Let's Go On An Adventure! A review of The Blacktongue Thief

A rollicking fantasy adventure that does not try to be anything more than what it is!

This book is not one I would have picked up on my own. As such, I read this book purely on recommendation. My husband read it late last year and gave it 5 stars. While my teacup rating is not quite as generous, I can say that what started as a book I was "trying" turned out to be one I really did enjoy!

First of all, it is really, really fun. The story follows your classic fantasy adventure outline, which happens to be an outline I really like: the reluctant hero is thrown into circumstances outside his control, but to which he agrees because of what he will get out of it. The adventurers bond along the way, fall in love even, and slowly share more of their secrets. The many obstacles our intrepid adventurers overcome along their journey do not necessarily have any specific bearing on the overarching plot, aside from bringing everyone together with a shared goal.

This point was actually what drew my husband to pick up this book to begin with. He had just finished playing through Baldur's Gate 3, and was looking for something along those lines. A misfit band of adventurers, with different skills and backstories, come together to take down the enemy.

Secondly, Buehlman's world-building is fantastic. Along with maps, and chapter entries with snippets of folklore, The Blacktongue Thief sets up a gritty, post-war world of tenuous peace and an ever-shifting balance of power. The world-building alone has me looking forward to Buehlman's recently released prequel, The Daughter's War.

Each country feels vaguely reminiscent of different European countries, but not at the expense of originality. The world-building stood out to me, though, less for how very Scottish the black-tongued Galts felt, but more for the depiction of the political climates of the mutually war-torn countries. After multiple wars with the goblins, peace has been attained, but the losses that occurred from the wars, in realistic fashion, has its smallest effect on the elite and powerful. This ultimately has our adventurer wondering: what is stopping those in power from orchestrating war for their own benefit?

Additionally, what a fascinating touch to imagine a world so ravaged by war that the majority of its population that remains are women. I have never read a book that depicts the aftermath of fantasy war in such a way!

Lastly, and by far my most persuasive point of all: there is a blind cat named Bully Boy. And for this point I will allow myself one spoiler: the cat does NOT die.

So, in conclusion, if you are looking for some light fantasy, I would highly recommend The Blacktongue Thief. My only complaint overall was that the climax and ending felt a bit rushed. Perhaps some of the intermediate adventures in the middle of the book could have been condensed a bit to allow the ending to have more of its desired impact.

But all that being said, The Blacktongue Thief does not try to be anything more than what it is: it is a rollicking adventure, full of colorful characters navigating a path towards a semi-shared goal, fraught with various obstacles, under the shadow of a larger threat. It may not make you cry, you might find the main character a bit annoying at times, but you will be highly entertained. You might even find yourself closing the book and wondering hopefully when Buehlman will write the next installment.

Adult content: quite a bit of language; obvious allusions to sexuality, but nothing graphic; violence.