The follow-on to the Chronicles of the Black Company. The Company, now that the Captain is dead, is returning to the south, where they originated so long ago no one really remembers what they were back then. Still trailed by some of the Taken, the Company struggles to survive, and like they always do, they are going to make someone pay for that survival. Excellent, gritty fantasy at a personal level, excelling at both politics and the struggles of the individuals of the Company. ( )

After this, the series starts to lose its way a little, but this installment is still quite good. There are some nasty problems with more than one shape shifter, and of course, those undead wizards are still highly problematic for those in the company.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2006/11... ( )

Crows and Shadows: Reeling from the battles at the Tower of Charm in the service of the Lady, the remains of the Black Company begin a new journey - back to the Hhatovar of their origins, lost in the jungles of the south. Still under Croaker's lead the compulsion to return seems like an elephant's last voyage to the graveyard. With the original volumes of the Company's history lost, no one knows what Khatovar really was, or why there ever was a Black Company, but the trip south stirs memories of the last free company of Khatovar, and they aren't fond ones. Danger and unwelcome friends seem to lurk everywhere.

Croaker's first stop is Taglios, where the Company undertakes to provide help in a struggle with four shadowmasters who are extending their own empire. Like the Taken before them, these are wizards who have little care for the humans who serve or oppose them. The Taglians are the last free people before this new dark empire and the Company needs to get rid of the bad guys before they can reach their own origin point. Unfortunately for the Company there are some Taglians who recall the legends of the times when the Black Company headed north with considerable fear, and cooperation and trust are in thin supply.

This will be the last volume written from Croaker's viewpoint (have no fear, he still will have a part to play) and it develops his new role as captain as well as a growing connection with the more human side of the Lady. The latter has expended all her power in the struggle to keep her old husband, the Dominator, from re-entering this world. Her new vulnerability doesn't make her a weak character, and her knowledge and experience make her an asset as the Black Company once again tries to extract disaster from the jaws of success.

Glen Cook proves that there is life after a trilogy as he begins the transition volumes (The Books of the South) that will lead into the Glittering Plain series. This transition of the Black Company from a tool of political empire building to an almost mystical entity with a serious, and perhaps deadly, agenda of its own makes a strong story all on its own. There are quite a few surprises to come, and Shadow Games is an example of perfect scene setting as the rules and the environment begin to change. Cook's writing continues to mature, defying the principle that a prolific writer inevitably dilutes his strength.

My favorite of the Black Company books so far, though that could just be because Croaker's the narrator again. (I read The Silver Spike before this one -- a move I recommend, as this book drops some hints that would have driven me crazy had I not known they wouldn't be resolved in the series proper.) A number of surprises in this book, mainly some unexpected returns, and the revelation of the Shadowmasters' identities.

The narration is quite enjoyable, and I found myself often chuckling out loud at a turn of phrase. My only real disappointment with the book was how easily the Company seemed to win all its battles, with mostly untrained troops pitted against the supposedly-formidable Shadowmasters. ( )

This picks up after the events of the first three books (see The Black Company), starting a whole new adventure for the members of the Black Company. Not only did The White Rose end, imo, on a perfect note, I don't think the story line here is quite as good. It's still enjoyable, however. ( )