The Blacktongue Thief

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Dazzling. I heartily recommend this one.”―Robin Hobb, New York Timesbestselling author of the Farseer Trilogy A delight from start to finish. Buehlman takes the well-worn tropes of fantasy and weaves them into a new and vibrant tapestry.”―Anthony Ryan, New York Timesbestselling author of Blood Song Fast and fun and filled with crazy magic. I can't wait to see what Christopher Buehlman does next." - Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of the Lightbringer series Tell us a little something about your writing process – do you have a certain method? Do you find music helps? Give us a glimpse into your world!

Oh, that’s going to be dull! I should probably lie here and say I only write with sepia and goose quill on parchment, in an unheated, leaning wood cabin while a hired musician plays the violin. If honor decided to attend our adventures, I only hoped I’d recognize her; she’d been pointed out to me a few times, but we’d never really gotten acquainted.” I’ll be candid and say that I had hoped for a more traditional fantasy cover, perhaps picturing the party face-on, in a naturalistic painting. But when I saw Marie Bergeron’s striking design, I had to examine my prejudices and realize that these were informed by what I’d seen and enjoyed in the past. What I thought I wanted has been done before, many times. This was something wholly new, and brilliant, and needed to be seen on its own terms. Along with those creatures, there is also a lot of violence—more than a couple of folks meet horrific ends as Kinch shares his story, and even his tongue-in-cheek retelling can’t wash away the savageness that pervades this world. Simply put, Buelman’s latest novel is a raucous laugh followed by a punch in the gut—it’s brilliantly wild and full of heart. If you’re looking for an entertaining fantasy tale that slyly delves into deeper topics, try this one.It’s these moments where he reveals this kinder side that make him relatable and more than a crass criminal who desperately wants to get out of his debt to the Taker’s Guild. Kinch, though he’d likely hem and haw about it if you asked him, cares about other people (and cats). That’s not to say that Kinch isn’t above killing someone who has done him wrong, but it’s his moments of mercy that may make readers care about him as well, making the novel more than just a fun, swear-laden read (not that there’s anything wrong with fun, swear-laden reads). The Author Resource Round Table on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_folder/116489?group_id=26989

This a dysfunctional world presented through the lens of a cheerfully flawed young man. Kinch, our protagonist and narrator, is a thief indebted to his guild and commanded by them to follow a fearsome knight on her quest to find a lost queen. Along the way, encountering krakens, goblins, and witches in downward towers, he fills us in on the tragic history of the war-torn, horseless human kingdoms; though with such relentless gallows humor I would hesitate to call the book grimdark. Perhaps grindark.Magic is great fun to write about. You have to establish rules for the system so it seems credible, so it isn’t all-powerful. What good would armies be if some arch-mage could just lightning them all to ashes? Galva was smiling. This angered me at first until I remembered that she was really a believer–she believed life was a kind of virginity, to be defended until the wedding day, then joyfully given over.”

I also really enjoyed the musical performances by Andrew Sklar (sp?). Again, I am sure Christopher shared the tone and tenor that he wanted for each song with Andrew and it really helped with the immersion. We always appreciate a beautiful book cover and yours is extremely eye-catching. How involved in the process were you? Was there a particular aesthetic you hoped they’d portray?

Can you tell us a bit more about your other characters? Galva, Norrigal, Deadlegs and even our adorable cat, Bully-Boy, were such an eclectic group! Which ones did you have the most fun writing? And do you have a favourite type of character you enjoy writing? Pagran had taken up his dropped glaive and was trying to ward the corvid circling him. It bit at the glaive’s head twice, easily avoiding Pagran’s jab and not seeming to notice my missed arrow—these things don’t move predictably, and at twenty paces, an arrow doesn’t hit the instant it flies. Now the war bird grabbed the glaive-head and wrenched sideways so Pagran had to turn with it or lose the weapon. Pagran turned at just the instant the Spanth leapt fast and graceful as a panther and cut him deep just above the heel. Our leader dropped and curled up into a moaning ball. The fight on the road was over. I can’t think of many people I’d rather have on my side in a pinch than you. And that big, mean magnificent war corvid. Where is he, by the way?’ Instantly immersive, with wit as sharp as a thief's blade and the most frightening take on goblins I've ever read.”—David Dalglish, author of the Shadowdance series Can you tell us a little something about your current work(s) in progress? Without any spoilers, what can readers expect in your sequel?

A delight from start to finish. 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 SongOne part of the story I didn't care for at all was the way that the gambling with the gang leader playing towers unfolded. I found towers itself interesting and the aspects of the gang and its leader controlling the situation, yet the leader being a man of his word. And then that section ends with "and if you believe that then I envy the life you've lived" or something along those lines. I just don't understand the point of stringing the reader/listener along like that and then planting a seed of doubt or completely leading us to believe that Kinch was lying to us all along. One of the most fascinating aspects of Kinch’s world is the impact the Goblin Wars have had on the human population. The goblins came and fought in three waves; the first two were fought by men, but soon there weren’t enough men left to fight. “Women had to go under arms,” Buehlman describes. “More, they had to win. And they did. For now. The Daughters’ War wasn’t about fame or glory, or even power and wealth—it was a raw, muddy, no-holds-barred struggle for survival between two competing species, one of whom regards the other as a food source.” The win came, but at a great cost. Humans have taken a huge hit, and the majority of humans are now women, putting women in positions of power throughout all of the human territories. We also go further afield in Tyranny, exploring both the Imperial capital, Sova, and the southern frontiers where battered castles cast their shadows on flowered plains while this world’s Templars attempt to colonize the locals. As the Spanth switched directions, I caught a glimpse of her naked sword, which was definitely a spadín. Sharp enough to stab, heavy enough to chop. A good sword, maybe the best short sword ever made. And she could use it. She moved like a blur now, stepping past Frella and booting her broadsword out of reach.