The first six of Glen Cook's Black Company novels are available in two omnibus editions, released in November of 2007 and June of 2008. Three of the remaining four books are out of print, and command exorbitant prices from online auctions and sellers. Water Sleeps is the exception, it is still in print for the moment, but I doubt Tor is printing any more copies anytime soon.
People who read the first two collections have been chomping at the bit to get the next one, and today I noticed on Amazon that there is a listing for The Return of the Black Company, due to released on September 15, 2009. At 672 pages and $15.99, this is almost certainly the omnibus of Bleak Seasons and She is the Darkness, the two books that continue the story of the Black Company after Dreams of Steel.
I freely admit that I consider Bleak Seasons the weakest of all the Black Company novels, but I still enjoyed it. Many other reviewers are not so kind. They seem to dislike Murgen, who serves as the narrator of it, and of She is the Darkness. I thought he was a great way of showing that the prior narrators were not always completely candid in telling us their story. But he does lack Croaker's very particular voice, and this upsets some readers. It will be interesting, come September, to read the reviews of those encountering these stories for the first time. And then, the wait will be on for the final omnibus, for those not lucky enough to own copies of Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live, the final Black Company novels to date (though Cook is working on another one).
Thoughts of the Day: Hilbert remained as CSU Volleyball Coach, and I've lately been spending a lot of time in Mystara. More on that latter point soon!
3 comments:
Hi!
It’s great to find another fan of Glen Cook. I was lucky to discover Cook in late 2006, when almost all his Black Company books were in print (as separate books, not as omnibuses). But
“Shadow Games” and “She is the Darkness” weren’t reprinted then at all. I was very lucky to buy used “Shadow Games” from a guy who had bought it from a library (which probably was closed down). I was never so happy about a book so old that its pages were all yellow. Anyway I still couldn’t find “She is the Darkness” for a reasonable price. And I already had “Water Sleeps” and "Soldiers Live”. Can you imagine what I felt? I did the only thing I could: I bought it translated to my native language – polish. I wonder how much was lost in translation. On the side note – I started to read Glen Cook to keep in touch with English, but apparently his writing isn’t very flawless (to say the least). That doesn’t bother me and I want to read all his books I will be able to buy. I love his style of writing and his attitude. I call it “no-bullshit” attitude.
As for “Bleak Season”, I think the beginning is weak but the atmosphere he creates in this book is exceptional. In fact this book was very gripping for me.
Apart from Black Company books I have read so far “Tower of Fear”, first 5 of his Garret books and “The Dragon Never Sleeps” (the last one is science-fiction, not fantasy). They are all highly recommended.
My second favourite author is David Gemmell. I read “Legend” and was hooked. His books are heroic fantasy, but his heroes are never purely good or bad and they all have flaws. His books also have strong military elements. It may sound that they are similar to Glen Cook’s but they are not. They are unique, with their own little flaws. Judge them yourself. “Legend” is a good place to start – it’s his first book and it was written when he thought he had cancer.
Hi Marcin,
Thanks for commenting. As you can see in my original post, you'll be able to read She is the Darkness in English later this year. I'm sure the cover for The Return of the Black Company will be another really good one, as on the previous omnibuses, but I still really like the original cover. I always imagine Lady as looking just like she does there.
I like Bleak Seasons, but sometimes feel I'm one of the few fans of it. I'm glad you enjoyed it too. I think it was important to show that previous narrators had biases, and that the Nar were not quite what they seemed.
The Garrett books are gradually being reprinted, you'll be able to get reprints of more of them later this year. I read all 12 last year, and very much enjoyed them.
If you like Cook and Gemmel, try some Robert E. Howard. He had a unique way of writing, with a gripping quality few others can match in English (I'm told it is a bit like Sienkewicz in the original Polish, though I have no way to be sure if this is true). There are many editions of REH's works available in recent printings, and some should be available cheaply in used copies.
Happy reading!
Thank you marc. I only recently started reading the Black Company books and have just finished with the first two collections and had just started to look on amazon for the glittering stone collection. I didnt realize it was out of print tho i figured they were separate novels. Anyway, i soon saw how truly expensive it might be to get a hold of the first three novels of glittering stone and as a guy off to college i couldnt see myself shelling out fifty dollars three times for three used books, though i would desparately want to. So i hope your correct and the return of the black company is the first two books of glittering stone, so i onl have to go find Soldiers Live. Thank You.
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