" We are
minions of the villain of the piece. There are no self-proclaimed villains,
only regiments of self-proclaimed saints. Victorious historians rule where good
or evil lies. We abjure labels. We fight for money and an indefinable pride.
The politics, the ethics, the moralities, are irrelevant.”
The Black Company is a mercenary troop working for the city
of Beryl. When the city riots and their employer plans to betray them, the
Company defects. They escape with the help of a recruiter for the army of the
Lady. The Lady is the leader of the largest army ever seen in recent times and
happens to be one of the ancient evil sorcerers locked away centuries ago. She
and ten of her followers were released when a curious wizard freed them
accidentally. The Lady left her husband imprisoned and began her own bid for
world dominion. The Lady’s campaign is failing on most fronts with only the
Black Company led forces having any kind of victory. The story is told through
the eyes of Croaker the Company’s physician and chronicler. He catches the
fancy of the Lady through an ill-advised crush early on and his penchant for writing
only the truth in the Annals of the Company. Over the 2 years of the campaign
that the book covers, Croaker and the Company take out the leaders of the Rebel
faction but it’s not enough. The Lady’s stronghold is surrounded by the Rebel,
her own cadre of sorcerers is warring among themselves, and the strength of the
Black Company is the only thing holding the army together. Will the Lady stop her enemies in time? Will
the Company survive this predicament? You’ll just have to read it to find out.
This is the first book of a fairly long series. The writing
may seem disjointed until the realization that you are reading the actual Annals
of the Company as they are being written. A lot of reviews have issues with
this and the fact everyone has descriptive names. There are reasons for both
these things and are explained as the story goes on. This is a book that needs
the reader’s full attention or details will be missed. It is almost impossible
to get a full impression of this book on a first reading. So much is happening
between the war, special missions, and things that are learned near the end of
the book, that it’s hard to keep everything straight. I’ve read this book a
half dozen times and I’m still trying to figure out some of the behind-the-scenes
action. This book is great if you like long stories, big payoffs, and lots of
world building. It keeps you guessing until the final ending.
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