enbyglitch's review against another edition
5.0
(3rd read)
Definitely some nostalgia bias here - if I read this for the first time I'd probably give at most 4 stars. There's some awful stuff described in this book (though not as bad as I'd maybe once believed, having now read "Poppy War" and similar), some light homophobia in place of any queerness, and some messy gender stuff to round things out.
But on the other hand, this is a really good fantasy war story. The Taken remain insanely cool; along with the naming conventions, the history of the Company, and so much more. Something I don't think I clocked previously is just how much stuff is going on beyond Croaker's limited viewpoint - especially with the wizards, Captain, and Raven/Darling.
The Taken all initially being referred to as 'he' gets so close to realizing that gender doesn't matter when you're talking about ancient undead forces in the shapes of people! But then the big reveal that the three 'traitors' were suborned because of their gender is a little sad.
Definitely some nostalgia bias here - if I read this for the first time I'd probably give at most 4 stars. There's some awful stuff described in this book (though not as bad as I'd maybe once believed, having now read "Poppy War" and similar), some light homophobia in place of any queerness, and some messy gender stuff to round things out.
But on the other hand, this is a really good fantasy war story. The Taken remain insanely cool; along with the naming conventions, the history of the Company, and so much more. Something I don't think I clocked previously is just how much stuff is going on beyond Croaker's limited viewpoint - especially with the wizards, Captain, and Raven/Darling.
The Taken all initially being referred to as 'he' gets so close to realizing that gender doesn't matter when you're talking about ancient undead forces in the shapes of people! But then the big reveal that the three 'traitors' were suborned because of their gender is a little sad.
jurdek's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cereuslyrico's review against another edition
5.0
So dark. Definite anti-heroes. I don't really like any of them, but I do like the story. Perfect for anyone going through a grimdark phase. I just read the first three, there's a lot of them and I heard they declined in quality after the third, plus the story wraps up decently in the main three.
feoh's review against another edition
1.0
I'm afraid I really don't understand the appeal with this one, I found the writing style odious and incredibly difficult to slog through.
Definitely not one of my favorites I'm afraid.
Definitely not one of my favorites I'm afraid.
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
2.0
Not a fan of this - my cons (and not everyone else’s) are that I do not like first person narratives in Fantasy - it seems to lose any suspension of disbelief, and becomes kind of ridiculous sounding when you read the words - also, not a fan of the whole nick-naming thing - Once in a while, maybe, but the entire group has a nickname, and nothing that makes anyone stand out - I felt nothing for any of the characters - when one of the company dies, I was very unmoved at the event - all in all I read this because it is filed under Classic Fantasy, but this is one that will not remain on my shelves nor will I proceed with this series - I am extremely disappointed, but there are a million books in the world, and I have more to go.
zeroiv's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
auspea's review against another edition
4.0
I listened and read the Ebook simultaneously, I think I enjoyed the audiobook more.
beorn_101's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this story. It was really tough to follow initially, so I tried to just focus on the characters and action, and not worry about the places or larger events being named. After a while I started to glean a better understanding of the events unfolding and really was entertained.
The main character for this book is a physician for a band of mercenaries, who have hired themselves out to the bad guys of the realm. Without spoiling the book this leads to some interesting situations and allies.
The book really picks up around midpoint, once the characters have been firmly established in the reader's mind. It ends on a big bang, that was well worth the anticipation for a big conflict the whole book.
I did have some complaints though, hence the 3 star rating. At no point are we told how large the Black COmpany is, which makes their actions extremely difficult to mentally picture. There are a few things which are hinted at, and hopefully are revealed in later stories, but irritated me not to know in this one, Raven's past and person being a major let down, he remained so unknown.
I also do not think the action in much of the early book was well described, it was tough to picture.
I will be trying the second book of this series, but it did not immediately jump to the top of my reading pile.
The main character for this book is a physician for a band of mercenaries, who have hired themselves out to the bad guys of the realm. Without spoiling the book this leads to some interesting situations and allies.
The book really picks up around midpoint, once the characters have been firmly established in the reader's mind. It ends on a big bang, that was well worth the anticipation for a big conflict the whole book.
I did have some complaints though, hence the 3 star rating. At no point are we told how large the Black COmpany is, which makes their actions extremely difficult to mentally picture. There are a few things which are hinted at, and hopefully are revealed in later stories, but irritated me not to know in this one, Raven's past and person being a major let down, he remained so unknown.
I also do not think the action in much of the early book was well described, it was tough to picture.
I will be trying the second book of this series, but it did not immediately jump to the top of my reading pile.
bookpat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
alwroteabook's review against another edition
4.0
Let's start with the disclaimers:
1. This was written 25 years ago, and I believe fantasy, and grimdark, has evolved since then
2. I started this right after Ed McDonald's Blackwing, which is a hard act for many to follow.
So, I was buzzing after Blackwing, but I was excited to read a book that has a ton of fans. It started slowly, like treacle slow. The first two chapters were unimpressive, and when your book is just seven chapters, that's not a good thing. The characters weren't overly interesting, and the banter was trite. But I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did.
The final five chapters were far more interesting. Instead of introducing the main players of the titular Black Company, the author finally got around to the meat and potatoes of the plot, and there is a pretty good one. The main character, Croaker, the Company's medical officer and annalist, is also the narrator of the story, and grows along with the plot. Strangely, at times, it feels like Cook is developing as a writer as he goes. Perhaps he is.
There is a ton of these books, and due to the saving graces of the plot development (insertion?) later in the book, I'll probably have a look at a couple more.
Read it, stick with it through the slow beginning, and enjoy the payoff at the end.
1. This was written 25 years ago, and I believe fantasy, and grimdark, has evolved since then
2. I started this right after Ed McDonald's Blackwing, which is a hard act for many to follow.
So, I was buzzing after Blackwing, but I was excited to read a book that has a ton of fans. It started slowly, like treacle slow. The first two chapters were unimpressive, and when your book is just seven chapters, that's not a good thing. The characters weren't overly interesting, and the banter was trite. But I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did.
The final five chapters were far more interesting. Instead of introducing the main players of the titular Black Company, the author finally got around to the meat and potatoes of the plot, and there is a pretty good one. The main character, Croaker, the Company's medical officer and annalist, is also the narrator of the story, and grows along with the plot. Strangely, at times, it feels like Cook is developing as a writer as he goes. Perhaps he is.
There is a ton of these books, and due to the saving graces of the plot development (insertion?) later in the book, I'll probably have a look at a couple more.
Read it, stick with it through the slow beginning, and enjoy the payoff at the end.