Cook - Soldiers Live review

Glen Cook finishes off his epic fantasy series following the Black Company. In Water Sleeps, Sleepy led the remnants of the Company in their harassment of Soulcatcher and Mogaba who have taken over Taglios. She has also gone into the Plain of Glittering Stone and rescued the members of the Company who were held in stasis in the caverns beneath the great fortress at the center of the plain.

We also learned that the Plain of Glittering Stone is a doorway to other worlds. It connects sixteen worlds that all seem to have the same topography, but are distinct worlds. Khatovar, the object of the Company's quest for the last couple of decades lies in one of those worlds. Instead of continuing on to Khatovar or returning to their own world, the Company takes one of the gates into the Land of Unknown Shadows, the Nyeung Bao's original world, to regroup.

In this volume, the company returns to Taglios in order to overthrow Soulcatcher and Mogaba and to destroy the goddess Kina, in accordance with their deal with Shivetya the demigod who has been guarding Kina's prison.

After 14 years in stasis, Croaker was in no condition to return to his duties as Captain. Neither Murgen nor Lady were in any condition to step into that role. So, Sleepy, with her experience commanding the remnants of the Company becomes the Captain and Croaker returns to his roles as physician and annalist.

When the Company returns to it's own world to fight Soulcatcher, Croaker is the last remaining member of the company from their days in the Jewel cities at the beginning of the series. Murgen is still around, but he had joined up later when the Company was still employed by The Lady. And of course, Lady is around, but her magical abilities are gone. Of the other four who came south in search of Khatovar Otto and Hagop died of old age, Goblin died battling Kina when the Company inadvertently entered Kina's prison, and One Eye died in battle with the forvalaka that had been stalking him.

Tobo, the son of Murgen and Ky Sahra, has grown up to be quite a powerful sorcerer and augments much of the Company's abilities in ways beyond what the Company ever had before. The company also recruits, for a time, The Howler who is the last of the Taken, besides Soulcatcher.

The plot is very interesting, with the Company making temporary alliances with nearly all of their enemies at one time or another in their drive to defeat Soulcatcher and Mogaba and to destroy the goddess Kina.

The tone, with Croaker as the annalist, is rather introspective and melancholy. He often reflects on the way the Company has changed in the years he has been a member. He also reflects on the members who are no longer around.

It's a great ending to the series, though I have read that Glen Cook has al least two more books planned.


/ [Viking]

   More book reviews