The Blacktongue Thief

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 * Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of Blood Song *
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 * Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Prism *
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 *
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! * 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 *
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 * A. K. Larkwood, author of The Unspoken Name *
Instantly immersive, with wit as sharp as a thief's blade * David Dalglish, author of the Shadowdance series *

Dark, gritty, lightning-fast, intelligent, irreverent . . . I loved it

* Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives *
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 * Brian Naslund, author of Blood of an Exile *
Lyrical and visceral... Prepare to be transported * Andrew Pyper, author of The Demonologist *
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. * Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld *
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. * Elspeth Cooper, author of SONGS OF THE EARTH *