SPOILERS AHEAD
This book is a strong recommendation for anyone who enjoys
Grimdark fantasy. Much like The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie, Christopher
Buehlman builds a magical world like no other, filled with unforgettable
characters. It was recommended to me as a good book for a guy, and that turned
out to be true. It is hilarious, and the humour is both simple and layered. I
especially loved the wicked humour in the swearing. The curses belong entirely
to the magical world, not ours, which makes them wicked and funny at the same
time. They feel distinctly otherworldly, yet somehow very real.
The magical system is unique. For a seasoned fantasy reader,
this world offers different kinds of magic, and it is wonderfully weird. The
protagonist can sense when luck is on his side and can perform small spells to
make people trip, among other tricks. As a thief, he uses this in hilarious
ways. At first, this may make the magic seem small, almost like a parlour
trick. But then the world shifts. There are assassins who can hide inside
animals and strike with brutal precision. Giant war birds can be concealed
inside tattoos. Magic is both awe inspiring and oddly ordinary. Like the
humour, which is both sophisticated and juvenile, the magic manages to be both
magnificent and mundane. That mix makes it feel alive.
One of the things I loved most was how the author made the
language of the world easy to grasp without long glossaries. The Goblins are eaters
of people, so they are known as Biters. Without any explanation, the word tells
you they are nasty. It also made absolute sense that Kynd is simply another
word for humankind. It is clever, effortless worldbuilding.
The protagonist, Kinch, is loveable not just because he is
an underdog but because of his optimism. He is a doer, not a brooder or a
whiner. His romance with Norrigal was charming, and the twist at the end caught
me off guard.
The institutions in this world are equally interesting. The
Guild is evil but a necessary evil. It feels like a mercenary bank slowly
taking over everything. You want to hate them, but there are worse creatures to
fear. The Goblins are terrifying. They are both pathetic and astonishingly
vile. The plot twists keep that dread alive.
What fascinated me most was imagining how this world came to
life in Buehlman’s mind. He is an accomplished screenwriter with a strong body
of work, but this book feels uniquely different. I also feel it would be
difficult to televise, not just because of the heavy CGI, but because the world
has a texture that is hard to capture on screen.
A great read.
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