This review contains minor spoilers. You read at your behest.

The Blacktounge Thief should be summarised in four words: Stealing, Krakens, Giants, Birds. That's the gist of this story. That should be more than enough to get you started into an adventurous fantasy that is full of fun, gore, misery, pain, loss, and hope. It's also the tale of Kinch, a thief who's trying to make it in an unforgiving world full of cutthroats, betrayers, traitors, scoundrels, and hungry goblins that love to hunt down humans. His obligation to the Taker's Guild, a guild where thieves operate within, is the result of his childhood. Not only that but a certain quest that he is given by the Guild to do drives the crux of a very fascinating journey. Kinch may not be the best man on the block. But when the time comes to do something good, this man will do it.

Kinch is a very odd fellow. On the one hand, he's the version of Jack Sparrow, only on land. On the other hand, he's the version of a clever Will Turner. One that thinks for himself, and one that is capable of getting out of tricky situations. It is refreshing to see a character that thinks for himself but also knows how to waggle his tongue. Every character in this book falls to his charm. Kinch has a natural charm that makes even the most hated enemy of his become friendly towards him. Also, Kinch has a habit of getting his hair pulled often. He embarks on a quest with Galva, the sassy and quiet Ispanthian who he loves to call nicknames with, to travel to this city of Oustrim, and discover secrets that will ultimately make him question himself. Have no doubt, that throughout every part of this novel, Kinch is finding a way to get rid of his obligation to the Taker's Guild. It's also a journey of trying to figure out who he is. And if it's one thing I didn't like, whether Norrigal was flinging an insult at him, Malk calling him a scoundrel, including Galva, all for calling him a thief with envy in their tongues, what does that make the politicians of Molrova? The King of Ispanthia? The Ministers and Kings, Emperors of certain lands are also thieves of their kind. Taxing peasants for more than they are worth. So why should Kinch be subject to that abuse when it's the higher-ups in this world that should be held accountable? Stealing is wrong, certainly. But I ask Malk, Norrigal, Galva, where were you when Kinch's life took the direction of the path of the thief? Were you there to stop him? Were you there to guide him? No, you weren't. I ended up disliking most of the characters that Kinch was with at the end. They are all using Kinch for their purposes, and then degrade him, I've ended up liking Kinch far more than any of the other characters involved. And I wasn't too convinced with his chemistry with Norrigal, because Kinch can find a partner that will understand for who he is rather than what he is. I can relate to Kinch, in some form.

But the main hero is not a grim-dark character. Far from it. Kinch is an actual hero except he finds himself doing things that really would not be ideal for an ordinary human being to do. Kinch in this novel, as far I can recall, hasn't done anything bad to anyone. Like, not really anything bad. I can't recall anything that Kinch has done that would make him deserving of this kind. So, there's that for you. With regards to the other aspects of the novel, the worldbuilding was on point. I felt distinctions between each race and felt that certain scenes were slower-paced than they should have been. Some scenes could have been reduced, while I wanted a glossary as well just to make sure I could go and refer to the nations. The map was very nice, and I kept going back to it many times.

This is medieval fantasy reborn, complete with its unique mythology. A starring debut that deserves your attention, and a novel that is fun and will make you feel like you're embarking on a special journey. This is the fun adventurous fantasy novel that we need more off rather than epic plots for the time being. Get this book.

I have submitted my Amazon and Alibris review

Summary: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buelman boasts a gritty, magic filled world, characters that leap off the page, and a wickedly funny narrative voice. Slightly light on plot, but full of imaginative swearwords (fictional and real).

Recommended for fans of authors with a witty narrative voice (think K.J. Parker, and to a lesser extent Scott Lynch or Terry Pratchett)
Not recommended if you have a weak stomach – some characters meet particularly gruesome ends
Recommended if you like an underdog as a protagonist
Not recommended if you prefer your worldbuilding to be completely serious
Kinch Na Shannack is our protagonist and narrator for this tale. He’s a thief with some minor magical tricks and a couple of special talents. He runs his mouth far more often than he should, is more merciful than most, and can play a mean fiddle. He’s also in debt with the Takers Guild for his well rounded education in thievery. This debt is what drives the plot – he’s given an opportunity to pay it all off by joining Ispanthian warrior Galva in her journey to a kingdom recently attacked by giants.

On the journey we meet an expansive and colourful cast of characters, of varying dispositions – obtuse witches; an assassin with magic tattoos and an unusual transportation method; blackmailing whalers, and of course, Galva, a veteran and expert swordfighter with a giant war corvid. All the characters have a spark to them that makes any interaction fun to watch, although some of the side characters feel a little disposable, barely being mentioned until a moment comes to feature them.

Kinch himself is a great protagonist. He’s a thief and an anti-hero, not against stabbing a man in the back if he feels he has cause, but also not without mercy for those he’s bested. He’s quick with a song too, a trait seemingly shared by anyone from where he hails. The songs, by the way, are all excellent – I’m prone to zoning out when reading in-world lyrics, but I didn’t at all here.

The plot is very much a get from point A to point B situation, with a whole host of dangerous situations and characters to deal with along the way. This is both a strength and a weakness – each individual encounter is strong and fun to follow, but I found myself wanting a little for something a little more. I don’t feel like any of the encounters were unnecessary either, as each revealed aspects of the world, characters or main plot. I did like where things ended up, and the climax was pretty solid, leaving things in an interesting place for the next book.

The worldbuilding is really solid. If you like magic to feel mysterious, there’s plenty of that there for you. There’s also plenty of history to the world, with various goblin wars, the near extinction of horses and other past events having a clear presence, and there feels like there are hidden depths yet to be plumbed. Buehlman maintains a quirky but grim tone to the world. One of my favourite aspects of the worldbuilding is the in-world gambling card game called Towers, which I was not surprised to learn later was created as an actual playable game by the author. I really want to play it myself!

The tone shifts neatly between slightly absurd and much more dark. There were some sequences that definitely reminded me that Buelhman was predominantly a horror writer, with tension being built so palpably as to keep me on edge and have me reeling afterwards. One sequence in particular will stick with me for a long time – for me I loved that combination of tones, but I would potentially avoid this book if you are averse to say, gruesome mutilation or cannibalism.

Buehlman did a great job drawing me in to his first foray into fantasy, creating a fascinating world while giving us a charismatic narrator and protagonist. It’s not the perfect book for me, but I have a feeling it will be for some of you. I recommend this book to fans of epic and grimdark fantasy, unless you’re particular averse to more gory content, or prefer a serious narrative voice.

Rating: 8.5

“The Blacktongue Thief” by Christopher Buehlman is the author’s debut in the fantasy genre (most published books were horrors). I absolutely adore the cover, so I was thrilled when Gollancz asked me if I would be interested in Blog Tour with this book.
The novel is rather peculiar. After the first few chapters, I was somewhat appalled. The protagonist, Kinch Na Shannack, is a thief from the Takers Guild, and he is also the one that tells us the story. To say he’s unrefined is an understatement. From the beginning, we are bombarded by crude fart jokes and metaphors straight from the gutters. I didn’t find them funny nor interesting. But the world-building looked fascinating, so I decided to keep on reading, and I wasn’t disappointed.
It may be hard to believe after reading those first few chapters, but as the story progress, Kinch grows on us. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when it happens, but his stupid jokes became endearing (well, at least some of them!).
What is striking from the very beginning is the wealth of world-building. We have a detailed map with loads of different countries, and they are not just the names on the page. They all have their languages and little quirks that make it easy to differentiate them. Kinch, with his rare talent for foreign speech, often comments on language variations and collects vulgarism from all the nations, so be ready to learn some amusing expressions.
The story is an epic journey that forces the unlikely companions to work together to survive the dangers and fulfil their agendas. Of course, with the quest progress and blood spilt, they form bonds that can’t be easily broken.
I loved the idea of magic tattoos that provides owners with loads of unique benefits. Also, the Takers Guild’s hierarchy and methods were fascinating. Kinch was one of the lowly thieves called a Prank and was deeply in debt for all the guild training provided for him. The ways of reminding the debtors of what they owed were original and well thought.
I enjoyed the book despite the humour that usually wasn’t to my liking. I’m a huge fan of stories with an original setting and rich world-building, and what I found in “The Blacktongue Thief” is worth recommending. If you are looking for something different and don’t mind some gutter humour, you should check it out!

My thanks to the Orion Publishing Group/Gollancz for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Blacktongue Thief’ by Christopher Buehlman in exchange for an honest review.

While his first fantasy novel Christopher Buehlman is an established writer, poet, and playwright and toured Renaissance fairs for many years with his Christophe the Insultor act.

I was hooked by this entertaining fantasy from the start, especially the moment a stag-sized battle raven entered the story. Kinch Na Shannack along with a small band of fellow thieves are waiting by a forest road for a traveler to come along. Kinch is a Galt, a people born with black tongues, and is the titular character.

Kinch’s reason for being there is that he owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief. Yet he and his gang have picked the wrong mark as the traveler and her battle corvid make short work of the gang. Galva of Ispanthia is a corvid knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She is on a mission to find her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants.

Kinch is lucky to escape with his life, and he soon finds his fate entangled with Galva's. They make an uneasy alliance and with a few companions embark on an epic journey with many adventures.

‘The Blacktongue Thief’ fits the description of a picaresque novel with Kinch’s blacktongue-in-cheek account chronicling their journey. It has plenty of action yet is lightened by elements of comedy. It also has Bully Boy, a cat whose special qualities I won’t detail in order to avoid spoilers (he was inspired by a little cat in the author’s life).

So, with a strong female co-lead, witches, a kraken, a battle raven, a cat, and other delights Christopher Buehlman’s first foray into fantasy definitely was a big hit with me.

Incorporating the occasional song into the narrative gave a bardic air to the story, which felt very fitting for a fantasy novel such as this being a continuation of the storytelling tradition that has come down the centuries.

I felt that Christopher Buehlman’s world building was excellent and that he managed to create a novel that balanced the seriousness of epic fantasy yet also was a bit of a romp. It’s not an easy combination but I felt that he succeeded.

This is listed as Book 1 in a series, so I will be looking forward to more adventures within this richly detailed world. I also plan to seek out his horror novels.

Highly recommended.

The perfect comedic fantasy - The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman is one of the more hilarious books I've read so far this year!

This is a quest-based fantasy but what makes it stand out is just how ridiculously sarcastic the main character - Kinch Na Shannack is. He reminded me of Jack Sparrow most of the time. We also have
x a blind cat as a companion
x SO MANY laugh-out-loud moments
x magic and magical creatures.
x speaking of Jack Sparrow, there is also a Kraken in the story. 0_o

What I didn’t like
x the main character’s sexist monologues and jokes.
x the characters are on a quest for the majority of this book, which I enjoyed, but the way that quest culminated was a bit disappointing.

Though I wasn’t impressed, I did have a good time reading this book and will probably recommend this to fans of The Black Hawks and Kings of the Wyld.

The Blacktongue Thief is the first in an all-new fantasy series from acclaimed horror author Christopher Buehlman. I have long been intrigued by Buehlman’s horror books, but when I heard about this epic fantasy tale I knew this was going to be a must-read. The story follows Kinch Na Shannack, a man trained by the Taker’s Guild to lock-pick, steal and a whole host of other useful skills. Kinch owes the Taker’s Guild a great deal of money for his education and has no choice but to steal from those travelling through the old forest road. When Kinch chooses the wrong mark, he ends up tangled up with Galva, a knight and warrior from the goblin wars, who is on an epic quest to find her missing Queen in a far off city that has been ravaged by giants – what could possibly go wrong?

The Blacktongue Thief is one of those books that sit down to read a few chapters of, it sucks you in and before you know it it’s 3am and you’ve finished the book. This is a fast-paced story, full to the brim with magic, action and adventure. Buehlman has created an absolutely fascinating world with a detailed history and intricate world-building. I loved learning about the goblin wars and I was completely fascinated by the magic in this story. Kinch’s magic centres on luck and this felt like a really unique idea.

The Blacktongue Thief has some of my new all-time favourite characters and if you love stories that are equal parts dark and hilarious, this is definitely a book for you. There are tons of funny moments, particularly as Kinch and his crew get further in their quest to find the Queen. I definitely found myself laughing out loud at some of the situations they end up in. There are plenty of complex characters and while Kinch was my favourite I really liked Galva and Norrigal too. I definitely found myself rooting for these characters and I can’t wait to see where Buhelman takes them in the next instalment.

This story is full of detailed action scenes and features so many things fantasy fans will love. If you want a shadowy, scheming guild, flesh-eating goblins, krakens, giants, witches and a whole lot more, you’re going to love what The Blacktongue Thief has in store. This will absolutely be one of my favourite books of 2021, and I can’t wait to read more from Christopher Buhelman.

I received an uncorrected proof copy of The Blacktongue Thief in exchange for an honest review. Thanks go to Christopher Buehlman and Gollancz.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

An amazing story, it's fast paced, filled with funny moments and draws the reader in completely. Highly recommended to fans of fantasy novels. I loved it and read it in two sittings. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this amazing book!

Goblin wars, magic tattoos, assassins, krakens… The Blacktongued Thief is a fantasy adventure that packs a lot in with some interesting world-building and plenty of humour.

Following Kinch Na Shannack, a thief with a literal black tongue, he picks the wrong mark and finds his date entangled with a knight, Galva, on a journey across the world full of people who want him dead, goblins who want to kill everyone, krakens who do as krakens do and a load of magic.

The story is told through Kinch’s eyes in a very distinctive voice that you can’t help but read in a slight accent. Everything that happens is narrated with self-deprecating and dry jokes as he certainly knows his limits in life – everyone he ends up with as a companion is superior to him in everything other than thievery and he acknowledges it. He’s an enjoyable character for someone who is a smartass who gets into trouble at every turn. Some characters like this can be hard to like as there are no real redeeming features about them. Not so with Kinch, as whilst he’s an ass, he’s also got a soft side which is shown a few times. He picks up a blind cat on his travels and enjoys giving the cat behind the ear scratches as he finds the cat enjoys that. He has a love interest that he quickly falls in love with.

Thanks to Kinch and his ability to speak another language, we’re also not left out of some conversations. They’re written in the foreign language and then translated as to what he knows it is, or at least what he thinks it means. There are one or two moments where he has to hope he’s not misunderstanding what’s been said, which adds some nice realism to the story instead of having everyone speaking the same language all the time.

The humour in the book needs a special mention. Sometimes humour in books can feel forced, non-stop and it becomes a bit of a bore. The humour out of Kinch though is something else. It’s dark, sarcastic, he’ll make fun of himself, of other people. It’s not all the time, he’ll do it at times just to get a reaction. It’s all in tone with the book and never feels forced and thankfully is scattered about. I found him endearing, but I can see some people not enjoying him, in which case they won’t enjoy the book as it’s all about him and how he is. You can’t escape it.

Whilst you get a unique point of view on the whole story, it is not without its drawbacks. There are frequent tangents that you always get when someone is telling a story. For the most part it works, and you do actually feel like you're being recited the adventure, but occasionally it does draw you away from the story – a good example is one time Kinch is asked a question and just over a page later he answers the question, leaving me saying "what?" and having to go back to remind myself of the question. Sure, a lot of the tangents help with the world-building, but I can't help but think that a slightly longer book would have meant it could have been done in a way that kept the flow of the book going more often than not.

Thankfully, there's more than enough to enjoy though, and it was really refreshing to have a character show that although he'll murder someone without question because that's the world they live in, he's still quite a likeable person with a lot of redeeming features. You feel bad for him at one point near the end and having read quite a few books like this over the years, that’s quite refreshing. The character building of Kinch throughout makes reading this book worth it by itself.

Rating: 4.5/5

I would like to thank Gollancz/Orion Publishing group and Netgalley for the review copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

No doubt that The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman is one of the fantasy books I was really dying to read this year. This is the first book of the author that I read, and boy, it did not disappoint. I can honestly say that it lived up to my expectations. With its phenomenal world building full of ancient history and creatures, The Blacktongue Thief takes its readers to an immersive fantasy adventure dashed with wry wit ang humor.

The story followed Kinch Na Shannack, a thief member of the Takers Guild. To be in the Guild meant owing them fortune for his education, and this debt caused him to crossed path with Galva, a knight and survivor of the brutal goblin war. For some twist of fate, Kinch was now on a quest on finding the knight's queen. Plotwise, the plot was compelling even when it was quite a long journey. It was told through Kinch’s perspective. Liking the narrator played a major role whether you would like the book or not. I was actually a little bit skeptical in this choice of narration because most of the time, this resulted in info-dumping. However, because of Kinch's sarcastic commentaries, it didn't feel dull at all. Every trip was like small arcs which led to the major one. I like the idea of two unlikely characters teaming up and prevailing difficult circumstances they encounter on their way. I think there weren't many action scenes here, but there was enough grit and brutality that made it page-turning.

The world building was an absolute delight to explore. It was just so vast, vivid, and felt so real. It was like a whole continent filled with diverse ethnicities, languages, music, culture, religion, and traditions. Distinctive magic was present in this novel. I did love the idea of magicked tattoos and sigils. Moreover, I liked how it featured different creatures such as goblins, giants, magical beasts and witches. The author just did a good job blending all these elements to create such an interesting world.

Although I liked all the characters in this novel, Kinch definitely stole the spotlight. He was a very unlikely protagonist. For one thing, he wasn't brave and strong at all, and his action's and motivations were always questionable. He always got away with difficult situations using his mischief. His sharp, snarky remarks never failed to make me laugh. I guessed these flaws somehow were the reason why he was such an effective and engaging character.

Overall, with Buehlman’s clever writing, The Blacktongue Thief is a solid introduction of yet another epic, dark fantasy series. I cannot wait for the second book!

4.5 stars!

Kinch Na Shannack is a blacktongue thief educated by the Taker’s Guild in the art of thieving which made him owe them a lot of money. And at the start, we find him in a desperate situation, with a group of bandits waiting at the edge of the forest for travelers to loot from. Unfortunately for poor Kinch, their next victim was Galva, a knight from Ispanthia, well it did not end well, and ended up with more trouble than he bargained. Defeated and with not enough money to pay the guild, he gets another chance from them to pay his debt by convincing Galva to join her quest to find a missing princess. Both knight and thief’s story now entwined, they journey for an adventure (or should I say disaster) of a lifetime together with Kinch’s blind cat, Bully Boy.

The Blacktongue Thief has it all; snarky protagonist, vivid world, WTF moments, and engaging writing style. It is Christopher Buehlman’s first fantasy novel and it is INCREDIBLE! He weaves history, humor, magic, and action so smoothly. After a few pages, I know I’m going to love it. The pacing was well-done, it moved briskly but consistent throughout the whole story. Each chapter brings a new adventure and was kept short.

One of The Blacktongue Thief’s strengths is its narrator, Kinch Na Shannack. He’s sarcastic, snarky, and street-smart. Kinch is not a good person and he is honest and open about it but you still want him to succeed anyway. Any bravery and courage that he can muster are only incidental to his gain. We see the world through his eyes and boy, that’s eye-opening. He has a way with his words and his voice is distinct which somehow reminds me of Locke Lamora.

Another strength of the novel is the sprawling world. It’s a continent ravaged by wars. There are several kingdoms, some governed by humans, with their own history, culture, gods, and language. We learn more about their history from the eyes of Kinch as he travels and sometimes, acquire interesting tidbits about their rulers. We learn more about how magic works bit by bit, from imbued tattoos, spells, to magical books. As Kinch and his companions travel, we see horse-sized crows, goblins, witches, assassins, pirates, and even giants. There’s also a healthy dose of songs and poems scattered in the book! Although I wish a map was included (maybe the finished copy has one).

The Blacktongue Thief is an incredibly inventive novel that immediately captivates its reader in a world still recovering from the goblin wars. It’s original, vivid, bloody brilliant! I’m looking forward to the next book and how Buehlman will concoct it! Also, it’s the first book in the trilogy but it has a complete arc that opens up to more adventures to come. Highly recommended to readers of the fantasy genre!

Big thanks to Gollancz/Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the amazing DRC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Kinch Na Shannack is a thief but not your typical fantasy troupe for thief (you know, the kind who grew up in the gutter, had a bad childhood, became a thief due to circumstances and all that other tried and tested stuff). He's not that special (well...kind of, but I won't go into that) but he was smart enough to get into a true school (School for those with a eye for thievery run by the Takers guild), a school that teaches you to be the best thief you can be. And in a world where there's academies for wizards, soldiers and assassin's, why can't there be a school for thieves, seems only fair right?. And like any institution, they take you in, train you and then slap a huge debt on you and thus they own Kinch. When the guild takes interest in a certain knight whom Kinch unsuccessfully had tried to rob, they set Kinch to accompany the knight on her quest.

“She considered me. “What will you do for me?” “It’s what we’ll do for each other.” “So tell me.” “I’ll watch while you sleep. Sleep while you watch. I’ll lie to you when it doesn’t matter, but I’ll also lie for you when it does. If you let me do the talking, I’ll make sure you miss the pennycock with the pizzle-itch and get the best wine in the merchant’s barrel. You’ll never again meet a door you can’t get through nor a wall you can’t get eyes over. I need your arms, yes, but you need my nose. If you do the worst of the fighting, I’ll make sure you know where your foes are coming from and cull the weak ones. I won’t be your dog, but if you’re half the wolf I think you are, you’ve found a fox to run with.”

And now I will rant about what I liked and what I didn't because It felt like everything that is in favour of the book could also be counted as something against it.

The characters - The cast of characters are an enjoyable but an unlikely bunch, told entirely through the eyes of Kinch. Galva is a chivalrous knight who worships death, Norrigal is a witch in training, Kinch our narrator is well.......Kinch and Bully boy a blind alley cat (I am not kidding). The characters bounce off each other pretty well and their interactions are which comprises the core of the story, but that is where there lies the issue with it. Since the story is told entirely from the perspective of Kinch, your enjoyment of the book will depend on whether you like the witty, trash talking thief with a dry sense of humour that is Kinch Na Shannack, if yes then you will definitely enjoy the book. If not, then well...let's leave it at that. Personally it was a mixed bag for me, sometimes it worked while at other times not so much. In the end It would depend on whether what you liked outweighs what you didn't which was the case for me.

The world - World building is my favourite aspect of any SciFi or fantasy book and I love it to the point where I end up forgiving a book for its flaws in character and plot just because I loved the world that was created. Thus it was a pleasure reading and just absorbing the intricate world that is Manreach. We are dropped of in a world that is still recovering from a series of wars that nearly destroyed it. It's not some drak lord or some orc-like threat like that brought about this catastrophe but Goblins (or biters as referred by the people)


“In case nobody’s bothered to tell you, and in case you haven’t seen one, goblins are ugly. Not like your odd cousin with too many freckles, no neck, and sausagy fingers; that’s plain homeliness. Someone will marry him if he can push a plow or brew beer. Goblins are fucking unmarriageable. Something deep in us knows they’re our blood enemies and reviles the sight of them, like a shark or a biteworm. They’re not like an ape, which you can look at and say it’s not so different from a man. But goblins? Something else again.”


The goblin wars left the kingdoms broken, drastically reducing the population of men and horses. Along with a whole other plethora of nasty things to consider. The author has clearly crafted a huge world overflowing with tiny details though as I mentioned above this amount of worldbuilding might be a turn off for some. It depends on whether you are a reader who enjoys character interaction or someone who mostly care about the overall plot.

The Pacing - The book is written in what feels like an episodic manner with each few sets of chapters clubbed together to form a mini-story arc. The progression reminded me of progression in a video game. You start from point 'A' and need to get to point 'B'. But on the way to 'B', you get sidetracked with something that leads you to point 'C' returning to the main quest, you are again sidetracked to go to point 'D' inorder for you to complete some event in point 'B' . This continues as you progress further and the next thing you know, you're half way across the world in some prison about to get eaten. This style of progression obviously helped a lot to improve the worldbuilding but might be of everyone's taste. It's even more jarring considering the fact that this is a rather small book and seeing the amount of content in it, I honestly feel like it would've benefited the book more by making it a little bit larger so that everything doesn't cram into eachother (purely person opinion).

As a conclusion, It's hard to give an objective review on the book consider the fact that a lot of the matter depend upon the narrator. You'll love the book of you like Kinch's character and narration, you won't enjoy it if you didn't. If you're like me and have a mixed opinion about the main character, then it'll be the little things that will end up making or braking the book for you. Personally I loved the humour, writing style and worldbuilding but I can also see why some readers may not enjoy it as much.

Thank you Orion Publishing group and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is going to be one of my favorite series as it's well written, gripping and highly entertaining.
I loved Kinch Na Shannack, our hero/antihero who is tasked with a quest. He's an interesting characters and I'm sucker for smart ass that are able to get in trouble.
Galva is another great characters. She's strong and the perfect counterpart to our hero/antihero.
I laughed a lot as the book is written tongue in cheek and there are a lot of very funny situation.
There's also a lot of sadness as the book is set in a world that recently ended a very bloody and destructive war. You laugh but you cannot help feeling for the characters who lost friends and relatives.
As I'm a cat a lover I want let you know that one of my favorite character is a cat that is not a normal cat but he's full of cattitude.
The world building, the character development and the tightly knitted plot are excellent. The author is a talented storyteller and the story kept me turning pages as fast as I could.
I can't wait to read other books in this series, this one is strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Gollanczand Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What this book does well is charm with a side of humor. This is most evident in Kinch as a character. He narrates the events with self-deprecating jokes, and it makes for pretty easy reading. The problem is that it reads very "same old, same old"--the vulgar jokes at women's expense, the focus on sex throughout the story, the constant insults that are, again, mostly directed at women. Kinch reads like a very typical, generic Male Fantasy Thief Hero, and I admit that I've grown tired of seeing his type in books. There are a few wonderful side characters that did make me enjoy the book in general. Norrigal was a standout for me and by far the most interesting of them all.

I wouldn't say that there is no plot, because our band of heroes is journeying towards something, but most of what happens in the book is just that: travel. We don't even really know what the quest is until about halfway through, and I honestly can't remember much of what happens throughout the story. They would travel, stop somewhere to rest, get into trouble, move on, and repeat.

The world building is pretty solid in some parts and too vague in others. The magic system is never properly explained, and I was constantly confused about how spells work in this world. Then there's an entire scene where they play a card game called Towers. The rules are tossed at you in 2 paragraphs but none of it made sense to me.

Kinch as a narrator is prone to repetition. We're told about goblins early on, and they're described as biters, but the next time Kinch mentions biters we have to be reminded that he actually means goblins. There are sentences that I had to read more than once because their structure made them nonsensical.

I didn't have a bad time reading this book, but it's not one I would highly recommend. Solidly middle of the road for me.

What do a thief, a mercenary and a blind cat have in common? It might sound like the start of a bad joke, but it's the meat of a good book.

The Blacktongue Thief, through the medium of first person narrative, is told in a very distinctive voice (that of Kinch Na Shannack). Our thief, who seems talented in the ways of getting on the wrong side of everyone he shouldn't, is forced into a suicidal mission of travelling to a city under siege. Why? He doesn't know. He'll find out when he gets there apparently. Not the kind of mission you'd agree to unless your life, and that of everyone you care about, would be snuffed out were you to refuse. Good job they were the stakes, otherwise the book might have been Kinch sitting around, drinking and playing cards.

The tale itself feels a tad disjointed until partway through. The people he meets lead him on errands of their own and you wonder how it ties in with the overall story and why you should care. But it does tie in and it does so very well. My main downside with the book is that interactions between characters feel somewhat forced/stiff/wooden/a whole other array of adjectives to get across that they just don't always seem to work. Which, given the uniquely realistic voice of the overall narrative, is somewhat of a let down (not always, just occasionally). 

One thing that is done well, however, is interactions between characters who don't speak the same languages. In most fantasy novels everyone just happens to speak the same language or is capable of it to a good enough degree that it barely matters after the first meeting. In this, it feels a bit more realistic as certain conversations are had with the snatches of the lingo the characters know and a great deal of hope that they're not misunderstanding what's being said. It gives the book an added feel of realism rather than the 'everyone just speaks the common tongue. That's why it's called the common tongue' garbage that is often forced onto readers by lazy storytellers.

And lazy, given the world, the magic system, monetary system and religious beliefs that are on display, is certainly something that Christopher Buelhman cannot be accused of. The whole world of The Blacktongue Thief feels rich and deep without ever having the author info-dumped into your lap and call it worldbuilding. 

Overall, I really enjoyed The Blacktongue Thief and I'll be first in line when book two comes out. Kinch is an intriguing man who lives in an intriguing world, and I'd love to get to know him, and everyone else, that little bit more. Would recommend to anyone who wants a gritty, intriguing fantasy novel.

This was such an unexpected delight!
I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Buehlman’s fantasy story about a thief in training is reminiscent of Sword and Sorcery stories. Kinch, our main character, is in debt with the thief guild that trained him. In order to continue his training to rise in rank, he has to pay off his debts. To do so the guild sets him off on a ‘quest’ to a certain northern city that was raided by giants. Needless to say, perils await Kinch on the way.

The strong start to the story loses momentum due to Kinch’s meanderings and explanations, which not only slow down the pacing, but make the whole narration feel like short stories being glued together with witty banter. I kept skipping pages because nothing relevant happened.

First things first: I cannot fault the world-building ability of Christopher Buehlman. The world of "The Blacktongue Thief" is incredible and the plot is great. So why only 3 stars? The language of the characters is HUGELY over-played and really spoiled the flow of the story for me and felt completely forced. Had it been toned down a little, I feel I would have been better able to appreciate the story and the writing. Sorry.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Review

Christopher Buehlman is not a newbie writer, he is known and respected for his horror writing.

Those Across the River (2011)
Between Two Fires (2012)
The Necromancer’s House (2013)
The Lesser Dead (2014)
The Suicide Motor Club (2016)

But The Blacktongue Thief is a new foray into Fantasy, and blimey what a way to make a debut into the genre. Its a book that has seen a lot of chatter online both from other authors and fans, it was that hype that brought it to my attention and thanks to Gollancz I was lucky enough to score an advance copy.

The author has created a fantastic world to base his story, full of magic, danger, adventure and of course death. The plot centers around Kinch Na Shannack a thief (yes with a black tongue) he is a member of the Takers guild (basically the Mob… they have fingers in everything from stealing to magic to assassins and beyond), our unfortunate hero owes money to the Takers and that debt is inked on his face, its whist trying to raise money to pay this debt… (yes lying in wait to rob people) he becomes embroiled in a quest, full of danger and mystery and mischief….

The characters in this book are just excellent, Kinch is funny, irreverent and lives life on the edge of his mouth getting him killed. he has companions with martial prowess way beyond his own, magical skills and devices and a blind cat (again, read the book… im not spoiling it). There is a world strewn with left over war carnage, goblins, krakens, Giants and so much more… Not since i read my first John Gwynne have i been so excited by a new series.

I honestly don’t want to spoil a single moment of the book, suffice to day that Kinch will make you laugh out loud while he steals your heart. This is a huge contender for Fantasy Book of the year.

Very Highly recommended

(Parm)

First thanks to Netgalley, Christopher Buehlman and Tor Books for giving me access to this ARC.

This is probably the hardest book I had to rate this year. Let's start with what I LOVED about it.

As someone who doesn't really like humor in books, I really really liked this one, quite sarcastic and dark sometimes, but it really is line with the general tone of the book.
The narration was excellent. One of the things that kept me pushing forward was Kinch's narration. I love being told a story and having the narrator "interaction" with the reader, kind of breaking the forth wall.
This world IS RICH AS HELL. Honestly one of the most fascinating worlds I have ever read. I would probably read a book just about the story of this place and the Goblin Wars.
The more dark tone of the novel I ADORED. Those scenes with in the goblin boat and "the pull".... just wow.

I was a little bit lukewarm about the characters, but by the end you really like them. Especially Galva and Deadlegs.

If i liked basically everything.... then what happened?

Well, I'm a plot driven reader and honestly the core plot of this book was little bit non-existent until the last pages of the novel.It feels more like an adventure book, where we have different adventures connected by the same characters. There's nothing bad about that, I just couldn't click with it in the book.
The extreme amount of world building made me disconnect from the main story. I love when a book takes its time presenting the world but sometimes its just a little bit too much. You can have your character make remarks about the world but when they are longer than what's happening on the current time line then that plays against the book.

I was dreading and wanting to continue with the book at the same time, which is something that has never happen to me.
Will I continue the series? YES. Do I wish some things were fixed? Absolutely.

I think this is going to be a pretty polarising book when it comes out, but if any of this sounds interesting to you then you should 100% try it!

Actual rating: 3.75 stars.