The Company (original 2008; edition 2009)

by K. J. Parker

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
210	24	50,849	(3.42)	11

Add to your library

Add to wishlist

▾Book information

Member:	xavierroy
Title:	The Company
Authors:	K. J. Parker
Info:	Orbit (2009), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 432 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	2011, fantasy

Work details

The Company by K. J. Parker (2008)

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

private library, BMorrisAllen, lumpish, SChant, RyanJC, walterqchocobo, JenneB

numbers

show all

▾Tags

▾LibraryThing recommendations

The Folding Knife by K. J. Parker (2010)
The Hammer by K. J. Parker (2011)
Devices and Desires by K. J. Parker (2005)
Same series: The Escapement (Engineer Trilogy)
Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley (2006)
Same series: Bloodheir (The Godless World) (The Godless World)
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie (2011)
Same series: The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged (The First Law)

This Is Not a Game by Walter Jon Williams (2009)
The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham (2011)
A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham (2007)
The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker (2003)
Same series: The Thousandfold Thought (The Second Apocalypse)
The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick (2008)

see more recommendations for this work

refresh

▾Member recommendations

None.

▾Will you like it?

▾Member reviews

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)

Fall-Winter-2010

orbitbooks | May 9, 2013 |

Fairly bland an uninvolving compared to the Engineer trilogy.It was OK (

)

SChant | Apr 26, 2013 |

Hahahaha, wow.
This did not end the way I expected it to, and it was awesome. I mean, it wasn't exactly surprising, but it was unexpected.

It kind of reminded me of No Country for Old Men (well, the movie at least--I haven't read the book) in the way it explores the inevitable corruptibility of human nature.

I think the lesson we can all take away from this is that if you find a large amount of wealth suddenly for no good reason, you should run the hell away because no good is going to come of it. (

)

JenneB | Apr 2, 2013 |

This book relies on the characters and the story of their interactions together. I like that there is a lot of room given for the tale to unfold. It is certainly a while until you even learn what they did in the war. In many cases you don't get all the explanations in one place and the pieces are dotted around. Mostly from the current day being mixed up well with the back story of their war exploits/ the forging of the team dynamics which makes it feel more complex that the actual bare plot really is at the end. There are nice twists and surprises even to the last. (

)

C4RO | Apr 17, 2012 |

This was a great book overall but with a slightly disappointing ending. At the beginning there is tantalisingly little explanation of the backstory, but this is revealed slowly, as the characters move to the island. Part mystery, part exploration of the relationships between the central characters, and a hint of darkness.

I really enjoyed the writing and the exposition but the ending felt a little flat. However I will definitely consider reading more KJ Parker in the future. (

)

bigcurlyloz | Feb 12, 2012 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

no reviews | add a review

▾Other authors

» Add other authors

▾Work-to-work relationships

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Series (with order)

Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Thouridos "Fly" Alces

(show all 8 items)

Important places

Sphoe (Island)

Important events

Related movies

Awards and honors

thisrecording.com 100 Greatest Science Fiction or Fantasy Novels of All Time (94)

Locus Nominee (SF Novel, 2009, 19)

Epigraph

Dedication

To Pete Thompson, transport officer, A Company,

Brookwood irregulars, starer-down of lions, with thanks.

First words

The boatman who rowed him from the ship to the quay kept looking at him: first a stare, then a frown.

Quotations

Other people help themselves to penknives and inkwells; if they’re feeling really daring, they might liberate a keg of nails or a few lengths of timber. You steal bits of geography.

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Publisher series

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Haiku summary

▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0316038520, Paperback)

Hoping for a better life, five war veterans colonize an abandoned island. They take with them everything they could possibly need - food, clothes, tools, weapons, even wives.

But an unanticipated discovery shatters their dream and replaces it with a very different one. The colonists feel sure that their friendship will keep them together. Only then do they begin to realize that they've brought with them rather more than they bargained for.

For one of them, it seems, has been hiding a terrible secret from the rest of the company. And when the truth begins to emerge, it soon becomes clear that the war is far from over.

With masterful storytelling, irresistible wit, and extraordinary insight into human nature, K.J. Parker is widely acknowledged as one of the most original and exciting fantasy writers of modern times. THE COMPANY, K.J. Parker's first stand-alone novel, is a tour de force from an author who is changing the face of the fantasy genre.

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:44:31 -0500)

▾Library descriptions

Hoping for a better life, five war veterans colonize an abandoned island. They take with them everything they could possibly need: food, clothes, tools, weapons, even wives. But an unanticipated discovery shatters their dream and replaces it with a very different one. The colonists feel sure that their friendship will keep them together. Only then do they begin to realize that they've brought with them rather more than they bargained for.… (more)

(summary from another edition)

» see all 2 descriptions