Review - The Black Company (Black Company #1) by Glen Cook

Quick review: Think Malazan Book of the Fallen, but focusing only on the marines. Sounds good right?

Especially given the fact that MBotF is one of my all-time favorite series and the marines were always my favorite parts. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I enjoyed this more, but I can't help but make the comparison and think it a good one. Don't ask me how my mind works, I obviously don't have a clue.

The comparison also makes sense because this series was influential on Erikson's MBotF. They're completely different, but the cynicism is definitely there in this mercenary band (I'm talking about The Black Company now) and it doesn't hold your hand as you're getting acquainted with the book.

As a big Malazan fan, I'm also a huge fan of authors that let you struggle. Authors that trust the intelligence of their readers, that they'll get it, they'll figure things out, and they'll be rewarded by it as well.

I think the part where The Black Company diverges quite a bit from the Malazan world is that where Malazan is vast, The Black Company is not. The limited viewpoint, following the first person account of Croaker (Crokus anyone?) who's both the company healer and historian, definitely holds back the worldbuilding, but I'm not complaining either. Just noting. And that's not to say it's not vast, you just don't get a sense of the world as much when you only follow a single person. I'm sure the world expands as the series progresses.

Overall, this was a really fun book. It's not black and white, you don't even really know if The Black Company is fighting for the right side, but that's what makes it good. They're just trying to make it through their commission.

Plus, there are some great, zany characters, like One-Eye and Goblin, who magically duel each other constantly, pranking each other with the most ridiculous things and then having more ridiculous things gobble up the previous ridiculous things. It's just great fun.

Croaker, the narrator as I mentioned, has a great voice. He takes his job seriously, but there's no pretense either. I can't wait to read more from the annals of the Black Company.

4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)

eBook Deals - Stephen King and Glen Cook

Two more deals to tack on today. My wallet's running on empty here and what am I supposed to do for the holiday season coming up?

[$3.99] The Shining by Stephen King
[$0.97] Chronicles of the Black Company (1st three books in the Black Company) by Glen Cook - This one's not on Amazon but it's in DRM-Free format so you can convert it to .mobi for your Kindle or other reading device using Calibre or this site. (thanks to The Tattered Scroll)

It's News To Me #35

It's that time again, finals start next week and I make no promises as to how many reviews I'll get out nor how many links will be included in the news segment. Because all of my classes are depending 100% on my final exams, I get a bit stressed at this time of year/semester. Just ask my wife, or better yet don't. :)

Cover Art

Covers like these make me want to read a book (Swanland is my hero):

Surrender to the Will of the Night (Instrumentalities of the Night Book 3) by Glen Cook [US] [UK]

Elfsorrow (Legends of the Raven Book 1) by James Barclay [US] [UK]

News

Brian Ruckley "Answers 8 Rad Questions" that aren't rad and can barely be considered questions. But he's a writer I guess, and of fantasy, so he's good at making things up. :D

The Nook Color is reviewed at Genre Reader. I probably won't get a reader for a while, but Jeff does a great job laying it down with his eReader reviews.

Sarah asks what was your "Gateway Drug" into Speculative Fiction - meaning that book that got you loving the genre, which you'll always love, but which in reality probably isn't the best book ever put to paper.

There's an exclusive excerpt of Orson Scott Card's new book (first in a trilogy), The Lost Gate. (thanks Yagiz).

I've been keeping up on Patrick Rothfuss's Worldbuilders project through donated, signed books and I think it's a great way to make this world a better place. If you have even a little to give, this is a great way to go.

On that note, Pat (Hotlist) is donating all proceeds from his links to Breast Cancer Research. You don't even have to do anything but buy your gifts through these links and you can help.

Oh, and he's not done...and others have things to say about that.

Movies/TV/Videos

I'm obsessed with Game of Thrones on HBO, I'm sure you can't tell, so here's a teaser trailer and if you follow this link, there are 9 other short clips to get you excited:

Clip Preview

And that's the news...at least to me.