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The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company (The Chronicle of the Black Company #4-6)
by
Glen Cook
Marching south after the ghastly battle at the Tower of Charm, the Black Company is hounded by shadowy figures every inch of the way.
The game is on: the Company versus the Shadowmasters, deadly creatures that deal in darkness and sorrow.
When hope dies, there’s still survival. And there’s still the Black Company.
This omnibus edition collects Shadow Games, Dreams of ...more
Paperback, 672 pages
Published
June 10th 2008
by Tor Books
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The second omnibus both wraps up some loose ends from the end of Book 3 and sets the stage for the Black Company's next adventure.
The Silver Spike which follows Raven, Silent, and Darling is probaby the weakest book in the series to me. I think this is because as minor characters or seen in brief glimpses during the first 3 books, they work well. But on center stage, they have a tendency to falter and can become boring at times. Nonetheless, the story itself is pretty good and giv...more
The Silver Spike which follows Raven, Silent, and Darling is probaby the weakest book in the series to me. I think this is because as minor characters or seen in brief glimpses during the first 3 books, they work well. But on center stage, they have a tendency to falter and can become boring at times. Nonetheless, the story itself is pretty good and giv...more
Thus begins the overlong tale of the Black Company's search for their origins as the "last of the Free Companies of Khatovar."
This collection follows up where the first trilogy (collected in Chronicles of the Black Company) leaves off. Twice actually, as the first two books cover the Black Company itself, while the third deals with what happened back North after they left.
As I write this I realize that I actually enjoyed the books in this collection nearly as m...more
This collection follows up where the first trilogy (collected in Chronicles of the Black Company) leaves off. Twice actually, as the first two books cover the Black Company itself, while the third deals with what happened back North after they left.
As I write this I realize that I actually enjoyed the books in this collection nearly as m...more
Adrienne
rated it
Well #%$@$. This compilation made me angry - and sad. Not because it was bad, necessarily, but because I'd gotten attached to our narrator. And then, after the first book, he was narrator no longer! But. I couldn't stop reading it. On the other hand, I don't think I'm ready to forgive the author for switching it up on us yet.
I'm a self-stated lover of the first-person voice. I like getting close to my narrator and following him through his life. I can deal with the third-person interlu...more
I'm a self-stated lover of the first-person voice. I like getting close to my narrator and following him through his life. I can deal with the third-person interlu...more
This is a 3-book collector's edition. I liked the switch in perspective, to a point. It was nice getting into Lady's head. However, it seemed to betray what I liked in the first trilogy, that you were just in Croaker's head. The last book was kind of out of place, I was hoping for a resolution to the other two books and found instead, a different story ark in The Silver Spike. It kept on jumping back and forth in this last book, where Cook reverted back to the traditional manner of stepping betw...more
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Glen Cook
Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition ...more
Glen Cook
Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition ...more
This "book" (it's actually 3-in-1 in case ya somehow missed that in the description) is kinda difficult for me to rate. On the one hand, I LOVED the first two books (and especially the "opportunity" to get inside Lady's head), I have to agree with virtually everyone else who rated this, that Silver Spike simply is the "odd man out". After finishing Dreams of Steel, well, one naturally assumes that hey, ok, finally we get to find out what happens when Lady and Croake...more
This is a compilation of Shadow Games,Dreams of Steel and Silver Spike and is the follow up to the books of the north.
Cook has a way of weaving a story line that catches you.The characters are intriguing and he follows their different stories very well.The ending ofDreams of Steel was great and left you wanting to know the rest which of course leads the way to another series.Cook knows how to write a fantasy story and I would recommend this to anyone.
Cook has a way of weaving a story line that catches you.The characters are intriguing and he follows their different stories very well.The ending ofDreams of Steel was great and left you wanting to know the rest which of course leads the way to another series.Cook knows how to write a fantasy story and I would recommend this to anyone.
Very good indeed. I felt some of the originality went away as the story teller becomes, not a spectator, but a leader and "cause" in himself. However, it is still very good and I'm looking forward to the "glittering stone" compilation.
But oh, the pregnancy and "herald child" business was all too predictable and cheesy. I did feel a bit let down by that, let's hope it turns to something interesting in the last books.
But oh, the pregnancy and "herald child" business was all too predictable and cheesy. I did feel a bit let down by that, let's hope it turns to something interesting in the last books.
Like many others I liked the first two books in this volume, and since they carried on the storyline from the previous volume I did not find it too incongruous when Lady became the narrator. In fact since Croaker had regularly pointed out that he was getting old and had exceeded the life expectancy of one in his line of work I had always assumed that at some point a change in narrators would be necessary.
Also like others I found the third book in this volume more jarring though. It tie...more
Also like others I found the third book in this volume more jarring though. It tie...more
Glen Cook does a great job with the continuing stories of the Black Company. The only thing that seems odd about this Omnibus is the 3rd book "The Silver Spike". While a decent book on its own, it seems fairly out of place with the other 2 books (the first two books follow Croaker and the Lady into the South, while the third book follows Darling, Silent, Razor and the others than didn't leave with Croaker).
All 3 books are enjoyable, and typical non-stop Glen Cook action t...more
All 3 books are enjoyable, and typical non-stop Glen Cook action t...more
I have a love hate relationship with these books. THis took me like a MONTH to get through, because I find the military strategy stuff too dense. I know it is interesting to some people, I'm just not one of them. That being said, I love the characters in these books, so I keep slogging thru them to see what will happen to everyone.
Really liked the 2 books that focus on Croaker's narration, but I was confused and frustrated by the inclusion of "The Silver Spike" in this since it's more of an off-shoot of the original story. If I had known coming in that Croaker and Lady would not be in it I might have enjoyed it more.
Ah Cook, you write my kind of fantasy. Rough, gritty, and approachable. I have to only give this volume three stars because of the Silver Spike. It's an enjoyable and really interesting story, but it seems to meander about and the loose ends are tied up far too abruptly. Still good though.
Excellent and not quite as punishing as The Books of the North (which is a good thing in this case). Taken together The Books of the North and South form one amazing feat of storytelling and especially of characterization. Highly recommended for anyone who can handle their fantasy gritty or their gritty with fantasy.
This is a collection of great books. Unfortunately, the collection includes one book that doesn't belong, and won't make sense unless you've read the books that go before in the series. That book is "The Silver Spike"
For more details see my reviews of each of the individual books.
For more details see my reviews of each of the individual books.
I borrowed this from my brother so I could read The Silver Spike. It's a sidebar tale picking up some of the dangling characters and plotlines from the original series. Not fantastic, but a nice addition to the Black Company mythos. Next, I'll plunge into The Glittering Stones series. Fun stuff from a master of the soldier's perspective. [Rating: Fanboy fodder]
volumes 4-6 of glen cook's incredible black company series. not much to say beyond what I spoke of in my review of "Chronicles of the Black Company." absolutely fantastic; I enjoyed this as much as I did the first three.
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I really liked the original trilogy, but 100 pages into Shadow Games (the first book included in this trilogy), and it's just not grabbing me anymore.
I didn't read the last story since I'm mostly interested in Croaker and the Lady. But this still carries the dregs and horrors of fantasy war.
This book matched the other Black Company books pretty closely in quality. I thought this was an easy read, but none of the books in particular stood out as being outstanding (or poor), although the Silver Spike seems to be the most memorable, in retrospect.
I thought the order of the books was a bit odd, as the first two books follow the Company south and then the third jumps back to the North. Reading book 3, followed by book 1 and then 2 seems like it would have been more appropria...more
I thought the order of the books was a bit odd, as the first two books follow the Company south and then the third jumps back to the North. Reading book 3, followed by book 1 and then 2 seems like it would have been more appropria...more
the third book didn't really belong in the volume. but a decent set nonetheless.
Too bad that instead of finishing the first 2 books of the south Glen Cook used the third book to finish up some loose ends up north. Not that there where any loose ends but Cook managed to come up with some. With brings me to the next big letdown. The super evil guys don't die, this is now the third time the taken are being dragged from the grave and I'm afraid it won't stay that way.
After all an entertaining read but not much more then that. I think I'll just leave the black compan...more
After all an entertaining read but not much more then that. I think I'll just leave the black compan...more
The first and second book in this omnibus are by far the best in the series to date. Glen Cook gives us the close-ups we wanted for all three of the first books and a big enough struggle to keep us intrigued. The third book seemed much scrapier and less put together, which I can understand may have been a literary device due to a change in narrator, but it made it a less enjoyable read.
Worth reading through all three though. So glad I have another two omnibusses left.
Worth reading through all three though. So glad I have another two omnibusses left.
I'm not sure why this series grabs me so completely, but every book besides the first one has been great.
On a related note, I went from this book back to Wheel of Time, and Robert Jordan's writing style is so different it feels almost like a different language. I might have to take a day off from reading so that I can recalibrate to a world that has "extraneous things" like scenery. :-)
On a related note, I went from this book back to Wheel of Time, and Robert Jordan's writing style is so different it feels almost like a different language. I might have to take a day off from reading so that I can recalibrate to a world that has "extraneous things" like scenery. :-)
Amazing stuff. Cook manages to tell a solid swords & sorcery tale without falling in to many of the cliches that plague the genre. Each time you think "oh, that guy is the hero and will slay bad guy X", you are thrown for a loop. The moral ambiguity at the heart of the Black Company books is a constant source of interesting turns. Platoon + Lord of the Rings = The Black Company.
Glen Cook was already my favorite author before I started this book, and continually through the series he reminds me why I love his books so much. This continuation of the Black Company was absolutely perfect. Nothing about it is like anything I've read before. His characters are so intricate and multi-faceted, I just can't get over my amazement for this series!
I've read all the chronicles of the Black Company but I find its nice to have them collected in this multi-volume set.
Stalled out after the first two books in this volume... which weren't as good as the first three in the trilogy. Nor was the story arc wrapped up. (2.5 stars)
I might return to the Silver Spike down the road.
I might return to the Silver Spike down the road.
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Glen Cook aka Greg Stevens is a contemporary American science fiction and fantasy author, best known for his fantasy series, The Black Company. Cook currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri.
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