Christopher Buehlman’s The Daughters’ War is a magnificent, heart-wrenching return to the grim, goblin-haunted world he first introduced in The Blacktongue Thief. Set during the devastating years before that novel, this prequel doesn’t merely expand the mythology; it deepens it. Through blood, loss, and fleeting hope, Buehlman crafts a tale that explores the cost of war, the fragility of humanity, and the haunting resilience of those who fight when everything else is lost.
At the center of this dark fantasy epic stands Galva, known to her brothers as Galvicha, a young woman who defies her family’s wishes to join the Raven Knights a new unit of female warriors paired with magically enhanced war corvids. These giant black birds, bred for battle and sharpened by sorcery, may hold humanity’s last chance against the goblin hordes that have burned cities, enslaved survivors, and turned the world into a nightmare.
From its first pages, The Daughters’ War grips the reader with its brutal honesty and emotional gravity. The prose is as luminous as it is merciless. Every word seems hewn from the same steel Galva wields on the battlefield. Buehlman writes with a poet’s precision and a soldier’s scars, painting a war-torn landscape that feels both mythic and painfully real.
Where The Blacktongue Thief thrived on sharp humor and roguish charm, The Daughters’ War is more somber and introspective. Told largely through Galva’s first-person memoir, the novel reads like a confession and a lament a story recounted to a trusted friend, years after the fighting has ended but the wounds have not. Letters from her brothers and father weave through the narrative, adding emotional depth and multiple perspectives to this grim saga.
Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire series, described the novel as one that “gets its teeth into you.” His words could not be more apt. Galva’s stoicism, moral conviction, and quiet vulnerability make her one of the most compelling protagonists in modern fantasy. Her love for her brothers, her grief for her fallen comrades, and her tentative connection to her fierce corvid companions form the beating heart of the story.
The goblins, meanwhile, are some of the most terrifying foes in contemporary fantasy. They are not the mischievous creatures of folklore but true horrors alien, intelligent, and relentless. Their bodies do not rot, their minds are incomprehensible, and their cruelty is matched only by their eerie logic. Yet Buehlman resists turning them into faceless monsters. The result is a chilling, morally complex vision of conflict where even victory tastes like ashes.
The tone of The Daughters’ War is harrowing yet beautiful. Readers will find moments of hope glimmering amid devastation: the tenderness of family bonds, the spark of friendship, and the fragile sense of purpose that keeps Galva moving forward. The pacing alternates between sweeping battles and intimate introspection, and the result is a novel that feels both epic and deeply personal.
As reviewer William Gwynne aptly said, this is what modern epic fantasy should be gritty, lyrical, and emotionally resonant. The world feels lived-in and unforgiving, the characters pulse with authenticity, and the stakes are nothing short of human survival. Every page hums with tension, from the chaos of combat to the quiet ache of loss.
While some readers may find the novel’s tone heavier and its humor absent compared to The Blacktongue Thief, it feels entirely appropriate for the story being told. This is not a swashbuckling adventure but an elegy for a dying world. It is a war story in the truest sense full of courage, horror, and heart.
By the final page, The Daughters’ War leaves you hollowed and awed. It’s a meditation on sacrifice, a song for the fallen, and a testament to Buehlman’s extraordinary craft. If The Blacktongue Thief made readers laugh in the face of darkness, this book makes them weep for the light that remains.
For fans of dark, immersive fantasy with unforgettable characters and devastating beauty, The Daughters’ War is an absolute must-read.
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