence (mild)/gore (mild)/things you don’t talk about at the dinner table, and in true Abercrombie fashion..."

yeah....I think I am already desensitized over the morally grey, gore and violence especially in grimdark novels.

I however did not expect one thing though - this is a spoiler for the whole book (view spoiler)[Vigga inadvertently killing Baptiste was probably the only grim part of the book, which I did not expect to happen. I think the way Joe described Vigga's self-tormenting herself was really good, I really felt bad for her. And she was such a happy go lucky character so it's even sadder. (hide spoiler)]

Ann-Marie wrote: "I listened to this over the weekend and I loved it, such a group of characters, so stupid and bad but in the best way possible. Of course the action scenes were plentiful and so fun to read, I laug..."

I too love him, his determination is endearing yet he always ended up in a such a mess.

I wonder why he did not just (view spoiler)[take out Eudoxia, but maybe his self-preservation mode kicked in. And he did not want to take any risk if he felt he might not win. (hide spoiler)]