There are many wonderful things about this book, but the first to hit me between the eyes was the beautifully crafted colloquialism that Buehlman delivers from the first page. It is not easy to use local language, phrases, and other world building enrichment tools to such effect without making the reading experience taxing and potentially off-putting. Buehlman Never breaks from character and writes with the confidence of someone who actually lives in his world. As readers we are swept along like wide-eyed tourists who don’t ask questions because before long, we trust we’ll know the answers, and we’ll be looking for the nearest timeshare property so we can stay in this new world as long as possible.
There is a feeling of complete authenticity, not an easy thing to achieve in the fantasy genre where tropes and genre templates lurk around every corner, like the bandits of an open world cookie-cut video game.
The second momentous thing to mention is the wonderful turn of phrase that runs throughout. Certain lines that I have been forced to remember for the rest of my days due to the sheer mundane but poetic beauty they conjure.
“Our cellmate stared over his gathered knees at the far wall, drunk as a pickled fish, bony in that old man way, like he’s easing into his coming skeletonhood.”
And “The kind of rain that makes you feel you’re just a turd the gods are trying to wash off the road.” Are just a taste of Christopher Buehlman’s majesty when it comes to gritty but effective prose…fantastic!
The story itself, oh yes, as well as all this incredible immersion and character crafting in a completely relatable and bleak, nuanced world, there’s a story!
I’ll start by putting my neck on the line and saying this book is Sword and Sorcery, I may get shot by some who spend their times debating the finer points of genre inclusion but to me, a person of a certain age, I feel justified in this statement and also see this as a badge of honor, so there! Not only the world but the magic system forces my hand here, it is beautiful! I loved every trace of the filthy and inventive magic in this book, no matter how incidental or grandiose. Yet another reason The Black Tongue Thief has left such an impression on me, a typically fussy reader.
This story is an explorative journey through a treasure-trove world of sword and sorcery seen through the eyes of a thief and vagabond that you will fall for with every sardonic comment or gutter-poetic observation. Supporting characters blossom and writhe through your favourite list as they strive for the lead role, whilst Buehlman keeps them in check with the authority of a natural master. I always endeavour to keep reviews spoiler-free and that is all I will say of the plot itself. I think you get the idea that I rather liked this book!
Christopher Buehlman is a deceiver! He would have you believe he is just a writer with a penchant for creating living worlds. I happen to believe that nobody could breathe such life into the fictional world he has created in The Black Tongue Thief without ACTUALLY spending time amongst its denizens and enduring the grime he depicts throughout this enjoyable and visceral masterpiece. I have genuinely grieved for this world and adjusted my fantasy benchmark accordingly as I move back to base camp on TBR mountain.
DB Rook
(Check out more books by Mr Buehlman below)
