Rating: 
Summary: She Is The Darkness
Review: The saga of the Black Company continues as Khatovar draws ever nearer... or does it?Really a 3 1/2 or 4-. It's strange -- I keep hearing people tell me that this series, which I've never read before, gets worse toward the end, but this book is one of the best yet. Far better characterized than the early volumes, it's from the point of view of Murgen, the standardbearer. Disturbances in Murgen's consciousness and a concomitant decline in his physical state add tension. Though here and there a plot thread is not fully developed and the book gets slow about 3/4 of the way through, overall it works well and the end is an eyecatcher. Like the others in the series, though, it does not stand alone, so will be of interest only to readers of the preceding books.
Rating: 
Summary: Delicious,the man is a real tactician
Review: This book far and away beats anything written by Authors touching on the same feild.Cook is totally masterful at planning,staging and executing a battle,coupled with espionage and sorcery .I can only lick my lips in anticipation for the next book,i hope it does'nt end....but there is always the Garret series with some kind of Metal in every title, ENJOY all his books
Rating:
Summary: Brutally good, Cook's best yet.
Review: This is his best work yet. I was stunned by it. The writing is fantastic, the characters are fantastic, and the story is brutal and utterly awesome. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A gripping tale that never sleeps
Review: This story will leave you wanting more. when your finished with this book you may want to read the whole series over again. We must wait to see what can possibly go wrong for the Black Company. Glen Cook has picked the right story to keep us interested.
Rating:
Summary: Top totty from this Englishmen
Review: Unsure of what my northern 'mate' in Leeds was reading after seeing his review but must agree the English-English vs the American English was spot on. Also was curious how you came upon the idea that the Nyueng Bao were supposed to represent a negative image of the Vietnamese or that war. Seems a much better way of introducing new races to the series without falling back upon the boring old ogre, orc, and elf routine!!! yeh? Would like to say that I've read the series for over 15 years now and quite agree with the majority of what our black company brothers say in the states. Cook's continued expansion of his world is ideally suited to not only roleplaying games but perhaps to a tv or movie series as well. There are colourful characters, deception, intrigue, lying, honesty, manipulation, hidden agendas, and no doubt more surprises in store for us in the eighth book (apparently titled Water Sleeps). For some interesting and indepth ideas about the books and what underlying schemes could be taking place visit one of three BC homepages (an obvious pure testament to Cooks ability to enhance the immagination) After reading some of those I'm sure you'll probably come to realise that words and phrases introduced to us in the first three books are only now beginning to make sense. For instance the first chapter in Shadows Linger quite clearly describes the skeleton which Croaker inc. saw when they entered the castle at the end of She is the Darkness. --Remember the feather---. If that isn't testament to a well developed outline for a long series of books written over 15 years then I must live in Elland Road. ......It's immortality of a sort..........
Rating:
Summary: Top totty from this Englishmen
Review: Unsure of what my northern 'mate' in Leeds was reading after seeing his review but must agree the English-English vs the American English was spot on. Also was curious how you came upon the idea that the Nyueng Bao were supposed to represent a negative image of the Vietnamese or that war. Seems a much better way of introducing new races to the series without falling back upon the boring old ogre, orc, and elf routine!!! yeh? Would like to say that I've read the series for over 15 years now and quite agree with the majority of what our black company brothers say in the states. Cook's continued expansion of his world is ideally suited to not only roleplaying games but perhaps to a tv or movie series as well. There are colourful characters, deception, intrigue, lying, honesty, manipulation, hidden agendas, and no doubt more surprises in store for us in the eighth book (apparently titled Water Sleeps). For some interesting and indepth ideas about the books and what underlying schemes could be taking place visit one of three BC homepages (an obvious pure testament to Cooks ability to enhance the immagination) After reading some of those I'm sure you'll probably come to realise that words and phrases introduced to us in the first three books are only now beginning to make sense. For instance the first chapter in Shadows Linger quite clearly describes the skeleton which Croaker inc. saw when they entered the castle at the end of She is the Darkness. --Remember the feather---. If that isn't testament to a well developed outline for a long series of books written over 15 years then I must live in Elland Road. ......It's immortality of a sort..........
Rating:
Summary: The latest in a continuing string of excellent work by Cook.
Review: Well, on a whim I went back and re-read the entire series this weekend. Once again I am convinced that Glen must be a god. His worlds are more complete and believable than any other author in any other fictional genre. 'Darkness is a true tour de force by the master. All the threads come together and weave a wholly unexpected pattern. Quite a trick, as I have read all of his work and talked with him several times and I believed I had good idea how he thought. If you like the Black Company, you should really try his Dread Empire series. Hard to find but well worth it. I think it might even be a more interesting and complete world than in the Company books.
Rating:
Summary: Great if you've read the whole series - in Order
Review: While the Black Company is one of the truly great sagas in fantasy, I consider it VERY important that the books be read in order..otherwise they wouldn't make much sense, particularly the last two. But then, neither would Jordan's 'Wheel of Time', nor would the Eddings series either. The Black Company is different from all other series in it's theme and the way the main characters stay the SAME. (Normal series is .. Peasant in fields becomes General, Admiral, King, Most powerful sorceror, etc. etc. and saves the world from the Dark Guy). The Black Company is DIFFERENT and (for fantasy) much more believable and interesting. They are mercenary soldiers and the entire series is an on-going, slug it out, rough and tough military campaign, with the company constantly hindered by sorcerors who are much too powerful for the company to combat directly and have to be defeated by the 'lie, cheat, steal, deceive' method.
Rating:
Summary: The Black Company Rules.
Review: Yet another doozy for the Black Company. I hate reviews that discuss the plot or give a synopsis, so I won't do that. You can find enough here. This review is merely to tell anyone doubting that though this is the EIGHTH book in the series, it is still as fantastic as the first one. Rare in any series. Murgen is the narrator in this one, and is still hopping around time and place while passed out. If you don't know what I am talking about, you need to read the first seven books before even worrying about this one. The Company is still heading to Khatovar, and Soulcatcher is still being a pain. I suppose that I am discussing plot now, violating my rule, but what the heck. Long story short, Cook manages to maintain a gritty, funny, enticing and absorbing tale after 30 years of Company and thousands of pages. Bravo.
Rating:
Summary: The Black Company Rules.
Review: Yet another doozy for the Black Company. I hate reviews that discuss the plot or give a synopsis, so I won't do that. You can find enough here. This review is merely to tell anyone doubting that though this is the EIGHTH book in the series, it is still as fantastic as the first one. Rare in any series. Murgen is the narrator in this one, and is still hopping around time and place while passed out. If you don't know what I am talking about, you need to read the first seven books before even worrying about this one. The Company is still heading to Khatovar, and Soulcatcher is still being a pain. I suppose that I am discussing plot now, violating my rule, but what the heck. Long story short, Cook manages to maintain a gritty, funny, enticing and absorbing tale after 30 years of Company and thousands of pages. Bravo.
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