Book Reviews Archives - Page 14 of 16

Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, Book #6 of the Killing of Historical Figures Series

Introduction

The authors use eyewitness accounts and historical documents to tell their stories. It is written as a first person account of how America defeated Japan in World War II. There are many stories told in this book. Some were of Emperor Hirohito of Japan, American general Douglas MacArthur, Japanese submarine captain Mochitsura Hashimoto, American physicist Robert Oppenheimer, and American president Harry S. Truman. Why did the Americans drop two atomic bombs on Japan? This book attempts to answer that important question.

Summary – Origins of World War II

Japan’s military leaders convinced Emperor Hirohito that Japan must expand to get natural resources or die. The Japanese expanded into China but came to the point when they must cross American interests in the Philippines. The Philippines blocked Japan’s expansion into South East Asia. The war between America and Japan started with the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

The Philippines were aligned with America and their military commander was General Douglas MacArthur. The Japanese took over the Philippines in 1942 and MacArthur retreated to Australia. The Japanese expanded to the south in 1942. The Americans regrouped. In 1943 and 1944 the Americans employed the strategy of island hopping. They took the islands that were needed to drive to Japan one by one including retaking the Philippines. The last island taken was Okinawa. The Japanese fought to the last man, inflicting many casualties on the Americans. The island was secured on June 30, 1945. The invasion of Japan, called Operation Olympic, was scheduled for November 1, 1945, to be led by General MacArthur. The operation faced the possibility of huge casualties occurring.

Summary – The Manhattan Project

In 1939 the Germans sought to create an atomic bomb. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt approved the Manhattan Project which sought to create the atomic bomb first. The Manhattan Project was headed by Robert Oppenheimer. The Americans were successful and tested the first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945, called the Trinity test. Two more bombs were constructed, called Little Boy and Fat Man. Little Boy was shipped on the U.S.S. Indianapolis on July 16, 1945, from San Francisco to Tinian Island. The island was in the range of the Japanese main land by using a B-29 bomber.

The U.S.S Indianapolis delivered the pieces of the atomic bomb, Little Boy, at Tinian Island on July 26, 1945. The ship then headed to the Philippines for a training mission. Mochitsura Hashimoto commanded the Japanese submarine I-58. The sub had been attempting to sink an American ship for the last six months without success. Hashimoto spotted and sank the Indianapolis early on July 30, 1945. The distress call is missed and many men die in the water before they are accidentally discovered on August 2, 1945. The ship’s crew was 1196 men. About 800 men entered the water and only 317 survived the ordeal.

Summary – Decision to Drop the Bomb

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected president for his fourth term on November 7, 1944, with a new vice-president, Harry S. Truman. Roosevelt dies on April 12, 1945, which made Truman the president. The first atomic bomb was tested on July 16, 1945. Truman must decide if the bomb that was delivered by the Indianapolis would be used against Japan. It is a dilemma. He can either start Operation Olympic to invade Japan and lose up to a million American casualties or he can use the bomb to kill over 100000 innocent Japanese civilians and end the war. He chooses to drop the first atomic bomb ever used in war.

The bomb explodes over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The B-29 named Enola Gay dropped it and it caused 120000 dead and wounded. Hirohito sought to save face and would not accept an unconditional surrender. On August 9, 1945, the B-29 named Bockscar dropped the Fat Man on Nagasaki and caused 140000 casualties. Japan surrenders on August 14, 1945. General Douglas MacArthur accepts Emperor Hirohito’s surrender on the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

Summary – Aftermath of the War

Emperor Hirohito remains the Emperor of Japan but has no power. Douglas MacArthur oversaw the occupation of Japan and was the leader of the United Nations forces in the Korean War. MacArthur wanted to increase the scope of the war to include attacking China but Truman did not want to do that so he dismissed Macarthur from service on April 11, 1951. Mochitsura Hashimoto helped bring the Japanese troops home from China and the retired as a Shinto priest. Robert Oppenheimer created a think tank called the Institute for Advanced Study. He lost his security clearance on suspicion of being a Communist sympathizer and died from throat cancer. Truman was elected president in 1948, but his dismissal of MacArthur in 1951 led to him not seeking re-election in 1952.

Recommendation

I have only detailed five stories in the post, but there are many others in this book. The authors researched the story of the American defeat of Japan and presented it in a quick and compelling manner. I had heard of the historical theory that using the atomic bomb had saved many American soldiers lives, but had not heard it described as completely as the authors have done in this book. I would recommend reading this book to learn about that theory.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29370481-killing-the-rising-sun

This is the first book with history as its subject that I have reviewed. A fiction book that takes historical facts and put them in a fantasy context is American Gods by Neil Gaiman. My review of the book is linked below.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks

The Blinding Knife is Book #2 of The Lightbringer series

Introduction

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the leader of the Seven Satrapies. Prisms only live for seven years before the build-up of drafting luxin by the magic of chromaturgy forces them to die. Gavin has seven great purposes that he wants to complete before he dies. His problem is that he is losing the ability to draft colors, starting with blue, and he only has about one year left to live. In addition, the Color Prince has raised an army in Tyrea and is threatening to invade Atash. He must complete his seven great purposes and defeat the Color Prince or the whole foundation of the Seven Satrapies will fall.

Summary

The main characters are back from the first book of the series which was called the Black Prism. Gavin has taken the refugees from Garriston to an island. He leaves Corvan Danavis to lead them. Kip is Gavin’s bastard son, who becomes a Blackguard trainee. Gavin’s former fiancé Karris White Oak protects Gavin as a member of the Blackguards. Liv Davavis, Corvan’s daughter, is a member of the Color Prince’s army. Gavin’s prisoner has broken out of one cell only to be trapped in another cell. Gunner, a pirate captain, is added to the view point character list.

Gavin is the main character. He faces many trials. Prisms can draft all colors, but he is losing his ability to draft colors starting with blue. One of the Prism’s jobs is to keep the colors in balance. Keeping the colors in balance eliminates the appearance of colored banes. Gavin has lost blue and must defeat a blue bane, which can cause destruction if not stopped. Gavin’s father Andross is a member of the Prism’s advisory group. Andross is the Red member of the group and he tries to undermine Gavin’s position and get him to marry a woman Gavin does not love for political gain. Kip is almost as important to the plot as Gavin. Andross does not like having a bastard grandson and seeks to cause Kip to fail at his training in the Blackguards. Gavin, Kip, Karris, Andross, Liv, and the Color Prince are at odds in the climactic battle at the end of this novel.

Recommendation

I enjoyed this novel almost as much as the Black Prism. It does not suffer the issues of most middle books in a series, because it reads like a section of the greater work called the Lightbringer. Story lines are concluded and spun off into greater story lines. I only have a couple of nits to pick. It feels like the chapters with Gunner as the viewpoint character were tacked on. The author had a plot point at the end of this novel involving Gunner and he dropped Gunner’s chapters along the way. It should have felt more part of the narrative to be more believable. The other thing that I did not find believable was the resolution of the prisoner’s plot. I think there is something more here and it was resolved too quickly in this novel. I did like Gavin’s transformation, Kip growing character, the reveal of the Color Prince’s true identity, the addition of Kip’s buddy Teia who is another Blackguard trainee, and the use of the Blinding Knife as an important instrument of concluding this novel.

Cain X 3 by James M. Cain

An Anthology of The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce, and Double Indemnity.

Introduction

The Cain X 3 by James M. Cain collection brings together James M. Cain’s three most popular novels. All three novels were made into successful movies in the 40s and were remade successfully more recently. Those original movies are the definition of film noir and Cain was championed as one of the founders of that style of writing. Cain didn’t believe that his novels were written as hard-boiled, but that is the category they are most put in. All three novels have characters that are pushed by love, ambition, and money to commit extreme actions. The writing is raw, sexual, and desperate. It was considered to be too sensational at the time but proved to be very popular. These stories are not about conflicted detectives, weary private eyes, or amateur sleuths. They are about people that commit crimes and about how they are morally destroyed by those crimes.

Summary – The Postman Always Rings Twice

The first novel is called The Postman Always Rings Twice. Frank Chambers is a drifter who drops by the Twin Oaks Tavern in a town outside Los Angeles, California. The tavern is run by Nick who is Greek and his wife Cora. The chemistry between Frank and Cora is undeniable. They decide to try to kill Nick so that they could be together. The story twists and turns leading to its dramatic conclusion. Cain is brilliant with his prose with lines such as Bite me, It was like a church, and Rip me. The novel oozes passion more than eighty years after its publication.

Summary – Mildred Pierce

The second novel is Mildred Pierce. It is an entirely different kind of novel, but just as powerful. Mildred Pierce is separated from her husband and has a young daughter to support. She takes a job as a waitress, creates a successful business, and longs for the support of her daughter. She suffers many setbacks through the years, but always finds a way to continue on. Mildred Pierce is a symbol of persevering despite misfortune.

Summary – Double Indemnity

The third novel is Double Indemnity. Walter Huff is an insurance agent and he has a scheme that he has spent many hours dreaming about. There is a possible clause in an insurance policy that pays out double if the insured has an accident on a train that leads to the insured death. He needs an accomplice that will take out the policy and help him murder the insured and make it look like an accident so the policy can be cashed in. Walter finds that accomplice in Phyllis Nirdlinger. He falls hard for her and puts this plan into action to kill her husband. Letting the events occur even though he realizes that the events are getting away from him. Barton Keyes is the insurance company claims manager who is suspicious of them. His pursuit of the truth leads to the conclusion.

Recommendation

I bought this book from the Mystery Guild Book Club more than 30 years ago. I came across it recently and decided that I wanted to read it. Reading these novels inspired me to watch the HBO series from 2011 on Mildred Pierce. It was excellent and was similar to the novel, unlike the original movie. I liked all three novels in this collection. It could be called noir or hard-boiled, but I would probably categorize it as fictionalized true crime.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Cain X 3 by James M. Cain.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25987233-cain-3

This is the link to my review of Somethin’ for Nuthin’ by M. T. Bass. It is a historical thriller adventure. A mystery, but different in tone than James M. Cain’s stories.

Somethin’ for Nuthin’ by M. T. Bass

Bane and Shadow by Jon Skovron

Bane and Shadow by Jon Skovron, Book #2 of Empire of Storms

Introduction

Hope and Red from the first novel of this series have become Bane and Shadow for this novel. Hope is the only woman who has ever been trained in the arts of the Vinchen Warriors, a type of monkish kung-fu sect. She has taken on the persona of the dreaded pirate once called Dire Bane. She sails the seas with her pirate crew chasing the imperial ships of the emperor and the evil sorcerers called biomancers. Red has claimed his birthright as a noble and is now part of the emperor’s inner circle. He is being trained by the biomancers as a weapon. What will Hope do when she finds out how far the biomancers are prepared to go down their evil ways and what will Red do when he is faced with potentially fatal intrigues at court?

Summary

Hope’s story starts with her pirate ship attacking the flagship of Imperial Admiral Brice Vaderton. He will become an interesting viewpoint character later in the book. Hope’s crew discovers that the biomancers have been taking young girls to the island of Dawn’s Light for an unknown evil purpose. Hope is determined to discover the secret and defeat the biomancers. They look for ships and supplies at New Laven. Nettles returns to her old life as a thief and a gangster to get the ships and supplies. She becomes an important viewpoint character. Hope takes her flotilla to Dawn’s Light and fights the biomancers.

Red has taken his birthright as the Lord Pastinas. He goes to court at the Imperial Palace on Stonepeak and is trained by the biomancers as an assassin. He becomes friends with the emperor’s heir, Prince Leston. Red flirts with wealthy, witty, and beautiful Lady Merivale Hempist but remains devoted to Hope. He must determine who has been murdering the common people of Stonepeak. The murderer is stealthy and is called the Shadow Demon.

Recommendation

This is a great fun novel. The mash-up of genres continues from the first novel called Hope and Red. Hope and Red have clear motivations and struggle to achieve their objectives. The only problem is that this is a middle novel. Their final confrontation with the biomancers will not occur until the third novel. I wish that Hope and Red had some scenes together in this novel. Brigga Lin has a couple of good scenes but should have had more to do in this novel. The third novel is called Blood and Tempest and is scheduled to be released in November 2017. I have ordered it and I plan to read it ASAP.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Bane and Shadow by Jon Skovron.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29877824-bane-and-shadow

This is the link to my review of Hope and Red by Jon Skovron, Book #1 of Empire of Storms

Hope and Red by Jon Skovron

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, Book #1 of the Old Man’s War series

Introduction

In Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, two things have happened to John Perry recently. His wife had unexpectedly passed away and he decided to join the army. It’s not just any army. The Colonial Defense Forces will only take recruits on their seventy-fifth birthday. All recruits are taken off of the earth and are never heard from again. The novel opens on his seventy-fifth birthday at the gravesite of his beloved wife. He says goodbye to her and heads to the CDF recruitment office. He has no idea what will happen to him next, but he has nothing left to keep him on the earth and so he enlists.

Summary

John Perry changes as part of the enlistment process. He must succeed to graduate boot camp. The recruits serve a term of ten years, but the survival rate is less than 30 percent. He is very practical and advances in the CDF by using his wits and a lot of luck. At the end of their term, the recruits can become colonists on a new planet or re-enlist in the CDF. The CDF protects the colonies. This novel follows John Perry at the beginning of his term of service.

Recommendation

To me, this novel is a mixture of many military science fiction novels of the past mixed up with new ideas making a great new novel. It takes the themes of pro-militarism and the boot camp to soldier coming of age from Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, But, there is also a sense of loss of humanity by the protagonist and the conflict of fighting the other from The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. I was also reminded of Deathworld by Harry Harrison for the “anything can kill you” mantra of the CDF members. I highly recommend this novel and intend to read the many sequels.

Links

I received this novel from a Tor.com newsletter. Tor sends one free e-book every month to newsletter subscribers. I have copies of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and A Fire on the Deep by Vernor Vinge.

The Tor.com newsletter is at http://read.macmillan.com/tordotcom/newsletter-signup/

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Old Man’s War by John Scalzi.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36510196-old-man-s-war

This is the link to my review of Lock In by John Scalzi. FBI agent Chris Shane has Haden’s Syndrome and interacts with the world through an android. Chris must solve a murder caused by an android.

Lock In by John Scalzi

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi, Book #1 of The Interdependency.

Introduction

Cardenia’s father is dying. Once he passes on, she will become the emperox of the Interdependency. She is not ready and there are tremendous complications facing her immediately. Can she guide her interstellar empire through these problems or will her empire fall?

Summary

Humans have expanded to the stars by using a medium through space called the flow. The flow only travels to certain star systems, but the flow can move and star systems can be lost. One thousand years before this story the Earth is lost to her colonies. The colonies form an empire called the Interdependency. Families are grouped in Houses and each House has a monopoly on one trade good or one technology. The flow is changing. There are three main POV characters in this novel; Cardenia (the future Emperox Grayland II), Kiva Lagos (heir to the House of Lagos), and Marce Claremont (the physicist son of the physicist who first discovered the Flow’s change). Cardenia’s first problem is that the flow is changing and how it changes will determine how she will respond.

Recommendation

This was a fun novel to read. The dialogue was humorous and witty. I liked reading each of the three main POV characters. The novel’s ending featuring Nadashe Nohamapetan’s comeuppance was appropriate. It feels like the first novel in a series, it is, and I’m ready for the next novel.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30078567-the-collapsing-empire

This is a link to my book review Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, the first book in The Expanse series. This book is a space opera set entirely within the solar system and is similar to The Collapsing Empire.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey, Book #3 of The Expanse Series

Introduction

In Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey, The proto-molecule has created a ring just outside of the orbit of Uranus, which functions as a gate. What lies through this gate prompts wild speculation from every faction in the solar system. Jim Holden and his crew get mixed up right in the middle of it again. Ships from Earth, Mars, and the Belt converge on the gate and decide to hazard what lies beyond. They must balance the needs of humanity and the warring factions of Earth, Mars, and the Belt to succeed or be destroyed by the proto-molecule.

Summary

Jim Holden is back as a narrator for this novel, but the other three narrators from Caliban’s War (Book #2) sit this one out. Carlos “Bull” c de Baca is the security chief of the OPA (Belter) ship Behemoth, which was formally called the Nauvoo. Annuska “Anna” Volovodov is a Methodist priest from Europa who has taken passage on the Earth ship Thomas Prince and she represents the pacifist side of the system. Melba, who has gained employment as an electrochemical technician on the Belter Ship Cerisier, has a secret dark past and seeks revenge upon Jim Holden. All four narrators have different agendas but must find common ground to succeed against the powers that are on the other side of the gate.

Recommendation

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey is a great novel. The author has taken new viewpoint characters into a self-contained narrative. It is an interesting choice and consistent with the novel series. The Bull and Anna characters are not as strong or compelling as Bobbie and Avasarala from Caliban’s War, but they had their moments. I think the real miss here is the potential of the Melba character. She faced a mental battle with her hidden, secret, true identity. It felt like she was having a split personality break and I think it would have been more interesting if the author had explored this break more. The ending sets up more intrigue which I will be looking forward to experiencing in the next book, Cibola Burn.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Abaddon’s Gate by James S.A. Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16131032-abaddon-s-gate

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, book #1 of The Expanse, is a space opera set in a near future when the solar system is settled. Jim Holden becomes the captain of the Rocinante and Detective Miller is on a missing person case. Their paths cross and the fate of the solar system lies in their hands. This is a link to my review.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey is book #2 of the Expanse, Jim Holden goes to Ganymede to investigate unusual occurrences. We meet new characters and learn about what happened to Julie Mao. This is a link to my review.

Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey

The Books of the South by Glen Cook

The Books of the South by Glen Cook, Tales of the Black Company.

Omnibus edition including Book #4 Shadow Games, #5 Dreams of Steel, and #3.5 The Silver Spike of the Tales of the Black Company Series.

Introduction

After the White Rose, book three of the Tales of the Black Company, the Black Company has been reduced to a handful of members. They decide to break into three groups. Darling and Silent head east, Raven and Case stay in the town of Oar in the Barrowlands, and the rest of the Company heads south. Lady has lost her sorcerous powers and joins the Black Company with Croaker as the leader. This collection has two novels and one shorter work.

Each story is narrated by a different person. Shadow Games is narrated by Croaker and tells of the events of the Black Company as it heads south. Lady is the narrator of Dreams of Steel, which follows the events after Shadow Games and sets up the story for the rest of the novels. The Silver Spike is narrated by Case and tells what happens in the Barrowlands after the Black Company heads south.

Summary

The Black Company has been called the last of the free companies of Khatovar, so Croaker heads toward the legendary city of Khatovar and wants to discover the roots of the Black Company. The Annals of the Black Company state that the Black Company came from the south, but the earliest volumes which detail the Black Company’s origins have been lost. Croaker’s group travel south of Beryl and they arrive at Gle-Xle where they meet allies. They head down the river from Gea-Xle and end up in the large city of Taglios. Taglios is at war with the Shadowmasters, who rule the area south of Taglios.

Croaker can only get to Khatovar by going through the Shadowmaster’s lands, so he signs a contract with the rulers of Taglios to gather an army and defeat the Shadowmasters. The Shadowmasters have powers that are like Lady’s former group of sorcerers called The Ones Who Were Taken. This is a formidable task. Meanwhile, Case and Raven have learned of magic brewing in the Barrowlands and decide to catch up to the Black Company and ask for help.

Recommendation

The three books in this collection all have a different feel. Shadow Games follows Croaker and is similar in tone to the first three books. It comes to a reasonable thematic ending. Dreams of Steel is also called the Book of Lady. It is interesting to see her side of the story. The problem with the book is that it doesn’t reach a conclusion. Several story threads are started but are left loose for the next volumes of the series. The Silver Spike feels unnecessary. The events do not impact the main story. It comes to an ending and it seems like that is all there is for that story. I wonder what the point of this story is.

The writing is excellent, especially the parts that the narrators told in the first person. The third person stories were not as successful. The Shadowmasters and the group from Taglios did not interest me. I did not care if they succeeded or failed. I wanted to get back to the chapters with Croaker and Lady. There was enough here for me to recommend this collection and to look forward to reading the next four novels which are grouped as the Books of the Glittering Stone.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Books of the South by Glen Cook.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2365730.The_Books_of_the_South

This is the link to my review of Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook, an omnibus of Books 1, 2, and 3 of The Black Company Series.

Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook

Somethin’ for Nuthin’ by M. T. Bass

Somethin’ for Nuthin’ by MT Bass

This is my review of Somethin’ for Nuthin’ by MT Bass

Introduction

One day in 1976 after they fail their Intro to Philosophy midterm, The Ohio State University students Albert and Waxy have a supposedly great drunken idea of running off to Alaska and making their fortune working on the trans-Alaskan pipeline. They are a couple of endearing wisecracking knuckleheads who soon get over their heads when they arrive in Anchorage Alaska after a cross country trip in their self-titled Blue Bus. Albert is the good looking rich kid who always succeeds at getting what he wants and Waxy is his farm boy sidekick.

They get jobs at a bar called Fenway Park West which is owned by Beantown Bob, Albert as the bartender and Waxy as the dishwasher. Albert begins an ill-advised affair with Bob’s girlfriend CiCi. They get involved with Jimmi the Pilot’s drug smuggling operation and their problems escalate. He is a former Vietnam War Navy pilot. They hear about a wrecked airplane holding millions of dollars and search for it based on a clue from Moe the Eskimo, the cook at the bar. Albert and Waxy must find a way to keep their boss happy, help Jimmi escape his Mexican drug cartel suppliers, and find a fortune all while trying to purchase illegal Union cards so that they can work on the pipeline.

Summary

The tension of the story is ramped up as it continues onto the climax. Albert gets a job on the pipeline using a stolen work permit. He is one step away from being found out. Jimmi the Pilot takes Waxy on his drug runs to the pipeline. They get on the wrong side of the drug cartel and are in danger of being killed. Beantown Bob sinks all the rest of his money into the search for a downed Army payroll plane. If they don’t find the plane, then he will be financially ruined. They will all be ruined if they don’t find the money; including Waxy’s girlfriend waitress Emma, Albert’s secret girlfriend singer CiCi, and CiCi’s brother and bandmate Dylan. They need to find that plane on Bahammy Mammy Glacier before winter comes to Alaska when no one will be flying.

Recommendation

I liked the set up of this novel. The author creates many interesting characters that all have compelling motivations. The dialogue feels real for these characters. The setting is different and interesting. What keeps this from being a great novel is that Albert and Waxy do not grow emotionally from their adventures and there is a less than satisfactory ending. The first scene of the novel occurs just before the last scene of the novel. The last scene resolves as the reader might expect it to resolve.

There is an epilogue that feels tacked on and raises more questions than it answers. I wish that Albert and Waxy had learned from their adventures so that I would have enjoyed this novel more. I’m glad I met Albert, Waxy, and their companions for this fun page-turning historical adventure.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Somethin’ for Nuthin’ by MT Bass.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28054403-somethin-for-nothin

This is the link to my review of The Dead Key by DM Pulley, a similar book; combining mystery and thriller.

The Dead Key by D M Pulley

Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook

Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook, Tales of the Black Company.

This is an omnibus edition including Book #1 The Black Company, #2 Shadows Linger, and #3 The White Rose of the Tales of the Black Company Series.

Introduction

These three novels tell a complete story arc about the adventures of the Black Company. The Black Company is a mercenary group in a medieval-type fantasy world. The narrator is Croaker; he is a chronicler and a physician for the Black Company. Most of the story is portrayed as if the reader is reading the journal of Croaker as he describes how the Black Company becomes involved in the affairs of the Queen of the Northern Empire, who is called the Lady. Their interaction will control the fate of the empire.

Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook

Summary

These novels describe in detail how a mercenary company in a magical land would function. It is a military procedural detailing a close-knit group of men trying to survive in a deadly war. The characters are great. One-Eye, Goblin, and Silent are the magicians. The Captain and the Lieutenant rule the company. Raven is a mysterious man of the company who keeps his secrets to himself. Raven’s ward, Darling, becomes an important character. But here’s the secret, in my opinion, what these three novels are really about is the love story between Croaker and the Lady.

That surprised me, but that extra level of complication pushed this series to one of the best that I have ever read. The Lady is a powerful sorceress, who has been released from her magical bonds after a long period of time. She has two concerns. She had ruled the land for many years with her husband, the Dominator, who remains magically bonded. The Dominator wishes to be released, but the Lady does not want him to be released since then he would take over her empire. They were both originally magically bonded by a group led by the White Rose. The Lady’s information is that the White Rose has been resurrected and so she is concerned that the White Rose will wish to re-bind her. She hires the Black Company to help her achieve her goals, but the Black Company never plays by any one’s rules for long.

Recommendation

Croaker writes the chronicles of the Black Company and he is at times an unreliable narrator especially where the Lady is concerned. I missed reading this series as it was published. Glen Cook was the writer guest of honor at Cleveland Concoction 2017, so I decided to read this collection and I am glad that I did. It is one of the best series that I have read recently. I cannot recommend it enough and I plan to read the other novels in the series very soon. I am glad that the author plans to write two more novels set in this world. Reading them as they come out would be ideal.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/400924.Chronicles_of_the_Black_Company

My review of The Books of the South by Glen Cook. The Black Company is reduced to a handful of members, so Croaker takes them south to earn back their fortune.

The Books of the South by Glen Cook