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shookone's review
4.0
This was a big improvement over the first book in the series. Cook adds an additional protagonist, and then does away with the previous book’s more episodic approach in favor of using chapters. The changes in structure really improve the storytelling.
There’s definitely things you can criticize here: The setting is pretty bleak, the constant cynicism and tough guy talk can get a little silly in places, it’s often hard to remember which member of the Company is which because they all basically boil down to “tough guy with a sword” or “tough guy with a magic spell” Like these are all valid criticisms.
But I dunno, I still had a good time with it regardless. The book takes place in a weird, scary world. Magic is creepy and otherworldly and only sometimes makes sense. And ultimately this is a book about a bunch of guys who are pretty good at their jobs but have also made a ton of compromises with their consciences over the years and find themselves with their backs against the wall because of it. For me that adds up to a fun book, and I’m looking forward to reading the next entry in the series, but your mileage may vary.
There’s definitely things you can criticize here: The setting is pretty bleak, the constant cynicism and tough guy talk can get a little silly in places, it’s often hard to remember which member of the Company is which because they all basically boil down to “tough guy with a sword” or “tough guy with a magic spell” Like these are all valid criticisms.
But I dunno, I still had a good time with it regardless. The book takes place in a weird, scary world. Magic is creepy and otherworldly and only sometimes makes sense. And ultimately this is a book about a bunch of guys who are pretty good at their jobs but have also made a ton of compromises with their consciences over the years and find themselves with their backs against the wall because of it. For me that adds up to a fun book, and I’m looking forward to reading the next entry in the series, but your mileage may vary.
some_20th's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wannabekingpin's review
5.0
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Raven ran as far as he could, keeping his charge safe; a girl who might just one day fix this broken world, torn apart by two evils of whom his former brothers in arms serve the lesser. But due to his carelessness Raven almost sent the said world into oblivion instead. Which, of course, brought the Lady, her Taken, and the Black Company itself over, to this edge of the world where Raven hid…
My Opinion: There’s these almost mundane scenes of grave robbers and innkeepers. And then you start noticing the less mundane, as they venture out to visit a castle that grew out of a rock, filled with strange creatures and vicious faces. Unlikely heroes, unlikely betrayals, and daring feats. A very pleasant read.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Raven ran as far as he could, keeping his charge safe; a girl who might just one day fix this broken world, torn apart by two evils of whom his former brothers in arms serve the lesser. But due to his carelessness Raven almost sent the said world into oblivion instead. Which, of course, brought the Lady, her Taken, and the Black Company itself over, to this edge of the world where Raven hid…
My Opinion: There’s these almost mundane scenes of grave robbers and innkeepers. And then you start noticing the less mundane, as they venture out to visit a castle that grew out of a rock, filled with strange creatures and vicious faces. Unlikely heroes, unlikely betrayals, and daring feats. A very pleasant read.
blairconrad's review
5.0
Really enjoyable. An improvement over [b:The Black Company|140671|The Black Company|Glen Cook|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317066907s/140671.jpg|390334] in almost every way. Since we're now the second book in the series, there was less need for introductions and explanations, (not that The Black Company was profligate with those), and that made for a less jarring introduction. I thought the mystery around Juniper was very interesting, and I was sucked right in from the beginning. The best part, though, was the alternating viewpoints - seeing events from Croaker's and Shed's eyes was a lot of fun.
zechs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Easily my favourite part of this series so far, and the narration really adds to it. Moody, atmospheric, almost horror-like at times.
clarks_dad's review
4.0
Definitely an improvement over the first volume. Cook builds much better characters and a lot of my complaints about lazy or paradoxical characterization are resolved in the second installment with some introspective narration from Croaker in his Annals. The pacing is as tight as the first book, but the struggle feels much more intimate than the sweeping Lord of the Rings-esque epic between the forces of dark and dark(ish) that tended to impersonally dominate the narrative of The Black Company. At its heart, there's still a lot of mystery in Shadows Linger of the sort that I'm a sucker for. Unexplained lore and mythology are my weak spot in storytelling and there's still plenty of that mystery left in the world of the second book. Characters like Marron Shed add a humanistic element that make the characters easier to identify with and for the reader to establish a more prominent foothold in Cook's world.
A minor pet peeve: the split narration. Multiple first-person perspectives are fine and make a lot of sense to me, but mixes of first-person limited and third-person omniscient are jarring to me and always will be. In spite of this complaint, the third-person narrative gave us Shed and I think that third person just feels better for Cook than his Croaker narration does. Other than that, this is a super solid weekend read. If you're on the fence about the series after the hit-and-miss first book, your patience will be rewarded with this read. It's satisfying on both the personal and plot level.
A minor pet peeve: the split narration. Multiple first-person perspectives are fine and make a lot of sense to me, but mixes of first-person limited and third-person omniscient are jarring to me and always will be. In spite of this complaint, the third-person narrative gave us Shed and I think that third person just feels better for Cook than his Croaker narration does. Other than that, this is a super solid weekend read. If you're on the fence about the series after the hit-and-miss first book, your patience will be rewarded with this read. It's satisfying on both the personal and plot level.
apthayer's review
5.0
Another strong performance by Glen Cook. I experienced this one through audiobook, rather than reading it, and Cook's prose lent itself well to it. I think of him as the Hemmingway of fantasy. Readable, direct, fast paced, without losing a grip on the important details. Can't wait to start the third.
rynkndllbrns's review
5.0
I’m assuming it’s a fake out of some sort, but Raven slipping and splitting his skull in the bath is the funniest tossed off death possible for a major character. Close second being The Captain eating it on a flying carpet.
Really love that Cook takes absolutely unrepentant scum and finds their humanity and moral center. By the time he died, I was rooting for Shed. ACABullock too.
Really love that Cook takes absolutely unrepentant scum and finds their humanity and moral center. By the time he died, I was rooting for Shed. ACABullock too.