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 de...
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reviews
Dec 18, 2011
Adrienne
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Any book that makes me want to drop my relatively comfortable life to join a mercenary company with at best a fluid sense of morality is doing something right. I'd be signing up for long marches through snow and mud, for following orders (no questions asked), and for the occasional massacre, and frankly, that's not normally me. Huh.
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did! I was pleasantly surprised. I accidentally began reading the second compilation of books in this series More...
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did! I was pleasantly surprised. I accidentally began reading the second compilation of books in this series More...
Oct 13, 2009
Zachary
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I love and hate this trilogy. Glen Cook drew me in, led me to fall in love with characters, and then let me down. This was a common theme as I read. The story would hook and reel me in, then suddenly I would lose interest or feel like the story was incomplete at parts and stop reading for a week or two. I had to push myself to get through this book.
I love the characters. Croaker, One-Eye, Goblin, Raven, The Lady, Darling, Silent, and Tracker. They are all unforgettable. Very complex, More...
I love the characters. Croaker, One-Eye, Goblin, Raven, The Lady, Darling, Silent, and Tracker. They are all unforgettable. Very complex, More...
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Feb 16, 2009
Simon
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this book contains the first three volumes of an absolutely amazing fantasy series introduced to me by my friend jesse. the black company books offer bloody-minded and gripping military fiction, with cleverly done concepts of sorcery and its practitioners interwoven. at the time I was reading this I thought, "this might be the best goddamned fantasy I've read since Tolkien." rather, scratch the "since Tolkien" part. since reading this series, I have discovered a couple of oth
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Oct 28, 2008
Shane
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This was a good read. I would recommend it to any Science Fiction Fantasy reader. It is a bit different than other Fantasy books I have read in that it is more or less in journal form as per the Croaker, the company’s physician, historian, also the narrator of the novels.
I really like how Glen Cook does not portray the characters as too strong or powerful and grounds the novel in a more human perspective.
Also, you have to really think about what you are reading as his s More...
I really like how Glen Cook does not portray the characters as too strong or powerful and grounds the novel in a more human perspective.
Also, you have to really think about what you are reading as his s More...
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Aug 28, 2009
Alfonso
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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 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 c More...
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 c More...
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Apr 02, 2009
Peter
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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 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 u More...
I first read 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 u More...
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Sep 30, 2011
Daniel
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I'm not certain why I was suddenly extremely interested in reading some Glen Cook novels, but I suspect that I came across some reviews that fascinated me, so off to the library web-site I went and requested a couple of books. This was the first to arrive, which seemed nice, being, actually, three books in one.
It took me a little bit to get in to the first book, the abbreviated speech and short-hand conversation that the characters seemed to use, but once I got accustomed to this, I More...
It took me a little bit to get in to the first book, the abbreviated speech and short-hand conversation that the characters seemed to use, but once I got accustomed to this, I More...
Aug 27, 2011
Lightreads
rated it: 
Well, that was . . . testicular. Military fantasy about a company of mercenaries, with one of those completely flat, non-ideological conflicts where we’re told X and Y persons are evil, but we have no context for any of it. So what you have left is a bunch of battle summaries (boring) and some local color (all men, don’t ask about the women. Just don’t’).
I think my real problem is that this is told by the company doctor writing the history. He freely admits that he is eliding and pre More...
I think my real problem is that this is told by the company doctor writing the history. He freely admits that he is eliding and pre More...
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May 25, 2011
Joshua
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Almost from the moment I finished reading this book and every subsequent one in the series, Glen Cook has been my favorite author. His narrative is great and his characters are both fully developed and individually unique. Almost from the beginning you get the feeling you know each of them. In my opinion, characterization has always been Cook's biggest strength and these books provide the reader with a great example of what to expect from his work.
That being said, the story itself More...
That being said, the story itself More...
Feb 09, 2011
Kiel
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First impression: I'm noticing some verb tense issues: "He grinned feebly. His face was pale. His pate looks like a polished ostrich egg." The narration is abrupt and seems to leave a lot of description out, in a sort of noir style where the narration limits itself to character action and dialogue with very little description of scene. (We do get an idea of the setting through that characterization, though.) I get the impression that he's a writer who is not comfortable with his abilit
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Jan 10, 2011
JS
rated it: 
I gave up on this one. I can see why some people might like it, but in the end this book has none of the things that I look for in fantasy.
In the first place, Cooke's descriptive style is extremely sparse. Very little is described and much is implied or left to the imagination. This is a good thing, I suppose, since given how appallingly grim this book is it might be even more revolting if things were described in detail. As is, the style of this book is like one of those modern paint More...
In the first place, Cooke's descriptive style is extremely sparse. Very little is described and much is implied or left to the imagination. This is a good thing, I suppose, since given how appallingly grim this book is it might be even more revolting if things were described in detail. As is, the style of this book is like one of those modern paint More...
Sep 05, 2010
Heather
rated it:
I really liked these books.
Thinking back on it, I can't remember much of the first book but I do remember that I wasn't really that interested in the story until the Second book.
What really got me interested was the parts that included the Lady.
When reading this book I went into it thinking that it was going to be like most books I've read. Maybe one character's point of view in a sort of memoir style about what happened in their life with detailed accounts. More...
Thinking back on it, I can't remember much of the first book but I do remember that I wasn't really that interested in the story until the Second book.
What really got me interested was the parts that included the Lady.
When reading this book I went into it thinking that it was going to be like most books I've read. Maybe one character's point of view in a sort of memoir style about what happened in their life with detailed accounts. More...
Jul 18, 2010
Luke
rated it:
Amazing books! I read all 12 or so of them and they just got better as the world of the Black Company got bigger and bigger. It eventually became mind-boggling. I love the hardcore manly-ness with a mix of romance and just this unknown step leaving the reader craving more information on how something works in the Company's world of magic. I would be reading and literally tear the pages out during battle scenes or moments of suspense. The characters were amazing and perfectly developed. Goblin a
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Feb 15, 2010
John
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An interesting look at the "other side" of a classic fantasy situation where one force fights against a despotic empire ruled by practitioners of black magic. What kind of men would fight to uphold such a system? Men like those of the Black Company.
The Company is a mercenary force whose members find their morality in doing their job and supporting their comrades. They're professionals who leave the "politics" to others. Later in the story we learn that "t More...
The Company is a mercenary force whose members find their morality in doing their job and supporting their comrades. They're professionals who leave the "politics" to others. Later in the story we learn that "t More...
Jan 09, 2012
Alytha
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The plot follows the eponymous Black Company, a mercenary company, over 40 years on their travels and campaigns around the world (a map would have been nice to see where they actually are going), as chronicled by the Keeper of the annals, and physician, Croaker. After having somewhat forcefully concluded their former contract, they accidentally find themselves allied with the Lady, an evil warlady and sorceress..oops...
A couple of hundred years ago, the Lady and her husband, the Domina More...
A couple of hundred years ago, the Lady and her husband, the Domina More...
Nov 10, 2011
Ulrich
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Like a few other reviewers, I was looking for a gritty fantasy series or novel. Unfortunately, some 70 pages in, I had to abandon this one due to some glaring weaknesses.
1. I found it to be a poor choice to have a first person point of view in the form of Croaker to tell the story. It's a group of mercenaries and a world that are unknown to the reader. The writing wasn't strong enough to present the story in this fashion.
2. There was no map. I read that Glen Cook doesn't do m More...
1. I found it to be a poor choice to have a first person point of view in the form of Croaker to tell the story. It's a group of mercenaries and a world that are unknown to the reader. The writing wasn't strong enough to present the story in this fashion.
2. There was no map. I read that Glen Cook doesn't do m More...
Jan 21, 2010
Greg
rated it:
This book is a collection of Cook's first three books about the Black Company. The narrator and main characters in the story are a part of a historic mercenary group called the Black Company. The story and tone are more like Robert Hemphill's Platoon and other war journals than more traditional fantasy stories.
Cook really surprised me. While reading the first book in the series I was worried that The Black Company would be similar to many fantasy plots, but he took his story and c More...
Cook really surprised me. While reading the first book in the series I was worried that The Black Company would be similar to many fantasy plots, but he took his story and c More...
Mar 15, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
I gave this book a five because it does exactly what it sets out to do. It is gritty, dark and fantastic from start to finish. Nothing is sugar-coated. You follow the lives and adventures of a band of mercenaries. Their work is not pretty, and they're not always fighting for that good guys. This limbo Cook places his characters and readers in - a limbo in which there is no clear good and evil - works really well throughout all three books. It is unsettling and challenging, which is rare for fant
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Jul 14, 2011
Kathleen
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This was an amazing book! It was one of the first Fantasy novels to use the ordinary-man-put-in-extraordinary-circumstances technique, and the author uses the technique very well. The book doesn't have any monsters really (at least, not in the usual fashion). And, although it does have a magical component, the author draws a distinct line between parlor tricks and truly powerful beings. This gives it the extra touch necessary to pull of a magical book. The author's ability to create characters t
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Mar 26, 2009
Jason
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This book was just absolutely phenomenal. The thing that was craziest about it was when I was about a quarter into the first book of this three book collection, I was ready to put it down. It read like a war story set in a fantasy world. Which is apt because that's exactly what it is. However, I wasn't interested in a war story. I like to read about characters and their development and interactions with other characters. However this was a gift from a friend who gave it with high praise an
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Apr 27, 2010
Michael
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This book (or rather, these books, since this is an omnibus of a trilogy) is fan-freakin-tastic. I read the whole damned thing so fast I can't separate them in my head.
Lots of action, journeys, deaths, and the like. Mostly believable, despite being quite entrenched in the epic-fantasy realm.
It does jump the shark a few times, and does not hold onto its own premises an quite a few places. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil it for you.
That being said, the style is adult and More...
Lots of action, journeys, deaths, and the like. Mostly believable, despite being quite entrenched in the epic-fantasy realm.
It does jump the shark a few times, and does not hold onto its own premises an quite a few places. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil it for you.
That being said, the style is adult and More...
Sep 11, 2009
Henry
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Wow, I really like this series! The author really captures the feel of camaraderie and the bonds that are formed by men serving in combat. Those are the things that anybody that served in the military, whether today or a thousand years ago will most miss after their service is done. The author wonderfully describes what is like to be miserable in the cold, to be wet when sleeping outside, and to want nothing more but a warm, dry place to sleep...those were the parts that have me smiling thinking
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Dec 06, 2011
Anne
rated it:
You love and hate these books. These are not fantasy novels at all; these are war journals of a non-magic user in a quasi-fantasy setting.
If you are familiar with Cook's Garrett series I have to warn you, the writing style is very different and these is even less useful descriptices to go on. Don't ever expect to imagine a complete picture, you'll never get it. We are never told exactly why the factions are fighting or why one evil overlord is worse than the others, just that they are More...
If you are familiar with Cook's Garrett series I have to warn you, the writing style is very different and these is even less useful descriptices to go on. Don't ever expect to imagine a complete picture, you'll never get it. We are never told exactly why the factions are fighting or why one evil overlord is worse than the others, just that they are More...
Apr 17, 2009
Rich
rated it:
What first engaged me about The Black Company books was their grittiness, and unflinching darkness. These guys are a company of mercenaries caught up in fighting a battle between two evil powers. They take their pay, and do their job. But in the end there is some light, they do have some scruples, even for hired soldiers.
Cook gives us the grunts eye view of the war. Not told from the point of view of the generals, but the guys in the trenches--the cannon fodder, as it were.
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Cook gives us the grunts eye view of the war. Not told from the point of view of the generals, but the guys in the trenches--the cannon fodder, as it were.
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Feb 21, 2011
Lindsay
rated it:
This volume compiles the first trilogy of Black Company books: The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose. It's a fantastic read. Thank you to all my Seattle friends who recommended this book to me.
It did take me a little bit to get used to the style at the start of the first one. The narrative opens with almost no explanation, just snippets of what's happening as the city The Company is working in begins to collapse around them into rioting factions. They make more than a f More...
It did take me a little bit to get used to the style at the start of the first one. The narrative opens with almost no explanation, just snippets of what's happening as the city The Company is working in begins to collapse around them into rioting factions. They make more than a f More...
Jun 15, 2008
Justin
rated it:
This was really more interesting to me in terms of how it influenced Steven Erikson, and perhaps all of fantasy, than on its own.
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Jul 30, 2011
Anna
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It took me a while to read this one. Not because it is thick (I have no problems with thick books, often it is a plus). Just at the begninning the plot was really slow - this is easy to understand, author needs time to introduce heros, story and world to readers. But then the pace should quicken. Nothing like this. There were too many descriptions of battles, preparations to them, etc. I could use some less. But then the book got really interesting in the last 250 pages (where the Company left J
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Nov 11, 2011
Lord
rated it:
I was really excited to read this collection. I'd heard it was a popular series and Cook's contribution to a Jack Vance tribute was one of my favorites.
I barely made it through the first book and will probably not continue with the series; it was very disappointing. Meaningless battle follows meaningless battle. The plot meanders from one vignette to another almost indistinguishable vignette, leading to a final slaughter-filled boss battle. Yawn.
There is basically alm More...
I barely made it through the first book and will probably not continue with the series; it was very disappointing. Meaningless battle follows meaningless battle. The plot meanders from one vignette to another almost indistinguishable vignette, leading to a final slaughter-filled boss battle. Yawn.
There is basically alm More...
May 10, 2011
Brandon
rated it:
I really want to like Glen Cook's work - dark, gritty fantasy with no true heroes, only shades of gray, where the protagonists are often pretty unsavory folk? But his writing style is infuriatingly choppy; it's like he can only express himself through sentence fragments. I've read that this is supposed to be the style of the narrator in the Black Company series, but it's also present in the only other Cook novel I've read (the first "Instrumentalities of the Night" book - another sto
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Jul 21, 2009
Ramsey
rated it:
Not your typical fantasy saga. The Chronicles of the Black Company are an unusual fantasy series in that one can find themselves forgetting that the characters are stuck in the middle of epic narrative. The many issues that feature in this series are complex, yet ultimately realistic. Whether they be protagonist or antagonist, the characters come across as real human beings. Even the candour of the narrator must be deemed as suspect, given the natural short comings of a one person tale. Regardle
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