
Devils
2020 • Drama • TV-14
After being implicated in a deadly scandal, a trader at a leading London bank fights to clear his name, but instead uncovers an intercontinental conspiracy masterminded by powerful forces operating in the shadows.
Why you should read the novel
While the TV series Devils offers a visually engaging experience, nothing compares to the depth and nuance found within Guido Maria Brera’s novel. The book delves deeply into the psychological complexities of its characters, allowing readers to experience their ambitions, fears, and motivations from an intimate perspective. The subtleties of financial machinations and the personal stakes involved are rendered with a richness that screen adaptations often find hard to replicate.
Brera’s narrative provides a masterful exploration of the banking world, revealing layers of secrecy and corporate maneuvering through elegant prose. As readers, you can savor the gradual unfolding of betrayals and alliances, appreciating the carefully constructed suspense and the authentic details drawn from the author’s own experiences in finance. This makes for a more immersive and educational journey, blending fiction with a harsh economic reality.
Choosing the book over the series not only heightens your understanding of global finance but also enhances your appreciation of the characters’ ethical dilemmas. By reading Devils, you’re invited to engage with the raw, unfiltered themes at your own pace, interpreting the ambiguous morality and intricate relationships that might be oversimplified or dramatized on screen.
Adaptation differences
One of the main differences between the TV adaptation and the book lies in the portrayal of the protagonist, Massimo Ruggero. In the novel, Massimo's internal struggles and motivations are rendered with considerable depth, granting readers direct access to his thoughts, fears, and ethical conflicts. The series, on the other hand, interprets these aspects through visual cues and dialogue, which can leave out essential layers of complexity present in the novel.
Plot pacing and structure also diverge significantly between the two formats. The book unfolds its financial conspiracies and moral ambiguities steadily, building tension over time and focusing on authentic market details. In contrast, the series opts for a more dramatic, fast-paced approach, condensing or altering events to fit an episodic structure, adding new subplots and characters to amplify suspense and audience engagement.
Character relationships and backgrounds undergo notable changes as well. Some supporting characters in the novel are reimagined or combined for the adaptation, often shifting their roles or personalities to fit television narratives. The series introduces romantic entanglements and personal conflicts that are either downplayed or absent in Brera’s original work, sometimes steering the story in new emotional directions.
Finally, the philosophical and systemic critiques embedded in the book receive a more nuanced treatment than in the TV series. Brera’s real-world insights on finance and power are intricately woven throughout the novel, inviting readers to reflect deeply on the themes. While the show addresses these issues, it necessarily simplifies them for broader appeal, focusing more on surface-level drama and entertainment over the book’s contemplative tone.
Devils inspired from
Devils
by Guido Maria Brera