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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very, very good...If not quite up to standards of first 3, August 12, 2000
This review is from: Shadow Games: The Fourth Chronicles of the Black Company: First Book of the South (Chronicle of the Black Company) (Mass Market Paperback)
The Black Company is one of the great creations of modern fantasy. In a genre in which most stories are starkly black and white--really great good guys and really bad villans--the Black Company (contra its name) lives in grey. Shadow Games is the fourth book in a series on the the Black Company, a mercenary band in a sword and sorcery world. The first three novels told the story of how the Company came into the service of Lady, a sorceress of great power who rules a purportedly evil empire in the northern part of the Company's world. Eventually the Company rebels against the Lady and joins the White Rose, a reincarnated hero who opposes the empire. At the end of book three, the Rose, the Lady, and the Company join forces to defeat an older evil. A related book, Silver Spike, follows the subsequent adventures of the Rose. In Shadow Games, Lady and the last members of the Company travel south to the legendary city of Khatover from which the Company originated many centuries before. I enjoyed Shadow Games and recommend it (although NOT as an initation to the series). But I didn't quite like it as much as the first three novels. There is less character development. Old villans get recycled for reasons that are not entirely clear. A cliffhanger ending forces you to buy the sequel. Shadow Games also marks the beginning of Cook's fascination with the quasi-Indian philosophy and mythology that, in my judgment, detract from the later books. If I had it to do over again, I probably would have stopped with the first three novels.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
And the plot thickens..., May 16, 2000
This review is from: Shadow Games: The Fourth Chronicles of the Black Company: First Book of the South (Chronicle of the Black Company) (Mass Market Paperback)
This book picks up right after Raven, Darling and Silent have gone one way and Croaker and the 6 remaining Black Company members have gone another accompanied by the Lady. Croaker is leading the remnants of the Black Company, the last of the the Free Companies of Khatovar back in time to thier beginning. He is searching for their lost histories, for the Annals of the Black Company that were lost in the Southlands as the Company moved North. They find more mysteries in this book and lose a few things as well. They are given artifacts of the the company prior to their leaving the southland, they find descendants of their long lost brothers. Croaker begins to see things no one else does, has he lost his sanity? They find pirates, foes and Shadowmasters, long lost friends and some very old enemies. You will find lots of hints of things to come. Croaker has changed some in this book. He is more like the Old Man in the first books. Yes, Croaker's humanity,insecurity and romanticism are still there, but he has turned downright sneaky and nasty when it comes to dealing with opponents. Whether they be internal power struggles, a little disiplining of the troops (One-Eye and Goblin go at again) or all out battle - Croaker handles them like the Black Company vetern. This book is definitly worth reading, but it will hook you on the series all over again. I don't know about you but I HATE waiting for the next book in a series. So make sure you get the next one as well, so you don't have to wait for the solution to this cliff hanger. While you're at it , you might as well get the forst & second book of the Glittering Stone, too. It'll drive you crazy waiting to find out otherwise.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More of the Same, October 18, 2010
This review is from: Shadow Games: The Fourth Chronicles of the Black Company: First Book of the South (Chronicle of the Black Company) (Mass Market Paperback)
Glen Cook's Shadow Games, the Fourth book involving his Black Company and the first book of subsequent duology provides more of the same as the first three books. What is more of the same? Well, you get good writing, interesting plot lines, interesting characters, some pretty cool, unique ideas, and, overall, a really fun read. It also means that you've seen a lot of this stuff before. The book lacks the originality of the first trilogy, it's a little more predictable, a little less exciting. That being said, if you liked the Black Company, you'll like this. It's a worthy addition to the series.
The plot follows the remnants of the Black Company, now led by narrator Croaker, as they go in search for the Company's origins. Along the way, they get caught up in a major war with a group of dark, unknown sorcerers (who may be affiliated with some members of the Taken). The story is pretty interesting, but the best part of Shadow Games is the continuing revelation that is the Lady, once the most powerful ruler in the world. The other returning characters don't experience much character development in Shadow Games, but the Lady sure does. And her character development is excellent. She has become one of my favorite characters in the series. Further, her interactions with Croaker have become increasingly entertaining. Croaker, too, continues to remain an intriguing protagonist/narrator.
As I said above, the series is starting to get a little repetitive by the time Shadow Games came out. If you didn't like the previous Black Company books, don't bother with this one. But if you liked the others, and are looking for a quick read, you can't go wrong here. It's probably not quite as good, overall, as its predecessors, but Shadow Games is pretty darn good.
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