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A review by warragh
The Return of the Black Company by Glen Cook
5.0
The third Black Company omnibus collecting Bleak Seasons and She is the Darkness
Bleak Seasons
The book is told from Murgen's perspective and recounts the events which occurred inside the city during the Siege of Dejagore but it also acts as a sequel to Dreams of Steel and pushes the narrative of the series forward.
As the title suggests, it's a very bleak book. A siege is never a fun place to find yourself, much less so on the side of the defenders. And Murgen's experiences change him drastically so that even long after he is still haunted by them which is reflected in the writing and tone of the book.
Also worth noting that the narrative shifts between past and present several times, very often without warning or indication which can be very confusing at times. The fact that Murgen recalls both the distant and the recent past alongside present events doesn't help. The narrative is compelling though and these timeline jumps are explained and a key part of the story. And in my honest opinion the confusion is intended considering what Murgen is going through in the book.
I do have one gripe but it is story related and almost impossible to explain without spoilers. In short, this book changes the way the Company operates and personally I never quite fully liked this new direction.
She is the Darkness
This directly continues the narrative from where Bleak Seasons left it and recounts the Shadowmaster wars to their end. This is a much more typical novel, the story is linearly told (although it does have some hints towards future events) by Murgen as the Company nears its goal of reaching Khatovar.
This is the Black Company at its best, firing quality grimdark fantasy with all cannons. It goes from battle to battle and intrigue to intrigue never ceasing to throw curve balls towards the reader. It also represents the first book which starts to reveal a bit more regarding the origin of the Black Company.
Overall the novels are quite different in terms of tone, structure, pacing and quite simply in the way in which they tell their stories. But they are both excellent reads and worthy additions to the series.
Bleak Seasons
The book is told from Murgen's perspective and recounts the events which occurred inside the city during the Siege of Dejagore but it also acts as a sequel to Dreams of Steel and pushes the narrative of the series forward.
As the title suggests, it's a very bleak book. A siege is never a fun place to find yourself, much less so on the side of the defenders. And Murgen's experiences change him drastically so that even long after he is still haunted by them which is reflected in the writing and tone of the book.
Also worth noting that the narrative shifts between past and present several times, very often without warning or indication which can be very confusing at times. The fact that Murgen recalls both the distant and the recent past alongside present events doesn't help. The narrative is compelling though and these timeline jumps are explained and a key part of the story. And in my honest opinion the confusion is intended considering what Murgen is going through in the book.
I do have one gripe but it is story related and almost impossible to explain without spoilers. In short, this book changes the way the Company operates and personally I never quite fully liked this new direction.
Spoiler
This book marks the start of Smoke's ghost traveling arc which later on morphs into ghost Murgen and finally into Tobo's shadows. It is a big difference to how the Company used to operate, based on intrigue and deception and outsmarting their opponents instead of relying heavily on magic. Personally I never really enjoyed this change but considering how the final books really raise the stakes I guess it kinda evens out.She is the Darkness
This directly continues the narrative from where Bleak Seasons left it and recounts the Shadowmaster wars to their end. This is a much more typical novel, the story is linearly told (although it does have some hints towards future events) by Murgen as the Company nears its goal of reaching Khatovar.
This is the Black Company at its best, firing quality grimdark fantasy with all cannons. It goes from battle to battle and intrigue to intrigue never ceasing to throw curve balls towards the reader. It also represents the first book which starts to reveal a bit more regarding the origin of the Black Company.
Overall the novels are quite different in terms of tone, structure, pacing and quite simply in the way in which they tell their stories. But they are both excellent reads and worthy additions to the series.