Customer Reviews

She Is The Darkness: Book Two of Glittering Stone: A Novel of the Black Company

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just started reading the "Black Company" series recently. In point of fact "Bleak Seasons" was the first I'd read. I seem to find myself starting some series in the middle (I've done it that way with McCaffrey's Dragonriders and Kurtz's Deryni). "Bleak Seasons" FORCED me to get "She is the Darkness" (and in turn, I'll have to buy "Water Sleeps" next). Excellent books. Mr. Cook's writing style is mature, gritty, dark, and wonderfully "Grody". I am now hooked on the Black Company and will have to spend money to get all of them. I found Murgen to be a likable and realistic soldier (I've been friends with a few soldiers, and they can be like that). All the characters seem to live in their own world, much like real people do. I have tired of books in which the people only seem to throw dialog at each other in order to get to an endpoint. Cook laces his people with selfishness and selflessness in proper proportion, without losing their personalities in the process. I very much like, Highly reccommend, and will continue to read, the Annals of the Black Company.

I'll give this book five stars or a 10 or a blue ribbon or best of breed, whatever works to keep them coming. 470 pages and I got through it in 3 days,(part time,) tearing off chunks and hardly chewing them as I rushed through.

It's unimaginable that this book could be read and truly enjoyed without having read previous "Black Company" books, but anything is possible. However, if you haven't read the early books, you're in for some good reading.

The duty of the Annalist for this war-torn and again war-torn group of mercenary soldiers keeps changing hands, and each time, I am disappointed for a few pages, wishing Croaker was back at it, or Lady, or even One-eye. But now it's Murgen. (and maybe next, Sleepy.) Having accumulated a coat of grime and stink and the ache of fresh wounds and strains compounding old vicarious hurts, I settle in for more terror and humor and mystification until it is finished. As finished as it ever gets, and I return to reality, having had enough for a while.

This is good writing. These people become friends and family and when they are gone, mourned, while someone new joins up and fills the space and becomes blood. I have absolutely no desire for this series to end. What is it about some of us that would have it this way? No closure, please. The beautiful, evil and crazy sorcerer sister- whoops! I almost gave it away. Join me, other Black Company addicts. Feast, then return later to pick up what was rushed through, chew it well and wait. There will be another. Like darkness, it always comes.

I like the others here have read and reread the first three volumes of the Black Company. I had originally been loaned the set of three by a friend. Being totally enthralled by them, I tried to buy them and could not - out of print. Determined, I wrote Tor and asked if they would relay a note to Mr. Cook. They did and Mr. Cook answered with a very warm letter and informed me he had a few hard-cover books left that had all three of the original series in one book. I ordered TWO from him, one to loan and one to keep.

I still think it is one of the finest fantasy series ever written. Naturally I have purchased all the others as they came out and am just re-reading 'She is the Darkness' for the second time. I agree with the 'reader from LA' that the 'Ten Who Were Taken' are much better villains..and I also miss Croaker as the protagonist. Murgen is only OK in his first try and slightly better in his second. In my letter to Mr. Cook, I also suggested that Croaker should accidentally fall into a 'fountain of youth' of some sort, so he could maintain his relationship with Lady satisfactorily.

She is the Darkness is the second of the 'Murgen' chronicles, which tell the story of the Black Company's final struggle with the shadowmasters and the factions fighting for power in Taglios. The latter, almost without exception, would like to see Croaker's band of mercenaries dead and gone. They only argue about exactly when the gala event will occur. Driven by a desire to return to their origin in Khatovar the company is really intent on reaching the Shadowgate and finding out what is beyond it. Unfortunately enemies old and new seem determined to get in the way.

Murgen is a pure storytelling device. Unlike other narrators or annalists, Murgen is separated from the action by his role as ethereal spy. A paranoid sorcerer called Smoke lies in a coma, and the company has found that it is possible to ride Smoke's spirit like a spy plane. Murgen spends his time visiting both the present and the past and actually gets to do remarkable little. As a result the reader is one extra remove from what is actually going on. He's not spectacularily bright or talented either, so there are moments when the reader has a better idea of what is going to happen and can even tell it better. Murgen thinks the book is about him, and that he is a victim of circumstance and the plotting of others. The truth is that he brings many of his woes down on himself, and when offered opportunities to take his own action, he just retreats into Smoke.

In a sense Glen Cook has done the same thing. The story is richly detailed - a gritty fantasy with a Southeast Asian setting. The main characters are vivid with complicated problems to solve, but Cook keeps too many secrets, always introducing more questions than he resolves. She is the Darkness has a lot of loose ends to tie off before it comes to its grand cliffhanger of an ending. However, once embarked on this strange journey, the reader will find this a hard book to put down. But don't expect pat answers. Cook has never been one to lead you to the obvious.

In early Europe it was common for mercenary bands to be unable to trust their employers. In this book, no trust is possible. Everyone has an agenda that is mutually exclusive. What is even worse, there are only shades of black. The mercenaries are not good people. The employers are moderately bad people. The enemies the Black Company have been hired to fight are crazy and bad. The allies are all either crazy, evil, or both. Heaped on top of that, Croaker, the Captain, cannot draw on his subordinates for planning purposes, because there are agents of the enemy (crows) everywhere plus the subordinates may defect. This leads to a level of paranoia I have not seen before. How do you plan when all around you are suspect? Cook has done an excellent job of capturing the feel of men at war.

After the confusion in Bleak Seasons that had me questioning many things about the book and the future of this series as a whole, The Black Company is back ! Once again told by Murgen, standardbearer and understudy to Captain Croaker. Yippe !

The Company is back, everything is well, of sort. Now with Croaker spearheading the war once more with his lieutenant The Lady, many things have come into the mix. Mogoba and his Nar, Soulcatcher, The Howler, Longshadow and above all Narayan Singh and The Daugher of Night along with her mother Kina. All superpowers with their own agendas and The Black Company stands between them! All want to crush Taglios and it's champions. Yet, Taglios is unsure of their champions, The Company, and wish for The Black Companies downfall along with all the others. Its a whole lot of scheming and no one has their head screw on straight.

Undoubtly for me the most interesting story is Kina and her spiritual daugher; The Daughter of Night and her father figure; Narayan Singh. The mythos of Kina I find so satisfying. Her quest to bring on the Year of the Skulls is relentless. Kina and her daughter are the biggest deck in the cards by far. They have the most to win and lose.

Mogoba along with The Howler and Longshadow are in alliance to crush The Company with Longshadow being the head hancho among the three. At times Longshadows bothers me. We never really get to see him at his best. He is very cowardly and if so powerful why not fight.

Soulcatcher is a stray cat. She is wonderful in this book. She takes crap from no one. She too is a wild card in the mix. Even her sister, The Lady, seems to be bothered and distracted by her actions. If she has The Lady, whom has nearly all her magical essence back, on her toes can you imagine what she is capable of?

Also our golden boy Murgen possess a distinct power that will win this war between The Company and The Shadowmaster Longshadow, all they have to do is hold out and keep it hush hush. His out of body experiences add more layers to the story, but he isn't free to do as he wishes even in the ghost world. Kina dwells there also.

Last but not least, I am so glad Croaker is back. I missed his character. Murgen is okay, but having Croaker back is so comforting. You almost feel like "everything is going to be alright" even if he he isn't sure of that.

This was a huge step up from Bleak Seasons. Hell, when the book came in the mail I was astonished at how many pages it had. I was delighted. From here on in the series its clear skies when it comes to story line and action. Awesome !

Don't get me wrong...This is a fantastic book, but when used hardbacks are selling for over $200 and paperbacks are close to $50, I have to wonder what the heck is going on. Does anyone have any ideas

All that aside, if you've read any Cook, this is about as good as it gets. His overall theme is the old cliche of "power corrupts" and his ability to bring it down to the individual level and ordinary people doing extraordinary things is absolutely fantastic.

Smoke surveillance.


There is a new company annalist as Croaker and the Lady now lead. He has a unique advantage in basically being able to do psychic remote viewing because of the abilities of a comatose sorcerer they have as a prisoner.

Handy as a storytelling and spying device for the military. Again, things are not simple for the Black Company because their employers aren't to be trusted.

Taking Croaker out of the main narrative role may not be to everybody's taste, or the story difference, but the style and quality is still there enough to just scrape in for a 4, for me. 3.75 if you like.

Yet another doozy for the Black Company. I hate reviews that discuss the plot or give a synopsis, so I won't do that. You can find enough here. This review is merely to tell anyone doubting that though this is the EIGHTH book in the series, it is still as fantastic as the first one. Rare in any series.

Murgen is the narrator in this one, and is still hopping around time and place while passed out. If you don't know what I am talking about, you need to read the first seven books before even worrying about this one. The Company is still heading to Khatovar, and Soulcatcher is still being a pain. I suppose that I am discussing plot now, violating my rule, but what the heck.

Long story short, Cook manages to maintain a gritty, funny, enticing and absorbing tale after 30 years of Company and thousands of pages. Bravo.

Unsure of what my northern 'mate' in Leeds was reading after seeing his review but must agree the English-English vs the American English was spot on. Also was curious how you came upon the idea that the Nyueng Bao were supposed to represent a negative image of the Vietnamese or that war. Seems a much better way of introducing new races to the series without falling back upon the boring old ogre, orc, and elf routine!!! yeh? Would like to say that I've read the series for over 15 years now and quite agree with the majority of what our black company brothers say in the states. Cook's continued expansion of his world is ideally suited to not only roleplaying games but perhaps to a tv or movie series as well. There are colourful characters, deception, intrigue, lying, honesty, manipulation, hidden agendas, and no doubt more surprises in store for us in the eighth book (apparently titled Water Sleeps). For some interesting and indepth ideas about the books and what underlying schemes could be taking place visit one of three BC homepages (an obvious pure testament to Cooks ability to enhance the immagination) After reading some of those I'm sure you'll probably come to realise that words and phrases introduced to us in the first three books are only now beginning to make sense. For instance the first chapter in Shadows Linger quite clearly describes the skeleton which Croaker inc. saw when they entered the castle at the end of She is the Darkness. --Remember the feather---. If that isn't testament to a well developed outline for a long series of books written over 15 years then I must live in Elland Road. ......It's immortality of a sort..........