The Daughters' War

By: Christopher Buehlman

Narrated by: Nikki Garcia

Enter the fray in this luminous new adventure from Christopher Buehlman, set during the war-torn, goblin-infested years just before The Blacktongue Thief.

The goblins have killed all of our horses and most of our men.

They have enslaved our cities, burned our fields, and still they wage war.

Now, our daughters take up arms.

Galva — Galvicha to her three brothers, two of whom the goblins will kill — has defied her family’s wishes and joined the army’s untested new unit, the Raven Knights. 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. The Raven Knights can take nothing for granted — not the bonds of family, nor the wisdom of their leaders, nor their own safety against the dangerous war birds at their side. But some hopes are worth any risk.

Also by Christopher Buehlman
The Blacktongue Thief

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

Critic reviews

<p>“Buehlman has a real gift for writing complicated, endearing characters trying to do their best in a complicated, fully lived-in world. I can’t wait for his next book.”—Kelly Link, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist <i>Get in Trouble</i><br><br>“Christopher Buehlman’s worldbuilding is second-to-none, so grimly evocative it feels like the worst parts of history in the best possible way. Galva’s story is full of heartbreak and despair, but its darkness is balanced by exquisitely-crafted moments that explore the bonds of friendship, sisterhood, and love that endure despite the soul-shattering horrors of war.”—Nicholas Eames, author of <i>Kings of the Wyld</i><br><br>“Thrilling. . . Series fans looking for insight into Buehlman’s badass heroine’s psyche will want to check this out.”—Publishers Weekly<br><br>“Beuhlman bursts through the confines of modern fantasy with a story by turns profane, brutal, beautiful, devastating. A work of towering imagination, twists of a razor-honed wit, Galva’s indelible voice, characters that move with undeniable authenticity to their fates—<i>The Daughters' War</i> shows what fantasy can be in the hands of a master. Prepare yourself.”—John Hornor Jacobs, author of <i>A Lush and Seething Hell</i><br><br>“A masterful tale of war and loss. <i>The Daughters' Wa</i>r is achingly beautiful, and once it has you in its grip, it will not let go until you turn that final page.”—Shauna Lawless, author of <i>The Children of Gods and Fighting Men</i><br><br>"Fans of the previous book will relish this prequel, while those who have never read <i>The Blacktongue Thief</i> will find much to enjoy in this unflinching look at family, loss, love, and war. Highly recommended for all fantasy collections.”—Booklist, STARRED review<br><br>"<i>The Daughters' War</i> is so exactly what I want in a fantasy novel it almost feels as if Chris wrote it for me."—Christian Cameron, author of <i>Killer of Men</i><br><br>"Readers who were caught up in the political shenanigans, hopeless battles, and pyrrhic victories of Brian McClellan’s <i>In the Shadow of Lightning</i> or Daniel Abraham’s <i>Age of Ash</i> will be enthralled, while those who like their grimdark fantasy to trip over into horror will find similarities between the characters of Galva and Alex Easton from T. Kingfisher’s <i>What Feasts at Night</i>.”—Library Journal, STARRED review</p>

Sad/beautiful/ not the book I expected to follow The Blacktongue Thief

So in the end, The book was such a beautiful story. It was sad, but pertinent to the current storyline. At first, I didn’t like the narrator, but her use of the languages really became charming and important as the protagonist. After The Blacktongue Thief, i expected some humor and lightheartedness. this book really didn’t have that. It is a harrowing tale of the war. Of which, definitely has its place. in the end I loved it and it made me cry. It was beautiful. One small lame complaint. I wish the singing in the book had been done in a more old style rather than a newer, contemporary singing style. But really a minor thing.

A Worthy Prequel

I fell unexpectedly in love with the world, heroes and monsters we met in The Blacktongue Thief and couldn’t get wait to see more of them. In fact, it became the first audiobook I listened to more than once in its entirety (3 times), so I had built up a lot of internal hype for this prequel and it delivered.

I was concerned that seeing more of the goblins might make them lose some of their horror, but seeing them on campaign against humanity (sorry, kynd) made them an even more satisfying evil. Ultimately, Galva’s story is as epic as it needed to be, and was exactly what I wanted. I’m ready for the next one!

*NOTE: there’s a small issue with the audiobook. The narrator kills it, but a few short lines of dialogue fell off (I’m guessing in editing/mixing). I noticed it in chapters 40 and 41, and then once or twice elsewhere later on. It’s literally like 5 words in total, so you won’t lose the story at all, it’s just a touch jarring in a performance that is so worthy of the story! Hopefully the publisher can shore it up.

as a whole this is brilliant

the reader's performance is subtle & exquisite. The accent she created deserves a Grammy for audio performance.

A powerful tale

Such a roller coaster of emotions as you’re transported through this epic tale. One of the best I’ve ever read, then listed to from an amazingly talented reader.

Brilliant. Haunting.

Note to production team: some dialogue missing in chapter 41

A well-written story with great narration.