Rating: 
Summary: beginning of a very, very(and so on) good series,a must read
Review: From the view of Croaker, Physician and Annalist of the black company. A group of mercenaries, just an ordinary party of arms for hire. Or are they? Going north they find themselves in the middle of layer after layer of lies, betrayal and their kept in the dark. They've not been through this big of a war before, maybe One-Eye and Goblin have. Of course the old and deceased black company have, recorded in the annals, though only a fraction of the annals still exist. They don't have enough to understand what their purpose is or who created the black company. There will be characters you hate or characters you care about and worry for. To me the black company feels kind of like a family, like Croaker and the Captain encourage the members to feel. It isn't just another dwarves, elves, goblins and dragons fantasy book. There's so much that makes this book and it's sequels so wonderful and amazing. The characters are so human like. Some are trying to do good, some show the most greedy and power lusting wish's from the deepest depths of the human mind, while most are just trying to survive in a cruel world. The characters with the art of magic can easily become experts in any of the three categories, but they can lose it all in as much time as it takes to say their true name. The answers to most of your questions should be in the book, if it's not then you can reach me on ICQ(#48449551). I wouldn't reccomend emailing me, I haven't checked it in about 3000 years and I don't think I will in the next.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but no hook
Review: 'Black Company', the first book in Cook's series of the same name, is an interesting read. I am not too sure whether I mean that as a compliment or a criticism. The Black Company are a brotherhood of warrior mercenaries, roughneck soldiers who contract their services to whoever will pay. Whether for moral goals or not, if the money's there they'll do it. Croaker, the member of the Black Company who records their adventures, is the narrator. I enjoyed the first-person perspective very much. It was enjoyable to hear Croaker's thoughts on what was going on around him. The story is far different than most typical fantasies as there are no distinct good or evil characters. Sure, there are some who pretty much meet the requirements of both, but nothing is very simple in this book. I did not like, however, how the story was layed out. Rather than immersing the reader in the imaginary world, the reader is more or less tossed carelessely into the murkiness of the plot. You're introduced to far too many imaginary names, titles, monsters, etc early on in the book. I had to recheck whether I was reading the first book in the series or not. It just assumed I should know everything about the world I was reading about. Also, characters fly by in such a whirlwind that it's hard to keep track of who is who. A couple of times a character would be killed off only to be replaced by another, but it would go by so fast that the event seemed inconsequential. Most characters just kinda faded into the background, with the exception of the ever-present Croaker and a few other extras. There wasn't anything about the people or events that hooked me into the story. Overall, 'Black Company' was an okay read. It gave the feeling that something was going to happen soon, and I will definately read the next book. I just hope that when that's done, I will have a clearer picture of why I am actually continuing on.
Rating: 
Summary: Inconsistent and Intentionally Silly
Review: A company of rough-cut mercenaries is commissioned by a foreign warrior-wizard to squash a rebellion across the sea. The Black Company couldn't decide whether it wanted to be serious or just funny. On one hand, there was blood, gore, rape and murder - on the other were words like 'gobbledegook!' and ridiculous wizard antics. Curse those wizards! At least once every chapter the Company's three spellcasters took a page or three to have a cutesy little wizard fight. They were like the singing, dancing sidekicks in a Disney movie. Then Cook starts the book over on chapter three, reintroducing characters that had already been introduced while explaining things we already know. Reading the copyright page, one learns that the third chapter was published in a magazine a few years before the book release. That's fine and good, but more care needed to be applied to its integration. By far the worst flaw was the inconsistent use of magic. There were giant wizard battles, where thousands upon thousands die, yet for some reason these same wizards (in another chapter) need to enlist the aid of common soldiers to kill just one person. That's careless writing. All in all, a waste.
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Summary: Fast-Paced Fun That Is Pure Escape
Review: It's hard not to enjoy this book. A quick read that begins immediately with action that rarely comes to a pause or dithers, this book episodically speeds along from one conflict to another, battles and sorcerous conflicts mounting, following the exploits of an readily likeable if amoral bunch of mercenaries. Despite the inherent grimness and cruelty of their profession, Cook invests his characters with a great amount of humor, reminiscent of the assassin Vlad Taltos in Steven Brust's ongoing series, and a suspicion of underlying compassion and camaraderie. These are men who through circumstance have found themselves engaged in a disreputable occupation, more often than not serving less than noble ends, but who can nonetheless rise on occasion to altruistic acts inconsistent with their brutish environment or hardened demeanor. Sheer fantasy, but it leavens their characters from an otherwise ignoble and immoral cast. It is difficult not to chuckle at the feigned combative antics of Goblin and One-Eye, or the self-deprecating humor of the narrator, Croaker. While these are not men you would want to associate with in real life---their activities would likely quickly shorten your life expectancy or land you in goal---they nonetheless will inevitably appeal to male romantic notions exemplified by any number of anti-hero figures, most typified in Hollywood by the film roles of Clint Eastwood, and, if not too closely examined, certain to provide unadulterated masculine entertainment. The boy in you will be delighted. Glen Cook invests his writing with assured skill and a tone completely complimentary to the task at hand. Tantalizing references are made to marvels such as the "talking menhirs of the Plains of Fear," and he provides just enough historical and legendary detail to support the magical and dark world he has created. He drops you into a maelstrom of action and never allows too much time to pass for reflection, which might in some ways, upon consideration, undermine certain underpinnings of his creation. These are works intended to provide delightful diversion, and in that effort the author remains true to his intention and is entirely successful. I have recently read comparisons drawn between Cook and George R.R. Martin and Steven Erikson. While broadly apt, Cook does not invest---at least here---his story with either the breadth or depth of characterization and intrigue found in the former, or the degree of world-building created by the latter. By comparison, "Black Company" is a far rougher sketch, and this book lacks the fleshing necessary to rank it among the best of its peers. Nonetheless, if one suspends a certain degree of one's critical sensibilities, the book will provide a few hours of unexamined fun. I must admit I certainly enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Dark, macabre, morose - brilliant
Review: Glen Cook's Black Company series is at least as good as, if not better than, R.E. Feist's Riftwar Saga and D. Eddings' Belgariad, although in a completely different way. Instead of introducing the reader to his characters steadily, and allowing the reader to follow the leading characters' development as people, Cook throws the reader into the midst of a chaotic city and among a diverse mix of mercenaries viewed from the perspective of a middle-aged physician. From there the setting and atmosphere of the book get richer and richer, as Cook draws you into the world of the Black Company, tough mercenaries with a proud history, recruited on behalf of the Lady, a powerful and ancient evil, to fight the Rebels of the Empire - a force apparently not much less evil than the ruling Lady herself. The Black Company plays a vital role between these two forces, along with the mysterious Ten Who Were Taken, powerful sorcerers subdued by and bound to the Lady, yet inevitably striving and plotting towards their own freedom, barely held in check by the domination of the Lady. Beneath this complex situation lies a dormant third party, the Dominator, who is on the verge of re-emerging and destroying the lives of all those who oppose his will...
The Black Company series seethes with intrique and action and is extremely original. I definitely do not recommend it to those who wish to wake up early in the mornings, as it'll keep you awake all night. A definite ten in the fantasy genre.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent. The best book in the best series of its type!
Review: The Black Company, the last of the 5 companies which started out from mythical Khatovar, is also the title of the 1st book in this series which ably melds gritty realism and high fantasy. This book introduces us to Croaker, surgeon, soldier and annalist of the BLACK COMPANY. Being used as bodyguards to defend the hated syndic against his own people and the vorfalaka (were-leopard) terrorizing the city, they are paid a visit by Soultaker the sorceress, legate of a powerful nearby empire. Faced with a no-win situation, the company takes service with the powerful legate in the combat with the rebel forces of the WHITE ROSE. Questions of moral philosophy abound. The Lady, ruler of the Empire is ruthless and beautiful, yet with sudden impulses of sympathy. Wife of an even darker and more horrible being, the Dominator, the Lady managed to escape while leaving her old husband imprisoned in a living death (of sorts). Soultaker, their patron appears much more patient than many of her fellows among the TEN WHO WERE TAKEN (despite the possibility of becoming the Company's greatest enemy) and treats them much more as equals. The rebel force of the WHITE ROSE, committed to fighting the "evil" Lady, are every bit as ruthless and bloodthirsty as their adversaries. And the evil Lady, taken with Croaker's fantasies about her, becomes protective toward him and is willing to risk life and power to prevent the rise of the twisted Dominator. Never has the boundary between good and evil been easier to cross or harder to define for the Black Company - or the reader. A dark, yet realistically gritty tale heavily borrowing from eastern mythologies, this is well worth reading by anyone who is willing to accept that rather than everything being black or white, there is a lot of gray in the world. If you haven't already done so, buy it now!
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Summary: Great series... different than the normal epic fantasy
Review: This is the first installment of a series of Black Company novels and it also happens to be the best. Cook easily conveys a 'you are there' sense of first-person realism that eludes so many of today's fantasy authors. He is content to weave a masterful, fast-paced, and addictive plot--one driven by deep character developement and rich, flavorfull dialogue--and leaves mundane descriptions of the local flora and fauna to the readers imagination. Afterall, once you've seen one 'Boars Head Inn,' you really have seen them all. The bottom line? If you are looking for a Tolken-esk experience, forget it. Cook's Black Company is all about plot and action. It's a hard-boiled, pan-fried look at life in a brotherhood of mercenaries as the men strive to meet the obligations of their duty, their employers, and their stomachs, and still get out of town alive. Cook's primary villains have vast reserves of magical power at their command, but don't expect any high-brow, mumbo-jumbo approach to magic in THIS book. The mages found in 'The Black Company' are frighteningly powerful, and they wield that power with a casual brutality that underscores their no-nonsense approach to world domination. Yes, THIS IS IT fantasy fans! This is the breath of fresh air we have all been looking for! 'The Black Company' is a raw and invigorating departure from classic fantasy. It's hard, it's gritty, and once you start reading, you WILL NOT be able to stop until you have completed the entire series! Buy it now, worry about the addiction later.
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Summary: Shades of gray
Review: Among other happy things, this book was an acknowledged inspiration for Bungie's _Myth_. From the back cover... "Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hardbitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead." "Until the prophecy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more." "There must be a way for the Black Company to find her..." Glen Cook's "The Black Company" series, of which this is the first book, is one of those sort-of-well-known masterpieces. It's not unknown, it's rarely out of print, it has a following comprised of sane, reasonable people, and it's beautifully written. It is the most recognizeable and well-known of Glen Cook's works. There are many things to commend this book. The book readily admits there is evil in the world. The Company has no pretensions that in many ways some of its members are *not* nice people. The Black Company, the last remnants of one of the great mercenary companies, is a fragment of what it was, once, a great time ago, so long ago it barely remembers what it was. Its real history is as dark as its name and possibly then some. There is a sense, though, of both family and integrity in the Company, something that strikes a chord with readers and leads them to empathize with the Company, to root for them. Lots and lots of good things to say about the series. Among other things, Cook has a talent for names. Croaker, One-Eye, Goblin, Raven, and so on. He can write villains and dark heroes and shades-of-gray souls and tussle with dilemmas of morality and ethics. His soldiers feel authentic. His villains are interesting. Cook is also very good at forcing his characters to make choices, then to reevaluate their choices in the light of new circumstances. There is something about the concept of the first book that is touching: the men of the Black Company devoting themselves wholeheartedly to search for The White Rose. Or the Lady, who may be dark as night, and yet who in many ways is incredibly beautiful. The book shines in the ambiguities and contradictions without losing itself in them.
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Summary: just dope
Review: I can't belive it was the year 2002 before I found out about this game which inspired the MYTH; THE FALLEN LORDS SUPER VIDEO GAME BY BUNGIE STUDIOS I think reading about the MYTH game was how I heard about this book. The first one I read was called the silver spike which I heard then was the weakest of the series. Whew. If you talk about a book with awesome pacing cool characters and none of the wiseass attitude or patronizing crapola "al la Goodkind"
Does not waste time on "oh im an orphan" BS Closest book to dungeons n dragons role playing gaem Ive ever read. Way better than dragon lance crap which is way too feminist and goofy. The plot revolves around a mercenary troop and various powerful wizards all at war with one another. AWESOME
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Summary: THE series to end all series
Review: The black company drags you into their world with characters that are both black and white. The entire series is a must read with 1-3 being the best in the whole lot. 4-7 continued the storyline but did not have the same satifying feel. 7-10 has gone a long way toward recapturing some of the lost luster. Through it all Croaker has played a large and very portent part. He is the black company in many respects. My only complaint about the series is that it is still not over. The wait for the next book has become one of those intolerable aches in the readers soul. I just hope he does not pull a David Gerrold and leave us in limbo for years
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