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The Blacktongue Thief

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The Blacktongue Thief

By: Christopher Buehlman
Narrated by: Christopher Buehlman
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About this listen

 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. Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Funny Scary Thought-Provoking Witty War Thief

Critic reviews

The Blacktongue Thief is a delight from start to finish. What begins as a sidekick's view of the hero's journey soon blossoms into a finely crafted and highly entertaining ride through a world as monstrous as it is wondrous. Christopher Buehlman takes the well-worn tropes of fantasy and weaves them into a new and vibrant tapestry
The Blacktongue Thief announces a remarkable new voice to the genre. It's fast and fun and filled with crazy magic balanced by tight characterization. I can't wait to see what Christopher Buehlman does next
Wow! Truly outstanding. I can't say enough about how good The Blacktongue Thief is. Damned good stuff
The Blacktongue Thief is equal parts fairy tale, D&D adventure, and acid trip. Buehlman has successfully blended the essences of these elements into something at once familiar and fresh. I look forward to returning to this evocative and f*cked up world!
The Blacktongue Thief is a masterclass in voice and thoughtful world design, with a wonderful cast and a protagonist who grabs you instantly. Fans of Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora will love this one
Buehlman's prose floats nimbly from grisly to lyrical and back again, evoking a damaged world that's by turns bleak and starkly beautiful. A fantastical road trip with a hard-boiled sensibility, complete with shape-shifting assassins, murderous kraken and some delightfully gruesome magic
Instantly immersive, with wit as sharp as a thief's blade
Dark, gritty, lightning-fast, intelligent, irreverent . . . I loved it
I fell in love with Kinch on page one. He's a hilarious narrator and I was also touched by his sensitivity. Christopher's world building is unique, precise, and masterfully woven into a page-turning story. I couldn't put it down! A joyfully mischievous adventure, but also tragic and so heartfelt. Fans of Nicholas Eames and Joe Abercrombie will love The BlacktongueThief
Lyrical and visceral... Prepare to be transported
THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF is my kind of book. Chock-full of wry wit, foul language, and characters who arrive on the page with savage, sordid pasts hot on their heels. Often humorous, occasionally horrifying, and sometimes incredibly poignant, I loved every single page of this book. Every sentence, even. It's that good.
This is an extraordinary debut. It has all the trappings of a traditional quest - the motley band of adventurers, the history and songs, magic and monsters - but told in the snarky, self-aware voice of first-person urban fantasy. It's salty and funny and vivid as a bruise, a rollicking adventure with a cast (and a cat) you won't forget.
Fast-paced and action-packed, funny and adventurous - great fantasy fun.
Refreshingly original but reassuringly familiar, The Blacktongue Thief's cutthroat voice and deliciously dark world is sure to delight, shock and thrill
All stars
Most relevant
Story was great but as a non native English speaker understanding reader's accent felt like work.

Hard to listen

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I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I listen to a lot of fantasy and this is one of my favourites this year. I thought the author read it superbly. It allowed him to deliver the book as he intended. Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed.

Excellent

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I loved every minute of this adventure. The writing is so full of character that it jumped off the page when reading. But the biggest treat was the author’s narration, which brought the story to life and had me hooked and fully entertained all the way through.

Listen to this book immediately!

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The first mistake a listener could make is to assume the narrator is speaking with an unconvincing Irish accent. Instead, accept that this is the Galtish accent of the protagonist.

Now, onward.

This story is great; Buehlman's writing is always excellent but this is such a convincing first-person narrative I was completely lost in the world he created for me. Odd bits of worldbuilding provided a rich flavour that I found absolutely delicious and I so I ate it all up and now I'm waiting for more.

The context of the story is vast but I was never bogged down with ham-fisted, info-dumping dialogue. Buehlman, instead, chose to - on a few occasions - forgo the narrative in favour of scene-setting and I am extremely grateful for this move.

The pace is quick as it is in Buehlman's other work but that only serves to make this work which, in other hands (cough Brandon Sanderson cough) would push 1000 pages, accessible to casual readers/listeners like me.

There is darkness here, sure, but there is humour, too, which lifts this above the typical grimdark setting. Buehlman has broken the dark fantasy mould with this one and I hope to see much more from Kinch, Galva, and Bully.

With Between Two Fires and Blacktongue Thief, Buehlman has cemented himself as my favourite author.

What a tale

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Really enjoyed the book, the characters were great and good to see a step outside the normal tropes in a fantasy story. The narration was great, I've seen some reviews questioning the author's narration but to me it was as good as any actor could've been.

Great, refreshing take on the genre

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