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The Blacktongue Thief cover art

The Blacktongue Thief

Written by: Christopher Buehlman
Narrated by: Christopher Buehlman
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Publisher's Summary

"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

What the critics say

“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)

What listeners say about The Blacktongue Thief

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Sublime

Beautifully crafted prose, Beautiful narration, excellent story.

Best listen in a very long time.

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Fantastic listen

I loved the story and throughly enjoyed the performances. The only downside is that the next book isn't out yet. the accents takes a little getting used to, but as soon as you get it, it absolutely works. If it were simply read without them, I think it would take away from story. I can't wait for the sequel.

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Great Standalone fantasy

Great story where and indebitted thief is forced to go on a quest. The narration is fantastic and done with an Irish accent.

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★★★★★!

Seriously, 1 of the best books I've ever read/listened to! Please don't even 2nd guess and pick up this book NOW. My only complaint is that it isn't longer and that there just isn't more of it! It hurts me that the sequel will be a long while off since there's going to be a prequel before that.. but anyways on with the review:

It doesn't have the epic world building of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere (at least not yet), but the characters are where it shines! Often times I get a bit bored in some slower parts of high fantasy where there isn't much action, I know it's necessary and makes a book a masterpiece in the end to have all those minute details and small character interactions, but knowing that doesn't help make it less of a slog while I'm going through it.. this book however I never felt that at all. I'd say I'm a pretty impatient reader/listener, listening to books on audible at minimum 1.3x for faster narrators and at times up to 2x for slow narrators in a slow part of a story.. but the amazing characters and PoV from protagonist along with the excellent dirty and dark humour made it seem like there was never a dry and dull moment! It probably helps that the book isn't that long as well, but even then I ate it up in about 2 days even though I wasn't listening fast for my usual pace, only 1.3x. I couldn't get enough of it, when I was home and had hands free I was reading , and when I was busy doing stuff at home or at work I listened to audible. The actual writer in this case was also the narrator here and he did an amazing job! I can't believe how good of an accent he does for an American, I thought that he'd be Irish. I loved how he voices the characters and I really did enjoy his accent for the main character, it seemed so fitting with the slang used and I never would've guessed that the narrator himself wasn't Irish! Just an excellent job all-around! I can't believe what an amazing book this turned out to be and how amazing the performance was as well! I know I totally loved the heck out of this book because now I'm so bummed out after finishing, just knowing that it'll be many years before I find out what happens next 🥲

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loved it

one of the best books I've heard in my short collection, the sprinkling of songs throughout...loved it

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A magicaly literary fantasy!

What a great find. On it's own this poetically prosed thief's tale through a wicked fantasy landscape is thoroughly fresh and fun, but getting it masterfully narrated by the author himself, with all the accent and charm as integral as he indeed makes for some of the best storytelling I've ever heard.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Dark, gritty, sarcastic, and rewarding read.

Any fan of dark fantasy should enjoy this phenomenally narrated story by the author.

'Nuffsaid.

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A Needed Addition to Any List

Kinch's humor, biased perspective, and crafty hands kept me coming back eager for more. Kinchs character paired with the authors skilled reading makes for a perfect and entertaining representation of this characters story.

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  • Ohi
  • 2021-07-21

Super fun!

Christopher Buehlman is not only a brilliant writer but an excellent narrator! This is an absolute must listen for any fan of fantasy!

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Refreshing take on fantasy

There's a lot of archetypical fantasy tropes but the crass pseudo Irish first person narrative gives it a lot of refreshing charm. I enjoyed the soft magic system and the world building treads a fine line of vague enough to fascinate you yet expanded enough to be coherent without bludgeoning you with hours of exposition. Overall solid story and characters. Never dragged and the pacing kept me engaged throughout. Looking forward to the sequel.

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