The Black Company
I must have read the black company something like 20 years ago. Back then, I was captivated by how masterful the story telling was as well as just how gritty the world is. Compared to works I read in High School such as David Edding’s Belgaraid or Jennifer Roberson’s Cheysuli or Sword Dancer series , it was immeasurably bleak. The best comparison I have to the Black Company series is that its a book more akin to books like The Things they Carried, and other war novels.
The world is primarily a low magic world, although the number of people who have access to magic is enough for it to not be shocking. Magic in this world is incredibly powerful and the company having 3 mages is 50% of the reason they are so effective. Being able to disguise an attack, or to create illusions that forces an enemy to divert forces instead of committing head on are crazy advantages, and the author shows how devasting even a little magic can super effective in the right hands.
And a war novel it really is. The novel starts with the eponymous company being stuck with a contract that they don’t really want, to uphold the despot of a city against his own people. As the situation worsens, the company starts to suffer from both sides. Salvation of a sort comes from a representative across the sea that makes a deal with the company to both give them a way out of their situation and contract. Frankly, the first part of the novel is the hardest part to read as the author throws you into the situation with no context and you have to struggle through names and situation and geography.
The next part of the novel becomes much easier to read both because you have more of a familiarity with the crew now, but also the storyline picks up considerably. You start to understand that you’re not reading the story as it happens, but as it is recorded down by the annalist.
You start to understand that this is a bunch of soldiers for whom there is not really good, nor evil, and is mostly about working for an employer. They won’t break their contract without a lot of good reasons (for who then would hire them again?), and they are extremely well run, and very good at what they do. And what they do is kill enemies of their employer.
Their employer for the second half of the book is the Lady who was half of the power couple that ruled for a long period of time known as the “domination”. As expected with anything of that name, it wasn’t a happy time for those so dominated. They were defeated and incarcerated, but somehow she has gotten loose with 10 of her lieutenants, so named “the ten who were taken”. They are busy putting down the rebellion, who are trying to put the lady and her lieutenants back in the ground again, and have garnered a force sufficient to do so with their own magicians.
Most of the novel is about the military exploits of the black company and the inner intrigues of the lady’s lieutenants, and it is this portion of the book that is the most engrossing. You know there is nothing black or white in the world, and this book displays it in a glaring light. The rebellion, which should represent good, aren’t really full of good people. the lady’s empire, which should represent evil, aren’t nearly as bad as their reputation makes them out to be. The main character’s annals might be biased, but you grow to trust how he writes about the situations.
Beyond company wide maneuvers, you also get the nitty gritty of every day life in a combat company, and how sometimes the actions of one or two small squads can make or break a conflict. As mentioned earlier, magic is very powerful in this world, and one or two magicians can make or break a battle, but they’re also not so invincible that enough men can’t get to them.
All in all, the novels are incredibly well written because they feel real. its not just high fantasy, with elves and orcs and whatnot, but dark fantasy that feels like a modern war.
highly recommended and i’m glad i started rereading the series.