Shadow Games

This surprised me by being the first "Black Company" novel to end on a cliffhanger rather than a reasonably resolved plot, but I didn't mind it at all -- I was going to read the second half of this duology next in any case. Croaker remains a wonderful protagonist and narrator, possibly even more so now that he's in charge and it is truly 'his' story. The new viewpoint character added here (Willow Swan) admittedly doesn't quite match up to the stellar secondary viewpoints in the previous books, but I still enjoyed those chapters a good bit, too. It was also fun how the first hundred pages or so parallelled the time frame of the events of "The Silver Spike" (of which the protagonists are ignorant), giving an extra layer to the early part show more of the story. Which, considering it boils down to "people travel quite far and then finally get sucked into a local war", was engrossing and fun from beginning to end. My sole complaint about the world is that too many idioms, expressions, concepts or even single words feel too fetched from real history. Someone can't look "caucasic" in a world without the Caucasus mountains, as a random for instance. But it's a relatively rare and definitely minor issue that would need to happen much more frequently to truly take me out of the narrative. Two thumbs up, and I sally happily forth to the next volume. show less

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.

After having been quite disappointed by story, setting, and characterization in The Silver Spike, I found this book to be a big improvement. We rejoin several favorite characters from the original trilogy as they set out on a quest, making new friends and enemies, exploring generally interesting new locations, and delving into new mysteries. Goblin and One-Eye's hijinks continue to entertain, even as Croaker struggles with the responsibilities of command. His glacially slow developing relationship with Lady fitfully progresses, particularly in a couple of very fun scenes. We also get a couple of compelling battles.

Slight spoiler here.....I struggled with the idea that some of the very same villains that the Black Company had vanquished show more thousands of miles north suddenly start popping back up; to my taste, new villains with new mysteries and new back-stories would have made for a more compelling storyline. Also it is worth noting that this is the first book of the series that ends on a cliffhanger, rather than providing a satisfying conclusion; you will need to progress on to Dreams of Steel to get any sense of closure on the Books of the South storyline.

Overall, far from perfect but a worthy next chapter in one of my favorite series. show less

Earlier books in the series are worth reading and have an amazing story and cast, but the series should have ended there. This book drags on, building more and more onto a story that had already reached the point of a satisfying ending. The new storyline and added characters could have shined in a spin off series perhaps, but being tacked onto the end and treated as a continuation lowers the quality of the work as a whole. The fact that no one stays dead is an added issue I had with the book, it cheapens any potentially emotional scenes because I began to just expect them to magically appear again a few chapters later.

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 show more 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. show less

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Title: Shadow Games
Series: The Chronicles of the Black Company
Author: Glen Cook
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: SFF
Pages: 320
Format: Kindle









Synopsis: Croaker, along with the few remaining members of the Black Company, head towards a fabled city where the Black Company supposedly originated hundreds of years ago. Along the way, they pick up a "few" more members and end up show more battling Taken that have faked their death. Right at the end it looks like both Croaker [who is now the captain for the Black Company] and the Lady are dead, but I won't be sure until I read the next book. My Thoughts: These books are touted as "dark" and "anti-hero" and supposedly had a great influence on Steven Erikson and his epic Malazan Book of the Fallen series. I can see that but where Erikson went wrong, in my opinion, was that he left out the humor. You can only grind my nose into so much existential crap before I start to hate you as an author. And that is why I can continue to like these books. There are grand flashes of humor at just the right points so you don't get mired down in the muck of ever ongoing battles for survival. Not laugh out loud moments, at least not for me, but deft touches that brought my spirits up and enhanced my enjoyment of reading about a group of mercenaries who really have no reason to continue their existence. It was grand fun watching the Black Company just steam roll over all opponents for the first 90% of the book. They just couldn't lose. Which I think was a setup by Cook, on purpose. Because that last 10% made me wonder how these books were going to keep on going. So of course I'm going to keep reading. I was manipulated by Cook, realized it and ended up liking it. " show less

Unfortunately, after 3 books of 5/5, in this one the series has run out of steam, imagination and pace. For 35 chapters nothing happens, then, boom, in 5 chapters everything happens. The antagonists are lame and undescript, the story is slow but straightforward, lacking the great twists in the previous books, a love relationship is awkward and not believable, other interactions are not credible, some characters are completely undeveloped, there is too much useless talk, and so on. A malus for me (though a bonus for some other readers) - the Goblin - One-Eye conflict gets more stage time, though I find their endless feud unfunny, unimaginative, annoying and, in this volume, a filler in a book already mostly composed of fillers.