Kinch is quite chatty, but his interactions with the full cast of characters is very enjoyable. We learn that his natural abilities of luck have helped him in his career as a thief, even if the Takers guild helped to refine his skills. Kinch is sarcastic, mostly honest, intimate, cynical and full on matter of fact nature. Through Kinch’s addictive voice, Buehlman reveals a world both a fascinating world and an endearing character. This mission entails helping Galva, a knight, a veteran of the Goblin Wars, and oh handmaiden to goddess of death across the landscape of monsters and witches and dangers to rescue Mireya, the hostage queen of Ispanthia. He’s got a tattoo that marks him as such and because of this debt, Kinch is voluntold for a mission. He is a thief and still indebted to the Takers guild that trained him. Kinch Na Shannack is the titular character and the novel is told through his voice in first person. 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. Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva’s. She is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants. Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death.

His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path.īut today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.

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. The Blacktongue Thief is the first in a new series and Buehlman’s first foray into Epic/Secondary World fantasy. I was very intrigued when I learned he was shifting gears slightly to epic fantasy since there’s often a dark undercurrent in many Epic Fantasy stories. Christopher Buehlman has made quite a respectable name for himself as a writer of horror novels, the two I’ve read I have thoroughly enjoyed ( Those Across the River and the modern vampire classic, The Lesser Dead).

The black tongue thief book 2