CBR16 Bingo: Horses – The horses are all but extinct in this world, and they are so dearly missed that the possession of one means possession of power.
Kinch, a thief drowning in debt, is promised that he’ll be square with the Takers Guild if he accompanies the knight Galva on her mysterious mission to a giant-infested kingdom.
I’m a rather utilitarian reader, happy with solid plotting and characterization, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate when a particularly enjoyable turn of phrase crosses my path. And when I read a book in which the author’s clearly enjoyed themselves with the writing, I find myself enjoying it even more.
Because this is a funny book! Kinch is a cocky, irreverent narrator with an utterly delightful outlook on life. For a person who professes to be looking out mostly only for himself, he gets entangled in quite a few people’s lives and problems. The world-building is sprawling yet easy to follow, calling upon familiar fantasy tropes but incorporating them slant-wise so they seem strange and fresh all over again. And the magic was properly fascinating and eerie.
On the other hand, the pacing is a bit all over the place, with the true aim of Galva’s quest not being uncovered until about halfway through. Kinch is a fun narrator, but he’s rather a side character in the quest itself, so plot felt like it was getting thin on the ground at times.
My biggest gripe though is the point where the book ends. We seem to be at the end of only the first act of this quest, and yet I don’t think there’s supposed to be a sequel. Christopher Buehlman, why did you get us so invested just to abandon us here? Where can I lodge my complaint?
