Reviews

The Devil's Novice: The Eighth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters

english_lady03's review against another edition

4.0

The first rule of thumb with Cadfael books is to ask how faithful the TV adaptation were to them. Witht The Devil's Novice, it turns out is a faithful adaptation. No wonder, the story doesn't need changing. All they really did was change a couple of the names, Roswitha to Rosanna, Isouda to Isabel, although I think Meriet is meant to be quite considerably younger in the book than his TV counterpart.

The Devil's Novice has long been amoung my three all-time favourite Cadfael stories, the fact that it starred Christien Anholt and Julian Glover is probably part of that, but I digress. The novel doesn't fail to deliver. Despite being a mystery, there is a real charm to this story and it is a rare author indeed who can end such a book not just happily, but on an almost heartwarming note. The underlying theme here is family, and what people will do for those they love.

I don't want to give anything away, but this is a must-read for anyone who has got into the Cadfael books already, and even for those who have not. I think those who are just fans of historical mysteries will like it.

3keekee0's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

murdrean's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

4.5

elizafiedler's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

dominic_piacentini's review

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Brother Mark is husband material. 

garnetofeden's review against another edition

4.0

Although it is common for Brother Cadfael to help young couples, this volume was unique in involving relationships at the father and son level of the family as well.

Spoiler

I really liked how he told Meriet about his son. It explained his motivation for helping Meriet and his father mend fences.

Rating reviewed 12/26/2022.

rebeccabadger's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

annathorneby's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.75

thecesspit's review against another edition

3.0

Not among the best of the Cadfael series, being much more of a story than an investigation, and relies on a little too much on unknown-to-the-reader facts to be able to resolve the case yourself. But it's sharply written, with interesting characters, and historical details that kept me turning pages.

malus23's review against another edition

4.0

Pretty sure I missed this one the first time around. The overall pattern is still the same. They get overly similar after awhile, but it's a formula I like.