Read these years ago. Fun memory. Gotta give Cook credit for the nerve to make what's essentially a wandering company of medieval mercenaries his "heroes." They're not exactly the types who are going to top anyone's list of admirable people, but Cook makes it work. And you'll probably detect a lot more historical echoes if you continue to read Cook. I wasn't surprised when he finally just tried playing with a full on alternate history setting in his Instrumentalities of the Night books. 😁
I haven't read any of the Black Company, the local libraries don't have them. I personally have the Garrett P.I. series which is a sort of sword & sorcery version of Travis McGee or other hard boiled detective protagonist. I'll have to see if I can find a copy of the Black Company books.
I first tried reading The Black Company a few years ago, and didn't think much of it. It seemed like an account of someone's D&D campaign given a gloss of Vietnam war films. I gave it another go a bit later, however, and something just 'clicked' and I really enjoyed it. Soulcatcher is a particularly memorable character.
I did enjoy it. It's original and has decent characters and plot that do keep the story interesting. I probably will continue on with the next two sometime in the next couple months.
I LOVE the Black Company books. I bought the the first compilation in my early 20s in paperback because it had a cool cover. And boy was I blown away. No spoilers, but I still think of the way the Big Bad entered the battlefield. It would be so cool to see that on screen. Also, I think the word you were looking for was "Barmaid".
I read the Garrett P.I. three times last year, so I'm right there with you. Granted, I did have a lot of free time last year, being "employed" at a dying furniture store, so ... basically getting paid minimum wage to sit around reading while waiting for a customer to come in and tell me not to talk to them. Lot of time spent reading and rereading Glenn Cook. Like 7-12 hours a day. Only good thing about that job, actually.
I love the Black Company books, but my favorite Glen Cook of all are The Dread Empire Books., starting with A Shadow of All Night Falling. This is straight-up the BEST world building since Tolkien. I am serious. Also, whew, I have never seen magic anywhere in fiction more powerful than some of the magic you see and hear of in the Dread Empire books. Less than fun fact: the story is that some fan/friend literally stole Cooks treatment in manuscript for a follow-up after Reap the East Wind. He did eventually do some, but according to Cook a lot was lost to this unbelievable thief-jerk.
@@GrammaticusBooks Yah that's what happened. I don't know too many more details; if you search it's all over any blog that discusses him, but where the information originated I'm not sure. I mean it's from Cook, and I found a post that says it was at a party, but I don't have much more than that. Pretty despicable for sure. I just recently read "Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted with Defeat" (a long short story set in the Dread Empire) and I thought it was excellent.... I don't know how far you are in the BC books, but I'm sure you'll like Shadows Linger. You're gonna love Marron Shed. ...also, I like your channel!
A friend of mine leant me a copy of The Black Company, must be about 20 years ago now. The title didn't do much for me, and the picture on the front was lurid and amateurish, but I read it on his recommendation. I was blown away, and quickly picked up the rest of the books in the series. I agree with what you say about the strategy versus tactics on display, and how the magic can seem so sweeping and terrifying, but at the level of the narration they have access to it in small ways. The internal consistency is amazing. I really do love his books.
I will start by saying I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Yeah... I can't recommend the Best of Glen to anyone other than hardcore fans. Even then I recommend not reading the Black Company stories in there. They are terrible. Shadows Linger, the sequel, is a really good read. It focuses on a handful of characters and has some amazing horror elements in it. It is my favorite out of the first three and half books(I include The Silver Spike in what is usually called The Books of the North). Every book is slightly different in tone and they just keep getting better and better. If you enjoy the first three I highly suggest you read the rest. I suggest you read The Silver Spike before book 4. The Silver Spike is book 3.5 chronologically in the series but it was published after book 4. There are a few reasons you should read it before book 4. It is a direct sequel to book 3 and book 4 ends on a cliffhanger that makes you want to skip The Silver Spike so you can see what happens. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the other two books in that omnibus(I have that same edition.)
@@GrammaticusBooks omg. Now THAT sounds like fun. So many great characters. Some of the Ten get kinda short shrift. I wished we'd gotten more of Bonegnasher, for example, and all we got of The Hanged Man, which is such a cool name, was his assassination.
Grammaticus, you never disappoint. :) I've read the entire series, but it took a couple attempts. While I've always loved the first book, the narration and actors in the second book put me off; it's quite different from the first book. I stopped reading the series at that point until a year or two ago, when I decided to take another stab at it. And I'm glad I did: It's one hell of a roller coaster, with characters you love dying, and those you hate surviving, all in one of the darkest universes I've read. But the final book pulls it all together, and for me made the read totally worth it. Unforgettable series. By the way, as an aside, I'm a Marine vet, and I can honestly my favorite people in the world outside of the Corps were our navy corpsmen. It's completely voluntary service-they don't have to attach to Marine infantry units. But they do and they take great care of us and I'll never forget that. Thanks for the great review, hope you enjoy the rest of the series!
Cats! First and foremost thank you for your service Sir! It is truly greatly appreciated! Someday I'm going to have to tell my Marines then and now story. And glad you enjoyed the video. So did you read the entire series? Or are you talking about the first three? I'm going to try and finish the first three before the year is over. And I'm hoping the next two read as well as the first!
@@GrammaticusBooks Thank you! I must confess, as you alluded to in your background of Glen Cook, not everything Marines do would qualify as "service." :) So, I read a four book series from Amazon, the Annals of the Black Company. This takes the mercenaries from the first book and their service to the Lady all the way to their origins, in another world accessed through portals/gates. It's confusing, because each book may include one or more books that were previously published. For example, the last book includes "Water Sleeps" and "Soldiers Live." I don't want to give you any spoilers, I'll just say the series takes the company through three worlds or more in their pursuit of their beginnings. Good luck! Also, just wanted to add that I take your point about Cook's writing occuring in a world or worlds that are incredibly dark, and while these can be depressing, I think he pulls it off in this series: It's not all dark, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I'm not a fan of either grimdark or military fiction, but I loved the Black Company series so much that I traded my paperbacks into hardback. I make it a practice to reread the entire series every few years.
I devoured the first trilogy when I was young. Then the Silver Spike scared the snot out of me. 😮😳😱. Time to reread the first trilogy again, then the rest of the series. ❤😉
@@GrammaticusBooks enjoying it so far, I remember seeing these books back in the 80s by Tor books and I think a UK omnibus edition by Gollancz UK when I was in Hong kong in the early 90s.
Terrific stories, and very authentic as you say. Anyone who has spent any time in or around soldiers know these are cut from the same cloth, which is why they're so good. Glad you dug them. Now track down Cook's occult detective stories and let me know what you think.
Always put off reading this series because I've heard it was just so over-the-top grimdark (I like dark fantasy just fine, but there's gotta be some stars in the night sky, so to speak). But, if Grammaticus says it's worth a read, that's all I need to hear!
I really like the Black Company books. When I recommend them I always say, imagine Robert Stone writing fantasy. You're going to enjoy the series. Poor Croaker gets yanked around like a yo-yo, so don't expect any moral certainties, this is fantasy in the grey area not in black and white.
@@GrammaticusBooks It really was. The other editor and I bought him dinner and had a great time. He's actually a bit shy. Once he opened up he had some great stories.
I wish they would adapt this series for film or television already! btw I discovered a new series recently which I think you and Secret Fire would really dig. It's called the Forgotten Ruin series. I'll say no more, check out the synopsis and tell me you're not intrigued... :)
I've only read the first book so far and I liked it more than most modern fantasy. But I don't plan on reading all eleven books. I'll probably only finish the first trilogy.
I've had Cook on my shelf forever. Unread. Just one of those books that always seemed to get passed over by other material. Inspiring vid...now I'll have to dust it off and put it back in my pile of possibilities.
@@GrammaticusBooks I wish you luck finding a copy of the TTRPG. It was one of my holy grails and I found a copy at Half Price Books for just cheap enough that I could justify buying it. They are very expensive online. It is from the d20 era so it uses D&D 3.0 and 3.5 rules. It is really good and has stats for everyone in the series. It has major spoilers for the entire as well. It works great as a way to refresh your memory about the series than to summaries for each novel and a timeline. I really want to run a game of it. There is also a new Black Company TTRPG being developed by the creators of Delta Green!
@@GrammaticusBooks They have not got that far yet. They said they love the series too much to rush anything but they will make a big announcement once they are ready to go.
Loved this series. Croaker is such a great protagonist. The wizards great fun. has the most satisfying ending I've ever read. Grim dark done right.
The wizards pranking each other was great.
@@GrammaticusBooks I needs a bowl of herb chicken soup. 🤤😋
@@User_Un_Friendly Hah!
Read these years ago. Fun memory. Gotta give Cook credit for the nerve to make what's essentially a wandering company of medieval mercenaries his "heroes." They're not exactly the types who are going to top anyone's list of admirable people, but Cook makes it work. And you'll probably detect a lot more historical echoes if you continue to read Cook. I wasn't surprised when he finally just tried playing with a full on alternate history setting in his Instrumentalities of the Night books. 😁
Agreed, a lot of historical elements infused in the story.
@@GrammaticusBooks I'm reminded of Drake's Hammers Slammers. Who did ANYTHING to get the job done.😱😱😱
I haven't read any of the Black Company, the local libraries don't have them. I personally have the Garrett P.I. series which is a sort of sword & sorcery version of Travis McGee or other hard boiled detective protagonist. I'll have to see if I can find a copy of the Black Company books.
Check Libby and Hoopla Kathy and good luck!
I first tried reading The Black Company a few years ago, and didn't think much of it. It seemed like an account of someone's D&D campaign given a gloss of Vietnam war films. I gave it another go a bit later, however, and something just 'clicked' and I really enjoyed it. Soulcatcher is a particularly memorable character.
That’s actually a pretty good description Para!
People have been telling me I nead to read this for years. I guess I should.
I did enjoy it. It's original and has decent characters and plot that do keep the story interesting. I probably will continue on with the next two sometime in the next couple months.
Welcome to the Company. Hearing you talk about Glen Cook has me searching for these books again. Thanks.
Very much enjoying them so far Tony!
I LOVE the Black Company books. I bought the the first compilation in my early 20s in paperback because it had a cool cover. And boy was I blown away. No spoilers, but I still think of the way the Big Bad entered the battlefield. It would be so cool to see that on screen.
Also, I think the word you were looking for was "Barmaid".
Barmaid! Yes thank you! That is the word I wanted.
The Black Company books are okay. But I have unconditional love for Cook's Garret P.I. series.
I’ll have to check that one out Tanks!
I read the Garrett P.I. three times last year, so I'm right there with you. Granted, I did have a lot of free time last year, being "employed" at a dying furniture store, so ... basically getting paid minimum wage to sit around reading while waiting for a customer to come in and tell me not to talk to them. Lot of time spent reading and rereading Glenn Cook. Like 7-12 hours a day. Only good thing about that job, actually.
@@MaxLadik At least it has fringe benefits!
I love the Black Company books, but my favorite Glen Cook of all are The Dread Empire Books., starting with A Shadow of All Night Falling. This is straight-up the BEST world building since Tolkien. I am serious. Also, whew, I have never seen magic anywhere in fiction more powerful than some of the magic you see and hear of in the Dread Empire books. Less than fun fact: the story is that some fan/friend literally stole Cooks treatment in manuscript for a follow-up after Reap the East Wind. He did eventually do some, but according to Cook a lot was lost to this unbelievable thief-jerk.
Wow somebody stole his work before he could publish it?
@@GrammaticusBooks Yah that's what happened. I don't know too many more details; if you search it's all over any blog that discusses him, but where the information originated I'm not sure. I mean it's from Cook, and I found a post that says it was at a party, but I don't have much more than that. Pretty despicable for sure. I just recently read "Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted with Defeat" (a long short story set in the Dread Empire) and I thought it was excellent.... I don't know how far you are in the BC books, but I'm sure you'll like Shadows Linger. You're gonna love Marron Shed. ...also, I like your channel!
@@FatphobeforLife I just started and finished the first one. I'll finish the first story arc. Then go from there, but I'm liking it so far!
A friend of mine leant me a copy of The Black Company, must be about 20 years ago now. The title didn't do much for me, and the picture on the front was lurid and amateurish, but I read it on his recommendation. I was blown away, and quickly picked up the rest of the books in the series. I agree with what you say about the strategy versus tactics on display, and how the magic can seem so sweeping and terrifying, but at the level of the narration they have access to it in small ways. The internal consistency is amazing. I really do love his books.
It was an excellent read and start to the series. I'll definitely finish out the first three. Thank you for checking out the video Michael!
I will start by saying I'm really glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah... I can't recommend the Best of Glen to anyone other than hardcore fans. Even then I recommend not reading the Black Company stories in there. They are terrible.
Shadows Linger, the sequel, is a really good read. It focuses on a handful of characters and has some amazing horror elements in it. It is my favorite out of the first three and half books(I include The Silver Spike in what is usually called The Books of the North).
Every book is slightly different in tone and they just keep getting better and better. If you enjoy the first three I highly suggest you read the rest. I suggest you read The Silver Spike before book 4. The Silver Spike is book 3.5 chronologically in the series but it was published after book 4. There are a few reasons you should read it before book 4. It is a direct sequel to book 3 and book 4 ends on a cliffhanger that makes you want to skip The Silver Spike so you can see what happens.
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the other two books in that omnibus(I have that same edition.)
Having a good time with it so far Joseph. I’ll squeeze Silver Spike in after book three when I get there. Thank you for the rundown!
Back in the days of AOL role-playing, I had the screen name "The Limper." :)
@@FatphobeforLife My gamertag is Croaker on anything I made after 2018 🤣
@@FatphobeforLife Yes!!! A co-worker of mine (the one who loaned me the book) ran a DnD campaign with all the characters out of the book!
@@GrammaticusBooks omg. Now THAT sounds like fun. So many great characters. Some of the Ten get kinda short shrift. I wished we'd gotten more of Bonegnasher, for example, and all we got of The Hanged Man, which is such a cool name, was his assassination.
Sounds pretty good. I think I own this, probably hiding in a TBR box. I need to do an audit. 😔
I know the feeling DDB! I need to audit all my stuff too!
Grammaticus, you never disappoint. :) I've read the entire series, but it took a couple attempts. While I've always loved the first book, the narration and actors in the second book put me off; it's quite different from the first book. I stopped reading the series at that point until a year or two ago, when I decided to take another stab at it. And I'm glad I did: It's one hell of a roller coaster, with characters you love dying, and those you hate surviving, all in one of the darkest universes I've read. But the final book pulls it all together, and for me made the read totally worth it. Unforgettable series. By the way, as an aside, I'm a Marine vet, and I can honestly my favorite people in the world outside of the Corps were our navy corpsmen. It's completely voluntary service-they don't have to attach to Marine infantry units. But they do and they take great care of us and I'll never forget that. Thanks for the great review, hope you enjoy the rest of the series!
Cats! First and foremost thank you for your service Sir! It is truly greatly appreciated! Someday I'm going to have to tell my Marines then and now story. And glad you enjoyed the video. So did you read the entire series? Or are you talking about the first three? I'm going to try and finish the first three before the year is over. And I'm hoping the next two read as well as the first!
@@GrammaticusBooks Thank you! I must confess, as you alluded to in your background of Glen Cook, not everything Marines do would qualify as "service." :) So, I read a four book series from Amazon, the Annals of the Black Company. This takes the mercenaries from the first book and their service to the Lady all the way to their origins, in another world accessed through portals/gates. It's confusing, because each book may include one or more books that were previously published. For example, the last book includes "Water Sleeps" and "Soldiers Live." I don't want to give you any spoilers, I'll just say the series takes the company through three worlds or more in their pursuit of their beginnings. Good luck!
Also, just wanted to add that I take your point about Cook's writing occuring in a world or worlds that are incredibly dark, and while these can be depressing, I think he pulls it off in this series: It's not all dark, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
@@HungryCats70 Good stuff Cats. I appreciate the run down. And I'll give updates as I work through the Books of the North.
I'm not a fan of either grimdark or military fiction, but I loved the Black Company series so much that I traded my paperbacks into hardback. I make it a practice to reread the entire series every few years.
That's pretty high praise G-Blockster! Thank you for checking out the video!
I devoured the first trilogy when I was young. Then the Silver Spike scared the snot out of me. 😮😳😱. Time to reread the first trilogy again, then the rest of the series. ❤😉
It's been great so far User! I will try and knock out the rest of this trilogy here before the end of the year.
Thanks for this! Friends have mentioned The Black Company as a favourite. I'm on the lookout now. 🙂
I’m definitely enjoying it Craig!
your review sold me started reading Black company
Let me know what you think John!
@@GrammaticusBooks enjoying it so far, I remember seeing these books back in the 80s by Tor books and I think a UK omnibus edition by Gollancz UK when I was in Hong kong in the early 90s.
Terrific stories, and very authentic as you say. Anyone who has spent any time in or around soldiers know these are cut from the same cloth, which is why they're so good. Glad you dug them. Now track down Cook's occult detective stories and let me know what you think.
You are not the only one to recommend Cook’s occult detective stories. Sounds like a good choice for October!
I'll have to check this series out, Grammaticus. I've been aware of it for years and have never bit the bullet on it.
I would be interested to hear what you think of it Jim!
I have a feeling they'd be right up my alley. I'll hunt a copy down and let you know what I think. Thanks for the recommendation.
Sounds great! I don't think its quite what I thought it was. I have the book club omnibus of the first 3 and will definitely be getting to this one!
Would love to hear what you think of it SF!
Always put off reading this series because I've heard it was just so over-the-top grimdark (I like dark fantasy just fine, but there's gotta be some stars in the night sky, so to speak). But, if Grammaticus says it's worth a read, that's all I need to hear!
I hear you completely on needing a silver lining or a glimmer of sunshine somewhere SFB! I’m the same way.
I really like the Black Company books. When I recommend them I always say, imagine Robert Stone writing fantasy. You're going to enjoy the series. Poor Croaker gets yanked around like a yo-yo, so don't expect any moral certainties, this is fantasy in the grey area not in black and white.
Fantasy in the gray area, sound like a good read!
I had the pleasure of interviewing Glen Cook for "Quantum Muse." Did you know he was absolutely huge in Eastern Europe? They understand grim there.
That he was huge in Eastern Europe does not surprise me at all SixBears! I'll bet that was a fun interview!
@@GrammaticusBooks It really was. The other editor and I bought him dinner and had a great time. He's actually a bit shy. Once he opened up he had some great stories.
@@Sixbears I'll be he did have great stories!
This is a new one to me. I will check it out. Thanks.
It was a new one to me too Neal! But the first book was entertaining and it is a popular series. I'd love to hear what you think of it!
I wish they would adapt this series for film or television already!
btw I discovered a new series recently which I think you and Secret Fire would really dig. It's called the Forgotten Ruin series. I'll say no more, check out the synopsis and tell me you're not intrigued... :)
Ok, US Army Rangers in a fantasy setting that does sound like fun!
I've read most of these Black Company books.
Dark read but pretty good, actually.
I was surprised at how well I liked it Gray Ops. Especially since I'm not a big grimdark guy.
I've only read the first book so far and I liked it more than most modern fantasy. But I don't plan on reading all eleven books.
I'll probably only finish the first trilogy.
I here you and that's probably where I am with this at present Anonymous.
I've had Cook on my shelf forever. Unread. Just one of those books that always seemed to get passed over by other material. Inspiring vid...now I'll have to dust it off and put it back in my pile of possibilities.
If you read it I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Thought this would be the Arthur Conan Doyle book but that was the White Company
Another one I need to read!
Joe Abercrombie ...check him out...
I will do that!
@@GrammaticusBooks The First Law trilogy then The Age of Madness trilogy....It's as good as George RR Martin...AS GOOD
I just know the TTRPG...
Yah heard about that one 20 years ago from Green Ronin
I’ll have to run down that rpg!
@@GrammaticusBooks I wish you luck finding a copy of the TTRPG. It was one of my holy grails and I found a copy at Half Price Books for just cheap enough that I could justify buying it. They are very expensive online.
It is from the d20 era so it uses D&D 3.0 and 3.5 rules. It is really good and has stats for everyone in the series. It has major spoilers for the entire as well. It works great as a way to refresh your memory about the series than to summaries for each novel and a timeline.
I really want to run a game of it.
There is also a new Black Company TTRPG being developed by the creators of Delta Green!
@@JosephReadsBooks Is the new TTRPG a kickstarter by any chance?
@@GrammaticusBooks They have not got that far yet. They said they love the series too much to rush anything but they will make a big announcement once they are ready to go.
This is one I plan to read in October. Joseph sold me. Now you are adding to the peer pressure. 🫤
Would love to hear your take on it Richard!