Glen Cook - The Silver Spike review

After defeating The Dominator, the Black Company's wizards were able to seal the evil essence of The Dominator into a silver spike. They drove the spike into the trunk of a sapling tree from the Plain of Fear. And then the remnants of the Black Company headed south in search of Khatovar and do not appear in this volume.

Unfortunately a group of people from the nearby city of Oar decide to steal the spike and sell it to a wizard. To make matters worse, the monster known as Toadkiller Dog digs up the head of The Limper and has a new body constructed for him. Toadkiller Dog and The Limper go off on a destructive spree while the four thieves get locked down in Oar with wizards trying to find them and take the spike, rather than buying it. Meanwhile, Raven, Case, Bomanz, Darling, and Silent try to defeat the Limper and regain the spike.

It took me a while to get into this book. I didn't really like the pace or the plot, initially. I almost gave up on finishing the book. But, I pressed on and things did get better. Probably the most notable thing about The Silver Spike is the progression of the character Smeds Stahl. He is one of the thieves who steal the spike. Initially he's just caught up in the scheme devised by his cousin Tully. He progresses into a very interesting character.

Overall, it's an okay book. If you're already a fan of Cook's Black Company books, give it a shot. Otherwise the beginning may drive you away before the book starts to get good.


/ [Viking]

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