Soldiers Live

Chronicles of the Black Company, Book 9

By: Glen Cook

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 19 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

When sorcerers and demigods go to war, those wars are fought by mercenaries, "dog soldiers", grunts in the trenches. And the stories of those soldiers are the stories of Glen Cook's hugely popular Black Company novels. If the Joseph Heller of Catch-22 were to tell the story of The Lord of the Rings, it might read like the Black Company books. There is nothing else in fantasy like them.

Now, at last, Cook brings the Glittering Stone cycle within the Black Company series to an end... but an end with many other tales left to tell.

As Soldiers Live opens, Croaker is military dictator of all the Taglias, and no Black Company member has died in battle for four years. Croaker figures it can't last. He's right.

For, of course, many of the Company's old adversaries are still around. Narayan Singh and his adopted daughter - actually the offspring of Croaker and the Lady - hope to bring about the apocalyptic Year of the Skulls. Other old enemies like Shadowcatcher, Longshadow, and Howler are also ready to do the Company harm. And much of the Company is still recovering from the 15 years many of them spent in a stasis field.

Then a report arrives of an evil spirit, a forvalaka, that has taken over one of their old enemies. It attacks them at a shadowgate - setting off a chain of events that will bring the Company to the edge of apocalypse and, as usual, several steps beyond.

Glen Cook is the leading modern writer of epic fantasy noir, and Soldiers Live is Cook at his best. None of his legion of fans will want to miss it.

Listen to more in the Black Company series.

©2000 Glen Cook (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Dark and surprising, Cook's latest is free of pretension, but rich in characters and world building." ( Publishers Weekly)

"The author's wry wit and flair for understatement add a level of realism uncommon to the fantasy genre." ( Library Journal)

Finally, Croaker & The Black Company Returns!!!

What did you love best about Soldiers Live?

The return of Croaker as annalist of The Black Company and also Marc Vietor as narrator.

I soldiered through the last four books just to get to this one, because I knew The Black Company that I fell in love with in the first four books would finally return.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It was Croaker by far. His annals/perspective of The Black Company, to me, is why I fell in love with the series in the first place.

Which character – as performed by Marc Vietor – was your favorite?

Marc Vietor, to me, is the best narrator of the series. He adds grittiness to The Black Company that the other narrators of the series could not match. His portrayal of Croaker is simply perfect.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I found the phrase: "Soldiers live..." uttered throughout the book by Croaker, to be deeply profound. And it particularly moved me when Croaker uttered it for the last time: "Soldiers live and wonder why."

Any additional comments?

I now understand why Glen Cook wrote the last four books with different annalists. I think it was to give this well seasoned version of Croaker more flavor to contrast the younger Croaker from the earlier books.

Must listen for fantasy fan

This is about as good as it gets for epic fantasy series. On the same level as wheel, thrones, first law, blood song.

Do it

Such a closer to this series

Such a closer, Glen Cook knows how to finish a series in a clean stroke. Not sacrificing his vision throughout the book he maintains the grit and reality of the mercenaries' lives and closes it in such a way to capture your heart.

Rushed ending... disappointing.

The great long plot sputters to an end with a fart rather than a bang...

A dark beautiful journey.

I loved this book! I picked up The Black Company books years ago and put them down for some reason over the past year I have followed Croaker and Lady and the rest. I couldn't be happier that I did.

Original narrator is back!

Story returns to it's origins as Kroker takes over as Analyst. Because of this, the original narrator also returned to keep the story going. Best book of the Glittering Plain story arc.

Best Modern Fantasy

This is a must read for old Enders. I prefer thus series to Amber and put it just under Lord of the Rings. The performance was astonishing. I will give the series a year and start out over.

can't stop crying. it is over.

loved it more and more as time went on. greatest series I've ever read. seeing it all finished makes me want to cry :(

Great Story. I Enjoyed it very much with 1 caveat

if you've gotten this far in the books, you will enjoy this one. Bittersweet. The caveat is the pronunciation of Dejagore! It bothered me EVERY time it was mentioned and it was mentioned alot.

A fitting end…

…to such an epic story. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Pace keeps up nearly to the very end leaving you wanting more but knowing nothing more is really necessary. What a great journey.

A beautiful ending

A perfect ending to the series, wonderful narration and a story made even greater with its completion