The Black Company is a series of fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 novel

Novel

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

s by author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

 Glen Cook

Glen Cook

Glen Cook is a contemporary American science fiction and fantasy author, best known for his fantasy series, The Black Company. Cook currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri.-Biography:...

. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy

Dark fantasy

Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...

 as it follows an elite mercenary

Mercenary

A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...

 unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.

The Books of the North

1. The Black Company
   The Black Company (novel)
   The Black Company is the first novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The book combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it describes the dealings of an elite mercenary unit, the Black Company, with the Lady, ruler of the Northern Empire.-Plot introduction:The...
   
   —May 1984
2. Shadows Linger
   Shadows Linger
   Shadows Linger is the second novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot...
   
   —October 1984
3. The White Rose
   The White Rose (novel)
   The White Rose is the third novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot...
   
   —April 1985

The Books of the South

1. Shadow Games
   Shadow Games (novel)
   Shadow Games is the fourth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot...
   
   —June 1989
2. Dreams of Steel
   Dreams of Steel
   Dreams of Steel is the fifth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-The Black...
   
   —April 1990

The Books of the Glittering Stone

1. Bleak Seasons
   Bleak Seasons
   Bleak Seasons is the sixth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot summary:Taking...
   
   —April 1996
2. She Is the Darkness
   She Is The Darkness
   She Is The Darkness is the seventh novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history....
   
   —September 1997
3. Water Sleeps
   Water Sleeps
   Water Sleeps is the eighth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot summary:Cook...
   
   —March 1999
4. Soldiers Live
   Soldiers Live
   Soldiers Live is the ninth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot summary:In...
   
   —July 2000

Short stories

1. Raker - appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (August 1982). This was a pre-publication excerpt of chapter three from The Black Company
   The Black Company (novel)
   The Black Company is the first novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The book combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it describes the dealings of an elite mercenary unit, the Black Company, with the Lady, ruler of the Northern Empire.-Plot introduction:The...
   
   , with slight editing differences to make it stand alone as a short story.
2. Tides Elba - appeared in the Swords & Dark Magic compilation (published June 2010)
3. Smelling Darkness - scheduled to appear in the forthcoming Subterranean Press
   Subterranean Press
   Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
   
    anthology, Tales of Dark Fantasy 2.

To be released

1. A Pitiless Rain—TBA (main annalist: TBA)
2. Port of Shadows—TBA (main annalist: TBA)

Plot summary

The series follows an elite mercenary

Mercenary

A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...

 unit, The Black Company, last of the Free Companies of Khatovar, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history. In the series, Cook mixes fantasy with military fiction in gritty, down-to-earth portrayals of the Company‘s chief personalities and its struggles. The series can be subdivided into three sections plus a spin-off novel, The Silver Spike, that follows events concerning former members of the Company and one of its adversaries. The three sections are the Books of the North, the Books of the South, and Glittering Stone.

The first three books, the "Books of the North," recount the Company’s dealings with the Empire of Lady. The Books of the South follows the Company’s journey south on its journey back to its beginnings in Khatovar. Glittering Stone sees the Company achieve victory over its employer's enemies, and move on to its destiny.

There are four omnibus editions of the Black Company books. The first omnibus, "Chronicles of the Black Company" includes The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose. The second omnibus, "The Books of the South" includes, Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel and The Silver Spike. The third omnibus, "The Return of the Black Compay" includes, Bleak Seasons and She Is the Darkness. The fourth omnibus, "The Many Deaths of the Black Company" includes, Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live.

Additionally, the short story, Tides Elba, takes place during the Northern Campaign in between the first two books. Two proposed novels, A Pitiless Rain and Port of Shadows, have not yet been published

The Domination

The world of the Black Company is shaped by events that occurred long before the time of the first novel. A powerful wizard called the Dominator had created a brutal empire, assisted by his sorceress wife, known as the Lady, and ten enslaved magical rivals, the Ten Who Were Taken (or just "Taken"). Eventually the Domination was overthrown by a rebellion led by the White Rose. Not powerful enough to kill any of them, she had all 12 buried alive and partially asleep in the remote Barrowland, with magical enchantments to keep them bound.

Much later, a wizard named Bomanz awoke the Lady in an attempt to learn from her, but was tricked into releasing her from her imprisonment. She freed the Taken and bound them to her will, but kept her insane husband in his tomb. The Lady rebuilt the empire, but her rule is less heavy-handed than that of her spouse.

The Ten Who Were Taken; The New Taken

Many generations before the first novel

The Black Company (novel)

The Black Company is the first novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The book combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it describes the dealings of an elite mercenary unit, the Black Company, with the Lady, ruler of the Northern Empire.-Plot introduction:The...

, these Ten powerful wizards were magically bound to the will of the Dominator:

• Soulcatcher
• The Limper
• The Howler
• Shapeshifter
• Stormbringer
• Bonegnasher
• The Hanged Man
• Nightcrawler
• Moonbiter
• The Faceless Man

Then, between the first

The Black Company (novel)

The Black Company is the first novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The book combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it describes the dealings of an elite mercenary unit, the Black Company, with the Lady, ruler of the Northern Empire.-Plot introduction:The...

 and the third

The White Rose (novel)

The White Rose is the third novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot...

novels, the Lady replaced those of the Ten who were slain with the following:

• Whisper
• Journey
• Feather
• Blister
• Scorn
• Benefice
• The Creeper
• Learned

The Free Companies

The Black Company knows little of its own origin. The last survivor of the Free Companies of Khatovar, its records go back centuries, though the first century of their history has been lost. People come and go, but the Company remains. At the beginning of the series, it has evolved into a ruthlessly effective mercenary unit willing to work for the highest bidder. But individually the members can recognize true evil when they see it, and often they try to manipulate the situation to mitigate the worst outcomes. Morality often conflicts with the "honor" system of the mercenaries to hold true to their employer.

From the Northern Campaigns

• The Captain: Leader of the Black Company.
• The Lieutenant: His second in command.
• Croaker: Company's doctor and annalist. As annalist, his is the voice that narrates the stories. Though no specific rank is mentioned, it is likely he ranks as a mid-level officer.
• Silent: Moderately talented wizard named for the fact that he never speaks.
• Goblin: Moderately talented wizard named because of his short stature and his facial features.
• Tom-Tom: Moderately talented wizard named for the instruments he carries and plays to punctuate his speech. Brother of One-Eye.
• One-Eye: Moderately talented wizard named for the fact that he has only one good eye. Brother of Tom-Tom.
• Elmo: Sergeant and Croaker's best friend.
• Murgen: Standard bearer.
• Mercy: Platoon leader.
• Pickles: Company quartermaster.
• Otto: Veteran mercenary.
• Hagop: Veteran mercenary and scout.
• Raven: Northern recruit of former affluence.
• Candy: Veteran mercenary.
• Pawnbroker: Veteran mercenary.
• Kingpin: Veteran mercenary known for laziness.
• Marron Shed: Inn owner from Juniper.

From the Books of the South

• Croaker: Captain
• Lady: Lieutenant
• Murgen: Standard Bearer
• Big Bucket: Also known as Cato Dahlia
• Cletus, Loftus, Longinus: Three brothers from Beryl, engineering warfare specialists
• Mogaba: Leader of the Nar, completely loyal to Croaker and the Company
• Sindawe: Nar
• Ochiba: Nar
• Sleepy
• Wheezer: A member of One-Eye's former people, he seems to be dying of either tuberculosis or consumption throughout the Books of the South and the books of Glittering Stone.
• Baldo: A member of One-Eye's former people, acts as guide to the Company during their passage through D'loc Aloc along with Wheezer, stays behind in D'loc Aloc
• Geek: A member of the K'Hlata,a tribe that lives in the savanna just south of D'loc Aloc, joins with the company after he is exiled from the savanna for guiding the Company safely through.
• Freak: A member of the K'Hlata,a tribe that lives in the savanna just south of D'loc Aloc, joins with the company after he is exiled from the savanna for guiding the Company safely through.

From the Books of Glittering Stone

• Sleepy: captain
• Suvrin: lieutenant (and later captain)
• Croaker: Annalist
• Tobo: talented wizard. Son of Murgen and Ky Sahra
• Arkana: Voroshk; minor wizard
• Shukrat: Voroshk; minor wizard

Nyueng Bao

A race descended from a separate Free Company of Khatovar, aligned with the Black Company after the siege of Dejagore.

• Uncle Doj: Last informed priest of the Nyueng Bao, possibly a minor wizard
• Ky "Mother" Gota: Mother of Thai Dei and Sahra
• Ky Thai Dei: Murgen's brother-in-law and body guard
• Ky Sahra (Sarie): Murgen's wife. Mother of Tobo
• Ky Dam: Speaker of the Nyueng Bao
• Ky Hong Tray: Mother of Gota and wife of Speaker Ky Dam

External links

• Black Company Timeline
• Black Company Maps