Chronicles of The Black Company (Series Summary)

An Epic Fantasy Series Review

Author: Glen Cook
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Adult
Series: The Black Company: Books 1-3
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Book Reviews of: The Black Company - Shadows Linger - The White Rose
Buy Omnibus Edition: US Canada UK

My best description of the Black Company series is unique. Absent are gritty assassins, bold princes, beautiful maidens and hapless orphans who grow up to be powerful mages. Instead, you will find common foot soldiers, feuding wizards (who just do it for fun), paid mercenaries, and lots of war between bad people and worse people. Sound interesting so far? How about a story told from the viewpoint of the company medic who is also the keeper of the history of the Black Company. Croaker is the official Annalist for the company and he relates only the parts of the tale he intends to include in the official history. Still sound interesting? Well read on!

Glen Cook took most of the fantasy tropes and threw them right out the window when he created this series. Most mind you, but not all. You still have the fight of good (White Rose) against evil (the Dominator) but in addition you have every shade of gray imaginable. In true mercenary form, the Black Company does not fight for a cause, they do not even care which side is right - or wrong. No, they fight for only two reasons, money, and loyalty to their oaths. Once you have contracted the Black Company you not only control the best troops in the land, but you know that they will fight and die for you down to the very last man. That is what they take pride in, being the best, and staying true to their oaths.

Now this style of storytelling may not be for everybody. You will need to have a love for military fantasy and an appreciation for dark worlds. If you do, you will find plenty to enjoy. By reading the story from a grunt's point of view, you get to experience the brotherhood of a tightly knit group of soldiers. You will experience the horror of war, the difficulty in following orders that you probably should question, but you will not because you are not being paid to ask questions. You will see good people do bad things and bad people do good things, all depending on the situation. You will see hard soldiers show compassion, and then watch those same men brutally kill. Before it is over you will question the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, cruelty and justice and come up with no right answers. It is good stuff.

There are fantastic creatures, a vivid world, incredibly real characters, many forms of magic, both humorous and evil, and an exploration into every form of emotion there is from love to hate, loyalty to betrayal, apathy to empathy, and fear to bravery. You will discover yourself involved in a fast-paced story that jumps rapidly from one event to the other, no fluff, no info dumps; you get all your information straight from the hip. Like I said a truly unique style, viewpoint, and delivery. While this series is adult in tone, none of it is offensive; it all flows very naturally and true to what I would imagine a mercenary group at war would be like. If you are in the mood for a change of pace from typical heroes, royal families and a clear division between right and wrong, I highly suggest this series. For more information, I think you would enjoy reading the individual reviews.

Read an Interview with Glen Cook Similar Reads from LibraryThing Not available in Kindle except in omnibus edition Chronicles of the Black Company Not available in ebook. See individual reviews for more information.