Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Gollancz (2021), 416 pages
Description
"Set in a world of goblin wars, stag-sized battle ravens, and assassins who kill with deadly tattoos, Christopher Buehlman's The Blacktongue Thief begins a 'dazzling' (Robin Hobb) fantasy adventure unlike any other. Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. 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 today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark. Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She 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. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member SpaceandSorcery
When an author I’ve previously read decides to write in a different genre I’m always more than curious, and this foray into fantasy from horror author Christopher Buehlman was no exception: a few fellow bloggers who read The Blacktongue Thief before me mentioned the appealing mix between humor
Kinch Na Shannack is a member of the Takers Guild, which means he’s a thief, but sadly for him a very indebted one: the tuition fees he owes to the Guild have not been paid in full, and until he does - devolving his hard-earned profits to them - he must go around with a tattoo on his cheek that makes him the object of sonorous slaps in every tavern: those who hit him can get a free drink, courtesy of the Guild. Hard-pressed to pay back his… ahem… student loan, Kinch falls in with a group of highwaymen, and the first victim they pick is quite the wrong one: Galva is a skilled warrior and she dispatches the would-be thieves without breaking a sweat. Tasked by the Guild to attach himself to Galva, who is on a mission of rescue, Kinch strikes a bargain with her and the two embark on a journey through a land infested by giants, goblins and assorted monsters, gathering a young witch and a former countryman of Kinch along the way. Oh, and let’s not forget Galva’s quite impressive war corvid and the adorable Bully, blind cat with some surprises under his whiskers! :-D
Kinch is a thief indeed, not only because that’s his chosen profession, but because he literally steals the scene from the get go, relaying his adventures - and those of his companions - with a flippant, often profane delivery that nonetheless manages to convey a great deal of information about his world. And what a world this is, indeed… One that is barely recovering from a number of wars with flesh-eating goblins, and is now facing the very real possibility of an invasion by giants; a world where magic is present in many forms and can be learned and used though careful training - Kinch himself has acquired and can use a trick or two. And then there is the Takers’ Guild: not the only guild on the territory, but certainly the most powerful, and clearly willing to amass even more influence through ruthless political maneuvering and a spy system that would be the envy of many such entities in our very real world.
The quest involving Kinch and Galva, together with young witch Norrigal and the thief’s old pal Malk should be a noble one, at least in the intention of Galva the knight, who is on a mission to rescue her queen, but thanks to the uneven mix of the group it turns into a riotous adventure punctuated by weird meetings, bizarre happenings and a few truly scary encounters that pay due homage to the author’s roots in the horror genre. And here is one of the true achievements of the story, Buehlman’s ability to seamlessly blend Kinch’s devil-may-care delivery of the journey with a few moments of blood-chilling dread: it takes great skill to depict a scene in which sea-faring goblins are butchering a human captive for their meal and turn it into a song-driven affirmation of courage and life; or to showcase what looks like a game of tug-of-war and suddenly turn it into a deadly affair resulting in a very unexpected loss - if you’ve read the book and know what I’m referring to, I can tell you that I’m still reeling at the way that scene ended.
The whole story revolves around Kinch Na Shannack, of course, partly because he’s the - sometimes unreliable - narrator of it, but mostly because it’s a sort of coming of age journey: the thief is a grown man, as far as age is concerned, but he’s still trying to learn who he is, what he wants (apart from repaying his debt to the Guild, that is…) and where his loyalties lie. He might depict himself as a foul-mouthed, unscrupulous individual:
If honor decided to attend our adventures, I only hoped I’d recognize her; she’d been pointed out to me a few times, but we’d never really gotten acquainted.
or offer his more juvenile, irritating behavior in many situations:
The lead dog [...] huffed two low barks. I barked back at him. I don’t know what I said, but it might have involved his mother, because he began to growl.
but under these masks he wears he’s basically a good person, and Kinch shows that when trouble and danger come knocking at the party’s door and his actions belie his outward flippant attitude. He is… well, a heroic anti-hero, for want of a better definition, and that’s one of the reasons he captures the readers’ attention and keeps it firmly focused - and in so doing decrees the success of this story.
Perversely enough, this intense focus on Kinch - no matter how rewarding in the overall economy of the story - is the reason the other characters suffer a little and don’t get the space they deserve: they are well fleshed-out, granted, and offer the perfect foil to our reckless protagonist, but still they are somewhat relegated to the sidelines, and that bothered me a little because I would have loved to learn more about silently heroic Galva or impishly delightful Norrigal, but still I quite enjoyed this novel - particularly when the breathless finale kept me on the edge of my seat - and I more than look forward to seeing what Christopher Buehlman has in store for his brazen thief, and for us readers.
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and grimness, which led me to think the book’s overall tone would be in the same range as Joe Abercrombie’s, but once I started the novel I found something quite different, while equally enjoyable. If you’ve read Nicholas Eames’ Kings of the Wyld, you will know what I mean when I describe Buehlman’s approach to narrative as a fine balance between adventure, bleakness and humor, a mix fueled by the main character’s unique voice and his happy-go-lucky, irreverent attitude that endeared him to me from the very start and turned him into an entertaining, delightful protagonist who hogs the limelight with no effort at all.Kinch Na Shannack is a member of the Takers Guild, which means he’s a thief, but sadly for him a very indebted one: the tuition fees he owes to the Guild have not been paid in full, and until he does - devolving his hard-earned profits to them - he must go around with a tattoo on his cheek that makes him the object of sonorous slaps in every tavern: those who hit him can get a free drink, courtesy of the Guild. Hard-pressed to pay back his… ahem… student loan, Kinch falls in with a group of highwaymen, and the first victim they pick is quite the wrong one: Galva is a skilled warrior and she dispatches the would-be thieves without breaking a sweat. Tasked by the Guild to attach himself to Galva, who is on a mission of rescue, Kinch strikes a bargain with her and the two embark on a journey through a land infested by giants, goblins and assorted monsters, gathering a young witch and a former countryman of Kinch along the way. Oh, and let’s not forget Galva’s quite impressive war corvid and the adorable Bully, blind cat with some surprises under his whiskers! :-D
Kinch is a thief indeed, not only because that’s his chosen profession, but because he literally steals the scene from the get go, relaying his adventures - and those of his companions - with a flippant, often profane delivery that nonetheless manages to convey a great deal of information about his world. And what a world this is, indeed… One that is barely recovering from a number of wars with flesh-eating goblins, and is now facing the very real possibility of an invasion by giants; a world where magic is present in many forms and can be learned and used though careful training - Kinch himself has acquired and can use a trick or two. And then there is the Takers’ Guild: not the only guild on the territory, but certainly the most powerful, and clearly willing to amass even more influence through ruthless political maneuvering and a spy system that would be the envy of many such entities in our very real world.
The quest involving Kinch and Galva, together with young witch Norrigal and the thief’s old pal Malk should be a noble one, at least in the intention of Galva the knight, who is on a mission to rescue her queen, but thanks to the uneven mix of the group it turns into a riotous adventure punctuated by weird meetings, bizarre happenings and a few truly scary encounters that pay due homage to the author’s roots in the horror genre. And here is one of the true achievements of the story, Buehlman’s ability to seamlessly blend Kinch’s devil-may-care delivery of the journey with a few moments of blood-chilling dread: it takes great skill to depict a scene in which sea-faring goblins are butchering a human captive for their meal and turn it into a song-driven affirmation of courage and life; or to showcase what looks like a game of tug-of-war and suddenly turn it into a deadly affair resulting in a very unexpected loss - if you’ve read the book and know what I’m referring to, I can tell you that I’m still reeling at the way that scene ended.
The whole story revolves around Kinch Na Shannack, of course, partly because he’s the - sometimes unreliable - narrator of it, but mostly because it’s a sort of coming of age journey: the thief is a grown man, as far as age is concerned, but he’s still trying to learn who he is, what he wants (apart from repaying his debt to the Guild, that is…) and where his loyalties lie. He might depict himself as a foul-mouthed, unscrupulous individual:
If honor decided to attend our adventures, I only hoped I’d recognize her; she’d been pointed out to me a few times, but we’d never really gotten acquainted.
or offer his more juvenile, irritating behavior in many situations:
The lead dog [...] huffed two low barks. I barked back at him. I don’t know what I said, but it might have involved his mother, because he began to growl.
but under these masks he wears he’s basically a good person, and Kinch shows that when trouble and danger come knocking at the party’s door and his actions belie his outward flippant attitude. He is… well, a heroic anti-hero, for want of a better definition, and that’s one of the reasons he captures the readers’ attention and keeps it firmly focused - and in so doing decrees the success of this story.
Perversely enough, this intense focus on Kinch - no matter how rewarding in the overall economy of the story - is the reason the other characters suffer a little and don’t get the space they deserve: they are well fleshed-out, granted, and offer the perfect foil to our reckless protagonist, but still they are somewhat relegated to the sidelines, and that bothered me a little because I would have loved to learn more about silently heroic Galva or impishly delightful Norrigal, but still I quite enjoyed this novel - particularly when the breathless finale kept me on the edge of my seat - and I more than look forward to seeing what Christopher Buehlman has in store for his brazen thief, and for us readers.
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LibraryThing member Tikimoof
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to!
The author used to come to our local ren fest so I'm very glad I had a sample of his conversational voice; otherwise there's a good chance this would have been too crude for me. And it was very equally crude, so that worked out.
After a chain of newer
Everything was quick and breezy, and I very much appreciated how completely each chapter ended, even though most of them were pretty short.
This just had pretty much all of the hallmarks of dark-and-gritty-but-epic fantasy, and was crude without being horrifically sexist. It was a nice change of pace. I'm glad I picked this up!
The author used to come to our local ren fest so I'm very glad I had a sample of his conversational voice; otherwise there's a good chance this would have been too crude for me. And it was very equally crude, so that worked out.
After a chain of newer
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duds, I loved how the details of the world were worked in, all in Kinch's voice. It was also a spin on story-from-the-sidekick's-POV, to keep the readers reasonably in the dark but able to draw reasonable conclusions. And it's arguable that all of the strongest characters were women, and Kinch didn't take it as a personal insult that they didn't all want to sleep with him! Everything was quick and breezy, and I very much appreciated how completely each chapter ended, even though most of them were pretty short.
This just had pretty much all of the hallmarks of dark-and-gritty-but-epic fantasy, and was crude without being horrifically sexist. It was a nice change of pace. I'm glad I picked this up!
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LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
The Blacktongue Thief : 1
By Christopher Buehlman
I just loved this book! Going in my favorite folder! Full of everything I love in a book! There's great adventures, terrific and interesting characters, unpredictable and unusual plot, fun dialogue, dry humor that had me snickering and giggling, all
In here there be krakens! There's also giants, goblins, golems, hybrids, and more! Some of the people are worse than the monsters!
Lots of exciting adventures that kept me turning pages and enjoying this well developed world! I can't wait for book #2!
By Christopher Buehlman
I just loved this book! Going in my favorite folder! Full of everything I love in a book! There's great adventures, terrific and interesting characters, unpredictable and unusual plot, fun dialogue, dry humor that had me snickering and giggling, all
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kinds of creatures, magic, touch of snark, and a slash of romance.In here there be krakens! There's also giants, goblins, golems, hybrids, and more! Some of the people are worse than the monsters!
Lots of exciting adventures that kept me turning pages and enjoying this well developed world! I can't wait for book #2!
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LibraryThing member BethYacoub
This book has been on my radar for a really long time and I was both SUPER excited to finally get my hands on it and SUPER anxious to see if my (not so) patient waiting was all for nothing. Due to Life, Time has been a bit wibbly wobbly lately so I was only able to ingest this read in fits and
This thief (working for the evil guild) --> (relatively) Good Guy trope was addicting from the very first chapter. There were large Battle Ravens and the warriors (who happen to worship Lady Death as their God) that harbored and fought alongside them. There was a unique magic system showcased by magical: tattoos, Golems, animals, forests, meals etc... There were sea monsters featuring the shockingly sentient and surprisingly methodical Kraken. There was the tried and true trifecta of Witches and Goblins and Giants... oh my. There was a bevy of Gods to chose from and nefarious guilds (to avoid)... malicious Illuminati bent on World domination.
Our MC, Kinch Na Shannack, was from the Thief Guild (although he definitely made that decision under duress)... he's a thief with a well honed (actual) black tongue, a razor sharp wit and an internal meter allowing him to gage the probability for Lucky outcomes. He is definitely one of those characters that you either love or loathe. I for one relished his bizzar, and oft times tangential chatter and his, and especially his moon wife's, humor. All of the characters are gray hued and relateable and lovable/ loathsome in their own complicated ways... it's great!! The dialogue was also excellent!! It was both organic and (often) very funny. The World Building was incredibly rich and set so subtly that there was no rambling for pages and chapters trying to set the background just so... it was simply laid out like breadcrumbs... tidbits gently accumulating, leading to an expertly fleshed out, full-bodied, vibrant World of high fantasy.
Overall:
This is one anxiously awaited read that met its larger than life expectations head on and not only kicked butt but deftly won over my heart to boot. I can't wait for book #2!
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starts BUT that was a Me thing, not due to any fault of the book. This thief (working for the evil guild) --> (relatively) Good Guy trope was addicting from the very first chapter. There were large Battle Ravens and the warriors (who happen to worship Lady Death as their God) that harbored and fought alongside them. There was a unique magic system showcased by magical: tattoos, Golems, animals, forests, meals etc... There were sea monsters featuring the shockingly sentient and surprisingly methodical Kraken. There was the tried and true trifecta of Witches and Goblins and Giants... oh my. There was a bevy of Gods to chose from and nefarious guilds (to avoid)... malicious Illuminati bent on World domination.
Our MC, Kinch Na Shannack, was from the Thief Guild (although he definitely made that decision under duress)... he's a thief with a well honed (actual) black tongue, a razor sharp wit and an internal meter allowing him to gage the probability for Lucky outcomes. He is definitely one of those characters that you either love or loathe. I for one relished his bizzar, and oft times tangential chatter and his, and especially his moon wife's, humor. All of the characters are gray hued and relateable and lovable/ loathsome in their own complicated ways... it's great!! The dialogue was also excellent!! It was both organic and (often) very funny. The World Building was incredibly rich and set so subtly that there was no rambling for pages and chapters trying to set the background just so... it was simply laid out like breadcrumbs... tidbits gently accumulating, leading to an expertly fleshed out, full-bodied, vibrant World of high fantasy.
Overall:
This is one anxiously awaited read that met its larger than life expectations head on and not only kicked butt but deftly won over my heart to boot. I can't wait for book #2!
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LibraryThing member sedodge
The Blacktongue Thief is well on its way to becoming a classic for any fantasy reader. The best I can thing to compare it to is Lord of the Rings with a sprinkling of dry humor and spunk! I was absolutely astound by how much was packed into a mere 400 pages. I distinctly remember pausing about
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halfway through and thinking "so much has happened! How could there possibly be another 200 pages left!" which is always SUCH an exciting feeling when reading a book as engaging as this one. And the best part, is that despite how much was happening, none of it felt rushed at all! the descriptions were spot on, and I loved the way that Kinch's narration made me grow to love each and every one of the characters. There is no component of this story that was left under developed - from goblins and corvids, to mystic arts and seasoned warriors, this book has it all! As I said, The Blacktongue Thief is well on its way to being a classic, and I implore everyone add it to their reading list! Show Less
LibraryThing member macha
this adventure has goblins and giants and even bears, set in a kind of magical medieval world. it's perhaps a little too long, but the thief has an interesting voice, and his commentary is often amusing. meant to be the first of a trilogy, so there are mysteries still left to be solved in further
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books, and i'm sufficiently hooked that i'm looking forward to them. Show Less
LibraryThing member ragwaine
Read this one with my wife and we both liked it a lot. Fun characters, cool plot, it got a little too witty at times, and the obsession with coins got kind of boring. When the card game started, I was like, "I hope he doesn't describe the game in detail." Then he did, and it was pretty awesome. :)
The amount of cursing and sexual references kind of turned me off, they felt added to make it "edgy". I'm not anti bad words or anything and I'm "hypersexual", but I tend not to like it mixed with my fantasy novels. Some of the language also sounded kind of modern and that also brings me out of the story. But really it is a cool book in a cool setting. I'm just explaining why it didn't get 5 stars from me.
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So that was nice.The amount of cursing and sexual references kind of turned me off, they felt added to make it "edgy". I'm not anti bad words or anything and I'm "hypersexual", but I tend not to like it mixed with my fantasy novels. Some of the language also sounded kind of modern and that also brings me out of the story. But really it is a cool book in a cool setting. I'm just explaining why it didn't get 5 stars from me.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
In some ways, this book is less of an adventure tale than a slow unfolding disaster. It's full of extremely good characters, some of them likeable. It features an original and deeply interesting world, one that struggles with the aftermath of a series of cataclysmic goblin wars. For me, Kinch joins
Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.
Locke Lamora from The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Orhan from Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by KJ Parker
Kvothe from The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
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the pantheon of impossibly charismatic narrators -- Locke Lamora, Orhan the engineer, Kvothe the wizard -- and I love that kind of storytelling, so I loved this book.Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.
Locke Lamora from The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Orhan from Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by KJ Parker
Kvothe from The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
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LibraryThing member davisfamily
What a crass little story, loved it. The magic system and the world are fascinating. Looking forward to the second in the series.
LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Blacktongue series. I borrowed this on audiobook from my library.
Thoughts: This was an absolutely blast to read. Lots of action and adventure and laugh-out-loud funny. I loved the quirky characters here, the well thought-out world, and all the
Throughout the story we follow Kinch Na Shannack, a crass-mouthed thief who owes a lot of money to the Takers Guild that trained him. When he tries to rob the wrong person he ends up coming face to face with Galva, a handmaiden of the goddess of death. Galva wants to restore her queen to the throne, the Takers Guild doesn't want the queen restored. Galva hires Kinch to help her and the Takers Guild tells him to prevent the restoration of the queen. What follows is a crazy adventure across giant and goblin infested lands.
This was one wild ride of a story. I think it's been tagged as horror a lot because the battles and injuries etc are described in incredibly gory and crass detail; which is honestly darkly hilarious. The whole story is highly entertaining and the turns of phrase that Kinch uses will have you wincing and laughing out loud all at once.
The characters are a huge part of the story and all quirky, dangerous, and hilarious in their own right. I loved them all even though they were all incredibly gray in their morals and deeds.
There's a lot of adventuring here and it is loads of fun; you never know what crazy thing are characters are going to happen upon next. The world-building is comprehensive and well done; with a whole history of goblin wars and gods. We also get some fun asides to listen to folktales from various parts of the world.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was excellent. The author is the narrator and he does an amazing job. I could have done without all the parts where he sings songs. He doesn't have a bad singing voice, it was just that the singing really jars you out of the story.
My Summary (5/5): Overall this book was an absolute blast to read and I definitely plan on continuing the series. I loved the world, characters, adventure, and humor throughout. Just be aware that descriptions can get pretty gory and no stone is left unturned when it comes to bad sexual jokes (or just bad jokes in general). This was a riot and I can't wait to read the next book. Highly recommended to those who enjoy swords and sorcery fantasy with a lot of action, adventure, and humor.
Thoughts: This was an absolutely blast to read. Lots of action and adventure and laugh-out-loud funny. I loved the quirky characters here, the well thought-out world, and all the
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adventure and magic. If you love swords and sorcery reads or books that read like an extra sordid Dungeons and Dragons adventure, I would highly recommend checking this out.Throughout the story we follow Kinch Na Shannack, a crass-mouthed thief who owes a lot of money to the Takers Guild that trained him. When he tries to rob the wrong person he ends up coming face to face with Galva, a handmaiden of the goddess of death. Galva wants to restore her queen to the throne, the Takers Guild doesn't want the queen restored. Galva hires Kinch to help her and the Takers Guild tells him to prevent the restoration of the queen. What follows is a crazy adventure across giant and goblin infested lands.
This was one wild ride of a story. I think it's been tagged as horror a lot because the battles and injuries etc are described in incredibly gory and crass detail; which is honestly darkly hilarious. The whole story is highly entertaining and the turns of phrase that Kinch uses will have you wincing and laughing out loud all at once.
The characters are a huge part of the story and all quirky, dangerous, and hilarious in their own right. I loved them all even though they were all incredibly gray in their morals and deeds.
There's a lot of adventuring here and it is loads of fun; you never know what crazy thing are characters are going to happen upon next. The world-building is comprehensive and well done; with a whole history of goblin wars and gods. We also get some fun asides to listen to folktales from various parts of the world.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was excellent. The author is the narrator and he does an amazing job. I could have done without all the parts where he sings songs. He doesn't have a bad singing voice, it was just that the singing really jars you out of the story.
My Summary (5/5): Overall this book was an absolute blast to read and I definitely plan on continuing the series. I loved the world, characters, adventure, and humor throughout. Just be aware that descriptions can get pretty gory and no stone is left unturned when it comes to bad sexual jokes (or just bad jokes in general). This was a riot and I can't wait to read the next book. Highly recommended to those who enjoy swords and sorcery fantasy with a lot of action, adventure, and humor.
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LibraryThing member lyrrael
Drop a mischief maker into a complex political journey, enjoy while he creates chaos. Journeys through forests and oceans and monsters, oh my!
LibraryThing member Itaby
There was something about the book's language that made it hard for me to follow what was happening. The songs, stories, and the likes were extra difficult. But the parts I did catch were really interesting. I need come back and give it another shot at a later date.
LibraryThing member hcnewton
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF ABOUT?
I don't know how to answer that question in under 8 single-spaced pages (okay, that's hyperbole...but it feels honest). Also, this is one of those audiobooks that leaves a listener without a clue how to spell
So I'm going to just paste what the publisher's site says...
Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. 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 today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.
Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She 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. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.
THE NARRATION
(I'm sure I've said this before) It can be dangerous for an author to narrate their own book, but when they're good narrators, they can bring something special to the performance as they understand the book in a way a hired gun never can. Buehlman is one of those authors who should read his own material all the time. He did a bang-up job with the accents, the characters, the comedy, and the drama.
I don't know how this would come across in the print version—I'm assuming it would somehow—but in the audiobook, Buehlman makes Kinch speak with some sort of Irish accent (probably safer to say it's more Irish-ish so he can deviate when he wants), which communicates so much about him. You hear that, and you automatically get his strange cynical optimism, the poverty he came from, his odd sense of humor. I don't know how quickly that would be communicated with some other accent—but it immediately made sense to me. Galva's accent is very different, and utterly fitting, too. I don't know if other narrators would've made choices like he did to communicate that all so well—but I have to give him kudos for that.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE BLACKTONGUE THEIF?
I can't really discuss what I think of this book and the various plotlines/characters without spoiling the whole thing. So let's stick to overall impressions.
Buelhman can create a character that shows up for a few pages—or recurs throughout the whole book—that is so well-drawn that you could imagine them carrying their own novella (at least). The magic system (systems?) are inventive—or at least used inventively—and I can think of several mages from other series that would be in trouble if they tried to cross some of these. The main storyline for Kinch seems locked-in early on, but also it's pretty clear (I think) that he's going to diverge from his assignment early. But the way it happens is enough to make you sit up and take notice (and perhaps mumble something like, "Are you sure about this, man?").
Among the many subplots here is a love story—and I don't know if I'll come across one so effective for the rest of the year. *note It's so sweet, so real. And really strange in the way that only fantasy can pull off.
* Okay, I wrote that sentence before I got too far into Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman a day later, I really shouldn't make statements like that in January.
By the same token, there's this rivalry between Kinch and someone he knew in childhood. Their lives took very different paths, and Kinch (somewhat rightly) feels guilt over the way things went—Malk feels a lot of resentment about it (somewhat rightly, entirely understandably). Watching them navigate this reunion in various circumstances is a real treat. There's some good depth, some believable realism to it—and Beuhlman is able to keep it entertaining.
I don't want this to sound like it's a comedy or a light-hearted caper kind of novel. It's not. There's a lot of darkness in these pages, a lot of tragedy and bloodshed, there's some kind of duplicity on almost every page, and absolutely no one comes out of this unscathed. Assuming they come out of this at all. But you will be hooked; you will be invested in these characters; you will be mystified, weirded out, and perhaps a bit grossed-out by the magic; and you will probably want to avoid large bodies of water juuuuust in case one of Beuhlman's krakens are nearby. *
* I know nobody has happy, shiny krakens full of humor and rainbows. But something about his seemed a degree or two worse.
I picked this up on a whim, mostly out of mild curiosity. But now I have to know what's coming next.
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WHAT'S THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF ABOUT?
I don't know how to answer that question in under 8 single-spaced pages (okay, that's hyperbole...but it feels honest). Also, this is one of those audiobooks that leaves a listener without a clue how to spell
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just about everything (for example, I just learned how to spell the main character's name), so you have to factor into my utter inability to write character/nationality/etc. names to my trepidation about trying to sum it up.So I'm going to just paste what the publisher's site says...
Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. 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 today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.
Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She 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. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.
THE NARRATION
(I'm sure I've said this before) It can be dangerous for an author to narrate their own book, but when they're good narrators, they can bring something special to the performance as they understand the book in a way a hired gun never can. Buehlman is one of those authors who should read his own material all the time. He did a bang-up job with the accents, the characters, the comedy, and the drama.
I don't know how this would come across in the print version—I'm assuming it would somehow—but in the audiobook, Buehlman makes Kinch speak with some sort of Irish accent (probably safer to say it's more Irish-ish so he can deviate when he wants), which communicates so much about him. You hear that, and you automatically get his strange cynical optimism, the poverty he came from, his odd sense of humor. I don't know how quickly that would be communicated with some other accent—but it immediately made sense to me. Galva's accent is very different, and utterly fitting, too. I don't know if other narrators would've made choices like he did to communicate that all so well—but I have to give him kudos for that.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE BLACKTONGUE THEIF?
I can't really discuss what I think of this book and the various plotlines/characters without spoiling the whole thing. So let's stick to overall impressions.
Buelhman can create a character that shows up for a few pages—or recurs throughout the whole book—that is so well-drawn that you could imagine them carrying their own novella (at least). The magic system (systems?) are inventive—or at least used inventively—and I can think of several mages from other series that would be in trouble if they tried to cross some of these. The main storyline for Kinch seems locked-in early on, but also it's pretty clear (I think) that he's going to diverge from his assignment early. But the way it happens is enough to make you sit up and take notice (and perhaps mumble something like, "Are you sure about this, man?").
Among the many subplots here is a love story—and I don't know if I'll come across one so effective for the rest of the year. *note It's so sweet, so real. And really strange in the way that only fantasy can pull off.
* Okay, I wrote that sentence before I got too far into Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman a day later, I really shouldn't make statements like that in January.
By the same token, there's this rivalry between Kinch and someone he knew in childhood. Their lives took very different paths, and Kinch (somewhat rightly) feels guilt over the way things went—Malk feels a lot of resentment about it (somewhat rightly, entirely understandably). Watching them navigate this reunion in various circumstances is a real treat. There's some good depth, some believable realism to it—and Beuhlman is able to keep it entertaining.
I don't want this to sound like it's a comedy or a light-hearted caper kind of novel. It's not. There's a lot of darkness in these pages, a lot of tragedy and bloodshed, there's some kind of duplicity on almost every page, and absolutely no one comes out of this unscathed. Assuming they come out of this at all. But you will be hooked; you will be invested in these characters; you will be mystified, weirded out, and perhaps a bit grossed-out by the magic; and you will probably want to avoid large bodies of water juuuuust in case one of Beuhlman's krakens are nearby. *
* I know nobody has happy, shiny krakens full of humor and rainbows. But something about his seemed a degree or two worse.
I picked this up on a whim, mostly out of mild curiosity. But now I have to know what's coming next.
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LibraryThing member Fiddleback_
A strongly built world in which a cast of well developed characters have numerous and often distinctly interesting adventures. It's a typical fantasy novel developed in untypical ways as the author makes it clear that yes, fantasy is fantasy is fantasy but _this_ fantasy is going to be something
An entertaining read that kept me guessing to the last page about whether or not I was going to enjoy it. Turns out, I did.
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different.An entertaining read that kept me guessing to the last page about whether or not I was going to enjoy it. Turns out, I did.
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Awards
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Fantasy — 2022)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2021
Physical description
9.37 inches
ISBN
1473231159 / 9781473231153
Local notes
Kinch Na Shannack owed the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, and his debt drove him to try and rob Galva - a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She 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. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.
Signed by the author, limited to 500 copies.
Signed by the author, limited to 500 copies.