Book Reviews
4/30/2025
‘The Devils’
There is a subgenre of fantasy that I haven’t always appreciated. Grimdark novels often leave me feeling a little hollow and depressed. As such, it took me far too long to appreciate Joe Abercrombie’s incredible skill and masterful ability to make me fall in love with indifferent, morally grey characters living in vicious worlds.
Set in an twisted medieval Europe on the brink of apocalypse, Brother Diaz is an out-of-place but ambitious monk tasked with leading a ragtag group of outcast devils including a vampire, a werewolf and a cursed knight in an attempt to create an empress out of a street thief. This impossible, slightly ridiculous quest leads to a rollercoaster of blood-soaked battles and heroic deeds and brings together unexpectedly sweet found family.
Brilliant character studies are not typically found in the kind of grimdark worlds we would expect from Abercrombie, but his skill is undeniable. I loved each and every one of the bitter, broken people he created in this fantastically exciting, hilarious and, yes, dark story. I am so excited to see what happens next. ♦
— Review by Julie Goodrich
‘The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past’
History is written by the loud voices — the bold, daring, dashing victors who live to hold the pen. But there is so much more to where we have ended up than just the names on the marquee sign. Enter the award-winning podcast turned book, “The Memory Palace,” a broad array of bite-sized stories centered on lesser known, everyday kinds of historical moments that tend to get lost behind the big, bombastic tales everyone learns in school.
A seemingly random mix of short stories litter these pages, but the themes of hidden gems and the ripples of innocuous moments become clear as the author jumps from the first manned space flight to Baby Ruth candy bars to the advent of photography. The focus is on the “in-between moments,” as he calls them. These minor notes resonate long after they are forgotten.
These are stories of human perseverance, imagination and awe. Tiny bits of color commentary on the wider arc of American history. This is a book for the folks who need to always know what is under the surface. ♦
— Review by Julie Goodrich
