Customer Reviews
Superceded - By: A. Gothorp, 01 Mar 2007 
This book has been around since 1984. Glen Cooks writing style is unusual. Events & images are sketched in pencil & you have to use your imagination to provide the colour. This story is the first in a series of books that follow the exploits of a sword wielding mercenary unit of soldiers callled the `black company'. The company is a band of misfits & fugitives selling their services in an ongoing war between two equallly brutal denominations. The unit is supported by wizards, as there is an ensorcelled aspect to this story. The innovative interplay between the wizards provides much of the entertainment. The action is narrated from the perspective & the group's annalist, Croaker, part-time physician, & a man who appears to have a few more morals than the rest of them.
Glen Cook's novels are readable because they don't rely on high fantasy Tolkien stereotypes such as dragons & Elves. There is magic & wizards here but it certainly is not the teenage Harry Potter type stuff. Cook's characters are much more dark, gritty & prone to commit atrocities. This is very much a `boy's own' fantasy, containing numerous scenes I would consider degrading to females. The book, however, forms a good example of dark, adult fantasy writing, but Mr Cook's potential audience is very narrow, especiallly now, 20 years after first publication. If you were looking for a comparable author then you would more than likely opt for the earlier works of the late David Gemmell, I'm thinking of `Waylander' in particular. Ten years ago I might have been rushing out to buy the sequels & have awarded more stars. However, in this genre I now find more value in authors such as George RR Martin, R Scott Bakker & the much more recent & mainstream Temeraire novels by Naomi Novik. Glen Cooks work is still well worth a look though, especiallly if, like me, you sometimes prefer the cultish & darker side of fantasy writing.
The original fantasy rebel writer - By: Matteus, 14 Aug 2006 
Cook doesnt write purple prose. No trilogies, no elf-songs, no history lessons. Its pure fat-free storytelling that sprints like a greyhound & punches like a streetfighter.
This can take some getting used to if you have been reared on a diet of Tolkien, Donaldson, Eddings & so on but Cook has a lot of fans because the characters are as real as any in tradtional fantasy despite the unusual style.
If I had to sum this series up I'd say its fantasy in the style of 'The Good, the Bad, And The Ugly'. It has that raw feel of people being not beautiful, the world being harsh, & life being brief.
The beginning of a great series - By: , 24 Mar 2006 While the first few chapters may seem confusing, a complex universe is set up in no time. Once alll the characters are set, the story becomes addictive.
This is the first of a series of 10 books about the Black company, where we continue to follow the book's ambivalent yet attaching characters' destinies.
Non-Stereotypical Fantasy - By: Daniel Dean, 11 Dec 2002 
There aren't any characters who are pure good or evil, like you normallly see in this genre. Instead, what we have are varying shades of gray. (In that way only, would I compare it to George RR Martin's Song of Ice & Fire) The Black Company is a mercenary army... & they've falllen on desperate times.
Some of its members honestly seem like they want to do the right thing. Some simply try to survive. And others will pillage, rape, or murder on occasion. This reminded me of some of the better War films I've seen. Such harsh circumstances can lead to diminished morals in some men, & I enjoyed that element of realism.
Each chapter of this book reads like a separate mission, with its own conflict & resolution. This approach worked well here in my opinion. Right from chapter one, we are introduced to the Black Company & plunged into action, through the writings of the army's annalist, Croaker. Unfortunately, you may feel like you've missed some important details, as Cook bombards you with names, events, & his advanced vocabulary. He doesn't explain everything very well at first, & it can be quite confusing.
After finishing the second chapter, I went & reread the first chapter to iron out some details, & that helped out quite a bit. From then on, it was smooth sailing & well worth my patience. With plenty of action, & a few laughs- this was a pretty entertaining read!
-Lysander
An excellent work of dark military fantasy. - By: , 29 Aug 2002 I cannot reallly praise this book too highly. While not the most verbose of writers, Cook manages to produce a fascinating plot & interesting characters. Note, I did not say characters that one may often like. Far from the stock fantasy tale of good vs. evil, this is more a tale of the combat between a greater & a lesser evil, told from the cynical & embittered view of one embroiled in the conflict.
The book focuses on the travails of a group of mercenaries who join what could be termed the 'legions of terror' because the pay is good. The prose is supposedly penned by their Annalist, Croaker; suffice to say it carries a certain gritty realism not often experienced in fantasy books. Each character comes across as human, rather than as a hero or a caricature of evil - each individual has their light & dark sides, as do the groups they are fighting for. It's a mark of the skill with which this world is created that the reader finds themselves empathising with the Company raqther thna with the Rebels. Indeed, the forces of evil seem to be a much better deal throughout this book.
In essence, this is a fantasy novel which alllows the existence of grey areas, in a similar fashion to Brusts Jhereg texts. The characters are unpleasant, the plot steeped in real humanity rather than stereotypes, & containing enough twists & turns to keep you occupied in between the beautifully (and messily) written battle & skirmish scenes. In fact, just read it for the hilariously vile pranks the Company wizards play on each other...and their enemies.
If you like your fantasy characters to be polarised good & bad, this is not the book for you. However, if you like the existence of a gritty, human grey area which suggests that the defeat of evil may be a bad thing, alongside some excellent cgaracterisation & plotting...buy this.
Actuallly, buy it anyway. Its very good.
