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Summary: Glen Cook has done it again with She is The Darkness
Review: Glen Cook is consistently one of the best writers I have ever encountered. He is able to create believable, human characters, whom you either love, or love to hate. I found his Black Company series unique, in that it is very dark, and yet is able to capture that spark of hope that exists within all of us. With She is The Darkness, I found him returning to the style or the first series, the books of the North. I found this a welcome change from the rest of the series, including this book's predecessor, Bleak Seasons. I enjoy the way he is able to make all the pertinant characters come alive, differently than he did when Croaker was annalist. Murgen's speech and style seem very real, and lend immediacy to the book. The only problems I have with it are how far some of his characters have changed since their conception. I liked Croaker far more when he was a hopeless romantic, than the very definition of paranoid that he is now, but i can see Cook's reasoning for the change. I'd have to say what is most gripping about this book is the plot, and the way that Cook keeps you guessing right up to the end and beyond. Never have I been so clueless as to what is happening, and the ending is definitely a surprise, leaving you yearning for more. All in all, I like the way it seems the series is taking. A very good read.
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Summary: Glen Cook does it again! Well worth the wait.
Review: Glen Cook once again brings all the favorites back and weaves an interesting blend of deceit and mythology in this eagerly awaited book. The trip to Khatovar is nearing an end... Can't wait for the next one!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good read.
Review: Having followed the annals of the Black Company since they first started marching, I can claim to be an avid fan. I have read the Annals of the north 5 or 6 times and have yet to tire of them. This book is finally seeing the 400 year hiatus of the company end as they are returning to thier origins. In some ways this book just didn't live up with rest of the series, nor did the last one for that matter, but its easy to see why, after all how do you top the other books. All in all a good read though.
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Summary: Decent continuation of the Black Company Saga
Review: I found this book enjoyable. It seemed to be written in the same style as the 1st books in the series (i.e. The Black Company), and not the book that immediately preceeds it (Bleak Seasons). The Characters in the "new" Black company do not seem to be as fleshed out as in the previous books. The "villians" in the 1st set of books, called the "10 who were taken", seemed to have a lot more charisma and character developement. Croaker seems to make a better analyst than murgen, but this may be because Murgen has a problem with keeping track of when/where he is. All in all, this is a good continuation of the series, and a much better than Bleak Seasons. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
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Summary: At last! Glen Cook Nails us with both barrels!
Review: I had this book on order for two months before it was released. When it came in, my life stopped for the day and a half it took to devour this wonderful continuation of The Black Company. For those familiar with The Black Company, READ THIS! So many unanswered questions that I'm sure have been dogging your sleep (like they have Murgen)are finally exposed. Man, will you be surprised! Cook's Wit is at it's finest! With this book in hand, even eating and sleeping are optional
Rating:
Summary: Still great, but not what I expected...
Review: I have been following the Black Company series for over a decade, including the early 1990s hiatus, so any new books are welcome. Glen Cook is still very easy to read (repeatedly), in fact, I've read the original "Black Company" at least 10 times. Through it all, the characters, locales, and overall atmosphere have grown comfortable and familiar. Still, you really have to buy-in to the "religion" that pervades the entire storyline of "She is the Darkness". In fact, it eventually becomes difficult to tell who really IS the darkness by the time you get to the end. While I enjoyed the book and read it slowly to absorb and enjoy it all the more, I found myself missing the "old crew" of characters and found a major element of the plot (i.e., ghost walking) to be somewhat contrived and unbelievable - and this is a fantasy novel! All-in-all, an excellant, if slightly disappointing read - mainly due to the incredibly high standards I have come to expect from Glen Cook's Black Company novels.
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Summary: Absolutely Stunning!
Review: I have loved all of Glen Cook's Black Company creations so far (excluding The Silver Spike) including this absolutely stunning novel. The characters wrap me up in themselves every time I pick up any of the set of books out so far. This book will definitely place as a new favorite in my collection. I am getting restless already for the next in the series to present itself!
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Summary: The Higher Standard (of the Black Company)!
Review: I just started reading the "Black Company" series recently. In point of fact "Bleak Seasons" was the first I'd read. I seem to find myself starting some series in the middle (I've done it that way with McCaffrey's Dragonriders and Kurtz's Deryni). "Bleak Seasons" FORCED me to get "She is the Darkness" (and in turn, I'll have to buy "Water Sleeps" next). Excellent books. Mr. Cook's writing style is mature, gritty, dark, and wonderfully "Grody". I am now hooked on the Black Company and will have to spend money to get all of them. I found Murgen to be a likable and realistic soldier (I've been friends with a few soldiers, and they can be like that). All the characters seem to live in their own world, much like real people do. I have tired of books in which the people only seem to throw dialog at each other in order to get to an endpoint. Cook laces his people with selfishness and selflessness in proper proportion, without losing their personalities in the process. I very much like, Highly reccommend, and will continue to read, the Annals of the Black Company.
Rating:
Summary: The Higher Standard (of the Black Company)!
Review: I just started reading the "Black Company" series recently. In point of fact "Bleak Seasons" was the first I'd read. I seem to find myself starting some series in the middle (I've done it that way with McCaffrey's Dragonriders and Kurtz's Deryni). "Bleak Seasons" FORCED me to get "She is the Darkness" (and in turn, I'll have to buy "Water Sleeps" next). Excellent books. Mr. Cook's writing style is mature, gritty, dark, and wonderfully "Grody". I am now hooked on the Black Company and will have to spend money to get all of them. I found Murgen to be a likable and realistic soldier (I've been friends with a few soldiers, and they can be like that). All the characters seem to live in their own world, much like real people do. I have tired of books in which the people only seem to throw dialog at each other in order to get to an endpoint. Cook laces his people with selfishness and selflessness in proper proportion, without losing their personalities in the process. I very much like, Highly reccommend, and will continue to read, the Annals of the Black Company.
Rating:
Summary: The Higher Standard (of the Black Company)!
Review: I just started reading the "Black Company" series recently. In point of fact "Bleak Seasons" was the first I'd read. I seem to find myself starting some series in the middle (I've done it that way with McCaffrey's Dragonriders and Kurtz's Deryni). "Bleak Seasons" FORCED me to get "She is the Darkness" (and in turn, I'll have to buy "Water Sleeps" next). Excellent books. Mr. Cook's writing style is mature, gritty, dark, and wonderfully "Grody". I am now hooked on the Black Company and will have to spend money to get all of them. I found Murgen to be a likable and realistic soldier (I've been friends with a few soldiers, and they can be like that). All the characters seem to live in their own world, much like real people do. I have tired of books in which the people only seem to throw dialog at each other in order to get to an endpoint. Cook laces his people with selfishness and selflessness in proper proportion, without losing their personalities in the process. I very much like, Highly reccommend, and will continue to read, the Annals of the Black Company.
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