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samphope's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
agnieszka_na_grzbietowisku's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wyrmdog's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the flow of the story and I think the shifting timeline helped rather than hindered the book. I found myself always looking forward to the historical asides. One of the things I love is the batshit crazy stuff coupled with the no-nonsense military approach to magic and fantastic warfare. It definitely de-romanticizes things for a fan of fantasy novels, while keeping to the high magic, mythic monsters, and what not.
The narrative is still clipped (this is Glen Cook, after all), and even the emergence of a world-cracking kaiju is resolved quickly on-page. Sometimes this is a boon, as the sexual violence is handled the same way, often a single sentence. But other times, you kinda want to know what's happening as with Ankou and Shin and the black and white cats but you have to suffice for an oblique view through a pinhole.
That said the book is full of world-building, weird characters, bizarre MacGuffins, and epic scope littered with a fondly frustrated serving of slice-of-life. It's everything we come to a Black Company book to get.
The worst thing about the book is probably the insistence on the evaporative nature of the story. It lends a sense of bleakness that even the decimation of civilizations hasn't managed in these books but it also makes it feel a little like a dream sequence. Fortunately, the world-building and view of the history of the setting minimize the damage of the approach.
In all, it was a really fun read though.
The narrative is still clipped (this is Glen Cook, after all), and even the emergence of a world-cracking kaiju is resolved quickly on-page. Sometimes this is a boon, as the sexual violence is handled the same way, often a single sentence. But other times, you kinda want to know what's happening as with Ankou and Shin and the black and white cats but you have to suffice for an oblique view through a pinhole.
That said the book is full of world-building, weird characters, bizarre MacGuffins, and epic scope littered with a fondly frustrated serving of slice-of-life. It's everything we come to a Black Company book to get.
The worst thing about the book is probably the insistence on the evaporative nature of the story. It lends a sense of bleakness that even the decimation of civilizations hasn't managed in these books but it also makes it feel a little like a dream sequence. Fortunately, the world-building and view of the history of the setting minimize the damage of the approach.
In all, it was a really fun read though.
absurtiddy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-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? Yes
4.0
kensingtonska's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
coniferus's review against another edition
3.0
As excited as I was for a new entry in the Black Company series, the fact that I was able to put this down halfway through for five years probably says something. Most of the book feels like the set-up, with the last quarter feeling a little more like the energy and pace of the others. It sort of addresses some questions (that no one ever asked) about Croaker, Lady and the Taken, and a period of time never referenced by anyone (explained hand-wavingly therein). I turned the last page somewhat unsatisfied, but I’m glad to have finished it.
jonmhansen's review against another edition
4.0
It's a good one, a reach back to the early days of the series, when the prose was simple, carrying the story along like an old soldier sitting in a bar, telling about the wars he fought in his youth. The problem is trying to fit it into the established narrative without upending it. Mostly succeeds, but it's not perfect.
bookmason's review against another edition
3.0
I have loved the Black Company novels for decades and had great hopes for this, but sadly though it brought back memories it lacked something.
It feels like an ending to the series, but a confusing one and the story really doesn't go anywhere. Names and faces pass through, but it nothing ever really gels.
It feels like an ending to the series, but a confusing one and the story really doesn't go anywhere. Names and faces pass through, but it nothing ever really gels.
davidscrimshaw's review against another edition
5.0
Gosh it was great to be back with the Croaker and the Black Company, especially in a time before everything was pathologically dark and horrible.
drkappitan's review against another edition
3.0
It gets three stars because I bothered to finish listening to it, but I won't be looking up his other stuff. The narrative style does not do it for me--too choppy, which is especially hard to follow in the audiobook.