Read this Series: The Black Company

There's a lot to say about this series, so bear with me as I attempt to show you how amazing it is. Then go out and get a copy!

First, a quote from Steven Erikson:

“With the Black Company series Glen Cook single-handedly changed the face of fantasy—something a lot of people didn't notice and maybe still don’t. He brought the story down to a human level, dispensing with the cliché archetypes of princes, kings, and evil sorcerers. Reading his stuff was like reading Vietnam War fiction on peyote.” 

This series is one of the first major undertakings into a mash of high and low fantasy. It doesn't quite fit the mold for either, but it doesn't dive into dark fantasy. High fantasy is usually the big named authors from the past: Tolkein, Jordan, Sanderson, Lewis, Brooks, etc. These characters have strong morals, usually good morals, that they follow to a fault. Even when it looks like they're doing something bad they really aren't. Low fantasy has jumped further into the world view with A Song of Ice and Fire. George RR Martin has the market cornered, but that won't last long as he'll stroke out soon. Joe Abercrombie is an established low-fantasy author and is an exponentially better author than Martin. Low fantasy shows humans using their base nature. Everyone is an enemy and everyone will kill for no reason whatsoever. 

The Black Company is about a mercenary group that has no qualms doing what whoever is paying them tells them to do. The Company becomes a character in itself as the story goes on; it's a really interesting literary tool that isn't used all that often. The story is told through a series of Annals from the perspective of the Company Historian. The story is precise. No useless words are used. 

My favorite part about the first three books are the Ten Who were Taken. These are some of the most evil soulless villains ever created. They are, loosely, controlled by The Lady, who was the wife of an ancient evil named The Dominator. Thankfully the Dominator is currently imprisoned and The Lady is the evil subjugating  the world's rebellious factions. 

The stories are fun, some character you'll love, others you'll want to see die in a fire, but when you reach the very last section emotion will come at you from all angles and hit you repeatedly. It still hits me hard, and I have to take a day just to unwind. 

The problem with recommending this series is I want people to just read it. If I say, "It's good, read it," well, dammit, read it! I would challenge everyone to read the first four books: The Black Company, Shadows Linger, The White Rose, and The Silver Spike. It is completely worth completing, but I understand some won't like the writing style. 

Here's a list of the books in chronological order:

• Books of the North
• The Black Company
• Shadows Linger
• The White Rose
• Books of the South
• The Silver Spike
• Shadow Games
• Dreams of Steel
• The Return of the Black Company
• Bleak Seasons
• She is the Darkness
• The Many Deaths of the Black Company
• Water Sleeps
• Soldiers Live

Read this series. You can trust me because I read more than you. Oh, I'm willing to answer questions that will spoil the series.