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The Books of the South #0.5-2
The Black Company Goes South
After the Black Company has taken care of the Dominator in the north, the few survivors choose to go south to find out the real history of the Black Company and to find fabled Kathovar, the origin of the Black Company itself. On their travels south they find new friends and old and new enemies, but looming over everything is the fact that their name, the sole uttering of the Black Company, seems to strike fear into the hearts of those who hear it. It seems, the real history of the Black Company is darker than everyone could have imagined.
755 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
552 people are currently reading
4199 people want to read
About the author
Glen Cook
158 books3,704 followersGlen Cook was born in New York City, lived in southern Indiana as a small child, then grew up in Northern California. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy and attended the University of Missouri. He worked for General Motors for 33 years, retiring some years ago. He started writing short stories in 7th grade, had several published in a high school literary magazine. He began writing with malicious intent to publish in 1968, eventually producing 51 books and a number of short fiction pieces.
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
December 4, 2019
Great stories and character development for The Lady, but I still have mixed feelings towards Cook’s prose.
The Books of the South consists of Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, and a spin-off called The Silver Spike. Same as the previous omnibus, I’ll be doing a short spoiler-free review for each book.
Shadow Games: 3.5/5 stars
The Books of the South begins with Shadow Games, which is the fourth installment in The Chronicles of the Black Company. The story continues with the member of the Black Company marching south to Khatovar, the place of the Company’s origin. During their mission, they’re chased and hounded by a new group of enemies called the Shadowmasters. Croaker is back once again as the main narrator, and honestly, although I’ve gotten used to reading his first-person narration, I also have to admit that I get tired from reading his POV quickly. His cynicism and sarcasm are fun in small doses but not for long. Just to give a bit of data, Shadow Games is 220 pages long in this omnibus, and it took me three days to read it; I usually read around 200 or 300 pages a day. I think what made this book a bit boring was the travelogues. Almost the entirety of the novel is The Black Company marching. That being said, I enjoyed reading the characters development in this book, especially for Croaker and The Lady. The last section of this book was filled with battle and eventually ends with a cliffhanger.
Dreams of Steel: 3.5/5 stars
Dreams of Steel is the fifth book within the series; it marks the halfway point of the series. The story picks up immediately from where the cliffhanger left off in Shadow Games. I personally found this book (together with Shadows Linger) to be the best books within the series so far. A huge part of why I enjoyed this one more was the change in the main POV’s perspective. Dreams of Steel is told in multi-perspective but the first-person narration is done by The Lady, hence why it’s also called Book of The Lady. I honestly didn’t expect The Lady to become such an awesome and complex character with a gradual and believable development. I was getting tired of reading Croaker’s first-person perspective for four books now and it felt refreshing to read The Lady’s first-person narration. I’ve also come to realize that I find Cook’s writing to be the most engaging when he’s not writing from Croaker’s first-person perspective.
The Silver Spike: 2/5 stars
After finding the series’ improvement in Dreams of Steel, it was quite disappointing to read The Silver Spike, a spin-off that takes place around the same time of Shadow Games. The plot in this one focuses on the group that didn’t march south with Croaker’s group. Unfortunately, this ended up being the lowest point of the series for me despite being back with some characters we’ve met before that were missing from book 4 and 5. I’m not sure whether reading this before I binged-read Shadow Games and Dreams of Steel would help or not, but reading it right after Dreams of Steel was meh. Considering that the publication dated before the fifth book, I think this was meant to be read before it for a better experience.
The Books of the South served well as an omnibus with a good grimdark story of more or less the same quality as the previous three books. Despite enjoying the main stories, I still have mixed feelings towards Cook’s prose. It’s a huge dilemma for me because I do want to know the continuation to The Lady’s story immediately but I’m going to take a month break before I dive back into this series. Two more omnibuses await, and I plan to finish them before the end of the year.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
The Books of the South consists of Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, and a spin-off called The Silver Spike. Same as the previous omnibus, I’ll be doing a short spoiler-free review for each book.
Shadow Games: 3.5/5 stars
The Books of the South begins with Shadow Games, which is the fourth installment in The Chronicles of the Black Company. The story continues with the member of the Black Company marching south to Khatovar, the place of the Company’s origin. During their mission, they’re chased and hounded by a new group of enemies called the Shadowmasters. Croaker is back once again as the main narrator, and honestly, although I’ve gotten used to reading his first-person narration, I also have to admit that I get tired from reading his POV quickly. His cynicism and sarcasm are fun in small doses but not for long. Just to give a bit of data, Shadow Games is 220 pages long in this omnibus, and it took me three days to read it; I usually read around 200 or 300 pages a day. I think what made this book a bit boring was the travelogues. Almost the entirety of the novel is The Black Company marching. That being said, I enjoyed reading the characters development in this book, especially for Croaker and The Lady. The last section of this book was filled with battle and eventually ends with a cliffhanger.
“Every ounce of my cynicism is supported by historical precedent.”
Dreams of Steel: 3.5/5 stars
Dreams of Steel is the fifth book within the series; it marks the halfway point of the series. The story picks up immediately from where the cliffhanger left off in Shadow Games. I personally found this book (together with Shadows Linger) to be the best books within the series so far. A huge part of why I enjoyed this one more was the change in the main POV’s perspective. Dreams of Steel is told in multi-perspective but the first-person narration is done by The Lady, hence why it’s also called Book of The Lady. I honestly didn’t expect The Lady to become such an awesome and complex character with a gradual and believable development. I was getting tired of reading Croaker’s first-person perspective for four books now and it felt refreshing to read The Lady’s first-person narration. I’ve also come to realize that I find Cook’s writing to be the most engaging when he’s not writing from Croaker’s first-person perspective.
“More evil gets done in the name of righteousness than any other way.”
The Silver Spike: 2/5 stars
After finding the series’ improvement in Dreams of Steel, it was quite disappointing to read The Silver Spike, a spin-off that takes place around the same time of Shadow Games. The plot in this one focuses on the group that didn’t march south with Croaker’s group. Unfortunately, this ended up being the lowest point of the series for me despite being back with some characters we’ve met before that were missing from book 4 and 5. I’m not sure whether reading this before I binged-read Shadow Games and Dreams of Steel would help or not, but reading it right after Dreams of Steel was meh. Considering that the publication dated before the fifth book, I think this was meant to be read before it for a better experience.
The Books of the South served well as an omnibus with a good grimdark story of more or less the same quality as the previous three books. Despite enjoying the main stories, I still have mixed feelings towards Cook’s prose. It’s a huge dilemma for me because I do want to know the continuation to The Lady’s story immediately but I’m going to take a month break before I dive back into this series. Two more omnibuses await, and I plan to finish them before the end of the year.
“I guess each of us, at some time, finds one person with whom we are compelled toward absolute honesty, one person whose good opinion of us becomes a substitute for the broader opinion of the world. And that opinion becomes more important than all our sneaky, sleazy schemes of greed, lust, self-aggrandizement, whatever we are up to while lying the world into believing we are just plain nice folks. I was her truth object, and she was mine.”
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
November 20, 2015
3.5 stars (based on my individual ratings for all three books)
The heart is stilled but the corpse stumbles on. The Company is dead in fact but not in name.
And we, O merciless gods, stand witness to the power of names.
After decades of fighting in the dark empire of the north, the huge and devastating battle at the Tower of Charm, and the awakening of an ancient evil in the Barrowland, the Black Company turns south in a quest to find its mysterious origins and the long lost city of Khatovar.
Shadow Games tells the story of the journey south from the Barrowland, through Charm and Opal, and eventually to the city of Taglios in the far south. Croaker and his companions come closer to their final destination than ever before, but in their path stands a new and dark empire formed by the mysterious Shadowmasters, great sorcerers of unknown origin. Left with no choice but to stay put, the Black Company takes on a contract for the rulers of Taglios, to defend the city against the evil sorcerers and their armies, and marches forth to a climactic battle outside the city of Dejagore.
In Dreams of Steel, the great battle of Dejagore is over, with devastating consequences for the last of the Free Companies of Khatovar. The infamous black battle standard disappears in the following chaos and confusion, and several key members of the Company are lost. The battle delivers Taglios from the jaws of its enemies, but the Shadowmasters still pull the strings in secret. And all the while, greater evils arise from the darkness...
These two books were thoroughly enjoyable to read, and I would have to say that they are my favourites in this series so far, even better than the first trilogy. Cook’s simple writing style is still as delightful as it was in the beginning of the series. Croaker is still an excellent protagonist and narrator, and also develops into a much stronger character in this second part than in the first. And the Lady takes the step up from being the most fascinating character in this series to becoming one of my favourite fantasy characters ever.
The setting is another remarkable aspect of these two books, and a much more interesting one than the northern empire. With a landscape of everything from desert to jungles, years divided into rain and drought seasons, a polytheistic religion with hundreds of gods and a powerful priesthood, a society shaped by its caste system, and names like Dejagore, Prahbrindrah Drah and Narayan Singh, it is pretty obvious that this land is loosely based on India. I’ve been looking for an Indian fantasy setting for some time, and this one was particularly well developed.
The Silver Spike, however, was unfortunately quite disappointing both compared to the other books and in itself. It is a spin-off novel about those of the Company who chose to stay behind in the northern empire. When a gang of petty criminals get their hands on the Silver Spike, holding the essence of the Dominator, all hell breaks loose as all the wizards in the north with the slightest desire for power attempts to get their hands on the spike and the dark magic within it.
So far, The Silver Spike is definitely the weakest book in the Black Company series in my eyes, simply because there was nothing interesting about it. Neither story, characters, writing nor setting were comparable to the other books, and it just left me aching to get back to Croaker and the Lady and the main story.
After reading the two first books, I was convinced that this omnibus would be better than the first. Unfortunately, reading the last book changed my mind about that. Still, there’s no denying that the Chronicles of the Black Company has turned into one of my favourite fantasy series, and I am definitely excited about continuing with the series.
I'll end this review with my favourite quote from this series so far:
"In the night the winds die and silence rules the place of glittering stone."
The heart is stilled but the corpse stumbles on. The Company is dead in fact but not in name.
And we, O merciless gods, stand witness to the power of names.
After decades of fighting in the dark empire of the north, the huge and devastating battle at the Tower of Charm, and the awakening of an ancient evil in the Barrowland, the Black Company turns south in a quest to find its mysterious origins and the long lost city of Khatovar.
Shadow Games tells the story of the journey south from the Barrowland, through Charm and Opal, and eventually to the city of Taglios in the far south. Croaker and his companions come closer to their final destination than ever before, but in their path stands a new and dark empire formed by the mysterious Shadowmasters, great sorcerers of unknown origin. Left with no choice but to stay put, the Black Company takes on a contract for the rulers of Taglios, to defend the city against the evil sorcerers and their armies, and marches forth to a climactic battle outside the city of Dejagore.
In Dreams of Steel, the great battle of Dejagore is over, with devastating consequences for the last of the Free Companies of Khatovar. The infamous black battle standard disappears in the following chaos and confusion, and several key members of the Company are lost. The battle delivers Taglios from the jaws of its enemies, but the Shadowmasters still pull the strings in secret. And all the while, greater evils arise from the darkness...
These two books were thoroughly enjoyable to read, and I would have to say that they are my favourites in this series so far, even better than the first trilogy. Cook’s simple writing style is still as delightful as it was in the beginning of the series. Croaker is still an excellent protagonist and narrator, and also develops into a much stronger character in this second part than in the first. And the Lady takes the step up from being the most fascinating character in this series to becoming one of my favourite fantasy characters ever.
The setting is another remarkable aspect of these two books, and a much more interesting one than the northern empire. With a landscape of everything from desert to jungles, years divided into rain and drought seasons, a polytheistic religion with hundreds of gods and a powerful priesthood, a society shaped by its caste system, and names like Dejagore, Prahbrindrah Drah and Narayan Singh, it is pretty obvious that this land is loosely based on India. I’ve been looking for an Indian fantasy setting for some time, and this one was particularly well developed.
The Silver Spike, however, was unfortunately quite disappointing both compared to the other books and in itself. It is a spin-off novel about those of the Company who chose to stay behind in the northern empire. When a gang of petty criminals get their hands on the Silver Spike, holding the essence of the Dominator, all hell breaks loose as all the wizards in the north with the slightest desire for power attempts to get their hands on the spike and the dark magic within it.
So far, The Silver Spike is definitely the weakest book in the Black Company series in my eyes, simply because there was nothing interesting about it. Neither story, characters, writing nor setting were comparable to the other books, and it just left me aching to get back to Croaker and the Lady and the main story.
After reading the two first books, I was convinced that this omnibus would be better than the first. Unfortunately, reading the last book changed my mind about that. Still, there’s no denying that the Chronicles of the Black Company has turned into one of my favourite fantasy series, and I am definitely excited about continuing with the series.
I'll end this review with my favourite quote from this series so far:
"In the night the winds die and silence rules the place of glittering stone."
April 17, 2024
I read 3 short stories and 9 books of the Black Company Series and maybe with some easygoing on The Silver Spike, this series is one of my top ten favorites.
The Black Company (The Book of the North #1) ⭐9.25/10
Shadows Linger (The Book of the North #2) ⭐9.5/10
The White Rose (The Book of the North #3) ⭐9/10
The Silver Spike 3.5 (The Book of the South #0.5) ⭐6.5/10
Shadow Games 4 (The Book of the South #1) ⭐9.25/10
Dreams of Steel 5 (The Book of the South #2) ⭐9/10
Bleak Seasons 6 (The Book of the Glittering Stone #1) ⭐9/10
She is the Darkness 7 (The Book of the Glittering Stone #2) ⭐8.5/10
Water Sleeps 8 (The Book of the Glittering Stone #3) ⭐8/10
Short Stories:
0.4 Raker
0.5 Smelling Danger
1.2 Tides Elba
1.3 Bone Candy ⭐8/10
2.2 Shaggy Dog Bridge ⭐9/10
2.3 Bone Eaters ⭐8/10
to read list:
BOOK 1.5 Port of Shadows
BOOK 9 Soldiers Live
The Black Company (The Book of the North #1) ⭐9.25/10
Shadows Linger (The Book of the North #2) ⭐9.5/10
The White Rose (The Book of the North #3) ⭐9/10
The Silver Spike 3.5 (The Book of the South #0.5) ⭐6.5/10
Shadow Games 4 (The Book of the South #1) ⭐9.25/10
Dreams of Steel 5 (The Book of the South #2) ⭐9/10
Bleak Seasons 6 (The Book of the Glittering Stone #1) ⭐9/10
She is the Darkness 7 (The Book of the Glittering Stone #2) ⭐8.5/10
Water Sleeps 8 (The Book of the Glittering Stone #3) ⭐8/10
Short Stories:
0.4 Raker
0.5 Smelling Danger
1.2 Tides Elba
1.3 Bone Candy ⭐8/10
2.2 Shaggy Dog Bridge ⭐9/10
2.3 Bone Eaters ⭐8/10
to read list:
BOOK 1.5 Port of Shadows
BOOK 9 Soldiers Live
May 2, 2018
Book 4: Shadow Games
3.5 Stars
Well well well. Who would have thought my feelings towards the black company would be overwhelmingly positive. Not me that's for sure. Books 1-3 left me kind of having a love hate relationship with the series, mainly because i felt the characters were less than developed, Croaker was very sparse with information and the timeline was all wonky.
Black Company series kinda has a bad rep with most of my friends' on GR but i'm here to tell you if you can make it out of the mess that was book 1, it actually is quite good. Notice i didn't say Epic (I still don't know why it's referred to as an Epic fantasy literature but i digress)
Shadow Games opens up after the fallout of the battle at Barrowland, the company is broken and they've decided to retrace their roots and find out their history.
What was overwhelmingly positive for me in book 4 was that the plot was easier to follow, Croaker really stepped up his PoV game and while it wasn't perfect it was infinitely better than previous ones. There's more background on the characters, it's not just names for the most part.
That been said Croaker still sucks at getting your heart rate pumping during battle scenes and i couldn't help but compare him to Duiker (if you know, you know) at such times.
All in all even with some confusing parts in the plot, i still enjoyed this a lot and let me tell you Book 5 is shaping up even better.
BOOK 5 REVIEW:
Gather round fellow fantasy readers and let me tell you how an author finally wrote about a bad ass female protagonist, that was smart because she was smart.. and guess what? could also fall in love and still be smart. By god!!!
This book is basically about one person: LADY and how bad ass she is. Seriously though if the Black Company was left in Lady's hands she would rule the freaking planet. Totally not to be effed with. Gosh i love that woman. Wait where was i? oh yes.. You know what, all i can say is i'm totally a fan of black company right now.
con: i still can't totally picture the whole battle thing. Cook really uses military speak when describing battles so it's more of an analytical thing than feelings. Don't think i'll ever get used to that.
4stars
March 4, 2021
Perhaps the best of the entire Black Company series.
It's with these novels that Croaker, Lady and Murgen venture into the Southlands and Dejagore, and where the reader can experience some of the most memorable scenes in the series.
It's with these novels that Croaker, Lady and Murgen venture into the Southlands and Dejagore, and where the reader can experience some of the most memorable scenes in the series.
August 10, 2015
"We’re going to have such fun. The whole world thinks we’re dead. You can get away with anything when you’re dead.”
July 2, 2017
We returned to the river and sailed down to the Second Cataract. Faster traffic had carried the word that the boys were back. Idon, a bizarre strip of a town, was a ghost city. We saw not a dozen souls there. Once again we had come to a place where the Black company was remembered. That made me uncomfortable.
What had our forebrethren done down here? The Annals went on about the Pastel Wars but did not recall the sort of excesses that would terrify the descendants of the survivors forever.
Below Idon, while we waited to find a bargemaster with guts enough to take us south, I had Murgen plant the standard. Mogaba, as serious as ever, got a ditch dug and our encampment lightly fortified. I swiped a boat and crossed the river and climbed the hills to the ruins of Cho'n Delor. I spent a day roaming that haunted memorial to a dead god, alone except for crows, always wondering about the sort of men who had gone before me.
I suspected and feared that they had been men very much like me. Men caught in the rhythm and motion and pace, unable to wriggle free.
The Annalist who recorded the epic struggle that took place while the Company was in service to the Paingod had written a lot of words, sometimes going into too great a detail about the daily minutiae, but he had had very little to say about the men with whom he had served. Most had left their mark only when he recorded their passing.
I have been accused of the same. It has been said that too often when I bother to mention someone in particular it is only as a name of the slain. And maybe there's truth in that. Or maybe that's getting it backward. There is always pain in writing about those who have perished before me. Even when I mention them only in passing. These are my brethren, my family. Now, almost, my children. These Annals are their memorial. And my catharsis. But even as a child I was a master at damping and concealing my emotions.
Shadow Games: 4 stars
Dreams of Steel: 4 1/4 stars
The Silver Spike: 4 1/2 stars
4 1/2 stars
What had our forebrethren done down here? The Annals went on about the Pastel Wars but did not recall the sort of excesses that would terrify the descendants of the survivors forever.
Below Idon, while we waited to find a bargemaster with guts enough to take us south, I had Murgen plant the standard. Mogaba, as serious as ever, got a ditch dug and our encampment lightly fortified. I swiped a boat and crossed the river and climbed the hills to the ruins of Cho'n Delor. I spent a day roaming that haunted memorial to a dead god, alone except for crows, always wondering about the sort of men who had gone before me.
I suspected and feared that they had been men very much like me. Men caught in the rhythm and motion and pace, unable to wriggle free.
The Annalist who recorded the epic struggle that took place while the Company was in service to the Paingod had written a lot of words, sometimes going into too great a detail about the daily minutiae, but he had had very little to say about the men with whom he had served. Most had left their mark only when he recorded their passing.
I have been accused of the same. It has been said that too often when I bother to mention someone in particular it is only as a name of the slain. And maybe there's truth in that. Or maybe that's getting it backward. There is always pain in writing about those who have perished before me. Even when I mention them only in passing. These are my brethren, my family. Now, almost, my children. These Annals are their memorial. And my catharsis. But even as a child I was a master at damping and concealing my emotions.
Shadow Games: 4 stars
Dreams of Steel: 4 1/4 stars
The Silver Spike: 4 1/2 stars
4 1/2 stars
August 30, 2025
Shadow Games - 5/5*
Dreams of Steel - 4/5*
The Silver Spike - 3/5*
Dreams of Steel - 4/5*
The Silver Spike - 3/5*
December 10, 2010
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 interludes; those are okay and, in this series, necessary for the story. No problem. But when it comes down to it, I get attached. Apparently very attached.
I loved the beginning of the first book. The ache for everything they'd lost was palpable in Croaker's writing. I also liked watching Croaker crankily adjust to his new role as Captain. Most importantly for me, it had all that tension of the non-battle variety that kept me going throughout the first omnibus. And then once our band headed south to Taglios, that was left mostly by the wayside. The intrigue can be interesting, but I can also only handle so much of it. (At least the tension of the non-battle variety did pick up again in the end.) Really, I'm in it for Croaker, his little snippets of sarcastic wit, and his longing. I'm rooting for him all the way.
Don't get me wrong, I (rationally) appreciated the switch in narration during Dreams of Steel for the different perspective it gave. To remain vague, it was difficult (in a good way) to see a character I'd become quite sympathetic to doing what had to be done to keep the Black Company going (or at least one version of it), even though we knew it had all been done before. It makes you think. But it just wasn't the same type of story, from a limited point of view. That's what made me so angry. Well, that and the cliffhanger ending.
I have yet to read the last book, The Silver Spike, which seems out of place, and may go back some day to it. For now, I'm all about The Return of the Black Company. And hopefully soon, less angry. Perhaps, on a re-read, my opinion will be a little less irrational because I won't be so blindsided by the switch (and for that matter, events at the end of the Shadow Games).
One of the things I liked best about the first omnibus (other than the aforementioned tension) was the moral ambiguity of the Black Company's situations, the sense that maybe sometimes they were working for the wrong side, the double roles that Croaker had to play. That was not present in the same way in this set - now as Captain, he makes the decisions. Unfortunately, I don't think that sort of story could stand on its own for the three following omnibuses (omnibi?), and while the story's grown to something larger, it's not a direction which keeps all the points I liked about the Books of the North.
As a closing note, near the end of Dreams of Steel we get to hear Croaker's voice shining strong through his spoken words (but not his annals), and many of his offhand comments made me long to read his writings instead. The sarcasm! The cynicism! But alas!
Murgen, you've got big shoes to fill.
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 interludes; those are okay and, in this series, necessary for the story. No problem. But when it comes down to it, I get attached. Apparently very attached.
I loved the beginning of the first book. The ache for everything they'd lost was palpable in Croaker's writing. I also liked watching Croaker crankily adjust to his new role as Captain. Most importantly for me, it had all that tension of the non-battle variety that kept me going throughout the first omnibus. And then once our band headed south to Taglios, that was left mostly by the wayside. The intrigue can be interesting, but I can also only handle so much of it. (At least the tension of the non-battle variety did pick up again in the end.) Really, I'm in it for Croaker, his little snippets of sarcastic wit, and his longing. I'm rooting for him all the way.
Don't get me wrong, I (rationally) appreciated the switch in narration during Dreams of Steel for the different perspective it gave. To remain vague, it was difficult (in a good way) to see a character I'd become quite sympathetic to doing what had to be done to keep the Black Company going (or at least one version of it), even though we knew it had all been done before. It makes you think. But it just wasn't the same type of story, from a limited point of view. That's what made me so angry. Well, that and the cliffhanger ending.
I have yet to read the last book, The Silver Spike, which seems out of place, and may go back some day to it. For now, I'm all about The Return of the Black Company. And hopefully soon, less angry. Perhaps, on a re-read, my opinion will be a little less irrational because I won't be so blindsided by the switch (and for that matter, events at the end of the Shadow Games).
One of the things I liked best about the first omnibus (other than the aforementioned tension) was the moral ambiguity of the Black Company's situations, the sense that maybe sometimes they were working for the wrong side, the double roles that Croaker had to play. That was not present in the same way in this set - now as Captain, he makes the decisions. Unfortunately, I don't think that sort of story could stand on its own for the three following omnibuses (omnibi?), and while the story's grown to something larger, it's not a direction which keeps all the points I liked about the Books of the North.
As a closing note, near the end of Dreams of Steel we get to hear Croaker's voice shining strong through his spoken words (but not his annals), and many of his offhand comments made me long to read his writings instead. The sarcasm! The cynicism! But alas!
Murgen, you've got big shoes to fill.
May 25, 2011
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 gives closure to those characters.
The other two books are great additions to the series, adding new layers to characters, their relationships, and to the mysterious history of the Black Company. We also see several new characters that will be around for awhile and add much more depth to the overall story. Another plus (or negative depending on your opinion) is that we see other POVs besides Croaker for the first time. This is something that will continue in subsequent books.
I'd give the second omnibus 4.5 stars simply because the drop off in quality regarding The Silver Spike.
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 gives closure to those characters.
The other two books are great additions to the series, adding new layers to characters, their relationships, and to the mysterious history of the Black Company. We also see several new characters that will be around for awhile and add much more depth to the overall story. Another plus (or negative depending on your opinion) is that we see other POVs besides Croaker for the first time. This is something that will continue in subsequent books.
I'd give the second omnibus 4.5 stars simply because the drop off in quality regarding The Silver Spike.
July 1, 2017
Silver spike 3 stars, so in total 3.67 stars 😀
July 21, 2025
Suite aux événements survenus lors de la bataille des Tumulus, la Compagnie Noire est réduite à quelques hommes. Dirigée par Toubib, la Compagnie décide alors de retourner à Khatovar, dans le lointain Sud d'où elle est issue.
Un très bon tome dans l'ensemble pour ces Livres du Sud, mais je les ai cependant globalement un peu moins appréciés que les Livres du Nord, même si les deux premiers tomes de cette deuxième intégrale restent toutefois très satisfaisants.
Jeux d'ombres
La Compagnie Noire décide de partir vers Khatovar. Toutefois, la route est plus dangereuse que prévue.
Le tome que j'ai peut-être le plus apprécié, jouant dans un premier temps avec la nostalgie d'une Compagnie mourante. Très rapidement, nous basculons dans un premier temps dans un récit de voyage très dépaysant, en grande partie basé sur l'Afrique puis l'Inde en terme de biomes, l'occasion entre autres d'en apprendre un peu plus sur le pays d'origine de notre cher Qu'un-Oeil, d'ailleurs toujours à couteaux tirés avec Gobelin. Les nouveaux personnages sont sympathiques, que ce soit les mystérieux Nars ou bien l'énigmatique Crapaud. Le plus intéressant reste toutefois le personnage de Madame, nouvelle venue dans la Compagnie (mais non dans la série) qui connaît ici une évolution intéressante. Une fois arrivée dans la ville d'inspiration indienne de Taglios, le récit renoue avec une forme plus proche de la fantasy militaire et nous offre même une superbe bataille finale. On en apprend par ailleurs plus sur les mystérieuses origines de la Compagnie.
Mon seul regret concernant ce tome sera l'identité de certains antagonistes, identité véritablement trop téléphonée et j'aurais préféré sur ce point un peu plus de nouveauté et d'originalité. Les grands méchants se réunissant par ailleurs pour exposer leurs plan et lancer des rires démoniaques dignes d'un mauvais dessin animé n'ont pas aidé non plus...
Rêves d'acier
Suite à la meurtrière bataille de Dejagore, Taglios n'est pas encore sauvée et la Compagnie se retrouve en partie assiégée.
Changement de chroniqueur ici ! Toubib laisse la place à Madame en tant qu'annaliste pour ce tome, promettant un ton et une direction plus sombre et violente. Ce tome est la suite directe du précédent, juste après la bataille de Dejagore. Nous y suivons principalement Madame dans sa quête pour retrouver ses pouvoirs et reconstruire une Compagnie bien mal en point, en s'aidant pour cela d'une mystérieuse secte. Nous restons principalement dans la ligne directrice de Jeux d'ombres et la fin nous promet un twist très intéressant.
La Pointe d'argent
Suite aux événements des Tumulus, une partie de la Compagnie a refusé de retourner dans le Sud. Mais le mal ne semble pas entièrement éradiqué.
Ce tome est celui qui m'a donné le plus de mal. Premièrement, à sa décharge, j'ai appris par la suite que c'est en partie à cause des éditeurs français qui le numérotent en 6ème position alors qu'il s'agit en réalité du numéro 4, créant de ce fait un énorme flashback lors de la lecture de cette intégrale. Toutefois, le fait reste que j'ai moins apprécié ce tome et que nous n'y suivons jamais la Compagnie Noire, seulement d'anciens membres ou affiliés. Comble de l'ironie, la partie que j'ai le plus apprécié est celle qui concerne les quatre voleurs nouveaux-venus dans la série alors que certaines anciennes figures sont clairement rendues antipathiques dans ce tome (Silence par exemple...) voire incapables. Notre nouveau chroniqueurs, Casier, s'en sort cependant très honorablement quant à lui.
L'intrigue elle-même à eu du mal à me passionner. Elle n'a dans un premier temps fait que confirmer ce que je pensais de la fin des Livres du Nord. La "protection" pour sceller le Mal ultime était bien ridicule et quatre abrutis un peu futés ont réussi à la détourner avec un simple feu... Autre problème : certains ennemis devraient apprendre à rester mort et l'antagoniste principal de ce tome est déjà revenu trop de fois. De plus, difficile de le prendre en sérieux avec un corps en osier... Enfin, nous retrouvons des conflits impliquants les créatures de la Plaine de le peur. Je n'avais pas accroché dans les Livres du Nord et rien n'a changé ici : je n'arrive pas à me passionner pour des attaques à base de baleines volantes, de centaures inversés, de raies mantas volantes ou de menhirs qui parlent et se téléportent. Reste encore une fois l'histoire de nos quatre voleurs qui maintient tout de même l'intérêt, avec entre autre le formidable Pépé le Poisson.
Un très bon tome dans l'ensemble pour ces Livres du Sud, mais je les ai cependant globalement un peu moins appréciés que les Livres du Nord, même si les deux premiers tomes de cette deuxième intégrale restent toutefois très satisfaisants.
Jeux d'ombres
La Compagnie Noire décide de partir vers Khatovar. Toutefois, la route est plus dangereuse que prévue.
Le tome que j'ai peut-être le plus apprécié, jouant dans un premier temps avec la nostalgie d'une Compagnie mourante. Très rapidement, nous basculons dans un premier temps dans un récit de voyage très dépaysant, en grande partie basé sur l'Afrique puis l'Inde en terme de biomes, l'occasion entre autres d'en apprendre un peu plus sur le pays d'origine de notre cher Qu'un-Oeil, d'ailleurs toujours à couteaux tirés avec Gobelin. Les nouveaux personnages sont sympathiques, que ce soit les mystérieux Nars ou bien l'énigmatique Crapaud. Le plus intéressant reste toutefois le personnage de Madame, nouvelle venue dans la Compagnie (mais non dans la série) qui connaît ici une évolution intéressante. Une fois arrivée dans la ville d'inspiration indienne de Taglios, le récit renoue avec une forme plus proche de la fantasy militaire et nous offre même une superbe bataille finale. On en apprend par ailleurs plus sur les mystérieuses origines de la Compagnie.
Mon seul regret concernant ce tome sera l'identité de certains antagonistes, identité véritablement trop téléphonée et j'aurais préféré sur ce point un peu plus de nouveauté et d'originalité. Les grands méchants se réunissant par ailleurs pour exposer leurs plan et lancer des rires démoniaques dignes d'un mauvais dessin animé n'ont pas aidé non plus...
Rêves d'acier
Suite à la meurtrière bataille de Dejagore, Taglios n'est pas encore sauvée et la Compagnie se retrouve en partie assiégée.
Changement de chroniqueur ici ! Toubib laisse la place à Madame en tant qu'annaliste pour ce tome, promettant un ton et une direction plus sombre et violente. Ce tome est la suite directe du précédent, juste après la bataille de Dejagore. Nous y suivons principalement Madame dans sa quête pour retrouver ses pouvoirs et reconstruire une Compagnie bien mal en point, en s'aidant pour cela d'une mystérieuse secte. Nous restons principalement dans la ligne directrice de Jeux d'ombres et la fin nous promet un twist très intéressant.
La Pointe d'argent
Suite aux événements des Tumulus, une partie de la Compagnie a refusé de retourner dans le Sud. Mais le mal ne semble pas entièrement éradiqué.
Ce tome est celui qui m'a donné le plus de mal. Premièrement, à sa décharge, j'ai appris par la suite que c'est en partie à cause des éditeurs français qui le numérotent en 6ème position alors qu'il s'agit en réalité du numéro 4, créant de ce fait un énorme flashback lors de la lecture de cette intégrale. Toutefois, le fait reste que j'ai moins apprécié ce tome et que nous n'y suivons jamais la Compagnie Noire, seulement d'anciens membres ou affiliés. Comble de l'ironie, la partie que j'ai le plus apprécié est celle qui concerne les quatre voleurs nouveaux-venus dans la série alors que certaines anciennes figures sont clairement rendues antipathiques dans ce tome (Silence par exemple...) voire incapables. Notre nouveau chroniqueurs, Casier, s'en sort cependant très honorablement quant à lui.
L'intrigue elle-même à eu du mal à me passionner. Elle n'a dans un premier temps fait que confirmer ce que je pensais de la fin des Livres du Nord. La "protection" pour sceller le Mal ultime était bien ridicule et quatre abrutis un peu futés ont réussi à la détourner avec un simple feu... Autre problème : certains ennemis devraient apprendre à rester mort et l'antagoniste principal de ce tome est déjà revenu trop de fois. De plus, difficile de le prendre en sérieux avec un corps en osier... Enfin, nous retrouvons des conflits impliquants les créatures de la Plaine de le peur. Je n'avais pas accroché dans les Livres du Nord et rien n'a changé ici : je n'arrive pas à me passionner pour des attaques à base de baleines volantes, de centaures inversés, de raies mantas volantes ou de menhirs qui parlent et se téléportent. Reste encore une fois l'histoire de nos quatre voleurs qui maintient tout de même l'intérêt, avec entre autre le formidable Pépé le Poisson.
February 16, 2010
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 much as the original, it's just that they lead to a conclusion that never actually seems to happen.
They also set up some new themes for the series which later proved to be annoying: namely the constant return of the same threats, over and over, no matter how well they seem to have been dealt with in their previous appearance. I suppose there's something here to be said about the difficulty of eradicating evil, but it just didn't work for me.
Also, the thing that most attracted me to the series, the point of view of minions working for an evil overlord, is missing since the end of the original trilogy.
If the follow up to these books had been as good, then I would recommend them, unfortunately I have to say that stopping with the original trilogy is probably the better bet.
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 much as the original, it's just that they lead to a conclusion that never actually seems to happen.
They also set up some new themes for the series which later proved to be annoying: namely the constant return of the same threats, over and over, no matter how well they seem to have been dealt with in their previous appearance. I suppose there's something here to be said about the difficulty of eradicating evil, but it just didn't work for me.
Also, the thing that most attracted me to the series, the point of view of minions working for an evil overlord, is missing since the end of the original trilogy.
If the follow up to these books had been as good, then I would recommend them, unfortunately I have to say that stopping with the original trilogy is probably the better bet.
February 6, 2017
From the first page of The Black Company to the last page of the Silver Spike this series has been a rollercoaster. I struggled to get into the first book, but then was dragged along, a willing partner in a gang of mercenaries' escapades.
Sometimes it's hard to watch characters change and evolve when we like them from the beginning - and it was. But, none changed in a way that was out of place or made me feel like they were being driven by the outside force of a writer not totally set on who his characters are. The plane was never broken.
Like the Chronicles of the Black Company, The Books of the South is three books wrapped into an omnibus edition. They were all filled with unexpected twists and left me longing to warn the characters I've grown attached to. The Silver Spike, in the last ten pages or so, fell a little short. What happened needed to happen, but how it happened felt a little strained. The story though is solid.
Separately, I may have shorted the Silver Spike a half a star, but together this series is still holding my interest so tightly I giggled like a child when I went to my shelves and found two more books instead of just one. I'm looking forward to another evening with the Black Company tonight over a cup of coffee.
Sometimes it's hard to watch characters change and evolve when we like them from the beginning - and it was. But, none changed in a way that was out of place or made me feel like they were being driven by the outside force of a writer not totally set on who his characters are. The plane was never broken.
Like the Chronicles of the Black Company, The Books of the South is three books wrapped into an omnibus edition. They were all filled with unexpected twists and left me longing to warn the characters I've grown attached to. The Silver Spike, in the last ten pages or so, fell a little short. What happened needed to happen, but how it happened felt a little strained. The story though is solid.
Separately, I may have shorted the Silver Spike a half a star, but together this series is still holding my interest so tightly I giggled like a child when I went to my shelves and found two more books instead of just one. I'm looking forward to another evening with the Black Company tonight over a cup of coffee.
October 11, 2021
I've read quite a few reviews while reading this chronicle and noticed that everyone rated the Silver Spike poorly. I actually enjoyed it. It was different from the others. For starters, for once the majority of the story was actually based in one location. There wasn't any back and forth as is customary for the previous titles. I felt as one with the characters, especially the newer ones. Secondly it gave the reader a chance know the city where the plot took place.
I will admit that the fight scenes were a bit rushed especially leading up to the end, but I've now grown accustomed to Cook's writing style.
All books were a great read. I give them a 4 out of 5 across the board. I'm loving the story so far.
I will admit that the fight scenes were a bit rushed especially leading up to the end, but I've now grown accustomed to Cook's writing style.
All books were a great read. I give them a 4 out of 5 across the board. I'm loving the story so far.
on-hiatus
October 22, 2025The Silver Spike read from 10/19/25 to 10/20/25
This could have been a standalone with its quick but thorough explanations of past events and the clean way it tied up most if not all potential loose ends. There are three stories, which will ultimately intersect, going on here. A new narrator who brings both humor and humanity, a blast from the past evil, and four criminals looking to make some dough. This feels the least grimdark of the four I've read so far, but it was still an excellent story with that "not going to waste a word" Glen Cook writing.
4 Stars
This could have been a standalone with its quick but thorough explanations of past events and the clean way it tied up most if not all potential loose ends. There are three stories, which will ultimately intersect, going on here. A new narrator who brings both humor and humanity, a blast from the past evil, and four criminals looking to make some dough. This feels the least grimdark of the four I've read so far, but it was still an excellent story with that "not going to waste a word" Glen Cook writing.
4 Stars
May 3, 2011
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 ties in to the world certainly, and I definitely enjoyed reading about what had happened in the north, but the narration is different and seems a bit out of place. That the next volume switches back to the south again... makes this third book seem almost like a behind the scenes/ cutting room floor mini-sode. Overall I enjoyed the volume though and it left me looking forward to the next which I started the following day.
Also like others I found the third book in this volume more jarring though. It ties in to the world certainly, and I definitely enjoyed reading about what had happened in the north, but the narration is different and seems a bit out of place. That the next volume switches back to the south again... makes this third book seem almost like a behind the scenes/ cutting room floor mini-sode. Overall I enjoyed the volume though and it left me looking forward to the next which I started the following day.
October 8, 2008
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 appropriate, as the travel towards the South is a more natural lead in to the Glittering Stone books that follow this one in the Chronicles.
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 appropriate, as the travel towards the South is a more natural lead in to the Glittering Stone books that follow this one in the Chronicles.
April 26, 2021
I close the Book of Lady :'(
Hice súper bien en leer The Silver Spike primero. Ahora que leeré el siguiente libro tengo fresco el plot de los otros dos.
Hice súper bien en leer The Silver Spike primero. Ahora que leeré el siguiente libro tengo fresco el plot de los otros dos.
December 27, 2020
The Silver Spike:
6.3/10
This book was the first one out of the series that felt a little ehh. I know that this was not an actual main title in this series but rather a spin-off, but it still felt almost unnecessary. All this book did was find a way to fully tie up and end off the white rose and black company men that decided to stay north. In classic Cook style this was done by ending the story with almost no one left standing. While the necessity of the story is questionable, it still was very interesting and kept me engaged. My main complaint though was the length of the book itself. It felt like Cook wanted to close this chapter of the series, but he didn’t need a whole book to do it. Multiple times throughout the book I felt like it could have ended but instead, through some pretty obvious oversight by some characters, it continued on. While I still enjoyed the book itself and love more opportunity to spend time in this world, it felt a little empty compared to previous entries.
Shadow Games:
7.7/10
After the excellent ending of The White Rose and the lackluster follow-up that was The Silver Spike, I wasn’t sure how this continuation of the other half of the black company would unfold. With only about half of the few black company members left in existence deciding to go with Croaker to the south this felt like the beginning of a new story. This book only starting off following 7 named characters was quite different than the first 4 books, but it worked well I think. We got a lot more character development with these 7 (I assume to now be main) characters which I think helped now that the cast is so shrunk down. Plot wise, this was a little bit of a slow book up until the last ¼ of it with the majority of the book being just traveling thousands of miles to the south. While it was not as action packed as the other 4 books, the world building was amazing as we got to see entirely new sections of the world and got a feel of how vast this world really is. Not sure how I feel with the ending of the book though. It was definitely an unexpected change up to have the black company get obliterated for once but I’m a little worried about how a certain thing will affect the narration of the proceeding books.
Dreams of Steel:
8.2/10
Out of the three Books of the South, this was by far my favorite. While the cast of known characters was once again greatly cut down to pretty much Croaker and Lady as well as some side characters, it did introduce a good number of new ones. I very much enjoyed how the majority of the book written from Lady’s perspective. While Croaker was a great narrator, it was interesting to dig deeper into how the Lady thinks and operates since, as Cook has explained many times before, Croaker can be a very biased and unreliable narrator. Plot wise this book continues on where Shadow Games ended off and ties most of the plot points up. Similar to The Black Company and The White Rose this book is very militaristic and focused around the continuation of the war with the Shadowmasters. It seems like the next four books will have to do with the Glittering Stone and the real history of the Free Companies of Khatovar and I am quite excited to see how Cook ends this series.
The Books of the South Score:
7.4/10
6.3/10
This book was the first one out of the series that felt a little ehh. I know that this was not an actual main title in this series but rather a spin-off, but it still felt almost unnecessary. All this book did was find a way to fully tie up and end off the white rose and black company men that decided to stay north. In classic Cook style this was done by ending the story with almost no one left standing. While the necessity of the story is questionable, it still was very interesting and kept me engaged. My main complaint though was the length of the book itself. It felt like Cook wanted to close this chapter of the series, but he didn’t need a whole book to do it. Multiple times throughout the book I felt like it could have ended but instead, through some pretty obvious oversight by some characters, it continued on. While I still enjoyed the book itself and love more opportunity to spend time in this world, it felt a little empty compared to previous entries.
Shadow Games:
7.7/10
After the excellent ending of The White Rose and the lackluster follow-up that was The Silver Spike, I wasn’t sure how this continuation of the other half of the black company would unfold. With only about half of the few black company members left in existence deciding to go with Croaker to the south this felt like the beginning of a new story. This book only starting off following 7 named characters was quite different than the first 4 books, but it worked well I think. We got a lot more character development with these 7 (I assume to now be main) characters which I think helped now that the cast is so shrunk down. Plot wise, this was a little bit of a slow book up until the last ¼ of it with the majority of the book being just traveling thousands of miles to the south. While it was not as action packed as the other 4 books, the world building was amazing as we got to see entirely new sections of the world and got a feel of how vast this world really is. Not sure how I feel with the ending of the book though. It was definitely an unexpected change up to have the black company get obliterated for once but I’m a little worried about how a certain thing will affect the narration of the proceeding books.
Dreams of Steel:
8.2/10
Out of the three Books of the South, this was by far my favorite. While the cast of known characters was once again greatly cut down to pretty much Croaker and Lady as well as some side characters, it did introduce a good number of new ones. I very much enjoyed how the majority of the book written from Lady’s perspective. While Croaker was a great narrator, it was interesting to dig deeper into how the Lady thinks and operates since, as Cook has explained many times before, Croaker can be a very biased and unreliable narrator. Plot wise this book continues on where Shadow Games ended off and ties most of the plot points up. Similar to The Black Company and The White Rose this book is very militaristic and focused around the continuation of the war with the Shadowmasters. It seems like the next four books will have to do with the Glittering Stone and the real history of the Free Companies of Khatovar and I am quite excited to see how Cook ends this series.
The Books of the South Score:
7.4/10
January 4, 2022
Book 4: Shadow Games finished Nov 14 2021
This second three-book story arc is quite the departure. When it kicks off, the Company is an unemployed remnant of its former glory, with single-digit membership and led not by a field officer but by its medic/historian. They set out south to return the Annals to the mythical city of Khatovar.
Plot points:
---------------------------------------
Book 5: Dreams of Steel finished December 20 2021
The first Book of Lady. Lady takes over as annalist and begins to build a powerbase from scratch (and it's a very competent blueprint of how a benevolent despot might accrue power). Her sister schemes vengeance in the background, and the two remaining Shadowmasters jockey for power against Taglios as well as each other.
This volume checks in on the slow side as battles take a backseat to positioning and intrigue. Goblin and One-Eye don't even appear except in news accounts. But it leaves anticipation high for the trilogy's conclusion.
Plot points:
---------------------------------------
Book 6: The Silver Spike finished January 3 2022
Not so much a Book of the South, as it follows the characters left behind in the north--Raven, Bomanz, Darling et al--while Croaker and Lady are off battling Shadowmancers. [Update: Turns out there are only two books in the Books of the South trilogy. The Silver Spike was smushed in here to fatten up this compendium.]
The Limper springs back to life AGAIN and rains indiscriminate hell on the North, forcing the White Rose and her allies out of retirement. We walk with several favorite old characters and some great new ones, and we get a glimpse at how the Empire manages in the Lady's absence. (Spoiler: It does remarkably well.)
An interesting minor element: Cook, in the form of Raven's young soldier buddy Case, makes a lengthy, reasoned...um, case...for Empire over Rebellion. The previous system was feudal and most of the population were slaves in function if not name. The backbone of the Rebellion was comprised of lords who wanted a return to the status quo ante. Under the Empire, the serfs were free enough to work their own land, feed their families, and have a bit left over even in lean years. Freedommmm! makes a great rally cry but the devil is in the details.
Plot points:
This second three-book story arc is quite the departure. When it kicks off, the Company is an unemployed remnant of its former glory, with single-digit membership and led not by a field officer but by its medic/historian. They set out south to return the Annals to the mythical city of Khatovar.
Plot points:
---------------------------------------
Book 5: Dreams of Steel finished December 20 2021
The first Book of Lady. Lady takes over as annalist and begins to build a powerbase from scratch (and it's a very competent blueprint of how a benevolent despot might accrue power). Her sister schemes vengeance in the background, and the two remaining Shadowmasters jockey for power against Taglios as well as each other.
This volume checks in on the slow side as battles take a backseat to positioning and intrigue. Goblin and One-Eye don't even appear except in news accounts. But it leaves anticipation high for the trilogy's conclusion.
Plot points:
---------------------------------------
Book 6: The Silver Spike finished January 3 2022
Not so much a Book of the South, as it follows the characters left behind in the north--Raven, Bomanz, Darling et al--while Croaker and Lady are off battling Shadowmancers. [Update: Turns out there are only two books in the Books of the South trilogy. The Silver Spike was smushed in here to fatten up this compendium.]
The Limper springs back to life AGAIN and rains indiscriminate hell on the North, forcing the White Rose and her allies out of retirement. We walk with several favorite old characters and some great new ones, and we get a glimpse at how the Empire manages in the Lady's absence. (Spoiler: It does remarkably well.)
An interesting minor element: Cook, in the form of Raven's young soldier buddy Case, makes a lengthy, reasoned...um, case...for Empire over Rebellion. The previous system was feudal and most of the population were slaves in function if not name. The backbone of the Rebellion was comprised of lords who wanted a return to the status quo ante. Under the Empire, the serfs were free enough to work their own land, feed their families, and have a bit left over even in lean years. Freedommmm! makes a great rally cry but the devil is in the details.
Plot points:
April 8, 2010
The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company
Glen Cook
Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 10, 2008)
The Books of the South is an omnibus that collects three books in the Glen Cook's Black Company Series. The first two books, Shadow Games and Dreams of Steel, deal with the company's journey south after the events of the White Rose . The last book, the Silver Spike, deals with the titular object, and events surrounding it's fate.
Shadow Games picks up shortly after the end of the White Rose, with Croaker now in charge of the remnants of the Black Company. He's decided to march them south to the city of Khatovar, which is where the Company supposedly originated. Of course, the book would be pretty boring if they just got home fine, so there's a lot of complications, mostly courtesy of the Shadowmasters, a new group of antagonists who have a problem with the Black Company...
Like previous books in the series, the narration jumps around in perspective and person; Croaker narrates the portions he participates in directly, while other chapters switch to the third-person narrative. It's a little jarring at first, but Cook's writing is engaging and consistent enough in tone that it's easy to get absorbed in pretty quickly. Despite not having revisited the Black Company series in a few years, I was able to get caught back up pretty quickly, which was nice.
Nothing is worse than jumping into a new book and realizing you need to re-read three other ones just to know what's going on (GRRM, I'm looking at you).
While Shadow Games is fun and engaging, the plot of it is glacially slow. Really. The whole book is set up for Dreams of Steel, which isn't much of a problem when you've got a collection, but I can't imagine how frustrating this would have been to read by itself. I found myself constantly checking the page count, wondering how much I had left, and when something was actuallygoing to happen. Fortunately, I was able to just jump right into Dreams of Steel .
While the plot of Shadow Games is almost all set up, Dreams of Steel is a plot in motion. The first-person narration duties get shifted to another character (for reasons I won't get into), and the plots that were set up in Shadow Games start crashing forward at a rapid pace. There's a lot more twists, turns, and double crosses, but it's all very, very engaging.
It also does not resolve itself at ALL.
Which leads me to my big complaint about this collection.
Many, many years ago, I attended a writing lecture by Michael Stackpole (an author I still have yet to read, oddly). In it, Stackpole said that his worst nightmare was to be stuck in an airport where the airport bookstore was stocked only with the second book in a trilogy. His reasoning was that most authors tend to write the middle book of a trilogy as a cliffhanger, which makes it totally unreadable on it's own.
This is precisely the problem with the Books of the South. Or rather, it's the problem with two-thirds of the Books of the South; they set up a very interesting story and scenario, but don't end it. Frankly, it doesn't even give you an acceptable stopping point. Now, my beloved JRR Tolkien does the same thing in the Two Towers, but that doesn't make it right.
The third book, the Silver Spike, is actually a self-contained story, but has very little to do with the previous two books. It moves back up north to revisit Darling, Raven, and a few other characters who were left out of the Books of the South. It's a well-written novel, and I enjoyed it, but I also found myself wondering why I cared about this story when stuff down south hadn't resolved. I thought maybe things would all tie together at the end, but no such luck. If there is a tie-in, it happens in a later book.
So is this collection worth it? If you read the first Black Company Series. , and want more military fantasy action, yes. If you DIDN'T read the first trilogy, start with that before moving on to this one. Reading this the collection alone will just give you a headache.
(Like this review? Visit my Amazon store and pick up a copy, or any number of other titles I've reviewed and recommended.)
Glen Cook
Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 10, 2008)
The Books of the South is an omnibus that collects three books in the Glen Cook's Black Company Series. The first two books, Shadow Games and Dreams of Steel, deal with the company's journey south after the events of the White Rose . The last book, the Silver Spike, deals with the titular object, and events surrounding it's fate.
Shadow Games picks up shortly after the end of the White Rose, with Croaker now in charge of the remnants of the Black Company. He's decided to march them south to the city of Khatovar, which is where the Company supposedly originated. Of course, the book would be pretty boring if they just got home fine, so there's a lot of complications, mostly courtesy of the Shadowmasters, a new group of antagonists who have a problem with the Black Company...
Like previous books in the series, the narration jumps around in perspective and person; Croaker narrates the portions he participates in directly, while other chapters switch to the third-person narrative. It's a little jarring at first, but Cook's writing is engaging and consistent enough in tone that it's easy to get absorbed in pretty quickly. Despite not having revisited the Black Company series in a few years, I was able to get caught back up pretty quickly, which was nice.
Nothing is worse than jumping into a new book and realizing you need to re-read three other ones just to know what's going on (GRRM, I'm looking at you).
While Shadow Games is fun and engaging, the plot of it is glacially slow. Really. The whole book is set up for Dreams of Steel, which isn't much of a problem when you've got a collection, but I can't imagine how frustrating this would have been to read by itself. I found myself constantly checking the page count, wondering how much I had left, and when something was actuallygoing to happen. Fortunately, I was able to just jump right into Dreams of Steel .
While the plot of Shadow Games is almost all set up, Dreams of Steel is a plot in motion. The first-person narration duties get shifted to another character (for reasons I won't get into), and the plots that were set up in Shadow Games start crashing forward at a rapid pace. There's a lot more twists, turns, and double crosses, but it's all very, very engaging.
It also does not resolve itself at ALL.
Which leads me to my big complaint about this collection.
Many, many years ago, I attended a writing lecture by Michael Stackpole (an author I still have yet to read, oddly). In it, Stackpole said that his worst nightmare was to be stuck in an airport where the airport bookstore was stocked only with the second book in a trilogy. His reasoning was that most authors tend to write the middle book of a trilogy as a cliffhanger, which makes it totally unreadable on it's own.
This is precisely the problem with the Books of the South. Or rather, it's the problem with two-thirds of the Books of the South; they set up a very interesting story and scenario, but don't end it. Frankly, it doesn't even give you an acceptable stopping point. Now, my beloved JRR Tolkien does the same thing in the Two Towers, but that doesn't make it right.
The third book, the Silver Spike, is actually a self-contained story, but has very little to do with the previous two books. It moves back up north to revisit Darling, Raven, and a few other characters who were left out of the Books of the South. It's a well-written novel, and I enjoyed it, but I also found myself wondering why I cared about this story when stuff down south hadn't resolved. I thought maybe things would all tie together at the end, but no such luck. If there is a tie-in, it happens in a later book.
So is this collection worth it? If you read the first Black Company Series. , and want more military fantasy action, yes. If you DIDN'T read the first trilogy, start with that before moving on to this one. Reading this the collection alone will just give you a headache.
(Like this review? Visit my Amazon store and pick up a copy, or any number of other titles I've reviewed and recommended.)
August 16, 2021
Shadow Games is very good and plays intrigue super well.
Dreams of Steel might have been my favorite yet. Both of the first two books in this collection continue the series' longstanding tradition of being foul and containing violence, rape, and racism. I am finding it more and more difficult to decide whether it's the setting's or Cook's.
The Silver Spike was riveting but boy did it set the dragging after a fashion, and it really does away with the series' third most important character and silences them for most of it. Not so bad the series is ruined for me, but not grand enough I'll be imagining it for the rest of my life. Also another devoted pedophile is a protagonist for the third book here so there's that.
Dreams of Steel might have been my favorite yet. Both of the first two books in this collection continue the series' longstanding tradition of being foul and containing violence, rape, and racism. I am finding it more and more difficult to decide whether it's the setting's or Cook's.
The Silver Spike was riveting but boy did it set the dragging after a fashion, and it really does away with the series' third most important character and silences them for most of it. Not so bad the series is ruined for me, but not grand enough I'll be imagining it for the rest of my life. Also another devoted pedophile is a protagonist for the third book here so there's that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2021
Not quite as good as the first (three) book(s), but nevertheless really exciting to read. As a non-native speaker I love that so many parts of the book are written in slang, from the perspective of simple soldiers or people. Challenging, but a lot of fun. And I still love that fact that Cook's writing is so different from most other fantasy books, giving it a more "in-your-face guerilla style", always with a wink. The best about the books!
November 26, 2021
Two-part series of the Black Company's adventures in the South as they trace their history, and a spin-off that gives a closure to Raven and Darling (though kinda unnecessary in my opinion). Not as good as the Books of the North but still enjoyable for the most part.
March 14, 2025
Not much to say that I haven't already in my reviews of the previous books. The books about The Black Company is still brilliant. The Silver Spike was my favourite, so matter of factly tied up in the end. Truly masterful.
October 20, 2018
I really enjoyed the first two parts of this book but I struggled with the silver spike until the last part of it. Onto the next book now.
July 7, 2020
Another great (3) book(s) about the Black Company and worldevents!
Definitly a must read if you have read the first book(s) in The Chronicles of the Black Company.
The first 2 books describe the adventures of the Black Company going South (it's so hard to not spoil anything).
The last book, does not tell directly about the Black Company, still great, but it's better to keep this in mind. It describes events that happen after they leave. Introducing new and old characters.
Only downside: still counts as 1 book for your reading challenge.
Definitly a must read if you have read the first book(s) in The Chronicles of the Black Company.
The first 2 books describe the adventures of the Black Company going South (it's so hard to not spoil anything).
The last book, does not tell directly about the Black Company, still great, but it's better to keep this in mind. It describes events that happen after they leave. Introducing new and old characters.
Only downside: still counts as 1 book for your reading challenge.
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