![]() ![]() Reading his stuff was like reading Vietnam War fiction on peyote.”Ĭook’s series is also often described as a precursor to grimdark – even if violence doesn’t take center stage in this first book. He brought the story down to a human level, dispensing with the cliché archetypes of princes, kings, and evil sorcerers. ![]() ![]() More so, The Black Company is seminal, if we have to believe Steven ‘Mazalan’ Erikson: “With the Black Company series Glen Cook single-handedly changed the face of fantasy – something a lot of people didn’t notice and maybe still don’t. In short: this is the real deal, not some streamlined version of what generic fantasy has become. It features none of the things most publishers demand of fantasy in the 21st century: no impressionistic descriptions of exotic fragrances of herbs & spices on the local market, no 400 pages of set-up for the next book to sell. Or maybe scrap that, as it is the first book in a long standing dark fantasy series – 10 novels, some short stories, a spin-off – that has only 217 pages. While the goofy 80ies cover by Keith Berdak to the left suggests otherwise, The Black Company hardly feels dated. ![]()
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