The narrative starts with lots of new words and slang so initially it felt as if you are dumped into a world you can’t make sense of. The humour & snarkiness of the narrator was a double-edged sword for me, at times it worked very well but for the most part it felt too juvenile for my taste.

That being said, there was a lot of seriously brilliant world-building going on: from complex international politics to very interesting magic and everything in between.

Having read my fair share of fantasy, overall this is a good addition to the genre with echoes of Locke Lamora

The cost of his education as a thief has left Kinch in serious debt with the Takers Guild, which has driven him to petty theft and highway robbery. However, an attempted robbery of a knight, Galva, goes wrong and Kinch finds himself forced to embark on a quest with Galva and a trainee witch named Norrigal, in search of a missing queen in a land terrorised by giants.

The very best thing about The Blacktongue Thief is the main character and narrator, Kinch. He is an extremely likable character with a great sense of humour which is present throughout the entire novel. He is sarcastic, witty and resilient, and he has a very distinctive narrative voice which really helps to make this book stand out from other fantasy adventure novels. The second best thing is probably the blind cat that Kinch rescues – if you read the book, you’ll understand.

Aside from a fantastic protagonist, this book is filled to the brim with everything you could want from a fantasy novel: an epic quest, fantastical creatures, magic, action and romance. The romance aspect was particularly good because it was sweet and organic but didn’t detract at all from the main plot. I also enjoyed the fast pacing, as there is a lot of ground to cover but the action never slows up which keeps things really exciting.

I believe this book is the first in a trilogy, but it did also work great as a standalone novel. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

I started off loving this book, the humour and the world were both great but i struggled to connect to the characters and I also felt like the story and jokes were almost repeated through the book which brought my overall rating down

I tried... I really did because someone I love on booktok constantly recommends this book, but something about the narrative style just put me off and I couldn't get into in no matter how much I tried. I'm sure there is an audience for this book, but it just wasn't me.

Unfortunately this didnt quite work for me but I can definitely see others enjoying it! Its fun, fast paced, and action packed, and it makes for a really refreshing break from the darker, more gritty fantasies out there. Would recommend this if you want something that doesnt take itself too seriously (in a good way!).

4.5*

I'll add a full review to my site, Amazon and GR within the next week. I've been catching up on a lot of reading having had a break due to several projects.

Thank you for the arc. I already have my special edition copy from Goldsboro! Can't wait for book 2.

This book has been talked about in almost every online fantasy circle since it released, and honestly it’s not hard to see why. What we’ve got here is an imaginative grimdark-adjacent world, seen through the eyes of a very snarky and opinionated thief. Historically, this is the kind of mix that tends to do very well — it feels like fans of Locke Lamora have been looking to scratch that itch for years.

The Scott Lynch comparison is one that has been made a lot, along with the likes of Joe Abercrombie and Nick Eames. I agree with those to a certain extent, but I also thought there was a slight horror element in there, too. Which seems silly to say given how comedic some sections can be, but it’s a mix that works. It reminds me a little bit of Glen Cook’s The Black Company, honestly, with those humorous sections cutting through an oppressive atmosphere.

This is a series that I’m definitely gonna continue reading, so Buehlman has absolutely made a fan out of me. If you’re thinking of picking it up, well… If you like any of the names mentioned above, you’re probably gonna have a good time with this one. If thievery books and dark humour aren’t really your bag, then I’m not sure if this will change your mind.

I was expecting to like this more than I did. The world building and setting was well done, but I felt the plot got lost some of the time. The main character had a strong and unique personality but unfortunately the humour was not much to my taste. The book had some great details- I loved Deadlegs! But not enough to raise my overall enjoyment. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book but unfortunately i didn't connect with the story and the writing style.

This was unfortunately the case of wrong reader. I always struggle with humour – it either has to catch me in the mood, or be a certain style, and I just didn’t mesh with the humour in this book, and that combined with first person pov just wasn’t for me. That said, I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this book, especially as it was a lot more in depth than I had initially expected, and there were a lot of layers to the world and that plus the creatures and beasts, allowed me to keep with this book – and while it wasn’t my cup of tea in the end, it was still a good read and I can absolutely see why if it appeals to your sense of humour then this will be an amazing read.

An absolutely hilarious read!

The main character Kinch Na Shannack a black-tongue thief whom is indebted to the Takers Guild. Kinch owes the takers guild for his education and is sent on an epic journey. The story is told by Kinch who is a quick witted, foul mouthed and dark humored narrator, I loved his character.

There is also a shapeshifting talking cat whom I also loved!!

I did end up putting the book down for a while at around 65% as it was just action scene after action scene which personally overwhelmed me but after a short break I was quickly back on track to finish what is a truly epic novel.

Firstly, a huge thank you to Gollancz and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Typically with fantasy novels we see the protagonist as a hero wanting to do what they can to change the world and save the people that live in it, or maybe they’ve been forced into it but they still have a sense of what’s noble… This novel takes that idea and turns it on its head to say the least. Kinch Na Shannack is far from your typical protagonist, this foul-mouthed (which is an understatement itself) thief is such a refreshing narrator for an epic fantasy adventure.

Although Kinch and his crude and colourful way of describing situations may not be for everyone, I adored him. This is a type of character that we generally only see snippets of as a side character in other novels, so to have an entire novel from the perspective of a man like Kinch was fascinating to me. Not to mention, hilarious at times. Due to his nature and education you simultaneously feel he is being completely honest with you and straight talking, and yet he’ll throw in a line that will catch you off guard and wonder whether that is truly the case. He doesn’t hide the fact that the story he is telling you is the one he wants to tell, but I enjoyed the moments where you’re made to question how much is being left out or embellished. However, at the same time, it’s those moments when you know that he has omitted something or has tweaked what happened that manages to give you more of an insight into his character and, in some cases, feel sorry for him.

In fact, I thought all of the characters were brilliantly written and I loved seeing them all interact. I loved how Kinch’s unlikely companion Galva (well, really Kinch was Galva’s companion) just worked together so wonderfully. You have a man who has been taught all the best ways to lie and trick people, with a mischievous and endearing personality; and a knight who is from a race of people where sarcasm is barely understood, or tolerated, and she is determined in her search to find her missing queen. On the surface they appear to be so at odds with each other and yet, they complement each other well with a balance between amusing misunderstandings and serious conversations. I also really liked the addition of Norrigal, the talented witch who joins them along the way and Bully Boy, the blind cat who seems to have a talent for surviving against all odds.

Although the characters hooked me into the story, it took a while for me to get into the plot. However, it’s difficult to say whether that was due to the pacing of the novel or just the frame of mind I was in when I was reading it. When I was able to sit, focus and follow along I did really enjoy everything the book has to offer and I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series as I’d love to see more of this world and of Kinch. Before I do, though, I will need to give this a re-read as I think I did miss out on nuance and lore by being completely swept up in all of the action.

Overall, I loved these characters and the stories behind their motivations. They shouldn’t work so well together but they truly do. This refreshing take on the epic fantasy felt, as strange as it sounds, believable through not shying away from the less glamorous situations through some incredibly creative language.

I write reviews, if you’re here today reading this review, it means hopefully by now you might have read a couple of my other reviews. If that’s true, then you’re going to read todays piece and I imagine you will probably think something along the lines of “Oh Dale, you are such a loveable and handsome fool”. Now most of that sentence is fairly self-explanatory, but why am I a fool you may ask? Because I’m going to make a proclamation that Ive made multiple times already this year, and since I feel the need to defend myself, I’m going to continue to blame the authors of these books for my foolishness. So, in a second when I once again make my great proclamation, I’m going to add a cliff note just to help with future reviews.

The Blacktongue Thief is the best book of 2021. *

*So far.

And you know what? Before I started reviewing books, I didn’t have this issue, I just read a book and when it was done, I would go “Oh fuck me, that was really good, I’m sad its over” and on to the next one. Now days I can’t do that, I have to think about the books as I read, and then afterwards I write some jumbled words on why you should read it too. So here, enjoy my jumbled words on why once again this might be my favourite book of 2021.

Before the community started whispering in excitement about The Blacktongue Thief I had never heard of Chris Buehlman, he is better known in the Horror community, and it best known for his book Between Two Fires. Chris’s debut into the world of high fantasy managed to land him a spot on nearly every most anticipated list of 2021 apart from mine apparently. I’m actually somewhat doubly a fool right now, because at no point did I ever pick up on the hype for this book, but least I rectified that.

The Blacktongue Thief is the story of Kinch Na Shannock, who is funnily enough, our thief. Kinch owes the Thieves guild a few coins for the training they gave him, and this debt has driven him to lay in wait, next to some old dingey forest road waiting for some poor sod to walk past so he and his acquaintances can rob them. Unluckily for Kinch, that poor sod turns out to be Galva, Handmaiden of the Goddess of Death, a survivor of the Goblin wars that decimated the lands and a one of the best Spanth Knights in the land. Obviously, the robbery goes wrong very quickly and instead Kinch suddenly finds his life intertwined with that of Galva’s as he follows her on her grand quest to find her Queen.

I could outrun the Spanth, but not the bird.

I pissed myself a little, I’m not ashamed to tell you.

“Archer,” she said in that r-tapping Ispanthian accent. “Come out and help your friends.”

That they weren’t really my friends wasn’t a good enough reason to leave them maimed and wrecked on the white road, nor was the fact they deserved it.

There’s a ton of reasons why this book is superb, but I’m going to focus on the three things that really hit the spot for me. Humour in books isn’t something I overly care about, most fantasy these days has some elements of grimdark and don’t really need you to have a chuckle. However, that hasn’t stopped Nicholas Eames becoming a community favourite in the last few years, his books being to the genre like what the Guardians of the Galaxy films did for the MCU. Eames books are funny, they are books that make you laugh out loud, a book that makes you chuckle at every chapter, at the same time he manages to write a book that keeps its tensions growing, that’s filled with action and uniqueness throughout. Buehlman takes this to a new level as far as I’m concerned, Ive never laughed as much while reading as I did during my read of The Blacktongue Thief, I found myself telling random people who have zero interest in these books about the jokes just because I enjoyed it so much and I will forever think the “Brown Magic” paragraph will be one of the best things Ive ever read to this day.

I was half a heartbeat from pitying him, but my face still stung from his bastard hand, so I said “You can have another slap at me, as far as the guilds concerned. Seems a shame you wasted your first one doing so little harm, you fatherless kark.”

A kark is a wet fart, by the way, if you’ve never been to Galtia or Norholt. The kind you think will be one thing but it turns out to be the other, to your shame and sorrow.

The Second thing that I just found spectacular throughout but something that very much divided the readers of this book was Buehlman’s method of giving the reader information. Info dumping isn’t something that most people enjoy, massive slabs of information bang in the middle of the chapter takes you away from the story, it often feels jarring and unnatural, I saw numerous tweets about how this put people off during their own reads. However, don’t decide to end this review now and avoid this book, Buehlman is one of the few authors were Ive found this method not only works but is incredibly enjoyable, managing to make the large bits of information he delivers funny and genuinely interesting. These sections having such an important part to building the world we found ourselves in and giving it such a tremendous amount of depth. Even more amazingly, he managed to do it all without slowing down the pace at all, everything written felt important and necessary and I genuinely wish more books were written with this style.

Last on that list is a simple one, Kinch himself. We all know by now that I love a single POV story, and Kinch may be one of the single most enjoyable characters Ive ever had the pleasure of reading. I knew on the very first page that Kinch was going to be a character I loved, and I knew by the end of the first chapter that I was correct. Kinch is incredibly sarcastic, hilariously pessimistic but yet a man that gets up and faces everything that comes his way with a smile, and even with the humour and ridiculousness that is Kinch, I think the author did something that is rare for this type of book which was give you a character you genuinely cared about still. Buehlman wrote a person I would love to know, albeit I’m sure it wouldn’t be a relationship that would go amazingly well for me, but I would love to meet this man regardless.

What a fabulous kingdom the mind is, and you the Emperor of all of it. You can bed the dukes wife and have the duke strangled in your mind. A crippled man can think himself a dancer, and an idiot can fool himself wise. The day a Magicker peeks into the thoughts of commoners for some thin-skinned duke or king will be a bad day. Those with callused hands will rise on that day, for a man will only toil in a mine so long as he can dream of sunny fields, and he’ll only kneel for a tyrant if he can secretly cut that tyrants throat in the close theatre of his bowed head.

Ive written what I believe makes up a good book before, the need for interesting and intriguing characters, a compelling and imaginative plot, a world that feels well put together and unique in its way, in fantasy we normally want a magic system that feels different from the usual rehashed classics. Buehlman did all of this and vastly more. Not only was Kinch incredible, but we also got a supporting cast that were all incredibly beautifully written and entertaining, I would have loved to read the POV from any one of them. We got a plot that twisted and turned masterfully, keeping you on your toes and always making you want to turn to the next page, constantly funny and constantly exciting. We got a world that went beyond what most authors manage, Buehlman writing a fascinating world that feels rich with history and culture, plus creatures and races that we’ve seen many times over manging to feel that slight bit different. And we got that magic system we wanted, we got something wonderfully intriguing, magical tattoos and hidden traits that I won’t ruin for you by discussing further.

It proved a blessing we oiled our leathers. It rained like a bastard as we took the North road toward Norholt, the kind of rain that wets you in no time at all and just keeps at you until there’s nothing dry about you. The Kind of rain that makes you feel you’re just a turd the gods are trying to wash off the road.

I honestly can’t wait for the second book in this trilogy but in case the idea of having to wait is putting you off at all, this book is easy to read as a standalone, we get a fantastic conclusion to the main plotline Buehlman writes that doesn’t leave us on a massive cliff-hanger, and I will forever love an author that doesn’t leave us in pain at the end of a book.

This is my book of 2021, and I would incredibly surprised if that changes.

Quick-witted fantasy fiction that made me laugh out loud!

Kinch Na Shannack is a black-tongue thief trying to rise through the ranks of his craft, for which he is deeply indebited to the Takers Guild. During an attempted robbery he finds himself crossing paths with the knight Galva and suddenly embarking on what turns out to be a rather epic journey. Christopher Buehlman delivers a fantasy novel filled with amazing creatures, great world building, an array of unique characters and a journey riddled with intriguing surprises.

I really enjoyed the pace of the novel and the ease with which, the social order, politics, religion and magic were weaved into the storyline. Overall it was that wicked humour combined with a deeply flawed character like Kinch that had me enjoying this from beginning to end.

This book is full of humor and action, but sadly nothing more. Though it's an easy read, because of the short chapters and simple writing, sadly I didn't care for the characters. We barely have time to get to know them, we are constantly stumbling from action scene to action scene without proper transitions. I personally didn't mind the humor, but I can see how this might be too much for some readers. There was a lot of worldbuiling, which is always a plus for me, but most of the times it was quite a lot at once.
It's not a bad book in my opinion, it's all fun and action, but sadly bears no further intrigue for me.

I was about to die. Worse, I was about to die with bastards.


The first time I pick this up I ended up putting it down after a few chapters and deciding it wasn't for me, however, a few days later I found myself wanting to pick it back up again and finally I got around to doing just that. Well aren't I glad I did because I bloody well loved it! I am not sure what happened last time I picked this up, I am a huge mood reader so maybe it was that but who cares, I am just glad I gave it another go! It literally had me in stitches almost every page!

I just absolutely loved Kinch - his dark humour won me over immediately. Pair him with Galva and Norrigal and you have quite the trio!! Galva was quite the badass and I loved the wit between Kinch and Norrigal ... plus lets not forget Kinch's cat companion -Bully boy! He was definitely a great addition to story!

The world building and magic system was epic, all the monsters and creatures introduced throughout were fab, it was fast paced and packed with plenty of action.

I actually listened to parts of it on audible so I could continue whilst doing bits around the house and wow! I might have to pick it up again and listen to the whole book entirely through audio as it was soooooooo good! Buehlman himself narrated and really brought Kinch's character and the story to life! It was just superb! I keep hearing the songs in my head still now!

Overall, The Blacktongue Thief was a brilliant fantasy debut and I can't wait to see how the story continues in the next one!

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this one in exchange for an honest review.

When I first heard about this book, my initial reaction was: Interesting … but weird. Christopher Buehlman is a consummate horror writer, well-known for classics such as ‘The Lesser Dead’ and ‘The Suicide Motor Club’. Fantasy – and grimdark, no less – seemed a bit of a sideways step.

Then again, SF writer Richard Morgan, best known for the Takeshi Kovacs cyberpunk noir series, did also try his hand at grimdark, and the result was the spectacular ‘A Land Fit for Heroes’ trilogy. On the other end of the spectrum, Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘The Buried Giant’ (2015) had a lot of mainstream critics comment rather condescendingly as to why the literary darling would embrace genre. And High Fantasy, to boot. (I am not a big fantasy reader, but I loved all of the above.)

So I was prepared to give ‘The Blacktongue Thief’ a bash, a promise indeed speeded up when I managed to get a Netgalley arc. And I am so glad that I have now read this, because it is magnificent. Buehlman had me glued to the pages for a couple of days, entranced as I followed Kinch Na Shannack and his motley crew on their improbable quest, including a blind stray cat called Bully Boy, living and breathing the weird and wondrous realm they traversed and the equally weird and wondrous world the book is set in.

If Bully Boy raises an alarm bell – maybe the publisher insisted on a trope Disneyesque animal to melt the reader’s heart amidst the bloodshed and mayhem, and copious profanity in multiple made-up languages – fear not. Bully Boy is as tough as nails and an integral part of the story. The reader’s love for all of these characters is hard-won and well-deserved in the end. There is no manipulative sentiment inserted by Buehlman to sweeten his tale. Indeed, as a writer he is not afraid to make some tough and unexpected choices, which I greatly respect as a reader.

I think there can be no greater compliment paid to a writer than when you can genuinely say you felt as if you were there along with the characters. Buehlman’s world-building is quite intricate, and it took me a while to get a handle on the social set-up, background and geopolitics. I especially appreciated the fact that Buehlman never resorts to that dreaded gold-plate standard of fantasy, the infodump. All you need to make sense of this world is embedded in the story itself and the experiences and histories of the characters.

There is a trend for a lot of grimdark to be archly funny and ‘meta’, which a writer like K.J. Parker is really good at. The fact that Kinch is beholden to the Takers Guild for his education as a thief, a debt he is unable to pay off and hence ends up in servitude to them, of course strikes a contemporary note.

When we eventually learn about the true extent of the Takers Guild’s dark motives, the resonance with our world, especially countries meddling in the affairs of other nations, manufacturing conflict and even wars to prop up the military-industrial complex, and bio-engineering potentially lethal viruses that threaten life as we know it, all have echoes in Buehlman’s book, but never to the extent where it pushes you out of the narrative.

Buehlman is well aware that he is not only working in a genre, but within a hallowed tradition. He remarks in his Acknlwledgements:

I also wish to acknowledge those who blazed this trail; J. R. R. Tolkien, of course, who is every modern fantasy writer’s common ancestor; but also publisher Tom Doherty, who helped bring him to an American audience and who runs the company that brought this book to light. George R. R. Martin inherited not just Tolkien’s middle initials but his genius in world-building and set an astonishingly high bar for the rest of us—the audio books of A Song of Ice and Fire, brilliantly narrated by the late Roy Dotrice, have smoothed many a long mile on my road and remain, for me, the gold standard of storytelling excellence. The works of modern masters Joe Abercrombie and Patrick Rothfuss influenced this author, it is fair to say; in a world so full of good books and so short on time, theirs are among the stories I gladly revisit.

‘The Blacktongue Thief’ joins that special list of good books you would do very well by investing your time in reading.

Dnf @ 40%

I didn't like the writing style in this one. Its told through 1st person pov and I didn't find the narrator's attempt at humour funny. This is only a 400 page book but 40% into it and I feel like nothing substantial has happened yet. The world feels good but I have truly no idea what's going on in terms of the plot. And, I can't say that I have any further interest in finding out!

The story follows a thief named Kinch Na Shannack, who unfortunately owes the Guild a small fortune for his training. Upon his schemes as a thief he stumbles across a Knight, Galva, who is a survivor from the brutal Goblin wars of years past. Their lives become intertwined with a common destination and even more common enemies.

First and foremost, the dark humour sung to me with its beautifully twisted and evil voice. Its very Abercrombie-sequel, though so much brutality. I often found myself laughing at Kinch's witticism and Galva's ability to only take things at face value (think Drax or Brienne). My only real criticism about the book falls here - I would have liked to see more put into the character development particularly Galva (and Kinch's training) but I would assume that is to come if there is a follow up.

The world-building surprised me. For a relatively short book I expected this to be solely about the quest and characters but Buelhman has crafted a world with different countries who have different customs, ethics and roles in the history of the world, especially pertaining to the Goblins. This was excellent and breathed life into the book and made it a completely believable world. I will also say the 'beasts' encountered were great, ranging from Stag-sized Ravens to Krakens. All very real and horrifying. It's no wonder Buelhman is well known as a horror writer.

For me, the most unique part of this story was the magic system, being based primarily on tattoos that are functional and carry spells that can enhance the wearer or be used to carry things.

If you're in the market for a grimey, yet pretty funny grimdark story this could be right up your street.

Summary
-Great magic system
-Grimdark humour
-Interesting characters
-Amazing world building
-Stag-sized Mf'ing ravens. STAG SIZED.
-Highly readable
-No major plot holes

This book was hilarious.
We follow our narrator Kinch, who is a guild trained thief, who still owes a debt for his education.
Right from the start, Kinch is not shy in admitting his fears that may or may not include ruining his trousers...often.
It seems everything he does, lands him in more trouble, and every task he gets through by the skin of his teeth. I have to say BullyBoy was the real show stealer for me.
Christopher Buehlman has a way of describing all the types of rain imaginable, because it seems to rain a lot in Kinch's world.
If you like fantasy with a dark humour, you will not be disappointed with this book.
If you like fantasy, where the hero isn't a brave and heroic protagonist, you'll love this book.