Found at: http://runequest.za.org/article/articleprint/95/-1/32/
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The Black Company - A universe created by Glen Cook
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Top level
Other Interest
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Author: Tony Den
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Publishing date: 08.01.2003 16:49
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The Black Company is a series of books written by Glen Cook, detailing a gritty, realistic fantasy world. Since its inception, it has become a cult series, spawning many an sites and complimentary literature.
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Black Company
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Tony's Personal Overview
I love referring to myself in the third person:)
I saw the first book in the series back in the 1990's but never bothered with it as I never saw the next two and hate trying to complete hard to get sets. Later on (1996) I saw it again in a second hand bookshop so splashed the small sum it was going for and took it home. Being one not to start a series unles I have the whole series, I didn't bother with it until later that year when I was in the UK, I picked up Shadows Linger and the White Rose, books 2 and 3 of the first series. Bakc in SA I read the series and was literally blown away. I have read a lot of fantasy and this was the first series to get me really excited to the extent I didn't want it to end in years. When I did finally finish the trilogy, I felt quite emotional (yes yes, sounds woosie but what the hey.) I loaned it to my brother and a friend and they also enjoyed it immensly.
It was a few years later that I happened to realise there were more black company books. Some studious internet orders and eBaying follwed and I finally have all the Black Company literature written by Mr Cook, even the hard to get short story in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, vol 62, No 2 August 1982. A bibliography of his books is available at The Official Glen Cook site.
It would seem more than one person was impressed by the Black Company, the last of the free companies of Khatovar. More than merely a group of mercanaries, aliving legend where the crew are brothers who stick together to death. For real, three dimensional characters who are well motivated and thought out, you could not do better.
Although there are a lot of Black Company sites, The Black Company Outpost, in addition to maps and a lot of other great material, already has links to most, so I will not republish them here.