The Black Company

Chronicles of The Black Company, Book 1

By: Glen Cook

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hardbitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead - until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more.

There must be a way for the Black Company to find her....

©1984 Glen Cook (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Rapid Storyline

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The story would jump ahead in time with barely an explanation, which made me struggle to keep up with the pace. I was hoping for more a gritty, dirty story of some badass mercenaries. I liked the main character, but the supporting characters and the story left me unfulfilled.

Would you recommend The Black Company to your friends? Why or why not?

Probably not.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Distinguish each character's voice more, as they were all too similar.

Could you see The Black Company being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Hmmmmmm!!!!!

After reading this book I can honestly say I'm not sure why I am currently almost done with book four. They definitely improve. 100 fold. I read and listen to tons of fantasy. Mainstream popular authors to self published newbies. Some are horrible, some are good, a few are great, and a couple are out of this world epic entertainment. But, no matter where I find my books Glen Cook and the Black Company seem to come up on top 10 list and as one of the fathers of modern gritty fantasy. Had to give it a try.

This book was rather slow starting for me. Too many people, places and things to get to know and it gets a little distracting and felt somewhat confused. But, how could millions of fantasy fans be wrong. I kept going and I did enjoy the story and the growth of the characters. By the end of book one I was not completely sold on the Black company and wasn't sure I would be buying book two. Again, it was okay, and..... how would it show up on all those best fantasy list if it didn't get better? So I bought it. AND

IT DOES GET GOOD!!!! I would say book one is necessary for background and world building along with all the character development. It definitely got much better about 3/4 o the way through and the subsequent book have kept and even improved on that pace. Being one of the classics for this type of fantasy I would say that the Black Company series is one of those that just can't be missed for any serious fantasy reader.

Decent story

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the book, though don't feel compelled to listen to any others. Marc Vietor is a good enough narrator and I would happily listen to anything he reads.

I do wish Glen Cook's Garrett P.I. books were on Audible. :)

Great military story in a fantasy setting

Big Evil fights the rebel forces of Good led by a child prophet. The Black Company is a hard bitten mercenary outfit full of characterful soldiers, NCOs, and officers indifferent to the prosaic notions of good and evil fighting on the side Big Evil in a U.S. Vietnam War style campaign full of atrocities, hollow victories, conflicting incentives and betrayals. Great characters (Goblin and One Eye perhaps steal the show) in a gritty, timeless story of men and women at war. Wonderful narration. Some commenters were troubled by all of the places and names in the first few chapters. That’s part of the military setting - soldiers go to places they never heard of, motivated by the threadbare lies they’ve been told, to kill people (often women and children) they’ve never met, leave for the next battle or war unexpectedly, and that’s a bit disorienting.. Go with it. You’ll get more when you read it the second time and you’ll want to.

A Fantastical War Story

I think the best summarization I found was "Like the Vietnam War but on Peyote."

Outstanding Work!

Glen Cook's best work and combined with the narrators performance, my favorite group of mercenaries came to life.

First Time Reading a Glen Cook Novel

This was my first time listening to a Black Company novel after doing some research on the best fantasy novels ever written. I did enjoy this book very much overall, and was only slightly disappointed in my expectations of it. Loved the characters in this world, and the dark overtone. Just got bogged down with all the military type fighting explanations, and I wish there were more creatures in this world. Narrator did a pretty good job with the voices, and was easy to listen to.

It was a good story.

The beginning was a little confusing but the story was good. Thank you for the audio version.

Great book! I love this series!

Great book! I read the series about 15 years ago or so. Loved seeing it came to an audio format. It's as good as I remember. Narrator did a good job changing voices with the different characters. I will continue picking up the other books in the series. I do remember somewhere in the middle or late middle a couple of the books get kind of weird, but it is definitely worth getting to the end of the series and the finale!

Matter-of-fact fantasy sure to insight imagination

A hidden gem, well deserving of the label "a classic".

After perusing the reviews I found myself chuckling at the unique position this title finds itself in. The good and bad reviews are both equally honest and fair.

In fact the bad reviewers were lamenting many of the things I found so laudable.

Events are not described to evoke wonder or heroism. The removed affect of the main character is a feature, not a bug. A mercenary veteran tasked with chronicling the history of his company.

The "dry" delivery of the narrator matches perfectly with Glen Cook's incidental writing style. Cook's appearance to make no consideration for the reader is exactly what is so compelling. It gives the world that much more verisimilitude.

On a deeper note, this book does an admirable job of portraying male bonds and masculinity. I often found myself smirking or nodding at the accurate depiction of how men convey complex emotions in complex circumstances. Such as saying "we were beginning to wonder" instead of "worry" to a companion returning after being gone on a mission too long.

In conclusion, this book is not for everyone. I bounced off it the first time myself. But it may just be your new favorite series. It was for me.