
The Black Company is a gritty military fantasy novel that follows the exploits of a mercenary band in service to a powerful sorceress known as the Lady. The story is narrated from the perspective of Croaker, the company's physician and annalist, providing a unique viewpoint of the conflicts between the Lady and the rebels who oppose her. The book delves into themes of loyalty, survival, and the blurred lines between good and evil in a world where mercenaries must navigate treacherous alliances and deadly battles.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for The Black Company include themes of violence, war, death, and moral ambiguity, as well as mentions of sexual violence.
From The Publisher:
Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead.
Until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her...
So begins one of the greatest fantasy epics of our age-Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company.
Ratings (78)
Incredible (11) | |
Loved It (24) | |
Liked It (27) | |
It Was OK (8) | |
Did Not Like (7) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (217):
Read It (82) | |
Currently Reading (5) | |
Want To Read (104) | |
Did Not Finish (4) | |
Not Interested (22) |
1 comment(s)
Not a fan of this - my cons (and not everyone else’s) are that I do not like first person narratives in Fantasy - it seems to lose any suspension of disbelief, and becomes kind of ridiculous sounding when you read the words - also, not a fan of the whole nick-naming thing - Once in a while, maybe, but the entire group has a nickname, and nothing that makes anyone stand out - I felt nothing for any of the characters - when one of the company dies, I was very unmoved at the event - all in all I read this because it is filed under Classic Fantasy, but this is one that will not remain on my shelves nor will I proceed with this series - I am extremely disappointed, but there are a million books in the world, and I have more to go.
About the Author:
Born in 1944, Glen Cook grew up in northern California, served in the U.S. Navy, attended the University of Missouri, and was one of the earliest graduates of the well-known "Clarion" workshop SF writers. Since 1971 he has published a large number of SF and fantasy novels, including the "Dread Empire" series, the occult-detective "Garrett" novels, and the very popular "Black Company" sequence that began with the publication of The Black Company in 1984. Among his SF novels is A Passage at Arms.
After working many years for General Motors, Cook now writes full-time. He lives near St. Louis, Missouri, with his wife Carol.
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