A standalone prequel to The Blacktongue Thief is not what I was expecting, yet here we are. Thief tells the story of a rogue in a wasteland world, making his way through the ruins on a semi-post-apocalyptic adventure. The Daughters’ War, by Christopher Buehlman, is about the war that created this wasteland. It is very odd for an author to do a surprise prequel only a single book into the series, especially when many are very excited to read the sequel to The Blacktongue Thief. Yet, The Daughters’ War stands on its own as a pillar of excellence and tells the story of a fucked up family that I can’t get enough of.
In Thief, our main character spends a lot of time talking about how terrible the Goblin wars were. In The Daughters’ War, we get to see first hand. The goblin menace has killed all of the horses and most of the men. They have enslaved cities, and they continue to move forward to the last bastions of man. The only hope left is throwing everything we have at them, including all our daughters and some experimental troops.
Galva has joined the army’s untested new unit, the Raven Knights. She follows in the footsteps of her three esteemed brothers, who all have joined the corps in different divisions and at different ranks. They march toward a once-beautiful city overrun by the goblin horde, accompanied by scores of giant war corvids. Made with the darkest magics, these fearsome black birds may hold the key to stopping the goblins in their war to make cattle of mankind. The road to victory is bloody, and goblins are clever and merciless. Through the eyes of these four siblings, we will see just how bad war can get.
The Daughters’ War is just a huge list of positives under a trenchcoat. Galva is a pleasure and a delightful leading character; she is mature, level-headed, humble, focused, and capable. The supporting cast all sticks in your mind, giving you a very coherent sense of the army and pulling at your heartstrings as they die one after another. The birds are strange and mysterious in their nature, while also adding a Chekov’s gun you want to keep your eyes on at all times. While this was also true in Thief, The goblins remain fucking horrifying, primarily thanks to Buehlman’s extremely eloquent and immersive prose. The world feels well-realized and cleverly built, investing you in the future of the characters and the land itself.
The tone of the prequel is very different, but that’s more of a differentiator than a problem. The Blacktongue Thief was funny and comical (though it did have many dark gritty moments), while The Daughters’ War is a much more somber war story. Or at least it’s part war story and part family drama, as Galva and her brothers have a very interesting relationship. The secondary focus of the story is the personal conflict among the family members. Buehlman does an excellent job juxtaposing the petty and not-so-petty grievances of these siblings against the larger looming war. It makes the feud seem extra pointless and vapid (in an intentional way) and gives further weight to the seriousness of the war. Buehlman has a real talent for clever side-by-side comparisons that enhance both things being compared. There are so many hooks in this story that you can’t help but feel yourself get reeled in like a landed fish. My one complaint in all of this is that I wish the book felt like it was connected more to The Blacktongue Thief, but there is no reason it has to be. I simply am just pining for more of a continuation of the grander story, but The Daughters’ War tells its own tale and tells it well.
War is hell and Beulhman has brought that hell to page in his powerful Blacktongue prequel. The Daughters’ War is great, easily one of the best books of the year, and Buehlman continues to impress with hit after hit story. No matter what he decides to do next, I am excited for Buehlman’s next story.
Rating: The Daughters’ War 9.0/10
-Andrew
An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.
