Hey everyone I just saw the upcoming reading list and wanted to let anyone know who doesnt already how awesome of an author Glen Cook is. He has a gritty sense of realism in his novels that really is not seen elsewhere. I have been a Cook fan for about 11 years now and the Black Company was orgionally supposed to be his last series. It was released in 1984 and has seen a few reprints since then. If anyone has happened to read his novels I would suggest trying to dig up copies of his Dread Empire series. They are mostly out of print and many of them are rare books but well worth the read if you can dig them up. Just one loyal fan's opinion.

I've read the first 3 novels of the "Black Company" series, and I really did enjoy them. I need to pick up the rest, I think there's 9 books in that series now?

It's funny, I didn't see the box til today. I was really surprised that Sohmer hadn't read Black Company yet.

The first three Black Company books are by far awesome. It takes a bit to get your equilibrium with the narrative style, but it's well worth it. After that, the series keeps a good momentum, pulling out something new and fun, but I did get the feel he was peetering out towards the end, especially the last book. A shame to me, because I really felt the history of the company kinda peetered out with it.

However, the first series I read by Cook was The Garrett Files. Lighter than Black Company. Only one I REALLY didn't like was the one with lead in the title (something like Grey Lead Skies). Again, a peetering out period. Not so bad as with the Black Company though. Though it was a series with recurring characters, it was a little looser in continuum for me, and enjoyable for it. He did Whispering Nickel Idols I think just two years ago, after having gone a very long time without writing. Since he's writing again on this new series, I'm hoping he gets into Garrett again.

Glen Cook is indeed a very good author. I started out on the Black Company, and loved them. I recently read the first book in his new series Instrumentalities of the Night, The Tyranny of the Night, and while it starts out fairly closely derived from the Crusades, it's still very, very good. Perhaps a bit more focused, in that at least for now it has one main character around whom essentially all the action rotates, but it's still a case of one person caught up in much, much bigger events.

I've read all of his books. Loved em.

The second book of Instrumentalities of the Night is out. All may rejoice.

Seeing this topic, I really wanted to find out more about the series so I did some research. The storyline and the idea sounded like it would be appealing so I decided to order it... Then I came to a grinding halt.

Book 4: Shadow Games

and

Book 7: She is Darkness

are both no longer in print at Amazon or Barnes and Nobles. So other than shelling out 30 dollars a piece to get those two books plus another 40 for the rest of the series, does anyone know of any online locations that will have these books?

I think there are anthologies out there. I think the first one has books 1-4. If you can't find them browsing at a local chain, try those.

I was looking for "box sets" or anthology types. Do you have a link to one at Amazon or anywhere else?>

I know Borders has Shadow Games but I am also still frantically searching for She is the Darkness.

http://books.search.ebay.com/She-is-the-Da...ZR40QQsacatZ267

Paperback 26.99
Hardcover 17.99

YEah they're pricey. I have em all though