The Black Company (Chronicle of the Black Company) [Mass Market Paperback]

There aren't any characters who are pure good or evil, like you normally see in this genre. Instead, what we have are varying shades of gray. (In that way only, would I compare it to George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire) The Black Company is a mercenary army... and they've fallen on desperate times.

Some of its members honestly seem like they want to do the right thing. Some simply try to survive. And others will pillage, rape, or murder on occasion. This reminded me of some of the better War films I've seen. Such harsh circumstances can lead to diminished morals in some men, and I enjoyed that element of realism.

Each chapter of this book reads like a separate mission, with its own conflict and resolution. This approach worked well here in my opinion. Right from chapter one, we are introduced to the Black Company and plunged into action, through the writings of the army's annalist, Croaker. Unfortunately, you may feel like you've missed some important details, as Cook bombards you with names, events, and his advanced vocabulary. He doesn't explain everything very well at first, and it can be quite confusing.

After finishing the second chapter, I went and reread the first chapter to iron out some details, and that helped out quite a bit. From then on, it was smooth sailing and well worth my patience. With plenty of action, and a few laughs- this was a pretty entertaining read!

-Lysander

The Black Company series is one of my all-time favorites.
I've been reading fantasy and science fiction since I was
a kid, and many of the books that I used to like, I find
that I've outgrown. This series, though, has remained a
favorite of mine, and recently I got a copy of the first
book, titled "The Black Company", to see if it was as
good as I remembered.

The book is structured as a series of episodes,
chronicling the lives of the core members of the Black
Company, a mercenary company with a history going back
thousands of years. Everything is told from the
viewpoint of Croaker, the company's head doctor, and
official historian. (One of this series' trademarks
is the abundance of evocative names, both people and
places. My favorite is "The Tower at Charm".)

In this first book, the setting is the struggle
between the Lady, who rules an empire with the help
of her enslaved sorcerors (called "The Taken"), and
the Rebels (of course). This conflict is raging
over the entire continent, with the Black Company
serving as a valuable pawn in the struggle. Usually,
the Company is in the thick of it, and Croaker's
viewpoint provides a gripping account of strategy,
intrigue, massive battles, and desperate chases.

I think this book is good because it incorporates a
lot of the great epic-style elements, such as the
titanic power struggles, while avoiding the usual
shortfalls of an epic, such as flatness in the
characters, and excessive, sometimes artificial
moralizing. There is no "struggle between good and
evil" in this book - the Rebels are just as bad as
the Lady and her minions. The characters, though,
are vivid, and, in the midst of this large-scale
warfare, brief moments of intimacy and sincerity
shine through, especially between members of the
Company, trying to help each other to survive in a
very imperfect world.

Gripping story. Wonderful characters. I'm glad
that the series is still in print.

This is fantasy of the old school sword and sorcery variety. This comes broadly in two species, Trad fantasy where good is good and evil is evil. Evil always wants to rule/ destroy the world and the good usually stop them. Wizards are old men in big hats and the worlds saviour usually starts off as a kitchen/stable boy. See Tolkien, Jordan and Fiest.
Then there is the grimmer fantasy started by Paul Anderson back in the fifties where the lines between good and evil are more more blurred if they excist at all and there is usually a good deal more descriptive detail of violent acts and a greater chance of your favourite characters being killed off. Most famous of these writers at the moment are Martin, Abercrombie, Lynch and perhaps most relevent here Erikson.

I say that because Erikson has made no secret of his admiration of Glen Cook's work and there is a clear bridge between the two styles. Both make the central characters soldiers and wizards, rather than Kings and Princes.
Both set the action in the grimy trenches with rest of the grunts and both make magic wielders much more human, fallible and colourful than the typical ancient, white bearded, staff wielding ones in trad fantasy. There are plenty of them too! Soul Catcher, Whisper, The Hanged man, Storm Bringer and The Limper to name just some.

The story follows a band of Mercenries, the 'Black Company' of the book title. The story is told by the Company's physician 'Croaker' who has responsibility for recording the exploits of the warrior band as well as patching them up. The Black Company find themselves caught in the middle of a civil war, as well as getting caught up in the rivalry of magicians. Add to this a mysterious stranger who jions the Company, the unwanted favour of their ruler 'The Lady' and the expected reincarnation of the 'White Rose' whose destiny is to depose the Lady!

To be honest not all that original but the joys of the book are not the plot but the time spent with the Company themselves. Croaker is a highly likeable character to journey with and the action is frequent and switches setting every chapter, so this really does feel like a Chronicle. Cook also creates a sense of brotherhood amongst the Company the themselves which is tangible. They squabble, fight, con and rib each other mercilessly but then risk all to save and support each other in the face of peril.

Good stuff! Very much a 'set up' book for the lengthy series that was to follow. A series I will definately follow for a bit. If you like your fantasy with a bit of dirt under the finger nails this will be one for you and fans of Erikson should certainly have a read!