The Blacktongue Thief

By: Christopher Buehlman

Narrated by: Christopher Buehlman

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

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

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)

Highly recommended

The story is excellent. The telling of the story even better. And the performance (by the author himself) is brilliant.

Buehlman is a Real multidimensional Talent

Some other authors should be paying Buehlman to read their writings. I was concerned when I saw this, but he’s better than most Narrators heard on Audible. Brilliant reading, so much feeling and expression. His accents are a riot, they are all well placed.

Nice use of music and the singing too. Add the instruments next time to your mid story singing like your introduction kind author.

As good as the reading was, the story is wonderful fiction that was even more enjoyable. It felt like I was in a Tolkien inn, with a Bard sitting there shaping some excellent character development. A good mix of personalities. Outstanding humor. Nice twist of good and bad fortune, some good twists. So in love with this story.

A huge fan of the Abercrombie stories read by Stephen Pacey. I would easily put this in with those favorites any day!

Absolute brilliance

I listen to audio books at work, all day, every day ( pros of a mindless job ) and this is the first book I have ever continued to listen to outside of work. The narration is beautiful. The accents took me a chapter or two to get used to, but once there I truly felt teleported into this world. The first person POV blew me away. I’ve never really cared for first person before, and am now second guessing all my life decisions. I can go on and on, but there’s no need, just get the book already and enjoy the best audio book you’ve ever listened to!

Excellent story, superb audio book.

Enthralling story and storytelling. Highly recommend. One of the very best audiobooks I’ve listened to.

My Favorite Audiobook

The charm of this book is the narrative flair of the protagonist. The plot of the book is fairly standard, but it is elevated by the charm and humor of the way the adventure is presented. Additionally, this narration does an amazing job building the world. This is elevated even further by Christopher Buehlman's performance of the audiobook. His accents, singing, and delivery of his witty dialogue take the book up to a whole different level. The audiobook just oozes fun charm. Also, I loved that while more books are coming, this book wraps up the adventure in a satisfactory way. Think of the first Matrix movie, where you likely wanted more but were also satisfied that you had been told a complete story.

Allow me to add another 5 stars

So funny, so creative, so engaging. So glad I took a chance on this one! I basically dare anyone to not enjoy spending time in the company of our specifically talented, strangely noble, quick witted protagonist. I haven’t met a character who made me laugh aloud while rooting for them in a long time. Our black tongued thief gives a lyrical depth and heart to events in this book that would not exist with a character less fully developed and allows for a deeper level of investment. In terms of world building, this feels solidly anchored in both culture and era. Also, Galva? YES PLEASE. What an utter mega babe. Plus, it’s entertaining and I never found myself bored. I really don’t know what more you could want from a book.

perfect

a fun ride from beginning to end. I can't wait for the next book.

Awesome!

Awesome in every way: story, characters, narration and singing!
The author has created a vivid world of characters I would love to have as friends, characters I can easily hate, and monsters that would make me “piss myself a little bit”. I immediately listened to it again and I have NEVER done that before.

More, please!

I fell into this book like a stone falls into water. It’s short compared to the fantasy books I typically listen to and it left me wanting more. I loved the characters, the world, the magic, the wars, and all the little twists and turns the story took along the way. I loved Kinch most of all.

While I very much enjoyed the author’s narration, I can see why some people didn’t like it so much. If you don’t like quick Irish accents or actual singing when the lyrics come up, then I’m sorry for ya but you probably won’t be able to stick with it. I had to slow the speed down a couple times just to make sure I was catching all the words. Other than that, I loved Chris Buehlman’s voice and the way he portrayed Kinch and the other characters.

This story happens quick so you need to pay attention. If you tend to zone or only half listen to a story, skip over this one. Things can change within a sentence and if you don’t catch it, you’ll get lost.

It will definitely be on my list of favorites to be enjoyed over and over again. I’m sure I’ll catch a little more of the story each time that I missed the first go around.

And I will never be able to look at horses the same way again.

This author/narrator is a pleasure to experience

Christopher Buehlman is a lyrical writer with a dark sense of humor. He is great at pacing and has a gifted ear for dialogue.

When I bought this audiobook I thought, "Just great. Another author who is narrating his own book." I had no idea Buehlman had such a wonderful, gravelly voice. It's a voice you'd pay to hear reading the phone book. His soft Scottish accent was perfectly suited to the story.

It didn't even occur to me to look up his Wikipedia entry until halfway through the book, once I had resolved to hear him read again. I was gobsmacked to find out Buehlman was born and raised in Florida! Truly amazing work, Mr. Buehlman.