The Blacktongue Thief

By: Christopher Buehlman

Narrated by: Christopher Buehlman

"This irreverent fantasy is narrated superbly by author Christopher Buehlman. Along with his firsthand knowledge of the text and how he means it to be conveyed, Buehlman uses nuance, inflection, and a casual way of saying outrageous things to continually tickle the funny bone." (AudioFile Magazine)

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

“The Blacktongue Thief is fast and fun and filled with crazy magic. I can't wait to see what Christopher Buehlman does next." (Brent Weeks, New York Times best-selling author of the Lightbringer series)

©2021 Christopher Buehlman (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Beuhlman'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.” (A. K. Larkwood, author of The Unspoken Name)

“Wow! Truly outstanding. I can't say enough about how good The Blacktongue Thief is. Damned good stuff.” (Glen Cook, author of The Black Company)

“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!” (Jonathan French, author of The Grey Bastards)

“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.” (Django Wexler, author of The Thousand Names)

Only a few hours in and loving it..

This is exactly my niche in the fantasy genre.. akin to Abercrombie with the gritty witty and edge I love. What makes it even more amazing (because we all know a narrator can make a mediocre book good and a good book mediocre), Mr.Buehlmam nails it with a great narrator performance as well of his own writing. I am very impressed and look forward to more! Just please keep writing and don’t pull a GRRM on us please. Five stars hands down.

Amazing tale of a theif and his cat.

I loved this book and the performance by the author was perfect. He did an amazing job of capturing emotions, suspense, and characters of the book. I also enjoy his ability to draw you into mundane aspect of the world, so you can better understand the world he has created with their odd and wonderful customs.

Wonderful

I listened to it once, and when it ended, I listened to it again. I loved this book. I wish I could write like Buehlman. The book has a great plot and interesting, fully realized characters, but it's a pleasure just to listen to the way he writes. I cannot wait for the next book.

Blunt and Great

Great book and performance. The book has the feel of an epic but condensed, if that makes any sense. Anything you may consider drudgery is just omitted so it feels like it jumps around sometimes. It's also extremely blunt in telling and story, but that gives it some uniqueness you don't see with your typical fantasy novel.

The main character is the stereotype of witty rogue but with main characters as they are now, it feels fresh. He's interesting and different and flawed in the way people are.

This book feels simple in the way only a good writer can make things feel simple and real.

On my 2nd listen-

The characters are slightly bigger than life, real, but, wow the personalities! Couldn’t stop it until done the first time,…listened until sleep took me then started in again with my morning coffee. I’m very happy that Mr. Buehlman chose to narrate as his performance is perfect. Came lately to his work, a mistake I won’t make again!

A Masterpiece

Truly one of the most beautifully crafted and presented fantasy stories I've ever read. the story really feels like it's being told by someone who exists in that world.

14 hrs of Irish-ish Fantasy fun

I love the Galtish dialect of the narrator, full of great turns of phrase. Like listening to a story being told in a rural Irish pub. A+ world building. More please.

brilliant

excellent book freaking hilarious dialogue narrator is the author so gives the characters more depth

Enjoyable Story

I really enjoyed this story, it was both original and had classic high fantasy elements. The Narrator/author did a really good job of bringing the characters to life. I'm now going to go see if he has any other stories set in this world.

A magical epic

Original story, lots of surprises and very well read and played. Looking forward to its continuation.