Rating: 
Summary: The most realistic fantasy book I've read!
Review: Unlike many fantasy books, Glen Cook places his characters not in a world of good and evil, but in a world where good and evil is not absolute. The perception of good and evil in many cases, depends upon the viewpoint of the observer. The reader of the book is drawn into a world much like ours, with sorcery added for flavor. The company, with it's many main characters, serves as the unwilling pawn of the powers that be, trying to "make a living" by doing what they do best and not "taking sides". In this way, they are portraying the human dilemma of feeling a part of the world they live in, yet having little control of their ultimate fate. Also unconventional to many fantasy series, the characters are intertwined in multiple "plots" at once, and their priorities and interests change as the events of their lives unfold. This realism causes a close relationship with the characters that is found in many of the favorite fantasy stories such as the Wheel of Time series and the Belgariad series. However, unlike the Wheel of Time, the Black Company series can be read (for the most part) in sets of three books each giving a sense of conclusion after each third book while still leaving the reader wanting more! The style of writing makes reading the book feel like you are "in the action" instead of feeling an observer, and is a refreshing change from the third person point of view. It is a fantasy book in all respects offering sorcery galore, battles, intrigue in a three dimensional style including an element of depth to the characters, world and plot that can't be found in the works of many authors. Perhaps the only reason the Black Company series is not placed alongside the Wheel of Time, the Shannara, the Belgariad and now The Wizard's First Rule (besides by those who have ventured to pick up the first book to read it,)is that Glen Cook does not produce the books as quickly. However, after reading the eighth book and latest release, I can still say that each wait, which seemingly torments, has resulted in pure delight and gratification. It is the beginning of a series that if not read yet, is a must for any fantasy reader of any age!
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Summary: The Black Company is one of the all-time best fantasy books!
Review: I have been reading fantasy and science fiction for over 20 years and have a library of 300+ fantasy novels, but "The Black Company" series is still one of my favorites. Glen Cook is a master storyteller who takes common, everyday-type actions and language and makes it into a book that will keep you from sleeping until your finished reading it. Not many people can do that, but The Captain, Croaker, One Eye, Mercy, and all the rest of the Company are about as good as it gets.
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Summary: Shades of Gray
Review: What makes this series truly unique in the fantasy genre is that there is no characters or causes that are absolute good or absolute evil. Fantasy literature as a rule attracts its followers because the stories are set in morally simplistic worlds of Black and White; utterly evil and impeccable truth. As in real life, everyone and everything in this book is shades of gray. Noble quests and battles against evil hordes can be had by the hundreds nowadays. But how many series can take the themes of mere survival and comradeship and make a riveting tale out of it? This one can, and with compelling style. This series is not for the anal-retentive, as many characters and events are never explained or only hinted at. It is left to the readers' imagination (gasp!) to fill in the blanks. I have a library of over 2000 SF and Fantasy titles at home, and in case of fire, I would be sure to grab this and Tolkein before leaving
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Summary: Croaker and Tros of Samothrace Be Awesome Dudes
Review: Croaker and others in Black Company are like really fine present day upgrade models of the head bashin' gut slashing guys that Talbot Mundy did so good in "Purple Pirate" and "Tros of Samothrace". Oh yeah, and The Lady .... praise the Baby Stranglers First Carbuncle, Lady could sit on ... er, ah, ... work one of them MoJo's on me any day, any when.
---- Glen Cook Rules ----
Black Company Rocks ----
Rating:
Summary: Oh no, not another, THE GREATEST BOOK EVER review
Review: I really can't stand all these, OH MY GOD, IF I NEVER READ ANOTHER BOOK, IF I DIE TOMMORROW, MY LIFE WILL STILL BE COMPLETE!!!!, sort of reviews (if you don't know what I'm talking about, go read the reviews for Ender's Game in this catalog. Give me a break!), but this is truly one fine story. I found a one volume set of the first three books of the Black Company lying on a park bench in the rain. I picked it up just so it wouldn't be destroyed and began reading it on the subway. That was 10 years ago, and I've still got that worn and ragged copy sitting in a drawer in my desk here today. I used to leave it ON the desk until a friend picked it up and started to read, it took me three weeks to get it back after he had finished, jerk would'nt give it up. Anyway, the story finds a rag-tag, down on its luck, bunch of mercs called the Black Company, struggling for its very survival. And beginning a quest to find its roots. These are not nice people, but you can't help but be impressed by their ability to overcome the obstacles placed in their way. The Company has been whittled away over the years by employers trying to use them as cannon fodder and has learned how to fight their battles, not with their arms but with their wits. All of these characters are very well realized, The Company magicians will have you laughing out loud. Even peripheral characters have unique personalities, without resorting to today's common practice of writing mostly empty 1000 page adjective filled monstrosities. The writing is crisp, thrifty, and well-paced. This is Cook's finest work. Miles ahead of the wimpy Garrett series. And years away from the Dread Empire. The really intriguing thing is the world they live in, you can't quite place the time-frame, not Medieval, nor Dark Ages, definitely not Renaissance, but still hauntingly familiar. The lexicon of proper and place names is just right for the cynical tone and down-on-your-luck attitude of the story, simple yet highly descriptive. Not your usual twenty syllable fantasy tounge twisters nor the most high, extremely hard to believe, grandfather of all multiple adjective, names and titles seen in most other fantasy works. Cook is the first writer I've ever read who has been able to use plain old American English as the primary language for his narrative and make it work. Like so, There's a guy called Raven. Why? Remember the great line from True Lies when Charlton Heston asks the guy why the terrorist calls himself the Sandspider? The guy says "Probably, because it sounds scary." Well, you don't even get that much information about ol' Raven's name, ever. You as the reader, GET TO USE YOUR IMAGINATION. After six books Cook has never run out of story and had to resort to taking the mystery from his characters by explaining everyday of their lives to readers who really don't want to know. Remember, these are mercenaries. You are not supposed to know their secrets. If you've got to have every detail spelled out for you then pass this one by. (Critics ignored this series, called it "Not for everyone, ...characters too undefined") But, if you want a challenging read with great characters that you will remember for years, a world that you cannot stay away from and a story that will keep you waiting patiently for years to be continued (Cook churns out Garrett-trash weekly, it seems, but Black Company stuff is slow in coming) then grab a copy and hold on to it, mine's almost unreadable now. I'll be checking park benches looking for yours soon
Rating:
Summary: ignored by the critics, enjoyed by readers
Review: This is a book whose main character has perhaps the most evil occupation there is -- mercenary. At the start of this long series, his band, the black company, enlists in the service of The Lady, who rules the evil empire. In spite of which, you sympathize with the main character. In addition to a good main character, the world is depicted with a casual certainty that forces you to believe in anything from the cities of Oar and Rose to The Plain of Fear and the Stair of Tear.
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Summary: I am ordering a new copy, as I have worn mine out !
Review: Have you ever read a book that actually puts you in to the action ?
Have you ever read a book that keeps you awake at night, turning page after page after page, until you finish it ?
Even though you have read the book 50 times!
This is The Black Company. I have been reading it again and again, and I still cannot get enough.
I have read all the Black Company novels, but always begin reading with the first.
I do not grow out of this book. It is a tale told perfectly, to make you wish you were there, a part of
the brotherhood. I want to join the Company - in battle, in grief, in victory. I want to meet the characters.
At times I fear I am addicted. The more urgent the action, the faster the book reads. I read it faster and faster each time, and
every time I find new clues. Glen Cook looked to the end of the story before he wrote the beginning. Everything fits together too well.
Ovation after ovation after ovation
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant fantasy epic, without the epic formula.
Review: The Black Company series is one of my all-time favorites.
I've been reading fantasy and science fiction since I was
a kid, and many of the books that I used to like, I find
that I've outgrown. This series, though, has remained a
favorite of mine, and recently I got a copy of the first
book, titled "The Black Company", to see if it was as
good as I remembered.
The book is structured as a series of episodes, chronicling the lives of the core members of the Black
Company, a mercenary company with a history going back
thousands of years. Everything is told from the viewpoint of Croaker, the company's head doctor, and
official historian. (One of this series' trademarks
is the abundance of evocative names, both people and
places. My favorite is "The Tower at Charm".)
In this first book, the setting is the struggle between the Lady, who rules an empire with the help
of her enslaved sorcerors (called "The Taken"), and
the Rebels (of course). This conflict is raging over the entire continent, with the Black Company
serving as a valuable pawn in the struggle. Usually,
the Company is in the thick of it, and Croaker's
viewpoint provides a gripping account of strategy, intrigue, massive battles, and desperate chases.
I think this book is good because it incorporates a
lot of the great epic-style elements, such as the
titanic power struggles, while avoiding the usual
shortfalls of an epic, such as flatness in the
characters, and excessive, sometimes artificial
moralizing. There is no "struggle between good and
evil" in this book - the Rebels are just as bad as
the Lady and her minions. The characters, though,
are vivid, and, in the midst of this large-scale
warfare, brief moments of intimacy and sincerity
shine through, especially between members of the
Company, trying to help each other to survive in a
very imperfect world.
Gripping story. Wonderful characters. I'm glad that the series is still in print.
Rating:
Summary: High Adventure and Sorcery at it's best...
Review: The world trembled at the coming of the Ten Who Were Taken.
They conquered a world and then were defeated by a girl. The Ten are back but where is the girl? Follow the trail through the Empire with the men of the Black Company. Mercenaries
extrordinaire, they are hired by one of the Ten to fight for
the Empire. Can men of honor fight for evil? This is the
question they begin to ask themselves as the battles get bloodier, the chances of survival get lower and the line
between good and evil begins to blur.-- True fantasy story
telling at it's best. Ranks alongside Lord of the Rings as one of the all-time greatest.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best fantasies ever written
Review: The 'Black Company' series, starting with this title is
among the finest fantasies ever written. I rate this a must
read if you love Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings', Jordan's
'Wheel of Time' series, David Eddings and Dennis McKiernan
among current stuff. (I started with the complete Tarzan series and most of A. Merrit's stuff - so Glen Cook's Black
Company is competing against 50+ years of voracious fantasy
reading.
Irond
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