The Devil's Apprentice (The Great Devil War, #1) by Kenneth B. Andersen, Kenneth Bøgh Andersen on October 8th 2018
Also by this author: The Die of Death: The Great Devil War II, The Wrongful Death (The Great Devil War #3)
Pages: 311
Goodreads
Philip is a good boy, a really good boy, who accidentally gets sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. The Devil, Lucifer, is dying and desperately in need of a successor, but there’s been a mistake and Philip is the wrong boy. Philip is terrible at being bad, but Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training him in the ways of evil. Philip gets both friends and enemies in this odd, gloomy underworld—but who can he trust, when he discovers an evil-minded plot against the dark throne?
The Devil's Apprentice is volume 1 in The Great Devil War-series.
Another Book tour hosted by The Write Reads, with The Devil’s Apprentice by Kenneth B. Andersen. Thanks to Dave for providing a free copy of the book for me to review.
The Devil’s Apprentice reminded me a bit of Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version. Instead of Sam, Philip is held prisoner by the beast. Philip is asked to follow Lucifax through a scary castle. The beast, Lucifer, has a room that’s forbidden. And the kitchen is run by a woman who’s caring but strict, much like Mrs. Potts. There’s a deadline for the beast to fulfil his quest, finding a good successor. There are similar themes/tropes, but there’s enough to make it different.
There’s a lot to like in this book, like the dark humour, the journey from goody two-shoes to a devil, and Lucifax, the demonic cat. However, there’s also something that kept me from finishing it quickly. I’m not sure if it was the writing style or the pacing. Maybe I was just in the wrong mood, but I didn’t want to finish the book.
I feel some parts of the story are handed to us. We don’t have to figure it out, Philip does it for us. Even if he doesn’t really have a clue to what it should be. He just magically knows. And the sights of Hell don’t even seem to terrify him. Why? It was a bit too unrealistic for me. I did like the portrayal of Lucifer. He’s no longer the source of all evil and even has a kind side. Instead of killing Philip, he’s given a chance.
I give The Devil’s Apprentice 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t capture me as much as I’d hoped. If you liked China Miéville’s Un Lun Dun you might like this. It’s the same darkness, a main character in the same age range, and the acceptance of the world is also quite the same. Less puns though.
