Customer Reviews (7)

Garrett PI #5 - the end of the beginning
Dread Brass Shadows is the 5th Garrett novel, and notable for a number of reasons as part of the continuing Garrett saga.With the hindsight of having read all 12 (at present) volumes, this book ends the chapter of Garrett's life as a freelancer untroubled by the bigger questions.After this, TunFaire is a different place for Garrett - and he is making a difference, not that he often sees it.This puts the excellent self-contained "Ten Little Indians" whodunit plot of Old Tin Sorrows behind Garrett, with the result we get to see a lot more of the Dead Man this time around - and Garrett perhaps starting to grow up.

As far as this story goes, it has Garrett dealing with a trio of redheads, introduces the unique Winger as a female (and somewhat crazy) version of Garrett himself, the deadly Crask and Sadler making an unexpected proposal, and in all this Garrett is trying to track down a evil sorcerous book that allows the reader to change into anyone else, and as a result has thrown TunFaire- especially the nastier bits - into chaos.

Not to mention, this is personal now, since someone tries to kill Tinnie Tate in the first few pages of the book: Tinnie may not be Garrett's girlfriend - or, anyway, not the only one - but putting a knife in her back is a fast way to get on Garrett's bad side.

Dread Brass Shadows is another fine instalment in the Garrett PI cycle.There is humor, pretty redheaded girls, uneasy alliances of conveniance, and innumerable shades of grey to consider.The characters we know and love (and those we don't love, too) are developing as people.There are no cardboard cutouts in Glen Cook's writing, and the people you think you know tend to surprise you a little at times.For any lover of genre fiction, whether fantasy, detective story, or anything else, the Garrett PI series is a must read.

Dread Brass Shadows by Glen Cook (A Garrett, P.I. novel)
Dread Brass Shadows by Glen Cook is a Garrett, P.I. novel. I'm not sure which one in the series this is, but they can be read stand alone without hurting their enjoyment. If you are a fan of Cook you'll enjoy this book. Fans of humorous fantasy noir will also enjoy it. I think it's a great read.

Cook writes a great PI novel
Glen Cook has a great series in his Garrett PI novels.Hard boiled in a SF stew.

Not the best in the series but good
Somehow I missed this when it originally came out.It is back in print and now available again.The characters are a little uneven particularly Winger, but still very good.The plot is a little predictable but again good.

A very good read but far from outstanding.

Garrett No. 5
Dread Brass Shadows

This is the 5th in Cook's Garrett series ("Sweet Silver Blues," "Bitter Gold Hearts," "Cold Copper Tears," "Old Tin Sorrows," "Dread Brass Shadows," "Red Iron Nights," "Deadly Quicksilver Lies," "Petty Pewter Gods," "Faded Steel Heat," "Angry Lead Skies," and "Whispering Nickel Idols"). This one has a lot more Dead Man in it This book also introduces Winger.

Here's the Garrett series that I'm aware of at this time.

1. Sweet Silver Blues (1987)
2. Bitter Gold Hearts (1988)
3. Cold Copper Tears (1988)
4. Old Tin Sorrows (1989)
5. Dread Brass Shadows (1990)
6. Red Iron Nights (1991)
7. Deadly Quicksilver Lies (1994)
8. Petty Pewter Gods (1995)
9. Faded Steel Heat (1999)
10. Angry Lead Skies (2002)
11. Whispering Nickel Idols (2005)
Science Fiction Book Club omnibus editions:
1. The Garrett Files (collects Sweet Silver Blues, Bitter Gold Hearts, and Cold Copper Tears; 2003)
2. Garrett, P.I. (collects Old Tin Sorrows, Dread Brass Shadows, and Red Iron Nights; 2003)
3. Garrett Investigates (collects Deadly Quicksilver Lies, Petty Pewter Gods, and Faded Steel Heat; 2004)

4.Garrett on the Case(Angry Lead Skies,and Whispering Nickel Idols


Recommended for fans of Garrett and Glen Cook.

Gunner December, 2007
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Customer Reviews (2)

second prequel to dread empire series
Note that this is now back in print as part of the omnibus edition A Fortress in Shadow, covering the 2 Dread Empire prequels.

this book is the second prequel to the dread empire trilogy, and follows directly the events of The Fire In His Hands.It continues describing the rise of El Murid, the development of the relationship of bin yousif and ragnarson, and introduces the background of Mocker at some point after his kidnapping as an infant (in the original trilogy), as well as his introduction to bin yousif and bragi.

the book deals with the war and politics between the quasi-islamic state founded by el murid and the various quasi-christian states directly and indirectly threatened by him, as well as character development and exposition of many things shown in later books.Enjoyable to read, and worth buying used if you enjoy cook's in-print books.It helps to have read the original dread empire trilogy, and is almost necessary to have read The Fire in His Hands.

More adventure in the shadows of the Dread Empire
This book is a sequel to The Fire in His Hands.It stands alone as a novel, but some of the character interaction is lost without reference to the first book.

With Mercy Towards None continues the saga of El Murid,a prophet whose rise threatens to burst forth from the dessert and plungethe nations of the west into religious war.Bragi, Haroun and Mocker eachtake their places in the forces opposing El Murid, and the novel providesinteresting insights into these characters for anyone who has enjoyed theother novels of the Dread Empire series.While the book deals with dessertwarfare, religious zeal and shadowy manipulations of history, it is atheart a character piece detailing how ties of friendship and duty can bindmen together and drive them apart.A good read. ... Read more

Product Description
A young boy's dreams of glory and war turn into a bitter nightmare as his father's kingdom is overrun by an invading army. Lost and alone in the woods, he finds an ancient sword that promises him the ability to claim his vengeance. As he begins to take that vengeance, he comes to realize the price that the sword will demand of him. Enemies soon become allies and strange bedfellows abound as the prophesies of an age swirl into chaos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Disappointing
I am a fan of the Black company... However, in comparison, this is garbage. I never related to the hero, the history was dull and confusing... A waste of time.

Solid Fantasy-Realism
Gathrid of Kacalief is ejected from his sheltered childhood by the Mindak Ahlert and, while fleeing from the Mindak's evil golem-like "Toal", stumbles across the Sword of Suchara and the Sword's protector, and the Swordbearer's esquire, Theis Rogala.Grasping the sword, Gathrid learns that he is bound to follow the compulsions of the Sword's mysterious fashioner.With the aid, advice and assistance of Rogala - who Gathrid knows from legend will eventually relieve him of the office of Swordbearer - Gathrid rockets from land to land, being accepted as a dangerous allies by the Western forces opposed to the Mindak's invasion and by the Mindak in turn, as alliances shift, politics become Byzantine, and the yesterday's enemy is today's threat.

"The Swordbearer" is "minor" Cook.It doesn't rank with his better writings, such as the early Dark Company, the early Garrett and the Starfishers trilogy, and with stand-alone books like "The Dragon Never Sleeps" but it is worth reading for anyone who likes Cook, as well as for anyone who wants gritty, intelligent and deep stories. Cook excels at introducing politics into his fantasy as he shows how alliances can be fragile and based on the personality of leaders.

Cook also has an obvious love of history. Gathrid's world is one which is burdened by an unimaginable depth of history, where the big events of the distant past are no longer remembered but are still playing themselves out in his present.

On the other hand, I thought that The Swordbearer didn't show some of the things I typically expect from Cook.Cook normally has a felicity for naming things. This is absent from The Swordbearer where things received gutteral sounding names - Daubendiek, the Mindak, Ventimiglia, Wistma Povich of Spellenkothen - which hurt the flow of the story and simply sounded "made up." Also, while Gathrid becomes quite amazing by the end of the story when he lives up to the Swordbearer's potential, in the early parts of the story he comes across as a "punk" which doesn't make for an engaging focus character for the early part of the book.

Nonetheless, this is the second time I've read The Swordbearer.The first time was in the '80s, and I recall enjoying it.This time, I knocked it off over the course of a few days as bed time diversion during a trial, and it served its purpose of drawing me into Gathrid's world and making me forget mine for a little while.You can't ask for much more from a work of fantasy fiction.

Good, quick, fun.
While this story is a near carbon-copy of others in the genre, it remains an embarrassingly delicious aperitif to Cook's later, more original, works.

Learning Curve Indeed
I concur with the comments from another reviewer:

Underwritten, "telly" ... disjointed to the point of incoherence. I'm convinced this would not be publishable today.

As I was reading, I thought exactly those same things.After reading this, I moved on to The Tower of Fear (since I had bought up a bunch of Cook's stuff before reading any of it), and that was a _lot_ better.Even diehard Cook fans should probably skip this early (pre-Black Company) effort.

starts like a cliche magic sword book, but quickly fixes that misperception
some spoilers follow.

This book, in the first 50 pages, convinced me I was reading yet another magic evil sword (very like Stormbringer) book combined with heroic fantasy (boy wants to become hero, boy finds hero's sword after family killed by big evil bad guys).Almost from the time Gathrid find the sword you realize that this book is something entirely else, and a very worth effort on the part of Cook.

the book contains a lot of the political intrigue and complexity of many of his books, and there are no black and whites, no matter what is implied early on.I won't spoil details.

Great book, he could have written more here. ... Read more

Product Description
The wind whines and howls with bitter breath. Lightning snarls and barks. Rage is an animate force upon the plain of glittering stone. Even shadows are afraid.

At the heart of the plain stands a vast grey stronghold, unknown, older than any written memory. One ancient tower has collapsed across the fissure. From the heart of the fastness comes a great deep slow breath like that of a slumbering world-heart, cracking the olden silence.

Death is eternity. Eternity is stone. Stone is silence.

Stone cannot speak but stone remembers.

So begins the next movement of Glittering Stone....

The tale again comes to us from the pen of Murgen, Annalist and Standard Bearer of the Black Company, whose developing powers of travel through space and time give him a perspective like no other.

Led by the wily commander, Croaker, and the Lady, the Company is working for the Taglian government, but neither the Company nor the Taglians are overflowing with trust for each other. Arrayed against both is a similarly tenuous alliance of sorcerers, including the diabolical Soulcatcher, the psychotic Howler, and a four-year-old child who may be the most powerful of all.
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Customer Reviews (40)

Turns Around Halfway Through, But...
As with the previous "Black Company" book (Bleak Seasons: Book One of the Glittering Stone (Chronicles of The Black Company)), I'm probably being charitable by giving "She is the Darkness" a Good 3 stars out of 5 rating.The first half of this book exhibits many of the same faults of that book:Murgen's the sole narrator; the text is almost all narration and not dialog; nothing much happens but it takes a boatload of pages to do it in; and everyone else is, at best, a cameo of a cardboard cut-out.Thankfully, Cook stopped Murgen from jumping randomly through time.So, it actually feels more coherent.Oddly, just about halfway through, the book entirely changes tone and starts to feel more like the old "Black Company" material.It's still written from Murgen's viewpoint.But, at least Cook replaces most of the narration with actual dialog.He also puts the other characters back in.The kicker is that Cook seems to have been fully aware of this.About 326 pages into the 399 pages of the edition I have (about 75 pages after the change in tone), Cook has Croaker say the following to Murgen:

"What I don't like about your Annals is that they're more about you than they are about the Company....I mean you focus everything on yourself.Except for a few chapters you adapted from Lady's dispatches or Bucket or One-Eye or somebody, you never report anything that doesn't involve you or that you didn't see yourself.You're too self-absorbed.Why should we give a rat's [...] about your recurring nightmares?And, except for Dejagore, your sense of place is usually pretty weak.If I weren't here myself I'd have a lot of trouble picturing this whole end of the world....You could work on writing a little more sparely, too....You tend to go on a lot longer than you need to.At times."

That's a pretty good summary of what's wrong with this (and the previous) book.But, for some reason, Cook didn't go back and edit the first half of the book to follow his own advice.Once you get to the second half of the book, things pick up and the book reads just like the old "Black Company" stuff.But, that second half also contains a really frustrating element.The good guys capture their enemies but don't kill them off:they drag them with them.I felt like I was in a bad horror movie where everyone splits up and walks backwards through the dark.

So, I'm giving the thing middling 3 stars.If there were some way to skip the previous book and half of this one and still maintain continuity in the series, that's what I'd recommend.But, there's no way to do that:you'll just have to slog through the material and hope the next (and later) books are better.

Welcome back !
After the confusion in Bleak Seasons that had me questioning many things about the book and the future of this series as a whole, The Black Company is back ! Once again told by Murgen, standardbearer and understudy to Captain Croaker. Yippe !

The Company is back, everything is well, of sort. Now with Croaker spearheading the war once more with his lieutenant The Lady, many things have come into the mix. Mogoba and his Nar, Soulcatcher, The Howler, Longshadow and above all Narayan Singh and The Daugher of Night along with her mother Kina. All superpowers with their own agendas and The Black Company stands between them! All want to crush Taglios and it's champions. Yet, Taglios is unsure of their champions, The Company, and wish for The Black Companies downfall along with all the others. Its a whole lot of scheming and no one has their head screw on straight.

Undoubtly for me the most interesting story is Kina and her spiritual daugher; The Daughter of Night and her father figure; Narayan Singh. The mythos of Kina I find so satisfying. Her quest to bring on the Year of the Skulls is relentless. Kina and her daughter are the biggest deck in the cards by far. They have the most to win and lose.

Mogoba along with The Howler and Longshadow are in alliance to crush The Company with Longshadow being the head hancho among the three. At times Longshadows bothers me. We never really get to see him at his best. He is very cowardly and if so powerful why not fight.

Soulcatcher is a stray cat. She is wonderful in this book. She takes crap from no one. She too is a wild card in the mix. Even her sister, The Lady, seems to be bothered and distracted by her actions. If she has The Lady, whom has nearly all her magical essence back, on her toes can you imagine what she is capable of?

Also our golden boy Murgen possess a distinct power that will win this war between The Company and The Shadowmaster Longshadow, all they have to do is hold out and keep it hush hush. His out of body experiences add more layers to the story, but he isn't free to do as he wishes even in the ghost world. Kina dwells there also.

Last but not least, I am so glad Croaker is back. I missed his character. Murgen is okay, but having Croaker back is so comforting. You almost feel like "everything is going to be alright" even if he he isn't sure of that.

This was a huge step up from Bleak Seasons. Hell, when the book came in the mail I was astonished at how many pages it had. I was delighted. From here on in the series its clear skies when it comes to story line and action. Awesome !

Why does this book cost so much?
Don't get me wrong...This is a fantastic book, but when used hardbacks are selling for over $200 and paperbacks are close to $50, I have to wonder what the heck is going on.Does anyone have any ideas

All that aside, if you've read any Cook, this is about as good as it gets. His overall theme is the old cliche of "power corrupts" and his ability to bring it down to the individual level and ordinary people doing extraordinary things is absolutely fantastic.

A low point in an otherwise good series.
The Black Company is probably my favorite fantasy series of all that I have read, but this particular volume is probably the rock-bottom lowest point that it reaches.There are some memorable moments, but the real meaty content of the book could have been condensed into a volume half its size.

It builds on goals and plot points set up in Bleak Seasons, but much of it consists of Murgen wandering the spirit world about as aimlessly as the book itself, and the Company making precious little advance towards said goals.Things slow to a halt after the first quarter or so, and stay there until the very end, when events rush forward to the conclusion, almost as a last-minute setup for Water Sleeps, the following book.

Two stars because I wanted so much more from a Black Company book, but compared to other fantasy "literature" out there, this is a superior book with pacing problems.

Not Free SF Reader
Smoke surveillance.


There is a new company annalist as Croaker and the Lady now lead.He has a unique advantage in basically being able to do psychic remote viewing because of the abilities of a comatose sorcerer they have as a prisoner.

Handy as a storytelling and spying device for the military.Again, things are not simple for the Black Company because their employers aren't to be trusted.

Taking Croaker out of the main narrative role may not be to everybody's taste, or the story difference, but the style and quality is still there enough to just scrape in for a 4, for me.3.75 if you like. ... Read more

Product Description
Having risked their lives and souls to capture the fortress of Stormgard, a band of weary soldiers known as the Company witnesses their commander's descent into madness and await the reemergence of their ancient gods. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

flashbacks
Ive loved every book of the black company so far, a very refreshing way of writing that what I have seen in hundreds of other books. After reading the first 50 pages of Bleak Seasons though.. I think my brain is bleeding. Jumping back and forth through time and having Someone besides Croaker or The Lady as narrator just kills it. I'll keep reading just to get it done and hope that the next book is better.

Not Happy with this Book
By rating Cook's "Bleak Seasons" at a Good 3 stars out of 5, I'm probably being charitable.But, I don't think it's actually bad enough to merit only 2 stars.Anyway, I'm not very happy with the book.First, and most obviously, is the point of view the book's coming from:Murgen.I don't have that much trouble with him, personally.It's not even that all of the book is from Murgen's point of view (no interleavings from other characters).It's more the loss of the old standbys:almost all of the regulars are relegated to cameo-like appearances.Of the regulars, Goblin and One-Eye are probably the most prevalent, but even their parts are shallow.Cook does introduce a new group of people (the Nyueng Bao), but they don't seem to serve much purpose here.Which leads to the bigger problem:the book is a re-hash of the material from Dreams of Steel (The Fifth Chronicle of the Black Company) (just from another viewpoint).There's a small amount of material extending from the cliff-hanger there.But the vast majority of the text is about what went on in Dejagore during its siege.And, that leads to another problem:for no apparent purpose, Cook has Murgen jumping back and forth through time to tell the story.All that does is break up the flow of the story and leave gaps between events.For instance, the main relationship Murgen has with a woman of the Nyueng Bao ends rather abruptly in one of the "present moments."Because of all the jumping around, we don't get any true feeling for the relationship nor for what its ending means to Murgen.Ditto for the new material extending from the previous cliff-hanger.At best, this is just irritating.But, in general, it actually ruins the story.

So, overall, the book is readable, but not very good.Maybe what Cook's done here will have some meaning in later books.I hope so.I also hope those later books will be more in line with the earlier "Black Company" books.

Bleak Indeed !
After what began as a great start to a new era for The Black Company with their travels south to Khatovar in Shadow Games and The Lady's struggle to maintain in Dreams of Steel I found this book kinda of..meh. Cook's writing style is much different in this book compared to prior ones. As it should because he is introducing a new character. Murgen. Though Murgen has been around I believe in the White Rose novel, his character is in the shadows. Murgen is the understudy to Croaker, so you can't have a Croaker Jr. in this book. You have to mix it up. It is a different vibe in this book compared to The Lady and Croakers vision. Its understandable though.

This book begins with The Book of Murgen. The Company is based out of Dejagore/Stormgard where they are bunkering down from one of the Shadowmasters. The Company is split in two, one being with Murgen and the "Old Crew" while Mogoba has his Nar which are primarily dubbed "New Crew". There is alot if inner struggle between both Company camps with Mogoba feeling that he is right to Captaincy without a doubt. While in the mist of this inner turmoil, a Shadowmaster is out for blood and continues to pound The Company into submission. Murgen also begins to fall in and out of consciousness throughtout the book that seems pecuilar to everyone, including himself.

The Nyueng Bao are introduced into this series too. They are a band of pilgrims that are caught between the war and are stuck where they are at. Murgen seems to have some kind of bond with these Nyueng Boa people. They forsee an alliance and a grander good can come out if they join forces. Yet, The Nyueng Bao seem to know alot of the Companies history when they came up north from Khatovar and that surely does prickle Murgens ears a bit.

In this book alot of down time seems to take place. Little things occur here and there that kinda slow down the pace of the book, in my opinion. In previous books something has always happened in every chapter or every page that was key to the progression of the book. What I did enjoy was One Eye and Goblin's feuding takes a front seat in this book alot of the times. Those two wizards are a real treat to the series. I have always found One Eye go be my favorite of the two. You can't have one without the other. In this book you begin to see Mogobas "honor" begin to take form. He becomes so full of himself to a point of no return and won't admit it. His Nar have their doubts about his sanity but they can't do anything about it but turn their heads.

Bleak Seasons is a good book at best. Besides the introduction of the Nyueng Bao nothing really of that importance takes place. Though there are moments in this book that are seen thru Murgen and the Company's perspective that occured in Dreams of Steel and I found that very welcoming. I found this book to tie in last place with The Silver Spike in terms of how I enjoyed it. I'm not sure if you can skip this book and go straight into She is the Darkness, hmm, never thought of that. Regardless pick it up and continue on !

So far the worse of the series
I really did have a hard time to read this book. The writing stile of Murgen is kind of difficult and the book keeps shifting back and forward in space and time. Very difficult to keep the time line and understand what's going on.
I usually stay up at night to finish this kind of books. This time I had to make an effort not to burn it..

Another great Cook book!
I have read all the Black Company series. Gritty, down-and-dirty fantasy at its' best. Definately recommended. However, if you haven't read one yet, start with Black Company or the omnibus edition. ... Read more

Product Description
Protector Jerhke has kept Shasessrre peaceful for hundreds of years. After his brutal murder, his son Rider tries to discover his father's murderer. Rider is helped in his search by his companions, as they battle against the agents of the mysterious Kralj Odehnal. But the murderous dwarf turns out to be an introduction to greater terror, as they match wits with Shai Khe, the powerful sorcerer who wants to rule Shaesserre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Cook's weakest
I am a big Cook fan from way back.I picked this up as I do all his books.It is a reprint of a story from the early 90s.

Frankly, it is not worthy of his skill.He was writing far better than this in his earliest work.It has the superficial feel of fan fiction.The characters are extremely flat with few exceptions.It would not shock me to learn that it was an unedited draft.

Other reviewers have rightly noted the abrupt ending.The tale must have been far longer in Cook's conception.

Finally, I have to admit that the title makes no sense to me; I have no idea what it refers to or derives from.

A Key Assassination
Sung In Blood (1990) is a very short standalone fantasy novel.Shasesserre is the Queen City of the Orient, with miles of waterfront on the Golden Crescent facing the Bridge of the World, the narrow straits connecting the Amor and Middle Seas.Shasesserre has been the Crossroad of the World for three centuries under the protection of the wizard Jehrke.

In this novel, the Protector Jehrke is assassinated by a gnarly man using a mysterious engine.When Jehrke's body is found, Chaz -- a giant barbarian of the north -- sends a message to his son Rider, who is out on patrol.

When Rider finally reaches his father's laboratory, most of his friends have already arrived.Su-Cha -- Rider's familiar -- is an imp who usually looks almost human, but his yellow fangs, ruby pupils and occasional puffs of sulfurous smoke ruin his disguise.Omar is a nut-brown, beetle-faced easterner, whose friends call him Spud.Greystone looks like a derelict, with wild white hair and beard, and clothing little better than rags.Preacher and Soup are still out looking for Rider.

Jehrke has left a hidden message on a blank section of the wall.Rider exposés the writing and the friends read the words.Besides a general admonition to protect Shasesserre, Jehrke reminds Rider of an updated list of the city's enemies on a bathhouse wall.Apparently Jehrke liked to leave invisible messages on walls.

These friends investigate the killing machine, fixed on top of a five hundred foot tower built for a celebration scheduled for the next day.Rider suddenly leaves the tower and returns to the laboratory.Someone has trashed the room searching for something and has probably read the message.However, a magical pass reveals their footprints.

Meanwhile, Preacher and Soup encounter the gnarly man on the way back to the laboratory.Upon seeing them, the man turns and runs away.Soup follows him while Preacher takes the shortcut.Unfortunately, Emerald is not alone and his gang takes both Soup and Preacher.

In this story, Rider releases his friends and finds out who planned the assassination.Rider attacks the assassins with a spell, but Emerald saves the leader and they both escape.Of course, others are involved in the plot.

Rider continues to follow the glowing footprints and Emerald follows him.The footprints return to the Citadel and so do Rider and Emerald.Then Emerald decides to report to his Master, but Su-Cha sees him in the crowd below and Rider's men leave the Citadel to follow Emerald.Only Chaz and Greystone remain behind.

This story is series of action filled episodes with hardly a moment to catch your breath and leading to a conclusion of sorts.Yet the ending begs for a sequel.This tale was originally published by NESFA as a tribute to the guest of honor at their 1990 convention.One wonders if it was an unpublished early work by the author.

The story itself is an exciting adventure tale that isn't easy to set aside.Yet it doesn't have the intricacy of the Black Company tales.While there are lots of action, it doesn't have much introspection.The characters are not well filled in and, except for Su-Cha, are more often described than shown.The author has done much better.

Recommended for Cook fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of adventure and continuous action in a fantasy setting.

-Arthur W. Jordin

A Misunderstood Classic
There are going to be a lot of people who just won't "get" this book. It is a very light-hearted take on pulp fiction set in a fantasy world. I wish this had been made into a series, but it stands well on its own.

Not the Best Cook novel
I am a big fan of Glen Cook's stories and I had known about this book for years, but couldn't find it. I have ready every book of Mr. Cook's, and enjoyed most (no, not all though), but this one was bad. Simplistic characters with no depth and predictable story. I could only assume that this is the first story he ever wrote... and it shows. If you enjoy the Black Company series and the Dread Empire stories then stay away from this book. If you are a fan and just have to have this book to complete your collection, I have a copy that I will sell you

Very short cook novel, arguably incomplete story, terribly incomplete ending
I will note to start this that I am very happy Night Shade Books is republishing some older Glen Cook material.They are going to reprint Passage at Arms and the Swordbearer (two much better stories than this one) soon and I can only hope the Starfisher trilogy, the Darkwar trilogy, stand-alone novels like the Tower of Fear, A Matter of Time, and the Dragon Never Sleeps are reprinted eventually along with their current effort on the Dread Empire stories.It is a crime that only the Black Company and some Garrett novels, along with his new series (Instrumentalities of the Night) are currently in print by this author.

This might be my least favorite of Glen Cook's published stories (and I have read all of them with this book).It has been recently reprinted by Night Shade.This short (160 pg) novel follows the exploits of the son of an assassinated city leader and his comrades in trying to unravel a conspiracy aimed at destabilizing and taking over the local government.The story seems to take place over a most a couple of weeks, and is non-stop action aimed at locating and neutralizing the enemy sorceror and his accomplices.

Curiously, the characters seem disimilar to other Cook characters he has created over time, and somewhat more shallow.Some of this may be attributable to the ongoing action-sequences of the novel allowing little time for character development and exposition.

Spoilers

Unlike most cook stories, in this case the primary antagonist is a good bit 'less' pragmatic or realpolitikal than in his other stories.Rider's companions are captured on various occasions, yet never killed, even though Shai Kei repeatedly assassinates other members of the city elite.Some of this takes place even when his slave-woman is not in Rider's custody.Makes no sense, and that is unusual for Cook, though I guess having all of Rider's companions die early would not be helpful to the story.

This book might have the most incomplete ending of any Cook story I have read, and the last sentence is absolutely maddening, something I can only assume was intentional.I am honestly surprised this book was accepted for publication originally with an ending like that.

This author is one of my very favorites, but this story is unremarkable and could be skipped....

Edited comment - upon reflection and a comment in a later review, this story could or may be a pastiche of the oriental stories common at some point in the past (Skull-face, anyone?) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

notable departure from form of first book, a good read
this book is a notable departure from the byzantine political and familial entanglements of Shadowline, becoming a much more straight forward Cook military sci-fi story with some mystery elements involved.It brings one character forward, Mosato Storm, from shadowline, along with his colleague, as they work for Fleet Intelligence to penetrate the starfishers.

Great Cook work, can only find it used though.

Nice space dragons
This isn't as good as the first and last books in the trilogy, but it's still pretty good.

Nice space dragons . . . as good as Fred Hoyle's, other things being equal. ... Read more

Product Description
Mercenary soldiers in the service of the Lady, the Black Company stands against the rebels of the White Rose. They are tough men, proud of honoring their contracts. The Lady is evil, but so, too, are those who falsely profess to follow the White Rose, reincarnation of a centuries-dead heroine. Yet now some of the Company have discovered that the mute girl they rescued and sheltered is truly the White Rose reborn. Now there may be a path to the light, even for such as they. If they can survive it.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

A Great Follow Up!
This follow up to Glen Cook's "The Black Company" is a worthy addition to the series and, in my opinion, better than the original.Whereas the style of the first novel gave me some difficulty, this effectively balances both first and third person story telling and makes for a strong read because of it.In this novel, Cook treats us to a continuation of the plot began in "The Black Company", setting in motion new menaces and new ethical questions for our favorite company of mercenaries to consider (or kill).Cook also presents this plot in a different way, as multiple subplots move toward collision.

This was a strong follow up.The plot was creative and enjoyable, the characters humorous and effective, and the writing generally stronger than in the previous installment.

A Superior Sequel
Shadows Linger is an excellent addition to Glen Cook's the Chronicles of the Black Company series, serving as the direct sequel to the first novel in the series, the Black Company. I would give Shadows Linger a 4.5 star rating, if possible, because I found it to be a superior read to its predecessor, the Black Company (which I considered a 4 star effort).

Unlike the Black Company, which was told exclusively from the perspective of Croaker, a physician and historian enlisted in the Black Company, an elite mercenary troop, Shadows Linger is told from two perspectives, those of Croaker and Shed. Shed, an innkeeper, is a brand new addition to the series. Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Black Company from Croaker's perspective, I found the Shed chapters in Shadows Linger to be the more enjoyable ones.

Without giving away too much of the plot, Croaker is sent, along with members of the Black Company, to investigate a castle which seems to be growing. Shed, meanwhile, owns an inn in the city where the castle is located and comes into contact with Raven, a deserter of the Black Company. While the idea of a growing castle is somewhat silly, it is actually handled remarkably well and comes off, at least as much as is possible, in a believable fashion.

The best part about Shadows Linger, however, is the development of Shed, who, at the start of the novel is a sniveling, cowardly character who becomes a major player in a heinous, nefarious activity, and somehow develops into a hero. Cook manages to engineer this metamorphosis in a completely realistic way. Few authors could have managed such an extreme character evolution in such a believable way. Indeed, Cook's treatment of Shed is one of the finest examples of strong character development I have ever seen in wide realm of literature as a whole, let alone in the fantasy genre. Aside from Shed, the same basic cast of characters from the Black Company return. The only notable absence is that of the majority of the Taken who were featured in the first novel. I found their unique and bizarre characterizations to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the Black Company. Although I miss the original Taken, their absence is more than compensated for by the introduction and maturation of Shed.

Overall, I loved Shadows Linger, but I do have one minor complaint, which is a matter of plotting. A large part of the novel is devoted to determining not how the evil castle is growing (which is revealed almost immediately -- by the consumption of dead bodies sold by locals to the castle occupants), but rather who is making it grow. Yet it seems that all of the characters, including one of the most brilliant military minds in the entire world, miss the easiest way to determine who it is: watch. It took the characters about 50 pages to realize that they could simply set a watch on the road to the castle and see who brings the dead bodies to the castle. As soon as they realize that such an apparently cunning stratagem might work, they set it in place and discover the culprit almost immediately. Although the novel would be, admittedly, considerably shorter if the characters considered such an obvious plan earlier, it strains credibility that vastly experienced military men and brilliant military strategists could not come up with the most obvious idea.

Otherwise, I found Shadows Linger to be vastly enjoyable. If you have never read the Chronicles of the Black Company, of course, you should begin at the beginning, with the Black Company. If you read the Black Company and are trying to decide whether to continue the series, well, you get a lot more of the same in Shadows Linger. Admittedly, the warfare is on a much smaller scale in the Black Company, as it is limited, for the most part, to one small city. But the story telling is the same; the characters are, for the most part, the same. If you didn't like the Black Company, you probably won't like Shadows Linger. If you did like the Black Company, you'll probably like Shadows Linger.

Things start to heat up for The Black Company !
Having read the entire series already twice, I think back about this book and how it stands apart from the rest of the series. It does, only because the story is split in two. One side of the story is being seen thru the eyes of Marron Shed, an owner of a pub in Juniper, who struggles to make ends meet financially for the sake of his mother than for himself. Then the other tale is seen thru Black Company members along with Raven and Darling. Thou Mr. Glen Cook has always written these novels from multiple angles, I found this one wasn't as good as the other point of views from his other characters.

I find Raven in this book along with Darling very interesting. Raven saved this young deaf mute girl from The Limper in the previous book and has taken her under his wing. Its a great relationship for a good reason, there is more than meets the eye with this young girl. Meanwhile The Company still working for The Lady trying to gain ground and momentum after their battle against the Circle of Eighteen near the end of the Black Company novel.

Yet at times I wasn't too fond of Maron Sheds story, it played a key part in the unfolding of the things to come. I wish the story had been more seen thru Croaker's point of view point, but you can't always have it your way.Back to the story: while The Lady is continuing her grandness for her empire, a wild card is thrown into the deck.A person she knows all too well is breaking their chains and is ready to do harm to all !

Also you see Croaker and The Ladys relationship begin to flower more and more in this book. There were hints of something going on in the first novel even though Croaker is still deathly afraid of her. The saddest part of this book was The Captain. His fate kinda bothered me. All in all, good book. I find that i enjoyed The Black Company novel more than this one. Nonetheless, pick this novel up. Good read.

2nd in the series
I'd read the first book in this series, The Black Company, several years ago. I wasn't blown away by it, largely due to expectations: it had been recommended as a vampire tale, and I spent much of the book slightly disengaged, trying to figure out where the vampires were. Still, I liked it enough to get the second book, which had been hiding in my TBR pile until now.

All of which is to say that I didn't remember a thing about the first book when I read this, except for that vague impression. Even once I'd finished, I still didn't remember the first book. I enjoyed Shadows Linger nonetheless.

The story starts with weak, greedy inkeeper Marron Shed and his mysterious tenant, Raven, who was rather protective over the deaf and dumb barmaid Darling. If I'd remembered the first book, I'd have recognized Raven and Darling immediately, and it would have been a much different beginning to the story. I think I prefer not having known--I enjoyed the mystery and the slow revelation of who and what Raven and Darling were.

Marron is perpetually in debt, and when he asks Raven for help, he gets drawn into a frightening scheme of selling dead bodies to a mysterious black castle that's growing.

The chapters about Raven alternate with first-person chapters from the POV of Croaker, the historian for the Black Company. The Lady's husband, the Dominator, is attempting a return, and the Black Company is tasked with preventing it. However, they're caught between their oaths to the Lady and the Company and the realization that Darling is the White Rose, and working for the Lady puts them on opposite sides with what they feel is right.

Despite the names: Black Company, White Rose, nothing is black and white in this story. Characters do bad things for good reasons, and good things for bad reasons, and all sorts of things in the name of expedience. There's a lot here about finding one's inner strength, and making difficult choices.

I'll be reading the next book in the series--hopefully I'll remember the story once I get to it this time.

Problems
Everyone has a problem:
* The Black Company feels it is stuck in a never-ending campaign to root out the last traces of a vanquished foe.
* The city-state of Juniper is watching (yet trying to ignore) a mysterious, otherworldly, and sinister castle build itself on a hill overlooking their town, and bodies of the dead (and sometimes not-so-dead) are disappearing from the slums without any trace as to where they are going.
* Raven, one-time member of the Black Company, is trying to get as far as possible from a continent-spanning empire which would stop at nothing to capture him, if only it knew where he was and who he was protecting.
* Marrion Shed is in hock up to his eyeballs, and about to lose the one thing that matters most to him.

They are all desperate men doing desperate things in a struggle to stay alive. All of them will end up enmeshed in a struggle for survival as dark magics swirl and plots thicken.

Once again the Black Company finds itself in the middle of things. This is the 2nd book in the series and should not be read out of order. Cook is an excellent writer with a very sparse style: you learn much more by action rather than be exposition. His works are always gritty with murky moral quandaries and clever dialog: this book is certainly no exception.

Highly recommended.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Enjoyable Prequel to dread empire trilogy
Note that this is now back in print as part of the omnibus edition A Fortress in Shadow, covering the 2 Dread Empire prequels.

This book traces the origins of some of the primary characters from the dread empire trilogy, as well as the early story of El Murid and how he founded his empire.Origin-stories of Haroun bin Yousif (who got almost no page-time in the original stories) and bragi ragnarson are covered as well.The story clearly is describing the rise of islam, possibly in the context of the 7th century founding of islam.

this and the follow-up story are well worth reading on their own though having read the prior novels is a good idea.

A dessert adventure in the world of the "Dread Empire"
The Fire in His Hands is set in Cook's Dread Empire millieu and provides some of the early back story for that series.It tells details the meeting Bragi and Haroun, and of their encounters with the prophet El Murid.

The book is a must read for those who have enjoyed the Dread Empireseries, but it also stands alone a an entertaining novel.The rise of ElMurid has obvious overtones of the historicla Islamic expansion, and Cookprovides a fast-paced, enjoyable book which manages to pull togetherpolitical intrigue, religious fanaticism and military conflict and turnthem into a pleasant diversion.Cook has a fine talent for breathing lifeinto characters, and he puts it to good use here. ... Read more

Product Description
Croaker has fallen and, following the Company's disastrous defeat at Dejagore, Lady is one of the few survivors--determined to avenge the Company and herself against the Shadowmasters, no matter what the cost.

But in assembling a new fighting force from the dregs and rabble of Taglios, she finds herself offered help by a mysterious, ancient cult of murder--competent, reliable, and apparently committed to her goals.

Meanwhile, far away, Shadowmasters conspire against one another and the world, weaving dark spells that reach into the heart of Taglios. And in a hidden grove, a familiar figure slowly awakens to find himself the captive of an animated, headless corpse.

Mercilessly cutting through Taglian intrigues, Lady appears to be growing stronger every day. All that disturbs her are the dreams which afflict her by night--dreams of carnage, of destruction, of universal death, unceasing...
... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

A Little Something Different from the Stagnating Black Company
Glen Cook's fifth Black Company novel, Dreams of Steel, is a nice change-up from his previous novels. If you haven't read those previous novels, check out the Black Company (or the omnibus the Chronicles of the Black Company, which contains the first trilogy). You don't really need to read those first to appreciate Dreams of Steel and its predecessor in the Books of the South set, but it certainly helps.

The biggest difference is that we have a change in narrators, adding some much needed variety to the series. We do get some chapters from Croaker's point of view, but the majority of the book is told from the perspective of the Lady who, for reasons I won't give away, has taken over the role as Company annalist. As much as I have enjoyed Croaker's narrative (indeed, Croaker has become one of my favorite literary characters), the Lady adds a much needed perspective to the story.

Speaking of the story, the novel is a continuation of its predecessor, Shadow Games. The Black Company has been hired to fight a war against a bunch of strange, unknown sorcerers called the Shadow Masters. The plot isn't as gripping as that of the original trilogy, which featured a great spin on the standard evil empire fantasy fare. Aside from the somewhat dull story, Dreams of Steel also suffers from the lack of a conclusion. Although this is the last book in the Books of the South series, Dreams of Steel lacks a real ending. The characters and basically left in limbo, the plot undecided. Although the plot will certainly continue with the next book in the series, it's hard to get excited when the conclusion of a mini-series is completely inconclusive.

That being said, a lot of the strengths of the Black Company series return here. Mr. Cook is a very good writer. He isn't as verbose as a Martin or an Erickson, particularly since he writes from a first person perspective. But when Cook wants to, he can turn some beautiful phrases. Because he doesn't try to turn every paragraph into an epic, the effect is much more pronounced when Cook does go for eloquence. His dialogue is as strong as it has been in previous novels.

The characters remain some of the most interesting ones in the fantasy genre. It's hard not to care about the members of the Black Company. And, as I mentioned before, the addition of the Lady as the major narrator really adds some excitement to the novel. Cook's world is a cold, hard one. There are magical creatures, but they aren't your typical elves, orcs, unicorns, etc. They're strange, unique and fascinating. And these are not "good" people. The Black Company are not your typical heroes. They're mercenaries. Murderers, thieves, some are even rapists. For those of us who are tired of the great prophecy, the young, honest, goodhearted hero, and the great quest to stop the evil of the world, well, this is your series.

I'd give this a 3.5 if I could. The plot trails off at the end. The magic of the series is wearing off a little. Cook added some variety with the Lady's narrative, but the series is going to need something more in the future. I certainly hope Cook manages it.

Different but still a page turner
If you are a fan of Glen Cook and the Black Company you will find this book a bit different than most of those which have come before. With the exception of the Silver Spike, Cook's protagonist Croaker has been the POV (by and large). In this edition, it's Lady who does most of the talking. I enjoyed a chance to learn more about this fascinating character and found that the writing took a much different direction and had a different pace than most of the other Black Company novels.

The end is another cliff-hanger and the book is definitely not to be read out of sequence. If you are looking for a stand-alone, you should look elsewhere.

A Weaker Middle Volume
Croaker is missing, so Lady takes over control of the Black Company and the narration of this book of the series. In order to rebuild the Company and the armed forces of Taglios, Lady poses as an avatar of the goddess Kina, who seems basically equivalent to the Indian Kali, who is dedicated to bringing about the Year of Skulls, which entails a lot of death and destruction.

The book feels like it has more of an independent plot than the previous one, but it still leaves a lot unresolved for future books. The character of Lady is not that well developed. Having her narrate the story is not much different from having Croaker do it, and you don't get much sense of her as a very powerful, very old being. This is still a good read, but doesn't live up to the earlier parts of the series, or other similar fantasies that are out there.

Highly Enjoyable
Though most of the narrative in "Dreams of Steel" is written from the viewpoint of (The) Lady and Croaker is relegated to a secondary role, I highly enjoyed it.Though that change in "voice" seems pretty drastic, the book is is really only slightly different from the previous books in the "Black Company" series (The Black Company (Chronicles of The Black Company #1), Shadows Linger: A Novel of the Black Company (The Second Chronicle of The Black Company), The White Rose: A Novel of the Black Company (Chronicles of The Black Company), and Shadow Games: The Fourth Chronicles of the Black Company: First Book of the South).In fact, I found the change to be very interesting in what it reveals of Lady's personality as well as her past.My complaints with the book mostly echo the recurring ones voiced in other reviews here:the wholesale transplanting of Kali worship into it is a bit ham-handed, and the ending, though nowhere near as abrupt as in the previous book, feels rushed.One other quibble I had regards the "message" that Lady gets near the middle of the book.Since the information in that message was only ever known by a handful of people, her mere location and any thought toward motivation should have told her the author.But, regardless, as a "Black Company" book, I rate it at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.

I see death around the corner !
This book is crammed with info that must be taken in heed because the events that unfold within this book will haunt The Company for many years to come. Also an old friend reappears to help one of The Company members get back to there feet. They also scheme into many things that only confuse those in Taglios and beyond.

After the battle at Dejagore, Croaker is gone. Everyone is gone! The Lady finds herself amongst a battle torn field and she is feeling lost. Seeking revenge against these Shadowmasters she begins to reassemble The Black Company. What starts as a small band of brothers grows especially large in a few short months. Not only does The Lady have to deal with The Shadowmaster but also the religous and political factions that reside in Taglios. She does what must be done in order to fulfill The Company contract: meaning to finish of The Shadowmasters and continue on south to Khatovar.

In the mist of her new self realization, she takes in a new band of thugs completely commited to her goals. Led by Narayan Singh, this new cult calls themselves The Stranglers/Deceivers. They only wish to please there Goddess Kina, so they decide to help in The Lady's struggle against The Shadowmaster. The Lady is haunted by dreams of carnage, death, destruction that tear her within. Whom is this Kina? Why are The Stranglers, in such dire need, helping out The Ladys cause and why does she feel she is getting stronger everyday ?

Another great book, I love The Ladys perspective in this book. She is lost. So she confides in Narayan Singh and his bands of followers to do her bidding. Also we find that a new juggernaut of a character re-establish themselves waiting for the right time to strike. Not much story with the rest of The Company is told in this book, if any at all. From the get go I was hooked on the mythology of Kina. Pick it up and continue on, its worth it !! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

final book in trilogy, maybe anti-climatic
this is the final novel in the starfisher trilogy, and continues following the characters from book 2.a new threat to humanity is introduced, some questions resolved, though i felt the depictions of star's end near the end of the book could have been fleshed out more.all in all a rather dark ending to this series.

Good, solid, self-contained, needs a follow-up novel.
In this book Cook sets up all the solutions, but doesn't execute them or take us to the post holocaust world.The setting cries out for another novel (not to mention, once something is done, even if all who did it died,others will replicate their work, knowing it is possible).

Worth reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Despite the advice of Varthlokkur, his wizard, and Michael Trebilcock, his spymaster, King Bragi Ragnorson decides to join Chatelain Mist's coup against the Dread Empire. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fabulous second book in second dread empire trilogy
This book is yet another gritty, well-written addition to the never completed second trilogy of the dark empire series.Counting the prequels, this is the 7th book published.It occurs almost entirely in temporal intersection with Reap the East Wind until the last 50 pages or so, but deals with many events which were only alluded to in the previous book and also regurgitates a number of events from East Wind from the viewpoints of other characters.

spoiler comment

i think the most powerful impact of the story is the incremental fall of bragi ragnarson from within.You can see his effort to avoid dealing directly with the threat from greyfells from within, and the path this puts him on.

The sequel to this novel, The Wrath of Kings, was completed in the late 80's but was stolen, along with Cook's documentary materials for dread empire, from his house and has never been recovered, so the unresolved conclusion to the story (the book ends with a few very large loose ends) may unfortunately be permanent.I wonder if Haroun (who vanished after killing 'O Shing and Friends' in Shinsan in All Darkness Met, edit - I realize haroun was apparently killed in All darkness Met 06/2007) would have played a role in the obvious set-up at the end of this novel.

This might be the first time cook did a novel which in great part regurgitated events in a prior novel from different viewpoints, but in this case it works well.

Aside - the construction of the game Ragnarson gambles his kingdom's treasury on is somewhat reminiscent of one of Cook's stated major influences, Jack Vance, who among other things excels at creating whole societies, customs, and even games out of whole fabric.One good example which reminds me of this sequence can be found in The Face, but there are many in Vance's writings.

Back into action, but left hanging
This is a follow-up to Reap the East Wind.Thisbook is where the Dread Empire story truly begins again.Many references to the earlier books will probably be frustrating this time for those whohave not read the Dread Empire trilogy.The characters have grown from their trials, but thisdoesn't stop them from getting into new trouble. The battles are smaller and more personal, but no less serious for those involved.While eachearlier volume is self contained, AIFM ends with a cliff-hanger that has never been resolved. Thenext volume has been written, but never published.Perhaps the success of Cook's recent books willlead to this series being reprinted and continued.These books deserve a wider audience! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I Could Take It or Leave It
I didn't get this series and stopped reading after the second book. I absolutely LOVED the Black Company...maybe my expectations were too high.

improvement over first book
Note that this is now back in print as part of the omnibus edition A Cruel Wind, covering the first Dread Empire trilogy.

I enjoyed this this more 'all night falling,' probably in part because the characters focused on were much more sympathetic or at least understandable to the reader.focus on ragnorson, with lesser involvement of mocker, along with others introduced in this novel, and almost nothing from varthlokkur, probably helped this a lot.

dealing with political strife in the dread empire, and political and military issues in lesser kingdom and the machincations of bin yousif, it is certain an enjoyable read.

The action heats up
This second Dread Empire volume establishesthe main setting of the series. The characters begin to settle into their roles as they deal with civil and international war.The battles andpolitics are intricate and realistic, as are the characters.The book is self-contained, but sets up the premise for volume three, All Darkness Met. ... Read more

Product Description
Murgen, the battle-scarred standard-bearer of the Black Company, chronicles the exploits of the Company during the siege of Stormgard, a fortress of the evil Shadowlanders, as the mercenaries risk their lives--and their souls--to claim victory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Bleak Seasons
Murgen has seizures in which he experiences memories of the horrible siege of Dejagore. In addition, he uses the comatose wizard Smoke as a source of clairvoyant information.

Whoa. Trippy.

I've heard some readers suggest that this was where they felt the series started to degenerate, but I liked this volume better than any others since the first one. It was dramatic and character-driven. Although much of it recaps the events of the book immediately before it in the series, it's from a very different point of view. When we finally get to the "now" moment, it's powerful. The inventive structure even includes some direct-address second person exposition-- and it works wonderfully.

It is, admittedly, confusing and disjointed at times.

I'm not sure how I feel about what Cook has done with cultures in this series. He's got his pseudo-cult of Kali, and now the Nyeung Bao, a pseudo-Vietnamese ethniticy. On one hand I like his use of non-Western images and ideas, but on the other hand I think there's a bit of exoticism going on, and I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer completely invented societies.

Overall, I think this book, in its different structure and emphasis, gives the series a new spark of life. It deepens our understanding of several characters, while maintaining the straightforward tone and grey morality that are the series' hallmarks.

It opened my eyes.
The characters were so funny and interesting. I have read about 30 TSR books, but The Black Company are something else! I have grown tired of shallow characters and bad plots. These books are like fantasy books shouldbe, funny and adventourous, not just bad wizards hurling battlespells. Readthem!!!!!!

This series should be bigger than the Wheel Of Time!
An excellent read, though it might be confusing if you haven't read the rest of the Black Company series.No all-powerful characters.Characters you can relate to on some level.This isn't some flowery fantasy ala Eddings.It can be brutal.There is no definite line between Good and Evil...just like in our reality. An excellent series...get them all: The Black Company / Shadows Linger / The White Rose / The Silver Spike / Shadow Games / Dreams Of Steel / Bleak Seasons / She Is The Darkness (to be released Fall 1997)

An excellent book for those who have read its predecessors.
For fans of Glen Cook's "Black Company" books, "Bleak Seasons" will be a treat.As he did previously in his "Dread Empire" saga, Mr. Cook spends an entire book giving the reader an alternate view of events already related earlier in the series. This means, however, that anyone not familiar with the history of the plot will be completely, utterly and hopelessly lost. If this is the reader's first exposure to Glen Cook, the best advice is for them to gently return the book to its place, to be sought out later when it will make more sense.The previous books of the Black Company, all noted in Amazon.com's catalog, should be read first.At the very least, the first two Books of the South ("Shadow Games" and "Dreams of Steel") are requiredin order to make sense of this book.For those who have read and enjoyed those, however, this book can be highly recommended ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I'll give up my copy when they pry my cold, dead hands from around it.
It's not just for farmers! You could rebuild an entire post-apocalyptic civilization with this book and a few simple hand tools. How to build wagons, anvils, cold frames, stock tanks, cow stalls, milking stools, dog houses, tool cabinets, 'off-the-grid' plumbing, orchard ladders, and MUCH, MUCH MORE!

Do you know someone who just joined the Peace Corps? Buy them a copy of this book, and they will probably get appointed as the Minister of the Interior in about 3 days. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Cook's first published series novel, enjoyable with better to come
Note that this is now back in print as part of the omnibus edition A Cruel Wind, covering the first Dread Empire trilogy.

Having just reread this novel, I am inclined to find it very enjoyable but puzzling in the lack of a central protagonist.Major focus of the story is on varthlokkur, nepanthe and mocker, with secondary interest in the storm kings, the old man, haroun, ragnarson, and ragnarson's associates.Ragnarson's future prominance is not visible here.

While I am unsympathetic to varthlokkur's prolonged magically-certified obsession with nepanthe, he is a sympathetic character.The old man and the star rider both bring more questions than answers, a few of which might be answered later.I think there is some dilution of impact of the story with so little time being given to any major character...

This story is the first in 7 published novels in the dread empire series, and here you can already see cook's gritty, realistic depiction of human conversation, motivation, and failibility.The only quibble may be the almost transparent reconciliation of the storm kings and haroun and co.

It is a very enjoyable read, well worth ordering used or buying as the omnibus book 'a cruel wind.'Glen cook can present a tale in this form so brutally realistic and pragmatic that you may find other contemporary fantasy seeming rather superficial or artificial.

A future great, still looking for his voice
OK, I'm giving this book two stars, and by that act paying a huge
compliment to Glen Cook. Read on.

On its own merits, this book might actually deserve three or even
four stars. It's way better than 90% of the hackjob fantasy
novels out there, and beats the dogsnot out of anything by
J.K. Rowling. But my problem is this: when I mention to longtime
Cook fans that the Black Company books rock from top to bottom and
are among my very favorite novels, they invariably say, "Well,
if you like Black Company, you'll *love* Dread Empire." So I
went out and tracked down the whole Dread Empire series, and with
my first taste, I can definitively say that they do *not* approach
the standard set (retroactively) by the Black Company books,
or by the TunFaire stories.

In "A Shadow of All Night Falling", we seem to be seeing a
young Glen Cook searching for his narrative voice. That voice
is strong and compelling in all the Black Company books. In
SoANF, it's vague and scattered. The narrative viewpoint moves
around a lot, and it's hard to get a feel for any of the
characters. So from my point of view, this book is an interesting read, but
primarily in that it gives me a new perspective on Mr. Cook's body of work.
The good news is that as the novel progressed, I could see the
author gaining his footing; the last fifty pages or so were nearly
up to snuff. This bodes well for the rest of the series.

A very good start
This starts the Dread Empire series simply,introducing the characters who will grow andchange in the following books.It is enjoyable, but the rest are more so.Still, it is necessary to read it, to make sense of the whole. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

6th dread empire book, very good for sequel
this story picks up a few years after the end of the first dread empire trilogy.It deals with the fate of Mocker's son Ethrian and in great detail with the dread empire and efforts of mist to regain her throne in that place.As usual, excellent brutally realistic characterization of primary and secondary characters as is cook's trademark.

Unfortunately this second trilogy had the third book's manuscript stolen from cook's house and was never published, thus ths story continued in An Ill Fate Marshalling has never had a published conclusion.

Back to the Dread Empire
This self-contained volume picks up four yearsafter the original Dread Empire series ended.The characters are still recovering from thedevestating war that finished All Darkness Met. This time, Cook tells his story from the point of view of both of the former warring sides.Most of the book deals with a sub-plot outside of the main series story-line.RTEW is a must read for fansof the original trilogy, and also worth readingfor those unfamiliar with it, since it has manyreferences to those first books.It was the first I read, and it left me determined to find theothers! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Early Glen Cook, well worth searching for
Early Glen Cook yet one of his better books.Set in post apocalyptic Earth, the world war continues(slowly)despite the fact that the few destroyers and battleships left must now run on steam engines and there are very few working airplanes left.

The hero must board a battleship with his fellow soldiers to sail to meet up with the aging armada which will fight the other side one more time.Most don't want to fight any more but the KBG-like political police require them to and an officer accompanies the ship to insure that there are no deserters etc..Will they fight and be killed or win?Will they desert or get caught by the police trying to do so?

A dark and thought-provoking yet fairly quick read.One of my favorite books by Glen Cook and I've read every book he's written.I loved the Black Company books, as well as all the stand alones like The Swordbearer and the Tower of Fear.I also enjoyed the Garrett Series and the Starfisher Series.The only Glen Cook stuff I didn't care for were the Instrumentalities of Night and the Dread Empire series.

If you like the Black Company Series and like dark sci/fi or dark future type stuff you'll really like this book.I wouldn't be surprised if it were eventually republished like some of his other books have been.

Grim & Gritty - classic Cook
This is the second novel published by Glen Cook - his first was published under a pseudonym. The book, a short 192 pages, takes place on a post apocalyptic Earth roughly 200 years in the future. The story is interesting and keeps you thinking and, like all of Cook's books, pulls no punches.

I found this book to be throughly enjoyable and rate it as one of Cook's best. It reminds me of some of his short stories like The Recriuter (Amazing, March 1977), Enemy Teritory (Night Voyages #9), and a story that likely takes place in the same "universe" Song From a Forgotten Hill (Clarion 1).

If you liked the Black Company series, pick this one up.

My only complaint is that I'd like to know what happens next.

One grim early book by Glen Cook
This is one of the earliest published novels by Glen Cook, predating dread empire and black company series and much of his prolific period in the 80's by nearly a decade;this is an awfully grim short novel, at about 180 pages of text.

The setting is a post-apocalyptic world about 200 years from now, where a small town in either germany or prussia outfits a surviving destroyer to be sent to a fleet gathering at gibraltar to attack the evil australians.The protagonist and almost all characters are crew on this ship.He must deal with a secret police (the political office), a conspiracy against them and the High Command they serve, a presumed traitor among his crew, suspected of murder, and the choices the crew faces as they draw nearer the sea battles with australia.

Structurally this book reminds me more of 1984 in the political background more than anything I have read recently;you can see a number of cook literary devices which he employs later, including the tactic of having the primary character not reveal everything he sees or thinks or plans to the reader.Even here, you see that Cook is writing 'the way people really are' and the grittiness permeates the story.

Very enjoyable read, though only available used.

After the bombs had stopped, there was still the war
One of Glen Cook's first published novels - although perhaps not "the first" - The Heirs of Babylon is set in a post-apocalyptic world that has not given up the fight despite having little remaining reason to fight for anything but civilization's rubble. Decades after the initial conflict, a rag-tag fleet of poorly maintained and damaged ships - a shadow of the state-of-the-art naval warships they once were - sets sail to teach the enemy a lesson once and for all. I thought there was a sort of epic doomed quality to the novel with the "last ride" of its final naval armada (have I mixed the metaphor?). Anyway, it's a quick read and worth picking up. ... Read more