Sell me on the Black Company novels [Merged Threads]

[haiiro]

I've picked up bits and pieces here lately about how good these books are (mainly because of the d20 treatment), and I'd like to know more about them. Sure, I could spend some time on Google -- but I'd much rather hear from intelligent people who enjoy them, and this is a great place to do that.

My tastes overall are pretty broad, but I don't tend to go for "cheesy" fantasy. I don't think that's the direction these books take, but it's worth mentioning.

Hints and teasers are great, but please -- no spoilers!

Thank you in advance.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

One great analogy of the Black Company novels (at least the first three books) that I had heard was "Catch-22 in a fantasy world".

That obviously isn't very detailed, but it does give you an idea what a running theme is.

It is very military in orientation, but the combat isn't the point of the books, but rather the interactions of the members of the company. The company's philosophy in fighting is to try to outwit the enemy to gain the advantage.

Another theme in the books is that there doesn't seem to a be faction of "good guys". The company is often employed by some pretty bad people, and getting caught in between.

Magic is not ubiquitous as a normal D&D setting presents it. Very, very few learn to cast spells. There is almost no healing magic anywhere. Instead, surgeons are employed who can rarely whip up alchemical mixtures. The company has a small clique of casters themselves. However, in the world of the Black Company, it is possible for powerhungry spellcasters to attain demi-god strength. As you can imagine, such people are the sorts who the Black Company gets caught in between.


Regards,
Eric Anondson

 

[jonesy]

My tastes overall are pretty broad, but I don't tend to go for "cheesy" fantasy. I don't think that's the direction these books take, but it's worth mentioning.

Black Company is the ultimate anti-cheese.

There are no "good" people, just as there are no "evil" people. The world is gritty, dark, and (at least in its own context) very believable. Great stuff.


Edited for spellology...spelliogy...spellininoty...umm...spelling.

 

[barsoomcore]

Third!

Read these books. They're great. The Black Company and Steven Brust's Jhereg came out at around the same time, I remember, and it was a long, long time until I found another fantasy writer anywhere near these two.

These are seriously awesome books, full of great details for DMs to steal (and now with an official d20 version available), unforgettable characters, battles of spectacular scope, plots within plots within plots, and ordinary Joes just trying to get out from under.

Some of the best fantasy ever written. Right up there with Howard, Tolkein, and Brust.

 

[hellbender]

As a looong time Black Company fan, I will chip in as well. The series is action packed, gritty and the characters are hard as nails, or at least until you spot a weakness in their character here or there (which Cook masterfully achieves, making believable characters with flaws). As mentioned, there are no good guys or bad guys, the world is in that way a reflection of our own. Which is why using the Allegiance system from D20 Modern in the game makes so much sense.


The writing styles do change and blend from book to book. So much happens in the first book alone you will be amazed. As I mentioned in another post somewhere, some chapters read almost like fictionalized role playing sessions, with plot, counter-plot, problems to solve and hard enemies to face.

I love Middle-Earth and the works of Tolkien and Dunsany, but Glen Cook is just as good a writer, just in another direction. He can deliver hard hitting fantasy that is believable, you could see these things happening in another world, where magic works and all the terrifying monsters are real

 

[Sado]

I've only read the first book, so I don't know if this applies to them all, but, while there is an overarching story that spans the entire book, each chapter is relatively self-contained, and can be read as an individual story.

 

[The Other Librarian]

I'll also give my humble recommendation. The style is different to a lot of tripe fantasy. You get stuck in quickly, in media res, with a dry narrator. At first I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy the books, but you do get sucked in. I sort of didn't realize how invested I was in the characters until the end of the first book. First rate stuff.

And I'll second Jhereg too. Loved that series, as well as Brust's other works.

FWIW, I don't like a lot of fantasy novels. I like the genre and its potential, but most fantasy reverts to the same old cliches and tropes. The Black Company series was a very happy suprise though.

 

[Crothian]

Are all the Black Company books good or are does it decline as the series goes on? I have the first three and will be reading them but want to know if the rest are worth getting as well.

 

[hellbender]

Are all the Black Company books good or are does it decline as the series goes on? I have the first three and will be reading them but want to know if the rest are worth getting as well.

While I really love the books, to me the series does start to weaken a bit with the Glittering Stone books. From a role playing stance, the Glittering Stone opens up the world to a lot more potential. To me, the reading became a bit tedious. The books I can pick up and read at any given point in time and find something new, or delve deeper into a plot. I am currently going over the Silver Spike again and revelling in the sheer insanity of the book.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I modeled a Scarred Lands campaign after many elements found here and in the anime/manga Berserk.

Fairly gritty setting where main characters come and go, often through death.

Not real heavy on the details and background but more focused on the characters and their impact on one another.