Hoping for a better life, five war veterans colonize an abandoned island. They take with them everything they could possibly need - food, clothes, ...
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Nov 10, 2008
Kim
rated it: 
I must confess, I am not normally one who enjoys reading about war and the military, not even in a fantasy setting. If you do, I think you'll find The Company a fascinating read, and even if you don't, the book is well-written and thought-provoking. Although set in a fantasy world, there is no magic here, and the novel seems to offer a realistic depiction of the process of coming home from war in any pre-industrial world. Parker provides a lot of insight into the bonds formed among soldiers in t
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Dec 30, 2011
Bandit
rated it: 
This book is tough for me to review. I've read so many mixed reviews prior to reading it and I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm pretty sure whoever provided the cover blurb or the book being a cross between LOST and Italian Job, hasn't actually read the book or watched the show or the movie. This is a story about war, about the bond between men and what it can and can't endure. It's very well written with vivid descriptions and realistic dialogue, this is also one of those books that really lets
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Nov 12, 2011
Trey
rated it: 
My second time to read a book by Parker. Should have learned from the first. Could have been a great book, but it isn't. A fine example of a spaghetti book - throw it against the wall and see what stuck.
The cover touts this book as a combination of "The Italian Job" and "Lost". Perhaps it ranks with Lost because it involves an island? Sad that the book must be compared to a movie and a TV series anyway. The plot lacked the substance of either the series or t More...
The cover touts this book as a combination of "The Italian Job" and "Lost". Perhaps it ranks with Lost because it involves an island? Sad that the book must be compared to a movie and a TV series anyway. The plot lacked the substance of either the series or t More...
Apr 09, 2010
Yoon
rated it:
Like the Engineer trilogy, this novel is an ambitious failure: great opening, fascinating developments, a massively underwhelming ending. That being said, Parker excels (as usual) in examining the nasty interactions between men, formerly linebreakers of A Company, now devoted to fulfilling former general Teuche Kunessin's dream of a farm on an island. Sadly for Kunessin, he may have (for the moment) escaped the government, but he can't escape what he brought with him. Darkly cynical and depre
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Sep 02, 2011
Rattyfleef
rated it:
Oh man. See, I couldn't finish it. I liked the worldbuilding (the linebreakers were *fantastic*) and I'm always a sucker for reuniting-the-old-crew stories. But I got half way and haven't picked it up in close to a year so I'm calling this one abandoned.
I had one big difficulty which led to me putting it aside, and I'm pretty sure this can be filed under 'why my brothers think I'm barking mad'.
I couldn't see past the horror story this novel *could* have been. Which is nuts! More...
I had one big difficulty which led to me putting it aside, and I'm pretty sure this can be filed under 'why my brothers think I'm barking mad'.
I couldn't see past the horror story this novel *could* have been. Which is nuts! More...
Jan 19, 2009
Mark
rated it: 
The Company by KJ Parker
Published by Orbit UK, October 2008
448 Pages
ISBN: 9781841495095
(ARC copy received.)
So: the war’s over, the soldiers return home – what happens next?
K J Parker’s latest standalone novel examines such a situation, not often looked at but one clearly relevant in a Fantasy world: what happens to soldiers after the war is over?
The basic story here (though to be fair, KJ’s stories are rarely basic) deals with a More...
Published by Orbit UK, October 2008
448 Pages
ISBN: 9781841495095
(ARC copy received.)
So: the war’s over, the soldiers return home – what happens next?
K J Parker’s latest standalone novel examines such a situation, not often looked at but one clearly relevant in a Fantasy world: what happens to soldiers after the war is over?
The basic story here (though to be fair, KJ’s stories are rarely basic) deals with a More...
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Jan 14, 2010
Laurie
rated it:
Brilliant writer, intriguing premise, and a "fantasy" novel that includes no magic or supernatural components. The fantasy is simply the abandoned island that a group of war veterans colonize in hope of building their own personal utopia. Unfortunately, each of their visions is not quite on the same page and the "situation" is a breeding ground for each of their true natures to be fully realized. KJ Parker has probably the grimmest view of the human soul I've yet to encounter
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Mar 07, 2011
Keith
rated it:
I guess I would call this fantasy only because it is in a different world and there isn't any high tech stuff like you'd see in science fiction. All in all I was disappointed with this book. It is similar to other books I've read by Parker in that you get this anticipation about a big climactic ending and then it just kind of drags for a while and then fizzles out. There were a few details that I was curious to find out what happens but all in all it was pretty boring. Also, I thought the co
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Feb 13, 2010
PlayLaughYoga
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 16, 2010
Mark
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 31, 2009
Brad
rated it: 
Having enjoyed the Engineer's Trilogy I was looking forward to this book, K.J. Parker's first stand alone novel but in the end I was sorely disappointed. First off the character's names were all unpronounceable and that made it difficult and annoying to keep track of who was who and the details of their lives. Second, all the characters were irredeemable so that at the end I did not really care what happened to them. Third, this book was slow going. It took me the same amount of time to read thi
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Jan 26, 2011
Leif
rated it:
Just like the engineer trilogy, Parker has produced another of those damn novels where I can't describe it to my friends without actually describing the whole background of the story.
"What'ca reading?"
"A book."
"Fantasy?"
"Well, not exactly... See there was this war, and during the war, this group of dudes were a really close knit group, because-"
"Wait, so it's historical?"
"No, the war never happened."
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"What'ca reading?"
"A book."
"Fantasy?"
"Well, not exactly... See there was this war, and during the war, this group of dudes were a really close knit group, because-"
"Wait, so it's historical?"
"No, the war never happened."
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Mar 16, 2010
Russell
rated it:
Pretty good and okay-ish. Plot focuses on 5 legendary war heroes that reunite to populate an island and build their own little world.
Parker's stuff always seems to have a good/bad mix of very realistic understanding of how hard it is to get things done. Where other books gloss over what it takes to build something or plan for something, Parker helps you see that management makes a difference.
Having said that, its just not fun enough a read to recommend. I like that all the characte More...
Parker's stuff always seems to have a good/bad mix of very realistic understanding of how hard it is to get things done. Where other books gloss over what it takes to build something or plan for something, Parker helps you see that management makes a difference.
Having said that, its just not fun enough a read to recommend. I like that all the characte More...
Oct 15, 2011
Ruth
rated it:
c2008. I seem to have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this author. The common theme seems to be taking the "heroes" and then have them do some morally questionable things or the bad people doing good things. The style of writing sweeps me into the story and then about half way through - I start to dislike all the characters.....and the endings are not satisfying at all - hence the love/hate thing. I seem to find them depressing at the end which is not at all what I read for (and
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Nov 04, 2009
Mikolaj
rated it:
Interesting. A K.J. Parker book lacking lengthy expositions on pre-industrial technology and manufacturing processes? What is the world coming to? This seems to have been written as an exercise in focussing on character development, to the detriment of K.J.'s usually meticulous world-building... and, unfortunately, plot. The lead still displays, at times, the Asperger's-like internal monologue typical to her characters, but undeniably this book has a better developed and broader set of character
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Oct 22, 2009
Ty-real
rated it:
In my search for new fantasy books, I've always been meaning to check out KJ Parker. He seems to suffer from the annoying tendency that a lot of fantasy authors do; the curse of the trilogy. So when I stumbled upon this stand alone novel it provided a big incentive to get my ass into gear.
The story goes like this: recently retired from the army, General Teuche Kussenin tracks down his four companions from his time during the war and offers them a proposition. Come with me and colonis More...
The story goes like this: recently retired from the army, General Teuche Kussenin tracks down his four companions from his time during the war and offers them a proposition. Come with me and colonis More...
Jan 31, 2012
Megan
rated it:
(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com.au/)
This book was ruined for me by an offhand comment I saw after reading it. ‘Hey,’ the comment said, ‘wouldn’t The Company have been a really awesome horror story?’
And damn it. Because, yes, The Company would have made a truly awesome horror story. Now, instead appreciating it for what it was, all I can think about is what it could have been. Which is stupidly unfair of me. It’s like going to a Chinese restaurant and then g More...
This book was ruined for me by an offhand comment I saw after reading it. ‘Hey,’ the comment said, ‘wouldn’t The Company have been a really awesome horror story?’
And damn it. Because, yes, The Company would have made a truly awesome horror story. Now, instead appreciating it for what it was, all I can think about is what it could have been. Which is stupidly unfair of me. It’s like going to a Chinese restaurant and then g More...
Jul 06, 2011
Mandy
rated it:
2.5 stars...I'm being generous with 3.
I suppose The Company was a book about human nature. I can't think of anything else it might have been about.
My first problem is that if there's a book lying around, I will pick it up and read a few pages.
My second problem is that if I read past a certain point in a book (say, 1/4 of the way through) I find it very hard to put it down.
My husband requested this book, so I checked out from the library for him. Then I picked it up More...
I suppose The Company was a book about human nature. I can't think of anything else it might have been about.
My first problem is that if there's a book lying around, I will pick it up and read a few pages.
My second problem is that if I read past a certain point in a book (say, 1/4 of the way through) I find it very hard to put it down.
My husband requested this book, so I checked out from the library for him. Then I picked it up More...
Jun 02, 2010
Dave
rated it:
So...yeah.
I picked this book up because I was searching for something different from what I've been reading lately, and since I was in the 'fantasy'/'sci-fi' section at my local Borders...I happened across this book. What really caught my attention was the blurb on the cover from some reviewer from SFF WORLD saying, "Imagine LOST meets THE ITALIAN JOB...". Being a fan of LOST and having enjoyed (at least) the remake of THE ITALIAN JOB, I figured, "why not?" and More...
I picked this book up because I was searching for something different from what I've been reading lately, and since I was in the 'fantasy'/'sci-fi' section at my local Borders...I happened across this book. What really caught my attention was the blurb on the cover from some reviewer from SFF WORLD saying, "Imagine LOST meets THE ITALIAN JOB...". Being a fan of LOST and having enjoyed (at least) the remake of THE ITALIAN JOB, I figured, "why not?" and More...
Nov 09, 2009
Nichole
rated it:
I loved The Engineer Trilogy, and I really enjoyed most of this book. I did get a little lost towards the end, but I was reading while traveling and may not have given the book the attention it deserved. I liked the island setting, I liked the twisted personal dynamics of the group, and I liked the melding of past and present to unwind the plot. I'm not sure I liked the ending.
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May 12, 2011
Paul
rated it:
“Other people help themselves to penknives and inkwells; if they’re feeling really daring, they might liberate a keg of nails or a few lengths of timber. You steal bits of geography.”—“The Company”
Throughout the course of English literature, islands have often been used as settings, mainly because they serve as the perfect microcosm for civilization and society. Jonathan Swift established this tradition in “Gulliver’s Travels,” using the various island inhabitants Gulliver encounters t More...
Throughout the course of English literature, islands have often been used as settings, mainly because they serve as the perfect microcosm for civilization and society. Jonathan Swift established this tradition in “Gulliver’s Travels,” using the various island inhabitants Gulliver encounters t More...
Dec 31, 2008
Schnaucl
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 23, 2008
Terrence
rated it:
I grabbed this ARC (advanced reading copy) from work because it looked interesting; the publisher touted it as a fantasy and I thought I would take a crack at it. The plot is relatively straightforward: 5 close-knit former soldiers (and efficient killers) leave their ties behind to go live on a deserted island. This group had been involved in a long war and were having trouble adjusting to peaceful society, especially after their savage experiences in the war, so they set out to make a society
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Jan 25, 2010
Luis
rated it:
I had an advanced reading copy of this book, so it may be slighty different, and certainly better edited in final form.
The book has a fascinating premise. Post war, a band of warriors attempt to set up an idyllic life on an island, away from the troubles of civilization. But a discovery on the island makes life more complicated than anyone dreamed. With human nature being what it is, plenty of unanticipated problems make life there more of a living hell than heaven.
The book has a fascinating premise. Post war, a band of warriors attempt to set up an idyllic life on an island, away from the troubles of civilization. But a discovery on the island makes life more complicated than anyone dreamed. With human nature being what it is, plenty of unanticipated problems make life there more of a living hell than heaven.
Feb 05, 2009
Michael
rated it:
I believe it took longer to read this one-off Sci-fi novel than it took me to read the first two volumes of In Search of Lost Time. There are many exterior reasons for this, but I'd like to blame the book almost entirely. Parker is a smart person (a pseudonym, so I don't know if man or woman, although I can't imagine a woman would write this way about women), the text is full of instructions one could use practically to live on a desert island. But the details don't make the story. The ideas in
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Dec 05, 2011
Joe
rated it:
While I read The Company I kept thinking it seems like the author doesn't want the reader to invest too heavily in the main characters. Nice guys, war heroes, farming ambitions - simpletons really. They take wives to their island out of a labor necessity and hopes to populate their colony rather than love and no one character is made to seem any more righteous or immoral than the rest. All I can say is that by the end of the book - the very end - it is all clear why this is so.
Feb 01, 2010
Colin
rated it:
Not a typtical fantasy. This takes place in an unnamed other world which seems to be at a level of science and technology somewhere between the 1400's and the 1800's.
It's a hard book to describe without giving much away but it basically follows a group of five men who were in the same military Company during a war and have gather together to found a farming colony.
The characters are all interesting and well developed, the history is rich and the plot is wonderful and in it's own w More...
It's a hard book to describe without giving much away but it basically follows a group of five men who were in the same military Company during a war and have gather together to found a farming colony.
The characters are all interesting and well developed, the history is rich and the plot is wonderful and in it's own w More...
Dec 29, 2009
Christine
rated it:
This was a very interesting book about what war does to society and to the men who fight in the war. The group of 5 men survived a war by becoming unbeatable warriors but had difficulty adjusting to life away from each other. The ending was far from satisfying to anyone who looked for a happy resolution but was believable for the characters.
Sep 01, 2011
Nick
rated it:
I'm not usually into "fantasy" books, but this one wasn't really a fantasy in the traditional "orcs and dragons" sense. It's really a deep psychological portrayal of what happens to warriors after the war. The end didn't quite work for me, but the journey there was incredible and I really wanted to get back to it when I put it down.
May 09, 2010
Raja
rated it:
This was a quick read, and quite difficult to put down. It was enjoyable overall, but there were a few points where I thought that character actions didn't make complete sense from a motivation perspective. Unfortunately, one of those points was the end of the book. I'm still glad I read it, but I wasn't satisfied with how things were left given the build-up.
