Blacktongue Books in Order: Where to Start With Christopher Buehlman

By Ahaqir Ishaq

Start with The Blacktongue Thief, then read The Daughters’ War, followed by The Thrice-Bound Fool. That is publication order and my recommended route for new readers. If you prefer to follow the story’s timeline, begin with The Daughters’ War, which is a prequel.

The distinction matters because the second Blacktongue novel published does not continue Kinch Na Shannack’s adventure. It looks back at Galva’s earlier life. The Thrice-Bound Fool is the direct sequel to The Blacktongue Thief and is scheduled for U.S. publication on October 13, 2026.

For readers choosing their first Christopher Buehlman book, Blacktongue offers a clear starting point without requiring any of his horror novels. Here is how the books fit together and how to choose the order that suits you.

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Blacktongue Books in Publication Order

These dates refer to the original U.S. releases, rather than later paperback editions. Macmillan’s Blacktongue series pagegroups all three titles together.

There is an important numbering wrinkle: Tor identifies The Thrice-Bound Fool as Blacktongue, Volume 2. It is the third novel published in this world, but the second volume of Kinch’s continuing story. Calling The Daughters’ War “the sequel” can send readers toward the wrong book.

1. The Blacktongue Thief

The Blacktongue Thief is the best starting point if you want to meet Kinch and discover the world through his predicament.

Kinch owes the Takers Guild for his training as a thief. Attempting to improve his finances through robbery, he chooses Galva as his target and makes a serious miscalculation. She is a veteran knight with her own mission, and their encounter draws him into a dangerous journey.

The publisher’s description of The Blacktongue Thief introduces a setting shaped by goblin wars, strange magic and creatures that make travel hazardous.

My recommendation to begin here comes down to perspective. A reading order determines more than which event happens first: it determines whose questions introduce you to the setting. Starting with Kinch lets Galva enter the story as someone he must learn to understand. Reading her history afterward changes the context you bring to that partnership.

Choose this first if your ideal fantasy opening involves an unlikely alliance, a thief in trouble and a journey beyond familiar surroundings.

Find The Blacktongue Thief on Amazon.

2. The Daughters’ War

The Daughters’ War moves backward in time and places Galva at the center of the story.

Humanity has suffered devastating losses against the goblins. Galva joins the Raven Knights, an experimental military unit accompanied by enormous war birds created through dark magic. Their campaign offers a possible answer to the goblin threat, but it also exposes them to danger from the weapons they depend on.

The official description of The Daughters’ War explicitly places it before The Blacktongue Thief.

This is where publication order offers a particular reward. You encounter Galva as a veteran first, then return to the experiences behind that identity. The question shifts from “Who is this knight?” to “What did becoming this knight cost her?”

If the military premise interests you more than Kinch’s travels, starting here is a reasonable alternative. You will enter through Galva’s story and meet Kinch afterward. That changes the sequence of discovery without reversing the events of the fictional timeline.

Find The Daughters’ War on Amazon.

3. The Thrice-Bound Fool

The Thrice-Bound Fool returns to Kinch and Galva after The Blacktongue Thief.

This time, Kinch possesses a stolen book with a mind of its own. The book threatens his life, yet understanding its secrets could be crucial to Manreach’s future. Galva protects him while pursuing a goal connected to the queen she serves, and the Takers Guild remains a threat.

Tor’s listing for The Thrice-Bound Fool confirms the Volume 2 designation and scheduled October 13, 2026, U.S. release.

Read The Blacktongue Thief before this one. The sequel resumes an established partnership and conflict, making it a less useful entry point than either the original novel or the prequel.

For more about the new book’s release and premise, see our The Thrice-Bound Fool release guide.

Check The Thrice-Bound Fool on Amazon.

Blacktongue Books in Chronological Order

If you want the earlier events first, use this sequence:

1. The Daughters’ War
2. The Blacktongue Thief
3. The Thrice-Bound Fool

Chronological order is especially appealing if Galva is your main reason for reading. It gives you her wartime background before her meeting with Kinch.

Publication order is my preference for a first read because it preserves the original introduction to their partnership. Chronological order would also make an interesting reread: you could follow Galva’s past directly into the later adventure with that history fresh in mind.

Do You Need to Read The Daughters’ War Before the Sequel?

I recommend reading it, but The Blacktongue Thief is the essential starting point for Kinch’s continuing story.

The distinction between a prequel and a direct sequel gives readers two useful routes. For the fullest introduction to the world, read all three in publication order. If your immediate priority is continuing Kinch’s adventure, the direct sequence is The Blacktongue Thief followed by The Thrice-Bound Fool.

That is a reading recommendation, rather than a claim that the prequel has no relevance. Galva’s earlier story adds context, and readers interested in her character have a strong reason to include it.

You can also save The Daughters’ War for later if you prefer to keep moving forward before exploring the past.

Is Between Two Fires Part of Blacktongue?

No. Between Two Fires is a separate novel and is not required for this reading order.

Buehlman’s official books page describes Between Two Fires as a medieval story set in 1348, involving a ruined knight, a young girl and supernatural conflict. It is an option for readers interested in another side of his work, but it does not belong in the Blacktongue sequence.

The easiest way to choose your first Buehlman novel is to choose the premise you want. Start with The Blacktongue Thief for Kinch and Galva’s fantasy adventure. Choose The Daughters’ War if Galva’s military story is the stronger draw. You can explore his other novels independently.

Which Blacktongue Reading Order Should You Choose?

For most newcomers, The Blacktongue Thief is the book to pick up first. Continue with The Daughters’ War for Galva’s history, then move to The Thrice-Bound Fool for the next stage of Kinch’s adventure.

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