The Blacktongue Thief

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.

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

The Blacktongue Thief delivers an engaging narrator, a dazzling array of magic and dangers, and a succession of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. Book one of a trilogy that reads as a satisfying stand-alone

Packed full of magic, mayhem, and mischief, Buehlman's world and characters are artfully rendered

One of the most impressive novels I've read in a long time-clever, imaginative, and extremely well written

The Blacktongue Thief was one of my favorite fantasy novels of the last few years - epic in scope, funny, and nail-bitingly tense. Like Naomi Novik or T. Kingfisher, Buehlman has a real gift for writing complicated, endearing characters trying to do their best in a complicated, fully lived in world. I can't wait for his next book

Christopher Buehlman (@Buehlmeister) is a native Floridian and author of the literary horror novels 'Those Across the River' and 'Between Two Fires.' He is the winner of the 2007 Bridport Prize in poetry, and the author of several provocative plays, including Hot Nights for the War Wives of Ithaka. Many know him as comedian Christophe the Insultor, something of a cult figure on the renaissance festival circuit. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. His first novel, 'Those Across the River,' was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for best novel in 2012.