The Black Company (Chronicles of The Black Company #1) |
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The Black Company (Chronicles of The Black Company #1)
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by Glen Cook
Sales Rank: 188854
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List Price: $6.99
$6.99
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on 6-20-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Mass Market Paperback with 320 pages
Published by: Tor Fantasy March 15, 1992
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0812521390
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0812521399
Book Dimensions:
6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
Weighs: 5.6 ounces
Product Description
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 prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more.
There must be a way for the Black Company to find her
About The Author
Born in 1944, Glen Cook grew up in northern California, served in the U.S. Navy, attended the University of Missouri, and was one of the earliest graduates of the well-known "Clarion" workshop SF writers. Since 1971 he has published a large number of SF and fantasy novels, including the "Dread Empire" series, the occult-detective "Garrett" novels, and the very popular "Black Company" sequence that began with the publication of The Black Company in 1984. Among his SF novels is A Passage at Arms.
After working many years for General Motors, Cook now writes full-time. He lives near St. Louis, Missouri, with his wife Carol.
Reader Reviews
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.
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The Black Company (Chronicles of The Black Company #1)
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Price: $6.99
Updated on 6-20-2008.
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