# The Blacktongue Thief

By Christopher Buehlman · Blacktongue, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/the-blacktongue-thief-e7d3dbc2/

Kinch Na Shannack learned his trade on credit, and the Takers Guild expects its money back. Robbing a traveler seems like a practical next step until he picks Galva, a knight who survived the goblin wars. After the failed ambush, he finds himself traveling with her through a battered world while she searches for a missing queen.

## What makes it funny?

The Guild has made Kinch's debt into public entertainment. His cheek bears a hand tattoo visible in firelight, and whoever spots it in a tavern can slap him for a free drink. The Books, Bones & Buffy review notes that he keeps going to taverns anyway. He also bargains with his god of mischief as though better luck might still be negotiable.

### The comedy at work

Kinch tells the story with a smart mouth and an eye for personal inconvenience. Institutions that can ruin his life also arrange petty humiliations, and his own habits keep him exposed to them. That irreverent viewpoint accompanies the monsters and bloody fights throughout the journey.

### Try this if…

Consider this for a fantasy quest with an opinionated thief doing the talking. Detailed world-building and mismatched traveling companions matter as much as the jokes, and the dangers include creatures willing to eat people.

### Good to know

Expect foul language, bloody violence and grisly magic. The independent review found some of the world-building leisurely and noted that the ending resolves some problems while leaving Kinch's larger journey open.

## What to expect

- Genre: Adventure · Fantasy
- On the shelf: Quest
- Kind of humor: Dark comedy
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Audience: Adult
- Format: Novel
- Published: 2021

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Bibliographic edition and series](https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-blacktongue-thief/id1529890581)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/christopher-buehlman/the-blacktongue-thief/9781473231184)
- Review: [Books, Bones & Buffy review](https://booksbonesbuffy.com/2021/05/13/the-blacktongue-thief-by-christopher-buehlman-review)