The Blacktongue Thief

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The desire to depict so many women in control of the world and the narrative came from one of Buehlman’s world-building ideas: “I wanted to present a world that would show the reader how artificial the idea of patriarchy is,” he says, “and how it could be turned on its head with a big enough catalyst.” 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? There are also some great discussions had throughout the novel; namely on the wastefulness of war, and the greed of men. Buehlman expertly builds upon these main themes, adding in little details piece by piece over the course of the novel and linking it up with his plot. We see the disturbing and widespread impact of war, alongside the depiction of the Guild and their overreaching hand. These main themes, paired with the author’s direct writing style, prompt the reader to draw their own conclusions about the worth of war, and who really profits from it. Dark, gritty, lightning-fast, intelligent, irreverent . . . I loved it.”—Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives

Filled with magic, humour, and a slow boiling political plot, this entertaining tale explores the themes of war and the greed of men, while outlining Buehlman’s strength as a storyteller. Most importantly, this was a delight to read, armed with killer punchlines that will make you laugh aloud and bittersweet moments that will draw a jagged breath.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. What I’d left behind was my fiddle, a fine helmet I’d hoped to sell, and a jug of Galtish whiskey. I didn’t really care about the helmet, and there was barely enough burnwater left to wet my lips, but that fiddle meant something to me. I’d like to tell you it had belonged to my da or something, but my da was a sad bastard miner and couldn’t play the arse-horn after a quart of beans and cabbage. I stole that fiddle. Walked off with it while a mate argued with a music student about whether his singing at a tavern had been in key. For the record, it wasn’t, but it was a damned fine fiddle. So much so that, after our con, I paid my mate his half of its worth rather than sell it. And now it was likely off to be sold for next to nothing and the two shytes who will have taken it so far ahead of me I had little chance to catch them. In the first draft of this novel, I did stall out a bit about two thirds of the way in. I had to step away from it and ask some hard questions about who the real antagonists were. That’s when the Takers Guild came into sharper relief not just in Kinch’s life, but in world affairs on a massive scale. Now that the maybe-Spanth was closer, I could see the rosy blush on the wood rim peeking over the stranger’s shoulder marking the shield as one of springwood. A tree we cut so fast during the Goblin Wars it was damned-near extinct—the last groves grew in Ispanthia, under the king’s watchful eye, where trespassing would get you a noose, and trespassing with a saw would get you boiled. Thing about springwood is, if it’s properly cured and cared for, it’s known to stay living after it’s been cut and heal itself. And as long as it’s alive, it’s hard to burn. Can you tell us a bit about how you use magic in your book? The magical tattoos and Deadlegs’ staff were both brilliant!

Heinrich the Sovan war shepherd is a nice touch for those of us who enjoy the company of canines, as well.

But not all is adventure, mystery, comedy and grim tidings. There’s also a healthy dose of poetry and songs scattered throughout the story, and they enrich the ever-expanding environment with music, lore, humor, and other intangibles. Since the bulk of the story is a road trip, each stop along the way feels fresh with promise. The continent itself appears to be loosely based on Western Europe, with comparable languages and cultural swagger.

Cadoth was as big as a town gets before someone decides it’s a city. A proper trade town at a proper crossroads, it had an Allgod church crowned with a bronze sun, a huge tower to Haros topped with wooden stag horns, plus temples to a dozen other divinities scattered here and there. Notably absent were Mithrenor, god of the sea—nobody much bothers inland—and the Forbidden God, for obvious reasons. Christopher Buehlman (@Buehlmeister) is a native Floridian and author of the literary horror novels ‘Those Across the River’ and ‘Between Two Fires.’ He is the winner of the 2007 Bridport Prize in poetry, and the author of several provocative plays, including Hot Nights for the War Wives of Ithaka. Many know him as comedian Christophe the Insultor, something of a cult figure on the renaissance festival circuit. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. His first novel, ‘Those Across the River,’ was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for best novel in 2012.

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 Song What you call happiness is just the breeze you feel falling off a cliff. I’m here to catch you.This is the Guild’s business now. You’ve endangered that girl with your love-oaths, and I’d hoped you’d know better.”