The Black Company Audiobook By Glen Cook cover art

The Black Company

Chronicles of The Black Company, Book 1

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The Black Company

By: Glen Cook
Narrated by: Marc Vietor
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Buy for $21.55

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Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hardbitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead - until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more.

There must be a way for the Black Company to find her....

©1984 Glen Cook (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Military Fantasy Action & Adventure Fiction Epic Epic Fantasy Suspenseful Scary
Gritty Fantasy • Morally Ambiguous Characters • Unique Perspective • Immersive Worldbuilding • Complex Plot

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Here's a very interesting twist to the typical fantasy story.

What if the Lord of The Rings had been told from the BAD GUYS perspective, say, from Mordor's elite guard?

They'd tell a story of thirteen rebels sent from different kingdoms bent on destroying Lord Sauron's passion to bring order to the chaos of the world. This rebel fellowship carries an ultimate doom with them, a ring once held by their glorious leader to keep peace between the races. They now carry it to its ultimate destruction, which will not only destroy that one last hope for unity, but also to destroy their king, who will die when the ring is consumed in the fires of Mount Doom! The fellowship must be stopped from completing their master plan to disrupt the world and kill their lord!

Guess it's all about perspective.

Glen Cook has created such a series, although not tied to Tolkien's work. A similar situation, yet a different world, using different literary vehicles and tools to accomplish the task.

You'll come to know Croaker, chief physician and historian for the Black Company, and many others in the group, along with a dark queen who holds their world in sway. The company is pressed into various quests, deeds, and services for her majesty, and they begin to question the ethics and intent brought on by the influence of her rule.

Sound interesting? It definitely is, and I've enjoyed Cook's twist on the typical.

Descriptive, rich and story-driven, this is a pleasure to the ears of fantasy lovers everywhere. It's mature, thoughtful, dark and entertaining. Cook suspends reality and draws you in, and THAT, my Audible listener, makes for a good audiobook.

I liked this audiobook so much, that I now own the entire series (ten audiobooks to date, I believe).

And the rest are good listening, as is this first in the series.

Who'd have thought I'd saddle up with the BAD guys? And LIKED it?

I Saddled Up With The BAD Guys. And LIKED it.

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If you like swords,wizards,magic, and a good story line you won't be disapointed. I read the books years ago and was always hoping someone would do an audio version. Marc Vietor did a excellent read and I think caught the book and characters flavor nicely.

good choice

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Where does The Black Company rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top-notch. By far my favorite, and the one I've listened to most often.

What other book might you compare The Black Company to and why?

The Black Company is to fantasy what Aliens was to sci-fi. Take away the shiny, the outre, the epic. This is gritty for real - people die regularly, everything is dirty, and even when the big magic appears, it scares the little people.

What does Marc Vietor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

An awesome version of Soulcatcher. Vietor has both a grasp of the character and enough voice talent to make the Taken's ever-changing voice panoply a joy to listen to. The best characterization by voice I've yet heard from an Audible book title (that's not counting dramatized performances like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio show).

Any additional comments?

Get it. If you at all like fantasy, get this title. It's so well done.

Gritty, low-magic fantasy, read well.

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Could not get used to the narrstor. It might sound strange, but it sounded like he tried too hard. It didn't feel natural and it had a strange flow.

DNF

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I got this book because Steven erikson always talks about it in interviews. I burned through his audio books and don't know what to do with myself until reapers gale comes out. The black company was really good and I have never come across a situation like this, where one book series copies another (not at all in a bad way) to such a large extent. From barrows to the magic system it blew my mind how much Steven erikson use things from this book.

That being said, the Malazan books are way way better. The black company was unreal, please don't get me wrong, I am on the third or fourth audio book right now though and about to delete it with three hours left. It slowly failed more and more at giving me my Malazan fix.

So if your like me, desperate for anything like Steven erikson, the black company can hold you off for its duration with glee. The second book too. I wouldn't go past that though it just gets a bit boring. The Malazan books have got me like a school girl though fiend-ing for the D.

Got it for a Malazan fix

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