Chronicles of the Black Company

“There are no self-proclaimed villains, only regiments of self-proclaimed saints. Victorious historians rule where good or evil lies. We abjure labels. We fight for money and an indefinable pride. The politics, the ethics, the moralities, are irrelevant.”

Took a long time to buy this book and some more to start reading it, only to end up controlling myself so I could pause and put down the book to go back to my responsibilities. I needed some dark fantasy. Something to fill the void I got after finishing the A Song of Ice and fire series.

The Black Company is a mercenary outfit with years of history as far as any Annalist could write. Centuries of war and tradition keep being recorded, along with the good, the evil and the heroics. show more This book is, in reality, three books: The Black Company, Shadows Linger and The White Rose.

Croaker is the man responsible to put all of that on paper when he’s not on active duty as the physician. At the beginning of the book, we’re told the Company is in the city of Beryl under a very uneventful contract with the Syndic, its ruler. Reputation is the moral ground that avoids terminating it and moving on to a new contractor. Fortunately, a black ship appears on the coast with an ominous entity and an offer. The rules have loopholes and the top brass knows how to find them. Being the efficient men they are, a way is found to be relieved from their commitment with the Syndic. Immediately they discover the entity is a dark sorcerer from an empire in the north, led by an even darker sorceress called The Lady. The epic journey starts here...

What I loved about this series is how Glen Cook manages to write Croaker’s scribbles in a way it feels like it was actually written by Croaker. The immersion is amazing. We can relate with him and the other characters he writes about, like his leader, The Captain and his friend, Elmo; The wizards are amongst my favorite, no matter which side they fighting for. They are powerful and capable of incredible feats but are also tricksters, possess cunning ideas and can have vices and habits as us mortals.

It feels like a memoir. You get an idea of the world you’re in, detailed descriptions of the landscape and the actions taken on the battles fought on it. This is basically a war book where you get to know the tactics used, the musings, the politics and everyone’s place in them.

I have to contain myself to give away more details. More could be said but I’m sure it would lose the charm of the book. It’s unique. The language used is almost “everyman” type. Croaker does not leave much unsaid but will make sure everyone understands it. Even uses slurs.

I had no idea the Chronicles started back in 1984. Some would say its ahead of its time. Can’t wholeheartedly agree but I can certainly understand why due to writing style alone.

This is the kind of fantasy I love. Average men doing work on a fantastic world, growing with their struggles, learning, adapting and rising in life. It has some of the best examples on character development so take notes.

I usually recommend the books I read to specifics but in this case I’m recommending to everyone. More than fantasy, I love fiction and this is some of the best fiction I read. It’s a must for such lovers. Speaking of which, this has probably the best “affair” I’ve ever read. Funny too.

As for myself, hopefully I’ll find some hardcover for Books of The South. show less

There's nothing too fancy about Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company - but that's the charm.

This is no frills, gritty fantasy writing. Cook doesn't waste time with countless pages devoted to world building with exotic sounding names. Instead what you get is a tort, lean series of books that detail the exploits of a group of mercenaries thrust into their latest conflict.

Some of the usual fantasy clichés remain - the presence of magic for instance (though even that is played down on the Company side of things) - but overall I found this trilogy a breath of fresh air. Each book is better than the last and they're all top quality.

I've seen lots of recommendations for this series so I picked up this omnibus edition.
I enjoyed the first book the least, mainly due to the single viewpoint. Also you are thrown into the middle of the story and have to work out stuff as you read.

The 2nd and 3rd books had more viewpoints and the writing has improved somewhat.
I still found the writing somewhat terse. The world, magic system and some of the politics of the setting could use some fleshing out.

I have the next volume, but will read something else before I go back to Croaker and the company...

3 & 1/2 heading for 4 stars. includes the first three Black Company books: The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose. starts slow, and then as the story widens and deepens, becomes engrossing. a curious combination of a contemporary-sounding story and a mythic landscape, in an arena of endless war. easy to see why Steven Erikson loves it, and built on the way it changed the perception of what you could do with a classic epic fantasy. and that's some evolution arc for an Evil Queen.

I will start by stating that the Black Company series would be five star ratings across the board but for the fact that Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series one-ups Cook in this vein. Nonetheless, the Black Company started the 'hard boiled, soldier-in-the-mud' style fantasy story for me and as such it hold a dear place in my heart.

I have read the entire series multiple times; Croaker and The Lady are always close by and ready to appear on my night-stand once again.

Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates fantasy a little more 'realistic' and little less flowery.

These three stories are the cream of the crop for Black Company tales. Plot twists, excellent character development and interaction, and shifting of good/evil show more perspective that is so lacking in so many fantasy stories. I like my characters realistic, with flaws and foibles and I like my issues of morality to be a mess of tangled grey area. The Black Company's first three stories deliver. Croaker and The Lady are some of my favorite characters from any fiction.

Alas when I first experienced a Black Company book, it was Water Sleeps - which after (much later in life) reading them all is by far my least favorite. If you have judged Cook's storytelling skills on the basis of anything other than these three novels, do yourself a favor and pick this up. These are good hard-boiled fantasy fiction. show less

This was quite a trio of books, full of political intrigue, action, and even a little romance which wasn't really romance, told from the military physician/amateur historian who is a bit of a cynic with a kind heart.

Ok, since I don’t have Mr. Greg’s reviewing skills I’ma keep it short and simple! This is like somebody gave the guy who wrote this book a fucking Minigun and loaded with bullets of awesomeness and told him to aim directly in to my brainand then the mother fucker went trigger happy! This is good shit! I read it twice in a fucking row!


It got it all! Awesome wizards, kick ass villains, drama, action, more action and more drama! And the hottest villain ever!!! EVER!!! I have a crush with The Lady now! I love this mother fucking book!