Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Nelson Doubleday (1986), Edition: Book club ed, 759 pages
Description
Darkness wars with darkness as the hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must. They bury their doubts with their dead. Then comes the prophecy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more.... --From publisher description.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bookqueenshelby
Litchick's Fiance via this post: Me: "Hey do you know where the ham is? Because it's not in the right drawer. Didn't you unpack the groc-"
Fiance: "FIND IT YOURSELF, I ONLY HAVE TWENTY PAGES LEFT AND THIS BASTARD JUST KILLED OFF MY FAVORITE CHARACTER!"
Me: ...I feel like that shouldn't have turned
Now how can you go wrong with that?
Fiance: "FIND IT YOURSELF, I ONLY HAVE TWENTY PAGES LEFT AND THIS BASTARD JUST KILLED OFF MY FAVORITE CHARACTER!"
Me: ...I feel like that shouldn't have turned
Show More
me on as much as it did.Now how can you go wrong with that?
Show Less
LibraryThing member SunnySD
The Annals, currently kept by physician Croaker, are the history of the Black Company. Feared and hated, the mercenaries are often bloody, deadly and crude, but have an honorable streak as well. Croaker is charged with the Company's memory - when mercenaries fall, no one but their brethren remember
Epic fantasy in the very best sense. Cook has a knack for putting sentences together in a way that forces you to read the meaning between the lines.
Show More
them. When the Company is manipulated into taking a new contract with the Lady and her Taken, little do they know how many years and countless casualties their deal will cost them.Epic fantasy in the very best sense. Cook has a knack for putting sentences together in a way that forces you to read the meaning between the lines.
Show Less
LibraryThing member EJAYS17
The Black Company is the first of the fantasy series of the same name, written by Glen Cook and published in 1984. While Glen Cook did not start what is known as ‘gritty’ fantasy, The Black Company is one of the first examples of the sub genre which has now been introduced to the current
The Black Company is the story of a campaign undertaken by a mercenary company in a magical war. It is told in first person and narrated by the company’s medic and annalist; Croaker. Croaker gives the impression that the Black Company is quite a large concern, but readers only get to know those that he associates with most closely. Men such as the wizards: One-Eye, Goblin and Silent. The competent sergeant Elmo. The mysterious Raven, and the Company’s two officers: the Lieutenant and the Captain. The officers are never given names, but are known only by their rank. There are only two female characters of any note: the Lady herself and a mute war orphan called Darling who is taken under Raven’s wing.
The Company are in the service of a godlike woman who is known simply as the Lady. The Lady is currently battling with a group called the Rebels in search of the reincarnation of their own saviour The White Rose. Both sides have the services of immensely powerful sorcerors often referred to as The Taken. Croaker faithfully relates what happens to the Company and it’s members in this war, it is often brutal and made more so by the matter of fact way that Croaker sometimes records the facts. This is not standard fantasy for the time, no elves or dwarves here, but there is magic. Some of the humour is created by the magical battles between the cantankerous One-Eye and the practical jokester Goblin.
It’s a well told story and readers get a sense of the rough camaraderie shared by the Company and the trust they have in each other as they put themselves into deadly situations to earn their pay. Cook doesn’t shy away from giving a warts and all depiction of a land torn apart by a senseless war, he’s also not afraid to kill major characters. One character who I thought would play a major part was dead before the end of the first chapter, he had been so well created in such a short time that I was little annoyed he was killed so early, because I’d grown to rather like him. It’s no surprise that Cook was in the US military (the Navy) or that the books are very popular amongst serving members of the forces or veterans. I was often reminded of Leon Uris’ Battlecry (the story of a WW II regiment from boot camp to the grim aftermath of Guadalcanal) when reading The Black Company.
Something else that Cook does very effectively in this book is drop the reader straight into the middle of things. This cuts down on the intricate world building and allows the reader to discover the world and explore the characters themselves, rather than have everything neatly explained for them.
I’m now kicking myself I didn’t read these earlier, because they’re a ripping read and I’ll be following the adventures of the Black Company from now on.
Following the success of The Black Company Glen Cook released a second tale of the mercenary company’s adventures; Shadows Linger.
Cook decided to flex his writing muscles a little with his second novel. It was actually two stories. One was from Croaker’s point of view as the Company continued their work for the Lady. The second story was told in third person and mostly concerned Raven, who had deserted from the Company at the end of the first book. Readers got to meet some more members of the Company; Pawnbroker and Kingpin. The character of the weak willed, cowardly tavern owner; Marron Shed, became the focus of the Raven story.
At some point both stories were going to have to collide and they did as the Black Company was sent to the city of Juniper to investigate a disturbance which had been caused by Raven’s activity. For a long period Cook continued to tell the story from Croaker’s first person viewpoint and also followed Shed in third person.
The final part of the story was all told from Croaker’s point of view and was an important part of the development of the series as the Company parted company with the Lady and actually became their former godlike employer’s enemy.
Partway through Shadows Linger I became aware of how much Cook had gotten me into this story. A sinister money lender in Juniper decided to have a run in with Raven. I read it smiling, thinking to myself: ‘You really don’t know who you’re going up against.’ At other times during fights I was hoping certain characters wouldn’t be incapacitated or even killed.
This is turning into a really enjoyable series and I’m looking forward to the third installment.
Like Shadows Linger, the third volume of the series; The White Rose, runs more than one story concurrently. The major story follows Croaker and is narrated by the annalist as previously. The two secondary stories concern a scavenger cum wizard by the name of Bomanz and the final thread is about a mysterious and dangerous character who is known as Corbie.
I had problems with the two secondary story lines for different reasons. I could never really get into the Bomanz one. I could not see why he was even there for most of it and it didn’t really seem to fit into the series anywhere until the end. I kept being pulled out of it because as I’ve said before I believe Joe Abercrombie was inspired by the Black Company and the magus; Bayaz, in his First Law trilogy, seemed very similar to Bomanz in name and appearance. The Corbie story ceased to have impact as due to the name I very quickly worked out that Corbie was in fact the former Black Company warrior Raven.
The setting for most of Croaker’s story before it converged on the other two was a desolate and magical plain. The White Rose and the Company had holed up there to combat the Lady. The plain itself was a great setting and very well imagined. It was the most magical thing I had seen in the series. It was sparsely populated with large flying creatures such as Windwhales and lightning shooting Mantas, on the ground were formations of land coral, walking trees and talking menhirs.
In the course of the narrative The White Rose and the Company come to realise that they and the Lady were battling the same enemy; the Lady’s former husband, the Dominator. Prior to them deciding to pool their resources the Company went up against the Lady’s most powerful weapons in the Taken. In the previous books I had always looked forward to the arrival of the Taken, because it usually meant that the odds would turn in the Company’s favour. In this book it meant the opposite. One-Eye and Goblin confessed that their skills really weren’t much above those of a carnival illusionist and that Silent was the only wizard they had who stood a chance against one of the Taken. Despite that One-Eye provided one of the most amusing moments when an over zealous city guard attempted to torture him.
We saw another side, a human side to the Lady when she and Croaker came to the realisation that the only way they could defeat the Dominator was to work together. Before this we’d never seen much of a system to the magic in Cook’s universe. It just worked without any explanation as to why. In the case of the Lady and the White Rose the magic seemed to be based around their true names. This isn’t new or revolutionary, but it was effectively done.
There was a definite ending to this sequence and this episode in the history of the Black Company, which is why it was issued in an omnibus. Overall I have to say I enjoyed it and will read more of their stories, but maybe not all in one go next time. The last story was at times a bit of a slog.
Show More
generation by writers such as Joe Abercrombie.The Black Company is the story of a campaign undertaken by a mercenary company in a magical war. It is told in first person and narrated by the company’s medic and annalist; Croaker. Croaker gives the impression that the Black Company is quite a large concern, but readers only get to know those that he associates with most closely. Men such as the wizards: One-Eye, Goblin and Silent. The competent sergeant Elmo. The mysterious Raven, and the Company’s two officers: the Lieutenant and the Captain. The officers are never given names, but are known only by their rank. There are only two female characters of any note: the Lady herself and a mute war orphan called Darling who is taken under Raven’s wing.
The Company are in the service of a godlike woman who is known simply as the Lady. The Lady is currently battling with a group called the Rebels in search of the reincarnation of their own saviour The White Rose. Both sides have the services of immensely powerful sorcerors often referred to as The Taken. Croaker faithfully relates what happens to the Company and it’s members in this war, it is often brutal and made more so by the matter of fact way that Croaker sometimes records the facts. This is not standard fantasy for the time, no elves or dwarves here, but there is magic. Some of the humour is created by the magical battles between the cantankerous One-Eye and the practical jokester Goblin.
It’s a well told story and readers get a sense of the rough camaraderie shared by the Company and the trust they have in each other as they put themselves into deadly situations to earn their pay. Cook doesn’t shy away from giving a warts and all depiction of a land torn apart by a senseless war, he’s also not afraid to kill major characters. One character who I thought would play a major part was dead before the end of the first chapter, he had been so well created in such a short time that I was little annoyed he was killed so early, because I’d grown to rather like him. It’s no surprise that Cook was in the US military (the Navy) or that the books are very popular amongst serving members of the forces or veterans. I was often reminded of Leon Uris’ Battlecry (the story of a WW II regiment from boot camp to the grim aftermath of Guadalcanal) when reading The Black Company.
Something else that Cook does very effectively in this book is drop the reader straight into the middle of things. This cuts down on the intricate world building and allows the reader to discover the world and explore the characters themselves, rather than have everything neatly explained for them.
I’m now kicking myself I didn’t read these earlier, because they’re a ripping read and I’ll be following the adventures of the Black Company from now on.
Following the success of The Black Company Glen Cook released a second tale of the mercenary company’s adventures; Shadows Linger.
Cook decided to flex his writing muscles a little with his second novel. It was actually two stories. One was from Croaker’s point of view as the Company continued their work for the Lady. The second story was told in third person and mostly concerned Raven, who had deserted from the Company at the end of the first book. Readers got to meet some more members of the Company; Pawnbroker and Kingpin. The character of the weak willed, cowardly tavern owner; Marron Shed, became the focus of the Raven story.
At some point both stories were going to have to collide and they did as the Black Company was sent to the city of Juniper to investigate a disturbance which had been caused by Raven’s activity. For a long period Cook continued to tell the story from Croaker’s first person viewpoint and also followed Shed in third person.
The final part of the story was all told from Croaker’s point of view and was an important part of the development of the series as the Company parted company with the Lady and actually became their former godlike employer’s enemy.
Partway through Shadows Linger I became aware of how much Cook had gotten me into this story. A sinister money lender in Juniper decided to have a run in with Raven. I read it smiling, thinking to myself: ‘You really don’t know who you’re going up against.’ At other times during fights I was hoping certain characters wouldn’t be incapacitated or even killed.
This is turning into a really enjoyable series and I’m looking forward to the third installment.
Like Shadows Linger, the third volume of the series; The White Rose, runs more than one story concurrently. The major story follows Croaker and is narrated by the annalist as previously. The two secondary stories concern a scavenger cum wizard by the name of Bomanz and the final thread is about a mysterious and dangerous character who is known as Corbie.
I had problems with the two secondary story lines for different reasons. I could never really get into the Bomanz one. I could not see why he was even there for most of it and it didn’t really seem to fit into the series anywhere until the end. I kept being pulled out of it because as I’ve said before I believe Joe Abercrombie was inspired by the Black Company and the magus; Bayaz, in his First Law trilogy, seemed very similar to Bomanz in name and appearance. The Corbie story ceased to have impact as due to the name I very quickly worked out that Corbie was in fact the former Black Company warrior Raven.
The setting for most of Croaker’s story before it converged on the other two was a desolate and magical plain. The White Rose and the Company had holed up there to combat the Lady. The plain itself was a great setting and very well imagined. It was the most magical thing I had seen in the series. It was sparsely populated with large flying creatures such as Windwhales and lightning shooting Mantas, on the ground were formations of land coral, walking trees and talking menhirs.
In the course of the narrative The White Rose and the Company come to realise that they and the Lady were battling the same enemy; the Lady’s former husband, the Dominator. Prior to them deciding to pool their resources the Company went up against the Lady’s most powerful weapons in the Taken. In the previous books I had always looked forward to the arrival of the Taken, because it usually meant that the odds would turn in the Company’s favour. In this book it meant the opposite. One-Eye and Goblin confessed that their skills really weren’t much above those of a carnival illusionist and that Silent was the only wizard they had who stood a chance against one of the Taken. Despite that One-Eye provided one of the most amusing moments when an over zealous city guard attempted to torture him.
We saw another side, a human side to the Lady when she and Croaker came to the realisation that the only way they could defeat the Dominator was to work together. Before this we’d never seen much of a system to the magic in Cook’s universe. It just worked without any explanation as to why. In the case of the Lady and the White Rose the magic seemed to be based around their true names. This isn’t new or revolutionary, but it was effectively done.
There was a definite ending to this sequence and this episode in the history of the Black Company, which is why it was issued in an omnibus. Overall I have to say I enjoyed it and will read more of their stories, but maybe not all in one go next time. The last story was at times a bit of a slog.
Show Less
LibraryThing member NauticalFiction99
I came to Glen Cook by way of Steve Erkison (whom I read first after a particularly glowing review in Salon.com). Cook is a great deal like Erikson, although his work is somewhat less grand (and grandiose) in its vision. That being said, if you like Erkison I expect you will enjoy Cook as well. You
Having read both authors now it is easy to see how Erikson stands as a direct lineal descendent to Cook. Both approach the fantasy genre not from the perspective of princes, knights, and maidens, but from a grittier, foot soldier view. While it is perhaps a bit of a stretch, there is a certain amount of E.P. Thompson's The Making of the English Working Class in Cook and Erikson's view of the fantasy world. This "foot soldier" approach to fantasy has certainly been fertile ground to science fiction writers such as David Drake, Jerry Pournelle, Robert Heinlein, Frederick Pohl, and, more recently, newer authors like John Scalzi. Some of all this probably can be traced to the synthesis of traditional fantasy notions with the sober realities of the Vietnam War and Korea. Authors such as Cook are not interested in writing about the dynamic between good and evil, but in exploring the fertile grey that stretches between those two less than realistic extremes.
But getting back to the book--Chronicles combines Cooks first three "Black Company" novels about a mercenary troop with deep historical roots but somewhat murky morals. They are not exactly "the bad guys," but they are certainly not the traditional good ones. Without giving away too much, these are the stories of the Company's travel to a distant land to fight for the Lady, a powerful sorceress in apparent eternal struggle with a rebel force which awaits the arrival of a mythic leader called "the White Rose." There is violence aplenty and Cook has an extremely good ear for the enterally squabbling members of the Company who are, after years of fighting, really an extended family. Those who are not used to Erikson or Cook may find the book's start, which dives right into the action without much background, a little disconcerting but its doesn't take that long to sort things out.
All in all, a good read.
Show More
will certainly find his vision and style familiar.Having read both authors now it is easy to see how Erikson stands as a direct lineal descendent to Cook. Both approach the fantasy genre not from the perspective of princes, knights, and maidens, but from a grittier, foot soldier view. While it is perhaps a bit of a stretch, there is a certain amount of E.P. Thompson's The Making of the English Working Class in Cook and Erikson's view of the fantasy world. This "foot soldier" approach to fantasy has certainly been fertile ground to science fiction writers such as David Drake, Jerry Pournelle, Robert Heinlein, Frederick Pohl, and, more recently, newer authors like John Scalzi. Some of all this probably can be traced to the synthesis of traditional fantasy notions with the sober realities of the Vietnam War and Korea. Authors such as Cook are not interested in writing about the dynamic between good and evil, but in exploring the fertile grey that stretches between those two less than realistic extremes.
But getting back to the book--Chronicles combines Cooks first three "Black Company" novels about a mercenary troop with deep historical roots but somewhat murky morals. They are not exactly "the bad guys," but they are certainly not the traditional good ones. Without giving away too much, these are the stories of the Company's travel to a distant land to fight for the Lady, a powerful sorceress in apparent eternal struggle with a rebel force which awaits the arrival of a mythic leader called "the White Rose." There is violence aplenty and Cook has an extremely good ear for the enterally squabbling members of the Company who are, after years of fighting, really an extended family. Those who are not used to Erikson or Cook may find the book's start, which dives right into the action without much background, a little disconcerting but its doesn't take that long to sort things out.
All in all, a good read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member agis
Glen Cook's "Chronicles of the Black Company" falls pretty clearly into the "gritty war fantasy" camp. The titular "Black Company" is a group of mercenaries, working in a land under the thumb of a tyrannical ruler known only as "The Lady"; before long, one of her servants hires them to help fight
Most of the main cast here is old and set in their ways; there's not that much development, but Cook does draw the members of the Company (and the rest) as people and soldiers, with all their flaws and virtues. The violence is handled well. Cook only occasionally goes into the hack-and-thrust of individual combat, preferring a slightly broader scope in the battle scenes. But that scope - as well as the longer slogs of warfare in general - is captured vividly.
The first volume of this trilogy, "The Black Company" is probably the strongest of the three here, and the most bleak. The second ("Shadows Linger") moves away from the broader warfare, and suffers a little both from middle book syndrome and events in the third book that slightly cheapen the resolution of the second. The third ("The White Rose") ultimately has a good climax but focuses a little too much on Croaker, the primary narrator.
Steven Erikson, on the back blurb, credits the Black Company series with bringing fantasy down to a human level from mythic archetypes. I don't think Glen Cook's work is quite that important, but it is quite a good read.
Show More
off a rebellion. The moral murk isn't used so much to question morality, or good and evil; there are no saints here. Most of the main cast here is old and set in their ways; there's not that much development, but Cook does draw the members of the Company (and the rest) as people and soldiers, with all their flaws and virtues. The violence is handled well. Cook only occasionally goes into the hack-and-thrust of individual combat, preferring a slightly broader scope in the battle scenes. But that scope - as well as the longer slogs of warfare in general - is captured vividly.
The first volume of this trilogy, "The Black Company" is probably the strongest of the three here, and the most bleak. The second ("Shadows Linger") moves away from the broader warfare, and suffers a little both from middle book syndrome and events in the third book that slightly cheapen the resolution of the second. The third ("The White Rose") ultimately has a good climax but focuses a little too much on Croaker, the primary narrator.
Steven Erikson, on the back blurb, credits the Black Company series with bringing fantasy down to a human level from mythic archetypes. I don't think Glen Cook's work is quite that important, but it is quite a good read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DRFP
There's nothing too fancy about Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company - but that's the charm.
This is no frills, gritty fantasy writing. Cook doesn't waste time with countless pages devoted to world building with exotic sounding names. Instead what you get is a tort, lean series of books that
Some of the usual fantasy clichés remain - the presence of magic for instance - but overall I found this trilogy a breath of fresh air. Each book is better than the last and they're all top quality.
This is no frills, gritty fantasy writing. Cook doesn't waste time with countless pages devoted to world building with exotic sounding names. Instead what you get is a tort, lean series of books that
Show More
detail the exploits of a group of mercenaries thrust into their latest conflict.Some of the usual fantasy clichés remain - the presence of magic for instance - but overall I found this trilogy a breath of fresh air. Each book is better than the last and they're all top quality.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Zare
First Black Company collection ("The Black Company", "Shadow Lingers", "The White Rose") follows the adventures of the last mercenary company from Khatovar - from defending the city of Beryl, serving the unspeakable terror and evil force in form of the Lady to the final stand against that same evil
Black Company is not something I expected to exist [at all] in fantasy genre [but then again I guess I have not read that much fantasy novels :))] - closest thing to this outfit [for me at least] are Hammers Slammers or (to some extent) Black Regiment - both set in SF environment not fantasy. Organization reflects modern (and SF) infantry outfits - one can just substitute wizards with machine-gunners or mortar sections and you end up with a contemporary military outfit fighting small wars for their employers. Entire book feels like a memoir of an infantry troop fighting in foreign lands, with all the fears and craziness of war described in detail.
Black Company exceeds in fighting rebels and are considered finest soldiers-for-hire. This brings them to attention of merciless ruler of the Northern states - Lady.
They know their employers are not good people (in fact, they know that their employers aren’t human at all) but they do their job, because Company's honor is paramount to them and contract must be fullfilled no matter what (well.... lets say that survival of the Company has precedence over anything). Despite all this they know when they are doing wrong things and they do their best to choose the lesser between two evils. Finally they will side with the good and fight the very evil force they served (and more) and prevail but at the great cost - almost entire company will be obliterated and few survivors will start their voyage back south to their point of origin - Khatovar.
Story and characters are great, can't wait for the next adventure of Croaker and company :).
I can only say one thing - highly, highly recommended :)
Show More
and beginning of the journey back home to Khatovar, place unknown to almost entire company [since there are but few original members left alive].Black Company is not something I expected to exist [at all] in fantasy genre [but then again I guess I have not read that much fantasy novels :))] - closest thing to this outfit [for me at least] are Hammers Slammers or (to some extent) Black Regiment - both set in SF environment not fantasy. Organization reflects modern (and SF) infantry outfits - one can just substitute wizards with machine-gunners or mortar sections and you end up with a contemporary military outfit fighting small wars for their employers. Entire book feels like a memoir of an infantry troop fighting in foreign lands, with all the fears and craziness of war described in detail.
Black Company exceeds in fighting rebels and are considered finest soldiers-for-hire. This brings them to attention of merciless ruler of the Northern states - Lady.
They know their employers are not good people (in fact, they know that their employers aren’t human at all) but they do their job, because Company's honor is paramount to them and contract must be fullfilled no matter what (well.... lets say that survival of the Company has precedence over anything). Despite all this they know when they are doing wrong things and they do their best to choose the lesser between two evils. Finally they will side with the good and fight the very evil force they served (and more) and prevail but at the great cost - almost entire company will be obliterated and few survivors will start their voyage back south to their point of origin - Khatovar.
Story and characters are great, can't wait for the next adventure of Croaker and company :).
I can only say one thing - highly, highly recommended :)
Show Less
LibraryThing member Karlstar
This book is the start of the story of the Black Company - a large force of ruthless mercenaries who will work for anyone for money. However, the Company has honor, or tries to have honor, and serving the evil masters of the Empire eventually get them caught between loyalty to their patrons, and
This is the essence of gritty, down to earth fantasy. I don't know of any other author or work that deals with a ruthless bunch of mercenaries, and makes it so memorable. It also features The Taken - perhaps the scariest bunch of fantasy wizards ever - these guys just don't die. This isn't just another fantasy sword and sorcery book.
If you are looking for awesome magic and ridiculous world shaking heroes, this isn't the book for you, the Company is more about average Joes making the best of a very bad thing.
Show More
the rebels of the White Rose. This is the essence of gritty, down to earth fantasy. I don't know of any other author or work that deals with a ruthless bunch of mercenaries, and makes it so memorable. It also features The Taken - perhaps the scariest bunch of fantasy wizards ever - these guys just don't die. This isn't just another fantasy sword and sorcery book.
If you are looking for awesome magic and ridiculous world shaking heroes, this isn't the book for you, the Company is more about average Joes making the best of a very bad thing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member hilarymclean6
Grittily realistic, violent and no holds barred; Glenn Cook has a way of dragging you into his scenes and holding you fast so you have no choice but to witness the horrors of his world unfold. The boys of Black Company become a rather unsavoury part of your literary family, someone who you would
Show More
rather not want to invite over for a formal tea but would want at your back in a bar fight. Show Less
LibraryThing member drstone22
I was recommended this book while waiting for GRRM to finish his next book.
Overall it was worth the time but it drags in certain stretches.
Reading all three books took quite a long time as I would get a little bored with the tone and the mood.
Good
Plot was somewhat original
Characters were
Mood
Fog of war depicted well
Bad
Mood, the same for all 700 pages
some of the characters were flat
Lack of backstory
Overall it was worth the time but it drags in certain stretches.
Reading all three books took quite a long time as I would get a little bored with the tone and the mood.
Good
Plot was somewhat original
Characters were
Show More
interestingMood
Fog of war depicted well
Bad
Mood, the same for all 700 pages
some of the characters were flat
Lack of backstory
Show Less
LibraryThing member RRLevering
Surprisingly good. I was recommended this book by a friend (thanks J) and was disturbed I hadn't read it before. It's disturbingly like a less-epic Erickson, so much so that I'm going to have to re-evaluate how awesome Erickson is. I thought he was breaking new ground, but he was just expanding on
I do have several complaints with the way the story is told, however. I was not terribly fond of the first book in this little trilogy. I generally like the first person point of view, but his historian main character is a little too objective, especially in the first novel which sometimes reads like a history instead of a novel. This makes it hard to identify at all with the character. I feel like a first person point of view should help develop empathy and identification.
However, the reason why I stuck with the whole trilogy and didn't just stop after the first book was because the main characters were all "evil". That is the main hook of this series - he spends an entire novel on "the bad guys". I've read novels that did something like this, but they always chicken out pretty quickly and make them good or kill them off. He was amazingly able to keep me interested in redemption for more than a whole novel.
However, that brings me to what I didn't like about the very ending. It was cheesy. Everyone becomes happy and good. Certain characters were suddenly sweet and cuddly for fairly weak reasons. This felt incredibly artificial. I think the trilogy called for a bittersweet ending where bad characters did bad things because they were habituated to it, with just the glimmer of goodness in them so they understood the tragedy. This was the deserved ending and if it was written well, I would have been sobbing.
However, I am greatly looking forward to reading his other works now and will recommend Cook to my other fantasy reading friends.
Show More
Cook's vision.I do have several complaints with the way the story is told, however. I was not terribly fond of the first book in this little trilogy. I generally like the first person point of view, but his historian main character is a little too objective, especially in the first novel which sometimes reads like a history instead of a novel. This makes it hard to identify at all with the character. I feel like a first person point of view should help develop empathy and identification.
However, the reason why I stuck with the whole trilogy and didn't just stop after the first book was because the main characters were all "evil". That is the main hook of this series - he spends an entire novel on "the bad guys". I've read novels that did something like this, but they always chicken out pretty quickly and make them good or kill them off. He was amazingly able to keep me interested in redemption for more than a whole novel.
However, that brings me to what I didn't like about the very ending. It was cheesy. Everyone becomes happy and good. Certain characters were suddenly sweet and cuddly for fairly weak reasons. This felt incredibly artificial. I think the trilogy called for a bittersweet ending where bad characters did bad things because they were habituated to it, with just the glimmer of goodness in them so they understood the tragedy. This was the deserved ending and if it was written well, I would have been sobbing.
However, I am greatly looking forward to reading his other works now and will recommend Cook to my other fantasy reading friends.
Show Less
LibraryThing member grunkfest
I will start by stating that the Black Company series would be five star ratings across the board but for the fact that Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series one-ups Cook in this vein. Nonetheless, the Black Company started the 'hard boiled, soldier-in-the-mud' style fantasy story for
I have read the entire series multiple times; Croaker and The Lady are always close by and ready to appear on my night-stand once again.
Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates fantasy a little more 'realistic' and little less flowery.
These three stories are the cream of the crop for Black Company tales. Plot twists, excellent character development and interaction, and shifting of good/evil perspective that is so lacking in so many fantasy stories. I like my characters realistic, with flaws and foibles and I like my issues of morality to be a mess of tangled grey area. The Black Company's first three stories deliver. Croaker and The Lady are some of my favorite characters from any fiction.
Alas when I first experienced a Black Company book, it was Water Sleeps - which after (much later in life) reading them all is by far my least favorite. If you have judged Cook's storytelling skills on the basis of anything other than these three novels, do yourself a favor and pick this up. These are good hard-boiled fantasy fiction.
Show More
me and as such it hold a dear place in my heart. I have read the entire series multiple times; Croaker and The Lady are always close by and ready to appear on my night-stand once again.
Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates fantasy a little more 'realistic' and little less flowery.
These three stories are the cream of the crop for Black Company tales. Plot twists, excellent character development and interaction, and shifting of good/evil perspective that is so lacking in so many fantasy stories. I like my characters realistic, with flaws and foibles and I like my issues of morality to be a mess of tangled grey area. The Black Company's first three stories deliver. Croaker and The Lady are some of my favorite characters from any fiction.
Alas when I first experienced a Black Company book, it was Water Sleeps - which after (much later in life) reading them all is by far my least favorite. If you have judged Cook's storytelling skills on the basis of anything other than these three novels, do yourself a favor and pick this up. These are good hard-boiled fantasy fiction.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BobNolin
Reviewers on Amazon seemed to be in agreement that the Black Company series was Cook's best work. Lo and behold, the publisher issues the first three books in a handsome "trade paperback" edition, saving me the trouble of hunting them down one by one. Great timing! Overall, this makes a great
Show More
"epic" story, in three parts, though it's obvious there's more to come. It holds together, in other words, as a single large novel, despite being an omnibus of three novels. Each novel follows a somewhat different approach (first is all first-person, second one mixes up first-person with omniscient, etc.) in the telling, but the story holds together very well. The man claims to have written these books whilst assembling cars in Detroit, which makes no sense. Never mind that, the book itself is being reviewed here, and it's a great one. After dropping the limp-wristed "The Golden Key" midway through in disgust, I simply ripped through this sucker. It reads like a war story, I suppose, though I haven't read any, really. I would guess that prior to writing novels and assembling cars, Mr. Cook spent some time in Vietnam. I guess that based on his age, and the prose he writes, which seems very authentic: the camaraderie of the mercenaries is very convincing, very natural. You like these guys, you can't help it. They may seem like low-lifes at first, but they grow on you. By the end, I was rooting for Croaker like he was an old friend. On the face of it, this is a military fantasy, since the characters are mercenaries. But it's more than that, way more. It's about friendship, the nature of evil, loyalty, love, and mortality. The only thing it was missing, in my opinion, was a map. Where's the stinking map? When a fantasy spends so much time moving characters around an imaginary world, you really need a map. Besides, I love maps. Anyway, this was an excellent read, highly recommended. A refreshing break from the usual D&D crapola. Show Less
LibraryThing member macha
3 & 1/2 heading for 4 stars. includes the first three Black Company books: The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose. starts slow, and then as the story widens and deepens, becomes engrossing. a curious combination of a contemporary-sounding story and a mythic landscape, in an arena of
Show More
endless war. easy to see why Steven Erikson loves it, and built on the way it changed the perception of what you could due with a classic epic fantasy. and that's some evolution arc for an Evil Queen. Show Less
LibraryThing member PMaranci
This is the collected first three books of Glen Cook's "Black Company" series, chronicling the adventures of a famous mercenary company in grim world threatened by all sorts of darkness. Although the series was continued, the first three books are an effectively self-contained trilogy.
I first read
Well, not really. But it is much less horrible than I remembered, in retrospect. It's also much better than I remembered. While not necessarily a deathless classic of the genre, the books are very well written, well-paced, and exciting. Yes, there is some darkness, but this series would be a good addition to the library of any fantasy fan from mid-teen to adult. And if my memory serves me, the Black Company books did break new ground in fantasy, extending the "dark" trend previously exemplified in Michael Moorcock's Elric books.
---------------------------
* - I'm talking about you, David Wingrove: you should be in prison, along with Jack Chalker's corpse and some of the contributors to the Wild Cards series.
I first read
Show More
them in college. And back then (so long ago!) they seemed terribly dark - almost unbearably so. How times have changed; compared to some of the torture-porn that's being put out under the fantasy and science fiction labels, the Black Company seems almost as tame a Curious George.*Well, not really. But it is much less horrible than I remembered, in retrospect. It's also much better than I remembered. While not necessarily a deathless classic of the genre, the books are very well written, well-paced, and exciting. Yes, there is some darkness, but this series would be a good addition to the library of any fantasy fan from mid-teen to adult. And if my memory serves me, the Black Company books did break new ground in fantasy, extending the "dark" trend previously exemplified in Michael Moorcock's Elric books.
---------------------------
* - I'm talking about you, David Wingrove: you should be in prison, along with Jack Chalker's corpse and some of the contributors to the Wild Cards series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member scifi_jon
The first books I have been able to read for 10 minutes, put down for a week, come back to for 10 minutes, put down for two weeks; I think you get the point. It was entertaining but nothing I thought I would ever finish or so I thought. It wasn’t until I had a nine day vacation, nine days I took
Glen Cook’s style of writing is positively wonderful. I’m sure a lot of people don’t like it. I am not one of them. I wish nearly all the books I read, read like these three books. It’s so fun and personal too. Written in the first person, I felt like I knew all of the main characters (not just the person talking) in the story by the end of Book 2. I knew exactly how they were going to act in Book 3.
Fantastically written. It comes highly recommended.
Show More
off from writing as well, when I got into the book. I finished around three quarters of the first book and the next two in two days.Glen Cook’s style of writing is positively wonderful. I’m sure a lot of people don’t like it. I am not one of them. I wish nearly all the books I read, read like these three books. It’s so fun and personal too. Written in the first person, I felt like I knew all of the main characters (not just the person talking) in the story by the end of Book 2. I knew exactly how they were going to act in Book 3.
Fantastically written. It comes highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jerry-book
Fun read. Writing was rather lame. Interesting action.
LibraryThing member allison_s
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Love the action, the likability of the characters (a pretty hard bunch), the world....everything. Can't wait to read more.
Love the action, the likability of the characters (a pretty hard bunch), the world....everything. Can't wait to read more.
LibraryThing member mwchase
Dark, gritty, mercenary fantasy. 'nuff said!
LibraryThing member Gkarlives
This is a collection of the first three books of the Black company. I found the stories quite engaging especially since it is told not by the main villain or hero, but by a member of a mercenary band in service to the villain. The mercenary band is surprisingly not so evil as you would think and
Show More
the ways of the villain and those who oppose her are not as clear as you would want them. The interesting stuff happens when they all get into each others way. These stories take so many tropes of the fantasy genre and toss them on their heads all while telling an entertaining story. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tikimoof
I may move this review to just be a review of the first book (the Black Company), since I'm still going for the reddit Fantasy bingo sheet and have 14 more books/authors after this.
Everybody's names seem simplistic, but I choose to think of it as further distancing the setting from places that are
The prose isn't anything advanced, and descriptions are pretty...terse? But they're so obviously from Croaker's point of view, so it's just his view of the setting. It seems more like a lack of ambiguity, even though there are still plenty of unanswered questions, a quarter of the way through.
Everybody's names seem simplistic, but I choose to think of it as further distancing the setting from places that are
Show More
familiar to American English readers. Everybody and every city has a name that is a normal word, not a proper noun with no immediate meaning. I really like it!The prose isn't anything advanced, and descriptions are pretty...terse? But they're so obviously from Croaker's point of view, so it's just his view of the setting. It seems more like a lack of ambiguity, even though there are still plenty of unanswered questions, a quarter of the way through.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Alfonso809
Ok, since I don’t have Mr. Greg’s reviewing skills I’ma keep it short and simple! This is like somebody gave the guy who wrote this book a fucking Minigun and loaded with bullets of awesomeness and told him to aim directly in to my brainand then the mother fucker went trigger happy! This is
It got it all! Awesome wizards, kick ass villains, drama, action, more action and more drama! And the hottest villain ever!!! EVER!!! I have a crush with The Lady now! I love this mother fucking book!
Show More
good shit! I read it twice in a fucking row! It got it all! Awesome wizards, kick ass villains, drama, action, more action and more drama! And the hottest villain ever!!! EVER!!! I have a crush with The Lady now! I love this mother fucking book!
Show Less
LibraryThing member sherribelcher
Not enough time in the world to keep me going with this book. DNFs are not at all common with me but this one is going on that shelf. Just didn't grab me.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1986
Physical description
759 p.; 8.3 inches
ISBN
0739413023 / 9780739413029