The Black Company : The First Novel of the Black Company

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: What can I say that has not already been said? Brilliant characterization, enough detail to paint the landscape without Jordan-esque overwriting, and a great story. I cannot recommend this book highly enough - I buy used copies whenever I can to give to people.

Rating:
Summary: Dark, wondrous fantasy, grim and violent like war itself
Review: A different sort of fantasy novel: it is dark, violent and very militaristic. Mr Cook creates a believable mercenary company and does not sugar coat their actions or thoughts. It is a very convincing description of what war is really about: the good guys, although guided by pure and benevolent ideals are as corrupt and evil as the bad guys (which the main characters are allied with!). I only wish Mr.Cook would write a prequel explaining the origins and powers of his 10 main villains, which are some of the most original and interesting characters I have ever read. Not in the same leage as Goodkind or Martin but still a very good read.

Rating:
Summary: Great fantasy, dark but fun
Review: One of my favorite fantasy novels of all time. Simultaneously disturbing and fun. I like the fact that there really is no good side and bad side, no light and dark. Too many fantasies get caught up in the typical rendering of an underdog force of good battling a dread force of evil, and these novels ignore that, acknowledging that most "good" people have some bad in them, and vice versa. The main characters are interesting enough, and the plot is terrific, moving at nice pace. This book proves that a good fantasy novel does not have to be 700--800 pages long.

Rating:
Summary: Dark Fantasy Excellence.
Review: Wow. This is a dark fantasy, if there ever was one. I found this to be an excellent read and just one of those books that I would urge anyone to read--even if they feel they may not like such. Whether or not this is your cup of tea, give it a try. And if you don't like it, put it down and try again later. Once your in the mood for something a bit diffrent, give it another go. It's worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Not the best
Review: With all the glowing, five star reviews on this site, I have to concede there's a strong possibility that I simply didn't "get" some important aspect of the book. I thought I'd post a dissenting review anyway, though, just to show that it is possible to not like this book, if nothing else. I thought the characters were week and hard to identify with, the plot wasn't even worth caring about, and there was no underlying point or redeeming value whatsoever. This is military fantasy, and that's a very specific field that maybe not everyone would fully appreciate. My advice: be aware of your tastes before you buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Definatly not the best, but decent.
Review: They Key to enjoying this book is perspective. You have to realize and accept before reading it that the pages will be filled with a thin storyline and partially two dimentional characters. But face it, that is what the majority of fantasy novels consist of. As for the good stuff, Cook doesnt bog the reader down with excessive characters (cough JORDAN) and with thousands of sideplots per book (cough JORDAN). His novels are short and to the point. THe characters are just interesting enough to keep you reading. The Black Company is in interesting enough book to make you feel like your two dollars you spent on the bargain rack didnt go entirely to waste. Need a quick read or two between more serious novels or while waiting for George Martin to finish his next damn book? Go for Cook. He's worth a try at least.

Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorites
Review: The entire Black Company series has been a favorite of mine since I first read this book when it came out years ago. It is a breath of fresh air written in 1st person and with characters you immediately begin to admire, fear, and care about. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is tired of the typical fantasy epic. Glen Cook weaves a wonderful story that keeps you guessing the entire series. Enjoy! I did and do, as it is on my re-read rotation. This book in particular, I have read at least 7 times. It's one of those rare finds.

Rating:
Summary: best of the best
Review: this is the first book of a great series an when i first read it I was blown away. Expecting the typical heroic fantasy novel, I instead got a breath of fresh air. I see by reading some of the reviews that some people think cooks style is a little terse. I frankly thank him for not flooding the reader (me) with verbose diarrhea (ala terry goodking and jordan). The action was fast paced the villains interesting and human and the plot twists were NOT predictable. I'm reading water sleeps right now so I can say that rest of the series is also checking out. I feel that this was the best book of the series although shadows linger, white rose, and steel spike are excellent too.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Wonderful Book. Loved it, the world, the magic. It was very different from usual fantasy fare.Dark magic, grim reality, corrupt cynical soldiers slugging through mud and dodging death blows at every step. Reminded me of Moorcock.

Rating:
Summary: Looking forward to the rest
Review: I thought the blurb sounded sort of interesting and bought it. After the first few pages I thought it must have been written by the editor of Soldier of Fortune magazine. But that was only at first glance. Then it started reminding me of Mary Gentle's "Grunts", for there too the Bad Guys(tm) are not just faceless cannon fodder. And then, page after page, fantasy cliches were broken. - Even the Good Guys(tm) are really a bunch of worthless butchers. - The wizards of all sides are not kindly, wizened friends of hobbits or glamourous hunks and babes, but semi-mad, filthy flea-bags. At least some of them. - The villains show feelings - long for companionship within their cocoons of power. - The obligatory Fortress of Evil is not yet another copy of Mordor or Shayol Ghul, but has clipped lawns and administrative buildings.

All in all, while I don't agree with some of the glowing 5 star adorations, I certainly look forward to the rest of the story.