The Blacktongue Thief

<i>I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo">https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo</a><br /><br />ARC provided by the publisher—Tor Books &amp; Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.</i><br /><br /><b>4.5/5 stars<br /><br /><i>The Blacktongue Thief</i> is an immense entertainment manifesting in a fantasy novel.</b><br /><br />Christopher Buehlman is most often known for <i>Between Two Fires</i> and more horror novels; this is about to change very quickly. <i>The Blacktongue Thief</i> is the first book in <i>Blacktongue</i> trilogy by Buehlman, it is his first high fantasy novel, and from my observation, it is quite likely that this is the most hyped adult fantasy debut of the year. I’m not kidding; I’ve seen so many authors highly praised this novel since late 2019 and early 2020 up to this day. I doubt this will die down soon; many fantasy readers will be talking about this book more once it’s officially published.<br /><br /><b> <i> <blockquote> “If you’ve never fallen hard in love and lost your heart’s sovereign, go on and laugh at me. If you have, have a drink and dab an eye.” </blockquote> </i> </b><br /><br />The plot in <i>The Blacktongue Thief revolves</i> around Kinch Na Shannack; Kinch owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, and his debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path. But Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark. Kinch picked Galva—a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. Galva is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants. Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva's. Many early reviews from both authors and readers have mentioned that this is a novel suitable for those who loved <i>Kings of the Wyld</i> by Nicholas Eames, and I can certainly agree with this. I mean, even in my interview with Nicholas Eames himself, during his praises towards this book as the one book to definitely read this year, he agreed on these comparisons. The quest premise that Kinch and Galva took reminded me of Clay and Gabe’s journey in <i>Kings of the Wyld</i>; the jokes and senses of humor Buehlman included into the narrative were so delightful.<br /><br /><b> <i> <blockquote> ‘“The sirs won’t help you any more than your Guild will, blacktongue. You know what they say about caught thieves, aye?”<br />“I’m not a thief.”<br />“Yes, and I’ll just put the tip in, we know how these things go.”’ </blockquote> </i> </b><br /><br />Kinch was undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the novel for me. He’s just such a lovable main character; snarky, sarcastic, continuously smile in the face of adversity. But he also knows when to be serious. <i>The Blacktongue Thief</i> is told through Kinch’s first-person perspective, and Buehlman did an excellent job in giving him a high level of distinctive voice that reminded me of what Peter McLean did with his <i>War for the Rose Throne</i> quartet. That being said, don’t misconstrue my words to call these two series similar to each other; they’re not. <b><i>The Blacktongue Thief</i> is like <i>Kings of the Wyld</i> without all the Easter Eggs, with the addition of Scott Lynch’s brilliant use of profanity language in <i>The Gentleman Bastards</i>. </b> The balance between humor and tension-packed conflicts was achieved splendidly, and hey, have I mentioned there’s a blind cat as Kinch’s companion? Now you know, and why are you still reading my review?<br /><br /><b> <i> <blockquote> “Monarchy is a bad system because, no matter how smart you are, you can still squirt a moron out of your plumbing. Maybe you get lucky and your son or daughter is at least half as smart as you—what about your grandchild? Probably a knob, and when they inherit the throne, everything you build fall to shyte.” </blockquote> </i> </b><br /><br />Alright, fine, if these aren’t enough to convince you to give this book a try yet, there are also stag-sized battle ravens, magic tattoos, Kraken, giants, witches, and goblins. Admittedly, there were a few moments in the middle of the novel where the pacing dragged a bit for me. However, this is more of a personal thing; long seafaring sections in high fantasy rarely worked for me. Fortunately, my overall enjoyment of the novel was not hindered. There are just so many things to love in this book, and the entire section involving the Towers card game was equally hilarious, breathtaking, and superbly executed.<br /><br /><b> <i> <blockquote>“I won’t bore you with the whole set of rules; just know Towers is like a war right there on the table, and it sucks money out of purses faster than a two-squinny harlot. Starts more fights than religion and politics together. And it’s addictive.” </blockquote> </i> </b><br /><br />The ending sequence was pulse-pounding, and the conclusion + the acknowledgment was satisfying to read. <i>The Blacktongue Thief</i> is fated to steal a lot of reader’s hearts with its charm, humor, intensity, and unrelenting fun; I look forward to seeing future readers enjoying this novel. As for me, I will eagerly wait for the next volume in the daring and exciting adventure of Kinch Na Shannack, a thief with a blind cat’s luck.<br /><br /><b>Official release date: 27th May 2021 (UK) and 25th May 2021 (US)</b><br /><br /><b>You can pre-order the book from: <u><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blacktongue-Thief-Christopher-Buehlman/dp/1473231159/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=the+blacktongue+thief&amp;qid=1617506930&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow noopener">Amazon UK</a></u> | <u><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blacktongue-Thief-1/dp/1250621194/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+blacktongue+thief&amp;qid=1617506965&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow noopener">Amazon US</a></u> | <u><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781473231153/?a_aid=petrikleo" rel="nofollow noopener">Book Depository (Free shipping)</a></u> | <u><a href="https://www.thebrokenbinding.co.uk/product-page/the-blacktongue-thief-christopher-buehlman" rel="nofollow noopener">The Broken Binding (Use my code: NOVELNOTIONS121 for discount!)</a></u></b><br /><br /><i>The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.</i><br /><br /><b>You can find <u><a href="http://novelnotions.net/2021/04/05/book-review-the-blacktongue-thief-blacktongue-1-by-christopher-buehlman/" rel="nofollow noopener">this</a></u> and the rest of my reviews at <u><a href="http://novelnotions.net" rel="nofollow noopener">Novel Notions</a></u></b><br /><br /><i>Special thanks to my Patrons on <b><u><a href="https://www.patreon.com/petrikleo" rel="nofollow noopener">Patreon</a></u></b> for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!<br /><br />My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Ben, Blaise, Devin, Diana, Edward, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Lufi, Melinda, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Sarah, Seth, Shaad, Summer, Zoe.</i>

The usual caveat: I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book, for free, from the publisher. I do not know Cristopher Buehlman. I do not believe that receiving a free copy of the book has influenced this review.<br /><br />Note to readers: While this book is the first of a trilogy, I found it to be a satisfactory stand alone read.<br /><br />There is a standard list of things that make me enjoy a book: Good characterization, a compelling plot, a well developed setting, a system of magic that works, a minimum of plot holes and a satisfactory ending. If a book hits all those marks, I am likely to give it a five star review.<br /><br />Then there are books that hit all those marks, and go beyond them. The Blacktongue Thief does so. The description of the setting and history go beyond the minimum needed, to give the world a more solid reality. The magic is imaginative and unusual. The protagonist is engaging and the style of narrative enjoyable. There are underlying cultures to the various other characters that shape who they are. <br /><br />One of the best parts is that the author manages to give this world and the characters in it that kind of depth without slowing down the plot, or leaving the reader to plow through several pages of description.<br /><br />The narrator has a tongue-in-cheek style that does not diminish the validity of the story. (Too often I find 'humorous' fantasy seems to care more for the prat-fall than having the reader care about the character!)<br /><br />I heartily recommend this one. I'll add that if you enjoy the works of Steven Brust, I think you will love this book as well. <br /><br /><br /><br />

Holy hell this was awesome. So funny, so harrowing, so endlessly inventive. Almost every page made me laugh or wonder at some phenomenally clever turn-of-phrase. I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here.

Given my normal slowness this was a very quick read. It was one of the rare books that I MADE time for rather than fitted into the bits and pieces of spare time that come my way.<br /><br />Buehlman is an excellent writer who has honed his skills in other (closely related) genres. I think he carries something from his historical fiction over to this book in as much as his use of songs, sayings, ways of speaking, and ways of viewing the world all add a strong sense of place and time. Obviously every fantasy writer strives for this, but Buehlman brings something fresh to it and achieves great things.<br /><br />It's a single point of view book written in the first person and the character has a great sense of humor, sharp, self depricating, dirty - all things I like. Of course, to write a character with a great sense of humour, you need one yourself. Otherwise you're reduced to "And then I said something witty and everyone fell about laughing." Many writers can be pretty funny, but there's something very engaging about the angles of attack Buehlman uses and how much of the humour seems organic rather than something of ours imposed on the fictional world to generate giggles.<br /><br />The Blacktongue Thief isn't a comedy despite its many funny moments. There are grim areas and there are examples of genuine passion / emotion. It's a fine book that works on many levels. Buehlman shows his writing chops and ability to switch gears at the start of one chapter where the character speaks about his love for someone, and in the midst of gore, excitement, and rude jokes we get a wonderfully penned page that pulls on the heartstrings without being saccharine or cloying, and which somehow fits with all the rest.<br /><br />The fantasy world depicted leans towards the magic-heavy end of the spectrum. The peasants aren't magically lighting their fires or levitating to high shelves, but many of the better placed individuals have access to magic through items and tattoos even if they themselves may not be magically skilled. In short, we see a lot of enchantments and spells.<br /><br />When it comes to magic there are pros and cons to both the hard and soft approach. In this book we're at the "soft" end of things. We don't get a system per se, or a good look at the inner workings. This allows for a more chaotic mix of magics with lots of imagination and excitement, and a real sense of awe/potential. The drawback is that never knowing what can and can't be done magically - especially in a magic-heavy story - can leave you with the sense that anything could be pulled out of a magic hat to save the day at any time, and that any calamity might be undone with a hithertoo unsuspected bit of enchantment.<br /><br />We are saved from the pitfalls of soft magic by the excellence of the author. We trust him not to abuse his power because he weaves such a good story that we don't think he'd spoil it like that.<br /><br />I was a bit confused during some of the magical interventions, but never to a degree where I wasn't firmly of the opinion this was a 5* book.<br /><br />In short, this a great book that I really enjoyed. It's doing really well and I'm sure will continue to flourish.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/marklawrenceauthor" rel="nofollow noopener">Join my Patreon</a><br /> <a href="http://eepurl.com/cimnK1" rel="nofollow noopener">Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes</a><br /><br /><br />.

<b>While it was fun, the first half was a LOT better than the back half.</b><br /><br /><i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCHQZnQea9M" rel="nofollow noopener">Watch my video review by clicking here.</a> </i>

Have you ever read a book that you enjoyed from start to finish, delighted in everything that happened, but as soon as you put it down thought "Huh… that actually has a lot of flaws and I don't know who to recommend this to."<br /><br />Well, I have now.<br /><br />I haven't done this in a long time, but it's time to break out my old friends, pros and cons:<br /><br />Pros:<br /><br />1. First off, as mentioned above, I delighted in this. I had fun from start to finish and really that is about the highest praise I can really give a book like this. <br /><br />2. The narrator is a blast. Kinch Na Shannack is one of the most sarcastic and snarky narrators one will ever meet and I delighted in his every discription. The man works in profanities as other artists work in paint or clay. He is a poet. His take on the world is also very much appreciated as this is one of the grimmest of the Grimdark fantasy novels I've ever read and without his humor, it would have been a tough read.<br /><br />3. The romantic side-plot not only doesn't feel tacked on, but dynamic between the two is actually quite refreshing.<br /><br />4. Bully the blind cat is amazing and I'll hear no ill of the little bastard. <br /><br />Cons:<br /><br />1. The book is… really uneven. Again, I delighted in it, but the structure feels off. Part of this is due to the nature of their quest (which I'll not reveal here), but there's a lot of "You know what would be fun? SHIPS" and suddenly we get chapters on a ship. Yes, they needed to travel, but it feels like we go off on side-quests every once in a while which could be considered filler.<br /><br />2. Kinch is amazing, but he's honestly such a good character that the others pale in comparison. His companions are mostly interesting, but it never really feels like we get a good grasp of who they are and they all feel more aloof than they are even presented, as we don't really get to know them all.<br /><br />3. Big spoiler on this one so click at your own risk: <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="13b74f9a-7267-4ac8-b4da-38a773091ba8" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="13b74f9a-7267-4ac8-b4da-38a773091ba8">Characters die fast and abrupt. One character died in a scene that honestly until his death came off as a comedic filler chapter involving an almost tug-o-war situation… any other book this would have been a fun mini-adventure before advancing the plot. Here we flat out killed someone who was being built up as a main character in the group. This sort of thing will likely really annoy some readers.</label><br /><br />Now for the first time ever, I'm making a third category. Things I liked, but may frustrate the hell out of others:<br /><br />1. It's not structured like a traditional fantasy novel. This isn't a book filled with epic battles, heroic figures and drawn out combat. Fight scenes mostly end quickly. They end brutally. They are frequently unpleasant and occasionally hard to read. They are repeatedly stabbing someone in the chest, pulling out a dagger and hoping to slit the next guy's throat before being noticed. None of these characters are the model of heroes and all of them do some fairly grim things to survive.<br /><br />2. The book is written by an author known for horror. THINGS GET KIND OF TERRIFYING. Goblins… sweet Jesus, goblins. Goblins are usually the cannon fodder of fantasy. They're the small enemy that you throw a hoard at our heroes so they get a larger kill count and get the readers blood pumping… here they will make it run cold. They are terrifying. <br /><br />In closing: This is a weird one. Some traditional fantasy fans may not like how dark and horrific it gets (I've read Abercrombie, Martin and Cook and the like… and this one is one of the darkest). Some may not like the fact that there's not a single epic battle. It's small scale in terms of fantasy, not epic in terms of the plot, but still very much looking at a bigger picture. Personally I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book. Recommended, but with the above notations as a warning to would be readers. 4/5 stars

I own the hardback but I listened to the audio from the library. I’ll do a reread to make sure my final star rating and if I love it enough to keep. <br /><br />Loved the narrator and the book was good so far, at least when I didn’t get distracted ?<br /><br />Mel ????

When Robin Hobb calls something “Dazzling.” I stop what I’m reading and pick it up.<br><br>This book was an absolute delight from start to finish. I laughed out loud so many times, it might now hold the record. It’s that dry, sardonic humor I always appreciate combined with a strong voice that carried the entire story. Definitely unconventional, it was funny without being stupid and animated without being overdone.<br><br>I was completely enamored until about the 80% mark, then my evaluation brain kicked on for a bit and I started to wonder if the story was amounting to anything or if was just all about the character and the delivery. The plot was incredibly straightforward and linear, in sharp contrast to a lot of the more complex fantasy novels being written these days. However it was still really interesting, containing some of the best chapter hooks I’ve read in ages. I definitely don’t mind simple as long as it’s done well.<br><br>What I do mind is lack of growth, little momentum, and small payoffs. It seemed to me the main character was in the exact same state of mind at the end of the book as he was at the beginning. Showing practically no growth, it made his character come across very surface-level. If not for the brilliant use of humor to show depth (somewhat reminiscent of Abercrombie’s Glokta, but a bit more jovial) I think I would’ve lost patience with him early on.<br><br>As it stands, the character voice and witty humor were enough to carry the book and make it incredibly fun to read despite the lack of aforementioned development or any sort of momentum. If those two things improve even a little in the next book while maintaining the elements I loved, I could have a new favorite on my hands. As it is, it’s just loads of irreverent fun.<br><br>Audiobook production: I was about halfway through the book, thinking the narrator was doing a great job digging into the nuances of the dialogue and delivering everything in a very conversational manner, before realizing that it was being read by the author himself O_o! To say he did a great job is an understatement. He really brought the text alive with his intimate relationship with the writing and knowledge of how things were supposed to sound. I imagine a few of the more subtle jokes landed because of his delivery that may not have otherwise. The only thing that suffered was the differentiation between characters. I had to pay closer attention to tags to figure out who was speaking because I couldn’t always tell by the voices alone. That was minor though. What was lost in character distinction was more than made up for by his conversational (and hilarious) narration. I highly recommend the audiobook. :)<br><br>Recommendations: this is a new slightly grimdark fantasy that delivers tenfold on humor and general entertainment. What it lacks in depth it more than makes up for in style. I’d highly recommend this to those who loved my suggested reading below, particularly the Greatcoats series by de Castell.<br><br><i>I’d like to thank Macmillian Audio, Christopher Buelhman, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of this title.</i><br><br>Via The Obsessive Bookseller at <a href="https://www.NikiHawkes.com" rel="nofollow noopener">www.NikiHawkes.com</a><br><br>Other books you might like:<br><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/20887238.Traitor_s_Blade__Greatcoats___1_" title="Traitor's Blade (Greatcoats, #1) by Sebastien de Castell" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441772922l/20887238._SY75_.jpg" alt="Traitor's Blade (Greatcoats, #1) by Sebastien de Castell" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/30841984.Kings_of_the_Wyld__The_Band___1_" title="Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1) by Nicholas Eames" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477027207l/30841984._SY75_.jpg" alt="Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1) by Nicholas Eames" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/27838712.The_Grey_Bastards__The_Lot_Lands___1_" title="The Grey Bastards (The Lot Lands, #1) by Jonathan French" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1447657324l/27838712._SX50_.jpg" alt="The Grey Bastards (The Lot Lands, #1) by Jonathan French" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/590349.The_Book_of_Jhereg__Vlad_Taltos___1_3_" title="The Book of Jhereg (Vlad Taltos, #1-3) by Steven Brust" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388184635l/590349._SY75_.jpg" alt="The Book of Jhereg (Vlad Taltos, #1-3) by Steven Brust" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/6219133.The_Lies_of_Locke_Lamora__Gentleman_Bastard___1_" title="The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1) by Scott Lynch" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327957331l/6219133._SY75_.jpg" alt="The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1) by Scott Lynch" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

A fantasy adventure story where a thief and soldier team up to quest together? Sign me and all my friends the heck up! But where this world of beasts and magic delivers a couple awesome moments, sadly, its very minimal character build up and constant thrown together scenes that left no air to breathe between and no motivation to continue, I feel as though it never quite rises to the lofty goals it sets for itself.<br />Full review to come on my YouTube channel: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks">https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks</a>

I received an uncorrected proof copy of The Blacktongue Thief in exchange for an honest review. Thanks go to Christopher Buehlman and Gollancz. <br /><br />I've had my eye on The Blacktongue Thief for a while, with friends referring to it as the book they were looking forward to the most in 2021, and the ratings by reviewers I trust all coming back extremely positive. When a review copy arrived on my doorstep I decided to try it next to see if it lived up to the hype. Although to me, it won't quite be a best of the year read, it is an admirable and thrilling fantasy debut for Buehlman who has a lot to offer to the world of modern fantasy.<br /><br />Kinch Na Shannack is a thief who was trained by the Takers Guild. They educated him in the way of the thief and now he owes them for that education. He can pay off his debt by doing jobs for the Guild but at the start of the book, Kinch and the group of thieves he travels with have chosen the wrong mark. They have decided to cross an Ispanthian bird knight who is betrothed to the goddess of death. Not a good decision at all. <br /><br />"I was about to die.<br /> Worse, I was about to die with bastards."<br /><br />We follow the action in The Blacktoungue Thief in the first-person perspective through the eyes of Kinch as he is relaying the tale at a later date. It was an absolute joy to follow Kinch, he's witty, critical and sometimes cynical, the humour and flow of his thoughts being addictive to read. His commentary surrounding events such as "though at the time I did not know" and "I would find out later it was..." adds useful facts and opinions to the narrative as the narrator sometimes dips in and out of the action. This could have been jarring but I had no such qualms and believe Buehlman administered these moments artfully. <br /><br />Buehlman's world features fantasy tropes but in imaginative and unique ways. There are goblins, giants, witches, thieves, mages, magic tattoos, sea monsters and an adorable blind cat who is arguably one of the best characters in the book. As well as Bully Boy the cat ("Rao"), the novel is littered with memorable and detailed characters, notable inclusions are the aforementioned knight Galva, the niece of a witch Norrigal, and Kinch's fellow countryman Malk. What makes these characters stand out is Kinch's relationships with them throughout the adventure that ensues after the novel's beginning showdown. The book also features inventive languages, dialects, myths, songs, classes, and perks. Kinch has two birth gifts that aid his craft. These are Luck and Cipher. <br /><br />I've touched on the humour and the fantasy elements which are both well-worked throughout, but it's absolutely worth noting that some of The Blacktongue Thief's standout moments are horror-tinged sections that play on the mind long after the eye has read those chapters. A friendly game of "Pull" or an assassin trying to escape from a nightmare are very vague descriptions of some truly scary moments. I'm aware Buehlman is an acclaimed horror writer and after seeing these elements presented in such fine fashion here, I will certainly be investing in his back catalogue. <br /><br />The Blacktongue Thief is a detailed, nuanced, intricate and sweary adult fantasy debut that starts off strong and rarely stutters. It's action-packed and imaginative with huge standout set pieces that lead to a fulfilling crescendo where all the threads are neatly wrapped up. As far as I can tell by reading it, The Blacktongue Thief is a standalone, yet the fine worldbuilding and the fact we don't know how far in the future Kinch is retelling his tale from means there could be many more adventures in this world. If that's the case then I'll definitely be rejoining Kinch, Galva, and their ragtag crew for whatever escapades they find themselves involved in next. Highly recommended.