"The Devil's Apprentice" is like no other Young Adult book I've read. It takes you directly to the Christian Hell and then makes you think through what exactly Hell is and how and why it works the way it does.

It sets Philip, a (very) good boy, who seems to have been sent to Hell through a misunderstanding, a series of challenges where to save Lucifer from death, he has to learn to make the evil choices rather than the good ones. Philip's challenges confront him with a variety of ethical problems, some simple, some not.

In the beginning, Philip's goodness blinds him to the choices he should be making but when he's put under pressure, experiencing anger and jealousy and betrayal and just how terribly unfair everything is, other choices open up for him.

When he's not being tested, young Philip is out and about making friends and enemies of demons and devils and falling in love with Satina, a young temptress devil who is trying to help him solve the puzzle of why the immortal Lucifer is dying.

I liked the fact that the book goes beyond the simple humour of making Hell and inversion of our world - making everything tonight or yesternight rather than today or yesterday, praising demons for behaving even worse than they're expected to, having rotting food as a delicacy - and takes an, often gruesome look, at the nature of endless, pointless, punishment.

The longer he is Hell, the less clear right and wrong is to Philip. He is innately good but even good people stumble over some choices, especially when some of the devils and demons around him are so likeable and so welcoming and when he has the opportunity to acquire huge amounts of power.

The plot is clever but it's the fearless world-building, underpinned by rigorous subjecting difficult situations to an examination that often seems to pit logic against ethics that sets the book apart.

It's hard to imagine "The Devil's Apprentice" getting published in the US, never mind finding its way into school libraries. The US struggled with Harry Potter (not because it constantly pitched decency and courage against power and privilege but because it used witchcraft), what would they make of a YA series that generates sympathy for the Devil? As for having King David in Hell because he arranged the death of the husband of a woman he desired, while the logic is unassailable, my guess is that it's too much of a dog whistle item for American school libraries. The banned book folks would be lubricating their corruption of youth arguments with glee.

Fortunately, this book is Danish so it not only made it into print but spawned the hugely popular series "The Great Devil War" series since its publication in 2005. The first English translation of the six books in the series was published in October 2018. I'm hoping it's going to attract a huge following. ( )

I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I gifted it to three people for Christmas!

Now, where do I even begin…?

The Story
In the beginning, we’re introduced to goody-two-shoes Philip being bullied by another child whose nickname is “Devil Sam.” If one of these kids was destined to end up running hell after the devil kicks the bucket, Philip is definitely NOT who you’d choose! But through a crazy turn off events in which Devil Sam’s bullying somehow saves himself and confuses Death, Philip winds up in hell, studying as the devil’s apprentice.

When Philip was alive and walking the earth, he was about as close to being an angel as a human can be. He didn’t even lie when his best (and only) friend needed him to – and he lost his only friend as a result. Because for Philip, being honest and good was more important. Yet, before this honest boy even makes his way fully into hell, he begins to give in to sin and lies to spare the feelings of a demon.

Emotions run high throughout the entire book, but overall it’s a very humorous tale. Even in moments where my heart was pumping hard with fear, I found myself laughing out loud and getting funny stares from those around me.

The Characters
The Characters in The Devil’s Apprentice are incredibly well developed and real. I found myself cheering for demons and even the Devil himself at different points in the story and felt as if I knew every single one of them. These aren’t cookie-cutter characters! Each one has their own unique personality. Some are funny, some are serious, but all are now in my heart.

Philip himself goes through huge changes as his journey unfolds. The longer he’s in hell, the more sins he falls prey to. Soon, he realizes (after it’s pointed out to him) he’s committed all but one of the deadly sins. This would have devastated the old Philip, but by that time he no longer seems to care much. He’s changed forever.

I think it’s a great parallel to real-life – simply allowing ourselves to constantly be exposed to what we know is wrong, we will eventually be de-sensitized and fall prey to it ourselves. ( )

Although I'm quite a bit older than the target audience, I absolutely loved this book. It's witty and forces you to realize that good and evil aren't always black and white absolutes. I giggled a bit I must admit, following Philip's adventures as the devil tries to instruct him in the art of evil. After all, how do you turn a boy scout into the next Lucifer? A delight to read for any age, no matter whether you believe in Hell or not. ( )

Tour ~ My review is voluntary and honest.

Thirteen-year-old Philip has the honor of dying and being sent to Hell. Honor, you say? Well, yeah. He’s slated to be Lucifer’s successor. Except he’s not. Due to a massive screw up Philip has landed in Hell in someone else’s place. Lucifer has one foot on a banana peel and the other in a grave, so he has to make the best of the situation. He must mold Philip, who never lies, into the leader of Hell and do it quickly. Oh, boy. Does Lucifer have his work cut out for him? Hell yes.

This is a fun story that fits into the younger end of Young Adult, teetering on the cusp of Middle Grade. It’s got a fine mystery to be solved, but it’s a simplistic straightforward one. Just because it’s set in Hell doesn’t mean it has to be dark and disturbing. The world is a bit weird. For Hell anyway. Philip is an amenable teen, typical in some ways and atypical in others. The plot is interesting (the reason I picked it up) and the characters are well-defined, most are actually quite likeable. Philip’s dilemma is a decent one and his development over the course of the book is a bit surprising. Even a little disappointing at times. But then he is only 13-yrs-old, so I cut him some slack. If you’re looking for a different kind of YA adventure then I recommend this one for a few hours of pleasurable reading. ( )

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#1 The Devil's Apprentice - ★★★★★
#2 The Die of Death - ★★★★★



Possibly the best Young-Adult Fantasy I have read this year. Enter and discover Hell and see how it works, meet the Devil and learn why we need evil in order to be good! A fantastic story and great adventures await in Hell. Read this at your own risk!

I was lucky enough to receive the first two books of The Great Devil War Series by the author himself. I haven’t heard about Kenneth B. Andersen before, but after reading the synopsis, I knew I had to have these books - I knew I had to read the whole series.

Meet Phillip - he is a good boy. An angel. He helps his mum with the chores, he helps his friends with their homework, he loves and takes care of animals, and he never lies. But one day, he is sent to Hell by mistake, and he has to become the Devil’s Apprentice. The Devil is ill and before he dies he has to make sure to teach Phillip the worst tricks in Hell’s history, and teach him to be evil - but Phillip is simply terrible at being bad and keeps failing all his tests.

With very little time left for the Devil to teach Phillip everything, Phillip begins to make friends and enemies in this place. And on top of it all - someone might want the Devil’s throne for themselves…

I loved this book so much! The best thing about it is the setting. We enter a world and we get to see Hell through Phillip’s eyes. Everyone has their own place and role, there is a system of how they designate people and where they go - we meet Death and see the process of how he chooses who dies, and how they place people in either Heaven or Hell, depending on the actions people take throughout their lives, and also, how the Devil throws the dice as well.

Phillip is a typical boy, who goes to school, tries to be a good boy wherever he can. I loved Phillip’s character and could easily relate to him. When he gets in an unusual place, he begins to wonder, and discover and explore, and the way the author writes the scenes just keep you engaged in the book and you can’t put it down before you know what happens next.

The world in Hell is full of adventures, different creatures, lots of scenes where we can’t help but wonder what does ‘’EVIL’’ actually mean, and is it really true that we do need a little bit of evil in order to see the good in ourselves and others? Many moral messages are discovered through Phillip’s adventures, and I loved seeing him grow throughout the book. He keeps learning things and he kept growing. Do you really need to be evil to succeed in Hell?

I am so glad I have read this book, and I can’t wait to read the second book. If you enjoy Young-Adult fantasy, and if you even enjoyed Dante’s Inferno, this book will probably be something you might enjoy. It will make you giggle, and even make you wonder, and it will leave you restless with all the adventures, page after page.

Until next time! x

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