The Black Company

The Black Company is a dark fantasy novel told from the perspective of Croaker, a medic within the Black Company. The Black Company is a highly skilled and ancient mercenary army consisting of soldiers and a handful of magicians. Unlike many fantasy novels, the Black Company is more of a militaristic style novel and most of the characters of the Black Company are simply soldiers swept along by great events. Glen Cook was a navy man and gives a great sense of the comradiery within a group of soldiers. The novel is dark in tone and looks at the pain and tragedy of battle head on and how that affects the characters. These novels were a huge influence on Steven Erikson and the construction of the Malazan novels. Fans of that series would be well served to check out The Black Company and writing that was much ahead of its time in the 80's. There are enough powerful characters and big events in the novel to keep your interest in the larger plot and world building, but a different style of story telling from the common soldiers perspective to give something new and different to the fantasy genre. Recommended for any fantasy fans who are tired of the same old quest novels.