The Black Company

[Independent George]

The newest book in the Black Company series came out today. I'd completely forgotten that I'd pre-ordered it, but there it was on my Kindle. I'd meant to do a re-read of the whole series before starting in on it, but I can't wait that long; I may regret it later, but I'm jumping right in tonight.

I'll probably post my thoughts on the book here, assuming I'm not too lazy. For anyone else who hasn't read the series, I can't recommend it highly enough. The Black Company might be the seminal work of grimdark fantasy (though I personally think that description is reductive and inaccurate). Sure, it's bleak at times, and it's far easier to talk about the named characters who don't die by the end, but it's also one of the best and most influential works in the genre.

Actually, I'd love to hear the thoughts of anyone new to the series who wishes to give it a try. Best of all, the main story was completed years ago (the new book is a mid-quel), so you won't have to spend years waiting for the next book to come out.

And someday, I really will write my Black Company/My Little Pony crossover story. I will.

[Karha of Honor]

Listened to the audiobook of the first one. Loved it.

[Independent George]

Two chapters in, and of course I already want to strangle One-Eye. Still, though... it's great to see the fellas again. I've missed them. Setting this back during the Books of the North, though, means I'm already sort-of spoiled in that I know that most of these guys are going to live long enough to be killed later on, while I have to assume /spoiler/The Third// will die horribly since he never appears in the other books. /spoiler/Well, really, there were only four surviving members of the Company by the end of book 3, so it's a foregone conclusion regardless.//

It also looks like we'll be getting some insights into Lady and the Domination, so I'm really looking forward to that.

Regarding the whole series, I know fan opinion is divided, but I especially loved The Silver Shard precisely because it was so different from the others. Low-level criminals getting into something too big for them, believably (and unbelievably) bad choices and rotten luck, snappy dialogue, black humor... this is exactly the kind of thing I could see Elmore Leonard writing if he had ever decided to do a high fantasy novel.

[Independent George]

My favorite passage in the new book:

In His mad rage at this latest affront, the Dominator had ordered the Old Forest cleared to the last sapling, never mind that forest's vastness. A clearing project of such magnitude would devour the full financial resources of the Domination for decades. The Dominator did not understand capital limitations. He must crush, must destroy, must eradicate anyone who defied Him.

I shouldn't be surprised that the old army guy who set out to create a believably fantasy setting would care about logistics, but still... yay! An author actually mentions logistics and administration.

Also... Lady would have been a great evil overlord. She understood the boring parts of maintaining an empire.

[Karha of Honor]

Two chapters in, and of course I already want to strangle One-Eye. Still, though... it's great to see the fellas again. I've missed them. Setting this back during the Books of the North, though, means I'm already sort-of spoiled in that I know that most of these guys are going to live long enough to be killed later on, while I have to assume /spoiler/The Third// will die horribly since he never appears in the other books. /spoiler/Well, really, there were only four surviving members of the Company by the end of book 3, so it's a foregone conclusion regardless.//

It also looks like we'll be getting some insights into Lady and the Domination, so I'm really looking forward to that.

Regarding the whole series, I know fan opinion is divided, but I especially loved The Silver Shard precisely because it was so different from the others. Low-level criminals getting into something too big for them, believably (and unbelievably) bad choices and rotten luck, snappy dialogue, black humor... this is exactly the kind of thing I could see Elmore Leonard writing if he had ever decided to do a high fantasy novel.

Can i get everything about the Silver Shard if only read Black Company book 1?

[Independent George]

Can i get everything about the Silver Shard if only read Black Company book 1?

You can, but it's not optimal; it is really best if you read through book 3 (The White Rose), as it occurs shortly after it chronologically. It's really an epilogue to the Books of the North; there are some spoilers, obviously, but the book mostly centers around a whole new set of characters unrelated to the Company, with //Darling, Raven, and Silent// appearing about halfway through.