The First Novel of 'The Chronicles of The Black Company'

This is my first read in the Black Company series. The Black Company is a military unit composed of mercenaries with a rich history and tradition and a very rigid code of conduct. The novel is essentially a narrative by Company's historian who is charged with chronicling the actions in which the Company is involved and the key members of the Company's cadre. The pace of the novel is quite good and the writing is very efficient, in that it conveys quite a lot of information about the characters and the military engagements in which they are involved with an economy of words. The tactics, strategies and movements of the various military units involved in what appears to be a continent wide conflict is covered very generally- consistent with the purpose of the historian's writing, but not particularly informative to those really interested in military engagements and strategies. If you want a more detailed exposure and exposition on military actions/tactics/strategy there are better places to go. Otherwise it is an interesting story and I was entertained.

A really slow start, which meandered along through most of the book. The narrator is unreliable, admitting that he doesn't like to acknowledge that most of the people in the Company are not good guys and they most definitely do not work for the "good" team.

I think the subtitle: The First Novel in of 'The Chronicles of The Black Company' is important. While it's a slow moving story for most of the way, as you near the end you begin to see where it's headed and as the story ends, a beautiful epic as been set up. This is the 'before' story, before the hero has been called up and goes to fight the great evil.

Vague, somewhat uninteresting novel about a mercenary group. I got about 65% through before I decided it wasn't for me. I love dark fantasy, but this one was just too vague and plodding to get into. he characters and factions are not super well defined and few are likable. This one was suggested to me because I fell in love with the Witcher book series, but I failed to see the connection/shared appeal.

I found this book to be quite entertaining. A splash of dark humor with vivid battle scenes and plot twists that kept me guessing. I was so pleased that I immediately purchased the next book in the series!

A great fantasy novel, and great for fantasy fans that are a little older, and have moved on from Piers Anthony, but still like a fun fantasy read. The second book is better for fans who like magic and weird fantasy creatures, this is better if you like plotting and scheming. Both are great, and have a bit of both, but this has more scheming.

A great fantasy novel, and great for fantasy fans that are a little older, and have moved on from Piers Anthony, but still like a fun fantasy read. The second book is better for fans who like magic and weird fantasy creatures, this is better if you like plotting and scheming. Both are great, and have a bit of both, but this has more scheming.

I listened to the audible-version (read by Marc Vietor) but bought the physical copy for my girlfriend for christmas. To this day it is one of my favoruite books in the series, and the series itself is without a doubt the best I have ever read. Amazing job by Mr. Cook.

The book begins with skimmed details and absolutely no explanation or description of its setting and expects you to fill in the gaps when words or names of things are used while also bearing no explanation. No thanks.

My friend recommended this, said it was one of his favorite books. I didn't care for the pace, the cut-scene, the lack of any descriptive information. It's just dialog and poorly drawn action sequences. We are not given enough background or descriptions to understand what's going on exactly.

Just the cheesiest. This is one of those fantasy writers that can't just say someone is trouble, but that "trouble followed them like a badger's bad breath." If you're a fantasy writer, maybe allow yourself one unnecessary metaphor per book.

I thought the concept sounded great: first person perspective of a doctor in a company of cool soldiers of a dark lord. Unfortunately, 50 pages in I wasn't impressed and even worse, I was bored.

Although the tone of the dialogue is pretty compelling, the scenes are rushed through and the characters are still unknown. Nothing less than a poison attack, the retaliation of the poison attack and the investigation of same, a city riot, the exploration of a creepy burial site, the attack of a supernatural monster in a fortress, the new employment of the Company by a dark lord and the massacre of an army in the dead of night, are played out and done with in the first 50 pages. Normally just one of these scenes would comprise a chapter in a fantasy novel, and yet the author squeezes all these into the first chapter.

The result is boring and shallow, and made me put the book down. Great idea, bad execution.

The book is very poorly written and very disjointed. Major parts of the story background are missing and the book seems to move too fast through the plot. Some back story would have been nice and some reasoning behind why the characters are doing what they are doing. Also, it seems like there is a mix of high fantasy and modern warfare here that just doesn't work.

My favorite book. I enjoy everything from Burroughs, Wells, Tolkien, Zalazny, Homer, Howard, Cowley, Moorcock, Stoker, you know. Whatever. This is the first fantasy series I read which to me actually seemed to have realistic characters. Even though many were of epic or mythic proportions at their heart they were nothing more than humans. They act like people, they talk like people and nobody is above reproach or beyond reach. A lot is left to the imagination which should not be a problem for someone with an active imagination. In the first story we never even get a description of the main character. This way he becomes YOUR character. I think Cook realizes that by letting you fill in the blanks you will end up with what works best for you. I remember putting down a Steven King book because his attention to detail erased the initial image from my mind's eye. He actually ruined the scene for me by replacing my image with a lesser one. If you need to be spoon fed you might want to pass on by. If you want sugar coated good guys and villains who twist their mustaches and tie women to train tracks for the sake of being evil than walk on by. This story is from the POV of a grunt with a bit of prestige because he is both surgeon and historian for his brotherhood of mercenaries. As such much of what he sees is from an eye level perspective rather than a birds eye view. He cannot tell you what the dark lord is doing because he does not know. This is like reading the diary of someone who is describing what they are experiencing from day to day rather then being privy to a crystal ball with sound. I personally don't enjoy all of Cooks stuff but this is my fourth or fifth reading of the BC series. Guess I'm a BC junkie.

Not too imaginative and a bit tedious. Story starts in the middle sort of and so it is hard to pick up the thread. Also, it is a bit dark and the leader of the mercenaries seems a bit weak to run a company like his/

The numerous five star ratings for this novel baffle me. I make no judgement on anyone's taste but I simply could not find the weak disjointed story telling to be as impressive as so often reviewed. I really like that the author was stepping out of the box and writing about characters who were not "heroes" and were gritty and real. That being said...the story itself was so poorly written that following the plot line was painful and flat out unenjoyable. I respect anyone who does admire this style but felt that a different opinion needed to be given since I bought and read this book based on the rave reviews I had read online. If this was a good tale for you ...then more power to you but be warned....not all intelligent fantasy readers take pleasure in trying to interpret what felt like the ramblings of a teenager's first attempt at writing.
I will say that Glen Cook's The Swordbearer is a long time favorite of mine so maybe later books by the author are as good. This one, however, was not!!

My favorite book. I enjoy everything from Burroughs, Wells, Tolkien, Zalazny, Homer, Howard, Cowley, Moorcock, Stoker, you know. Whatever. This is the first fantasy series I read which to me actually seemed to have realistic characters. Even though many were of epic or mythic proportions at their heart they were nothing more than humans. They act like people, they talk like people and nobody is above reproach or beyond reach. A lot is left to the imagination which should not be a problem for someone with an active imagination. In the first story we never even get a description of the main character. This way he becomes YOUR character. I think Cook realizes that by letting you fill in the blanks you will end up with what works best for you. I remember putting down a Steven King book because his attention to detail erased the initial image from my mind's eye. He actually ruined the scene for me by replacing my image with a lesser one. If you need to be spoon fed you might want to pass on by. If you want sugar coated good guys and villains who twist their mustaches and tie women to train tracks for the sake of being evil than walk on by. This story is from the POV of a grunt with a bit of prestige because he is both surgeon and historian for his brotherhood of mercenaries. As such much of what he sees is from an eye level perspective rather than a birds eye view. He cannot tell you what the dark lord is doing because he does not know. This is like reading the diary of someone who is describing what they are experiencing from day to day rather then being privy to a crystal ball with sound. I personally don't enjoy all of Cooks stuff but this is my fourth or fifth reading of the BC series. Guess I'm a BC junkie.

The Black Company is different.

This is not your run of the mill fantasy series, especially of the modern era. The books were written by a true author back in the 1990s. The writing is unique, and different. It will take some getting to used. Factually, the first seventy pages might utterly confuse you. But don't let it deter you.

Once you get through about 80 pages or so of the Black Company, it all starts to fall in place. Once you absorb the writing style. Once you make sense of the language. Of the characters; the perspective. And from that point on, you're in for a series that is difficult to put down.

Glen Cook catches a lot of flack from people who struggle to pick up his style and flow. And his flow here is far different than any of his other books. And it varies throughout this long series of novels, for better or worse. I consider Cook to be one, if not my favorite single author, and only because of this series. I'm not a person who loves authors --- I like books. An author can have interesting and non-interesting books. This is definitely one of the more interesting tomes you'll encounter.

Interesting characters. A pessimistic and sarcastic main character (told through 1st person POV). The realization that these books are told from the side of evil ... in a sense. The best part about The Black Company is that in his world, Glen Cook never forces anything down your throat. At times it's hard to follow what is going on, or what is happening in whole, but I enjoy the lack of hand-holding (and it all does make a lot more sense on subsequent readings). His magic and world have no gimmicks, as opposed to so many writers of today. Magic is magic. It is not explained or broken down into silly rule sets. And it is rare, in its way. And told through the eyes of someone who doesn't understand how it works, and who is surrounded by powerful spell casters.

All in all, Cook gives you an experience you won't find anywhere else. And he does it in a way never done before. If you're looking for a deep set of books with unique ideas, an interesting story, enjoy unique approaches to writing, and like Fantasy ... you will like enjoy The Black Company.

Otherwise you will probably hate it, believe the writing is bad or too confusing, and move on. Admittedly, not everyone's cup of tea ... but my favorite book series of all time, and I dislike most everything out there (for whatever some no name the store reviewer's opinion is worth).

Not too imaginative and a bit tedious. Story starts in the middle sort of and so it is hard to pick up the thread. Also, it is a bit dark and the leader of the mercenaries seems a bit weak to run a company like his/

The numerous five star ratings for this novel baffle me. I make no judgement on anyone's taste but I simply could not find the weak disjointed story telling to be as impressive as so often reviewed. I really like that the author was stepping out of the box and writing about characters who were not "heroes" and were gritty and real. That being said...the story itself was so poorly written that following the plot line was painful and flat out unenjoyable. I respect anyone who does admire this style but felt that a different opinion needed to be given since I bought and read this book based on the rave reviews I had read online. If this was a good tale for you ...then more power to you but be warned....not all intelligent fantasy readers take pleasure in trying to interpret what felt like the ramblings of a teenager's first attempt at writing.
I will say that Glen Cook's The Swordbearer is a long time favorite of mine so maybe later books by the author are as good. This one, however, was not!!

Previously published at TheQwillery.com

I wanted to love this book. I had read and heard from so many people how ground-breaking and amazing it is. I'm not normally a fan of the darker fantasy books, but I can appreciate what it's done for military-fantasy books, so I wanted to try it. Sadly, it just wasn't a fun read for me. After the long journey to get my hands on the right book (see my Retro Review of Valnir's Bane for the full story), I had high hopes.

The Black Company reads like an After Actions Report. I didn't serve in the military, but I've researched my Grandfather's war record I've had the opportunity to read some official military reports, and they make battles and engagements with the enemy sound routine and dull. Unfortunately for me, Glen Cook did the same thing with his story of a company of anti-hero mercenaries. The story sounds amazing—being paid to fight for a group of undead wizards as they try to resurrect a long-dead civilization, while a rebel army lead by a council of wizards tries to stop them. But what I got was a dull recounting of one battle after another with no real description or emotional impact. I never felt invested in who won the battles.

It's written in the first person narrative as Croaker, serving as the POV character. Croaker, is the company's doctor and historian. I'm already not a fan of first person narrative as I like to spend a little time in each of the characters' heads, but you would think if Cook was going to have the reader spend all of their time in one character's head, he would explore that character fully. At the end of the book, I could care less about Croaker and learned very little about him. Raven was the only character Cook created that I might have liked if I would have had the opportunity to spend more time with him.

The plot of the story didn't really grab my attention until halfway through the book when we find out that the Taken (the undead wizards) are not all loyal to the Lady or her designs. We also start to see that a minor character that was introduced earlier in the book might actually hold more importance than anyone realized. Thankfully for me the second half of book was more enjoyable to read, but it did not in anyway redeem my over all opinion of the book as a whole. I will not be reading any other books in the series.

The Black Company is a book that did not live up to the hype surrounding it. I will say it sounds like an amazing book, but it falls very flat for me. There is a lot of violence since it's about a company of mercenaries. There is also implied and briefly mentioned sexual abuse, and frequent use of bad language, for these reasons I would only recommend this book to adults. This is definitely a book to skip unless you love reading military nonfiction as well as fantasy.

Make no mistake this is simply an excellent series of books. However with that being said, it isn't for everyone. Glen Cook's writing style is extremely unique and fast paced, and for the average reader who is used to detailed descriptions and character introductions spanning multiple pages it might even be a little disorienting to read. Unlike your standard fantasy novel affair, instead of giving the reader a detailed first impression of a new character or setting, Cook likes to give a brief introduction and let the reader form their own opinion and idea of what is going on only to elaborate as the story progresses. You will find yourself adjusting your thoughts as you read and will most likely end up settling somewhere in the middle, taking what you imagined and what Cook intended to be.

The first book, 'The Black Company', begins with the introduction of the notorious Black Company mercenary band and their subsequent employment by the ruler of the land known simply as "The Lady". The book continues to follow their campaign through the Lady's Empire being lead by her near immortal sorcerer generals known as "The Taken". You are introduced to the main cast of the story, the inner circle of the Black Company, with the company physician named Croaker being the lead character and first person narrative. The first book's plot is pretty straight forward with a multitude of action sequences and few plot twists, leading to a final climatic confrontation.

The second book, 'Shadows Linger' was actually my favorite book of the three. It takes the Black Company to the far North of the Lady's Empire to the harbor city of Juniper. You are introduced to a rather flawed character known as Shed who goes to great lengths to simply survive in the ghetto of the frozen city. The beginning of this book is much slower and goes more in depth with the description of the setting considering that almost the entirety of this one takes place in a single location. Croaker takes a back seat and the story focuses more on Raven (a main character from the first book), and Shed. The ending of the book was quite good with a great plot twist.

The third and final book of the series included is 'The White Rose' in which many of the loose strings of the first two books are tied and unlikely alliances are formed. You learn more about the pasts and personalities of many familiar characters and are introduced to a unique and original setting known as the Plain of Fear. I did feel like Cook rushed this one quite a bit and the ending, while satisfying, was not what I was hoping for. The weakest of the three books in my opinion.

I starting reading this book on the recommendation of a friend. It is one of his favorites, but I didn't like it at all. After several attempts, I put the book away for good. I couldn't even finish it.

On paper, The Black Company has everything it needs to be a classic fantasy novel; especially during the time of its publication. With its gritty dark fantasy setting paired with its morally-grey scenario, the novel easily stands out in contrast to the archetypical good vs. evil high-fantasy romps of its time. Yet as innovative as The Black Company was back in the day, it falls short due to its lackluster characterization. The book's premise is literary gold, yet the insufferably bland characters serve as the book's undoing, preventing it from becoming a timeless classic in my eyes.

After a contract goes south, The Black Company is hired by Soulcatcher, one of The Lady's many dominated wizards who serve as her primary enforcers throughout her empirical regime. Under the employment of The Lady, the Black Company is enlisted into her war against a massive rebel uprising, a task that's made all the more difficult when the other wizards, known as The Taken, are constantly trying to sabotage one another in an attempt to gain their master's favor. The long military campaign that follows is an introspective on the horrors of war through the perspective of a gritty fantasy novel.

The book's immediate strongpoint is its morally-grey tone that permeates the entire narrative. A stark juxtaposition to the traditional black-and-white morality found in traditional high-fantasy at the time. Whether or not The Lady or the rebels are in the right or wrong is completely irrelevant to the men of The Black Company; as long as they earn a living from their endeavors they're more than happy to fight the wars of others regardless of who has right on their side. It's a mature outlook on war, with Cook illustrating both sides of the conflict committing similar atrocities despite one side claiming they're fighting for freedom and humanity. It creates a very compelling dynamic, with The Black Company inter-mediating with their own brand of vindictive military justice. The scenario is horrifying yet undeniably fascinating; working in Cook's favor by characterizing a world that feels completely without a shred of hope or good.

The entirety of the narrative is narrated by the company's physician known as Croaker, who details the campaign through his own pessimistic perspective, emphasizing both the heroic and unforgivable acts of callousness committed by the company. Unfortunately, this is also where the book failed to captivate me. In a book called "The Black Company", why is the reader limited to only the perspective of one of its members? It seems like a baffling choice to me, it would have been far more effective from a storytelling perspective if it didn't limit the narrative to only Croaker; instead taking the time to expand the personalities of the other characters by offering chapters which emphasized their own perspectives. What are their personal views and philosophies on war? What about their feelings towards their fellow soldiers? Providing such a limited amount of exposition is practically tragic since I truly believed this book had potential to possess some of the most memorable characters I've read in recent memory, yet claiming these characters have any depth whatsoever is completely far-fetched. They come off more along the lines of caricatures than anything else, with their nicknames serving as the only real means of characterizing them.

This leads to another problem in tandem with the first; this book has too many characters than it seems Cook knew what to do with; each of which felt just as woefully underdeveloped as the last. With the exception of Croaker and Raven, the other members of Black Company have little to no characterization other than their bland, archetypical villainous stereotypes. Throughout the entire story, I never knew anything about the men of Black Company aside from their camaraderie and shared tenacity for acts of violence, with Croaker being the lone voice of reason among these miscreants. One could argue that the characters could be further developed in later sequels, to which I disagree. In order to become invested in a series and its characters, there needs to be a foundation to build upon in the debut; which in this case, there is none at all. The book simply doesn't offer any backstory or incentive to care about its bland characters. It's a tragedy in my eyes since it's a complete disservice to the book's incredibly morally-grey tone and atmosphere.

This review marks my second attempt at reading The Black Company. I was dissatisfied on my first attempt, and on a renewed second effort, the result was the same. The tone of the novel is exquisite, forsaking many of the bland high-fantasy tropes of good and evil in favor of a dark fantasy setting where morality and ethics are completely questionable. Yet with such unbelievably bland characters who exhibit little to zero characterization it became impossible to become invested. This is just one of those books that I wanted so much to love yet couldn't in the end.

Seriously the worst written book I've ever read, just terrible. Plot and character development are super confusing and the names if the characters just makes it worse. Maybe it's not my genre but that is no excuse for the horrible writing.

Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company starts off a lengthy series with a large following (which I have finally joined). Thanks to a Sword & Sorcery group read on Goodreads I did not entirely miss a series born in 1984, which I had naively figured was just another fantasy series. I mistakenly thought it was just tales about silly comrades, with more brawn than brain, going from one job to another. The Company is not just some band of brutes going from one mission/employer to the next; it is a professional army for hire that has a history longer than most States/Kingdoms. Expect lots of intricate gritty warfare infused with warrior magicians dolling out spells that liquefy mountains and topple the sky. By reading these chronicles, you are (more or less) reading the Annals; well, you almost become part of the Company.

This first-person narrative is compelling: Our narrator, Croaker, is a physician and warrior, but he has the singular duty of recording the Annals of the Company. Below are a number of quotes to convey his voice. His succinct observations add an unexpected, very satisfying, level of intelligence. The Annals (as physical books) are rarely mentioned/accounted for; however, the storytelling was so engaging I often overlooked the notion that Croaker appears bookless.

Pleasantly mysteries adventure: Cook throws the reader into the deep-end from the start. Strangely even this reprint has no map (which would have been welcome to orient readers). The scale of adventure ranges from skirmishes, to grand battles, to sorties with selected members. The Company seems to range in size from one hundred men to a few thousand. Their employees and their enemies are many and complex. It becomes clear that the conflicts are many and intertwined, but thankfully consistent. Without spoiling anything, I can reveal that it will take 50% of the book to communicate that the Lady is the primary employer of the Company, and her secondary commanders are the Taken (usually undead/possessed sorcerers) which also battle one another. All these are in battle with another army led by the Rebel (and his Circle of eighteen). Somehow Cook manages to dose out just the right amount of information to keep you hooked.

Characters are interesting and a strength Each has concise names whether they be the narrator (Croaker), an enemy (Rebel, or Dominator), a Company member (Captain, Lieutenant), or sorcerer (One-Eye, Catcher, Lady, etc.). We learn about everyone via Croaker's narration, which can be profound. One-Eye and Goblin are two of the Company's few sorcerers (Silent being another Key one); they continually have contests of antagonistic sorcery, like brothers. Then there is a new addition who joins early on named Raven who has a truly mysterious backstory. Croaker voted to enlist him saying, "I voted aye. I smelled a mystery and did not want it to get away." Which is what I feel now about these book. There are many mysterious left in the series of the Black Company ... and I do not want them to get away!

Cover Confusion/Caution TOR used the beautiful Raymond Swanland cover for both (a) a release of Book #1 Black Company and (b) and Omnibus edition of Books 1-3 of the series. I recommend just buying the omnibus from the start (same cover, almost same price, more books).

Croaker's Voice (Various, disconnected quotes)

We all have our pasts. I suspect we keep them nebulous not because we are hiding from pour yesterdays but because we think we will cut more romantic figures if we roll our eyes and dispense delicate hints about beautiful women forever beyond our reach.

When I reflect on my companion's inner nature I usually wish I controlled one small talent. I wish I could look inside them and unmask the darks and brights that move them. Then I take a quick look into the jungle of my own soul and realize that I cannot. Any man who barely sustains an armistice with himself has no business picking around in an alien soul.

One-Eye is at least a hundred years old. The Annals mention the wizened little black man's tempers throughout the last century. There is no telling when he joined. Seventy years' worth of Annals were lost when the Company's positions were overrun at the Battle of Urban. One-Eye refuses to illuminate the missing years. He says he does not believe in history.

One-Eye cheats. But never when Raven is playing.

Silent smiled, shrugged, stalked over to the stone pile and seated himself. He was done with the question game. Of all the Company he is the least concerned about the image he portrayed in the Annals. He does not care whether people like or hate him, does not care where he has been or where he is going. Sometimes I wonder if he cares whether he lives or dies, wonder what makes him stay.

I am a haunted man. I am haunted by the Limper's screams. I am haunted by the Lady's laughter. I am haunted by my suspicion that we were furthering the cause of something that deserves to be scrubbed from the face of the earth. I am haunted by the conviction that those bent upon the Lady's eradication are little better than she...I am haunted by the clear knowledge that, in the end, evil always triumphs.

My last glimpse of Catcher was of a weary person slumped in unhappiness. I guess it is hard for them to live up to their reputations. We all want people to like us.

The black company is considered a must read of the fantasy genre. Much of the style that Cook uses has been copied again and again in military fantasy and sci-fi. Essentially the books follow the adventures and mis-adventures of the last of the famous Khatovar mercenary companies, The Black Company. While the storyline builds on otself with plots upon plots it's the characters that shine. The Black Company has seen better days. Everyone is battle weary and the future of the Company is somewhat in question. There are no Conan or Lancelot types here. No grand mega heroes slaughtering all comers with no fear and no remorse. Even the Company's employed wizards are second rate, not a Gandalf character in sight. Instead we get real people with real flaws and real fears and regrets. Who knew fantasy could actually be about the characters and not the over board magical swords and monsters. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of magic and monsters and action scenes are well written. The book is a page turner. The Black Company become employed by the most powerful and somewhat evil wizards the world has ever known known as the Taken and their Queen is called the Lady. Their work creates moral problems for the members of the Company as well as real physical threats as the Company tries to complete its charter while avoiding annihilation as a pawn during the in-fighting of the Taken. And these are the Company's allies. Yet there are greater Horrors waiting in the wings. These books are character driven and yes even main characters can die. Some more than once. If you don't mind losing sleep , join The Black Company for blood, laughs, and characters you can invest in.

This book is a reminiscence of the more recent and famous A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) series. I can see why many people refer this novel as the precursor of the gritty fantasy genre.

The story revolves around a physician soldier (you might say a medic sergeant) of The Black Company, a mercenary group, who happened also to be the Annals writer of the company. The story began with just another assignment contract for the mercenary, until it get entangled into an epic struggle, in the wrong side...

It doesn't meant that there is the right side or the wrong side, the good and the bad is not clear, everything is gray. The good is bad, and the bad is good. You cannot depend on anything but yourself, or in the case of the novel, in the company.

The characters are well-built through the dynamics of the company. You can feel the sympathy for the characters, and the company too. I can see the parallel of the company with French Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère). When you join the legion, your past is forgotten. Many join the legion to escape from their past, or to seek asylum. Each of them has their own reason, but nevertheless pledge the allegiance as one company, The Black Company.

As a gritty fantasy, this is not your common sword-and-sorcery fantasy. Magic is not seen as some exotic thing, but just like any other combat skill. And a sorcerer can be killed by common soldier, given the circumstances.

I think the best part of this novel is the plot. You have the plot, counter-plot, and the counter of the counter-plot. You will keep guessing until the end, and still you wonder. What I find interesting also, the story is told from the perspective of foot soldier, not the general. They are not the decision maker, but nevertheless, they are the one who died in the battle field. I can see why this book is popular among military person, because it personify the daily struggle of a military man in the front line. (Glen Cook, the writer, is a Vietnam War veteran).

I will give this novel a 4.5 stars, almost perfect! What I feel lacking, is the feel of the epic struggle, like the one you get from some epic fantasy. You are not entirely absorbed by the story, and engage wholly with it, like it is your own struggle.

Endnote: The end of this novel gives a hint of a very important plot for the sequel (spoiler), which will launch me into the sequel.