Book Review: The Many Deaths of the Black Company by Glen Cook (The Black Company omnibus #4)

“Soldiers live. He dies and not you, and you feel guilty, because you're glad he died, and not you. Soldiers live, and wonder why.”

                                                   -Glen Cook, Soldiers Live

The Many Deaths of the Black Company, is the 4^th and final omnibus of The Black Company series. It collects the last 2 books in The Black Company series; Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live. In this omnibus, the story of the Black Company crescendoed to a spectacular conclusion. Let's have a look.

Synopsis:

It has been 14 years since the core members the Black Company were trapped, and buried in stasis beneath the Glittering Plain. The leadership of the Black Company is now in the hands of Sleepy and Sahara, who, together with the surviving members of the Black Company, conceived a laborious plan to free their former comrades. In the meantime, the ancient cult of Kina lurks in the shadow, working tenaciously to bring the evil goddess back, which would trigger the end the world.

Among the labyrinthine plots and subplots, is the chaotic sorceress Soulcatcher, and her general Mogaba, a brilliant general who turned traitor against the Black Company because of his pride. These old nemesis of the Black Company have seized control over the city of Taglios, and they are determined to completely wipe all traces of the Black Company, and the cult of Kina from existence. Can Sleepy and Sahara succeed in freeing their old comrades, then stop the cult of Kina before the evil goddess returns?

Water sleeps, the hour of regroup for the Black Company's regroup seems imminent. Solders live, but how many will survive the final conflict, to mourn for the loss?

What I think about this book:

First of all, I think the books collected in this omnibus are a lot better than the books in the previous omnibus, The Return of the Black Company. Unlike the volumes in the previous omnibus, the narrations here are clearer, and presented with cohesion. The story unfolded at a natural pace. Despite the author's minimalist style of writing, the writings are clear and effective. The characterization has always been one of the main strengths of The Black Company series. Here, the characterization stepped up a further notch (or two), breathing life and warmth into the characters.

Water Sleeps is narrated by Sleepy, who became the new captain and annalist for the Black Company. Admittedly, there isn't a lot of action in Water Sleeps. The story mostly revolved around Sleepy and the surviving members, and their journey to free their trapped comrades, all the time avoiding detection by their enemies. The most interesting aspect of Water Sleeps, is the role played by Sahara in the story. Sahara is the wife of the company's standbearer, Murgen, who was among the company members trapped beneath the Glittering Plain 14 years ago. Sahara worked tirelessly and meticulously with Sleepy on their plans, because she wishes to free her husband. Sahara is also tasked to bring up and mentor their child, Tobo. In the 14 years, Sahara has aged tremendously, the beauty from her youth has faded. However, her husband has not changed because he was trapped in a stasis. This creates a certain variable in their relationship, if she can succeed and free her husband. Meanwhile, their son, Tobo, entered the rebellious teenage years, adding further complexities into the tension. Sahara's part in Water Sleeps brought a very interesting dynamic into the story.

In Soldiers Live, Croaker returned as the narrator of the story. It seems fitting that good old Croaker returned to his old role, in the final book to the series. Unlike Water Sleeps, Solders Live moved at a relentless pace. Events took place constantly, as the story unraveled with unexpected twists and turns. The characterization in

Soldiers Live is illuminated with powerful writing, and masterful storytelling. Every character in Solders Live is portrayed vividly. In this story, the returning characters (both protagonists and antagonists) have aged, and they bring interesting perspectives to the story, as they reflected their pasts and dealing with the present. For example, one of the recurring antagonists in this series, is Mogaba. He was once a promising star in the Black Company, an embodiment of brilliance, courage, and skills. However, due to his pride, Mogaba turned against the Black Company. His act of betrayal destined him to a fate serving insane, and cruel masters for his entire career. In Soldiers Live, there are chapters focusing on Mogaba, exploring the mind of this brilliant general. Now older and more mature, Mogaba reflected his past and found only regrets. He wondered if his life's story could have being different, had he not succumb to pride in his early years. Yet, he also realized it was all too late.

In addition, Croaker and the Lady's (both severely aged) relationship is very interesting. I found their story to be extremely tragic. They struggled to come to term with the loss of their daughter, not because she has died, but because she was stolen from them since birth, and brought up by lunatics who turned her against her natural parents. The question of whether if Croaker and the Lady's daughter could be redeemed, is a constant tension in the story.

Overall, I prefer Soldiers Live to Water Sleeps. The characterizations are illuminated with powerful writings. The pace of the story is fast and cohesive. There are so much more to say about this book, and I don't think I am capable of discussing them all in this review. In the end, The Black Company series closed here (for now) with a spectacular, and powerful conclusion. After reading all 10 books, collected in 4 omnibus, I am truly glad that I have finally read this cult classic. These are good stories,with good characterizations, and very well written. They deserve to be visited, and revisited by both new and old readers. Especially if you are a fan of the grim, dark fantasy genre.