رویاهای پولادین

The Chronicles of the Black Company #5

by Glen Cook, Aida Keshvari (Translator)

طبيب سقوط کرده است و در شکست فجيع گروهان سياه در دجاگوره، بانو، يکي از معدود نجات‌يافتگان، درصدد گرفتن انتقام گروهان و خودش از اربابان سايه است و برايش مهم نيست به چه قيمتي تمام شود

اما طي گردآوري نيروي جديد از ميان توده‌ي باقيمانده‌ي مردم تاگليوس، مکتبِ کشتاري پر رمز و راز و باستاني به او پيشنهاد کمک مي‌دهد؛ مکتبي حرفه‌اي و معتبر که در ظاهر با اهداف بانو هم‌خواني دارد

در همين حين، در دوردست، اربابان سايه براي يکديگر و براي دنيا دسيسه‌چيني مي‌کنند، طلسم‌هايي شوم را درهم مي‌آميزند که به قلب تاگليوس راه يافته است. و در بيشه‌اي پنهان، شخصي آشنا آرام‌آرام از خواب برمي‌خيزد و مي‌فهمد اسير جنازه‌اي متحرک و بي‌سر است

بانو دسيسه‌هاي تاگلي‌ها را يکي پس از ديگري بي‌رحمانه دفع مي‌کند و به نظر مي‌رسد روز به روز قدرتمندتر مي‌شود. تنها چيزي که آزارش مي‌دهد، رؤياهايي است که شب‌هايش را پريشان کرده است؛ خوابِ کشتار، نابودي، مرگ که بي‌وقفه ادامه دارد

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, High Fantasy

452 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1990

About the author

Glen Cook was born in New York City, lived in southern Indiana as a small child, then grew up in Northern California. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy and attended the University of Missouri. He worked for General Motors for 33 years, retiring some years ago. He started writing short stories in 7th grade, had several published in a high school literary magazine. He began writing with malicious intent to publish in 1968, eventually producing 51 books and a number of short fiction pieces.
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

➽ And the moral of this rerereread is: Lady, if you ever quit your day job, please consider setting up shop in the home decor business. I'm pretty sure there's an insane amount of money for you to make there, what with your knack for vamping up the dullest places with the most uniquely delightful accessories and stuff.



👋 To be continued and stuff.



[November 2021]

💀 The Black Company is Recruiting Again Buddy Rereread (TBCiRABR™) with the MacHalos and stuff 💀

➽ And the moral of this rereread is: quite a few characters in this book must have graduated from the Julia Child's School of How To Chop Chop Chop Things into Tiny Pieces with honors, if you ask me.



That's some rare footage from Child's Hack It Like You Mean It 101 Class, just so you know.

👋 To be continued and stuff.



[June 2018]

💀 Buddy reread with the clueless new mercenary recruits Elena and Mark over at BB&B. Under the wicked supervision of our Ever-Stalking Black Company Overlord (ESBCO™), of course 💀

➽ And the moral of this reread is : Kina is such a hot babe. I mean, if no clothing + serrated fangs + clawed feet + four arms + eight breasts + a necklace of baby skulls + a girdle of severed penises isn't the steamiest, most titillating combination ever, I don't bloody shrimping know what is.



See? Kina is so lusciously edible even moose drool over her. Which is the ultimate proof of her total hotness, if you ask me.

I better kidnap adopt Kina before my girlfriend Lady or my boyfriend Croaker decide to snatch her up for their little delicious selves! I think this calls for some Super Stealthy Poof Gone Harem Shenanigans (SSPGHS™)! Muahahahaha and stuff.



[Original review]

Actual rating: 18 bloody shrimping stars. Oh yes, definitely. Because let me tell you people, this is intergalatically amazing. Whatever that means.

I was going to write one of my never-ending, pit stop-requiring, fangirling reviews here. But I feel both uninspired and lazy as hell today decided to be my usual magnanimous, thoughtful self and spare you the ordeal. You're welcome.



Just pointing this ↑↑ out in case you hadn't noticed.

So. All you have to know about this OMFG-One-Of-My-Favorite-Books-Of-All-Time-This-Is-Freaking-Amazing-I-Am-So-In-Love-Can-We-Please-Reread-It-Now book is:

① Glen Cook is a god. Glen Cook is THE god

Ever heard about Sandersonitis? Such a complete, total, utter underage joke I love you, Sanderson Freaks!. But Cookitis? BLOODY. HELL. This is the real stuff. For grown ups. Who love war and death and epic freaking everything and enchanting bloodshed and delightful deviousness and glorious backstabbing and delicious revenge and oh-bloody-hell-again boom! right in the feels everything. And stuff. Glen Cook, you are da bomb. I shall worship thee forever and ever and ever and ever. And ever. For good measure. Just in case. You never know.


② Lady, formerly known as THE Lady

♕ ALL HAIL THE FREAKING QUEEN ♕

Once upon a time (up until I read this OMFG book) Kate Daniels was my everything. She was my Mistress and Master. Or whatever. I have now demoted her. That's right. Weep and wail, wail and weep, fellow IA Addicts. KD is still awesome, but she is now All Hail The Princess material. Because Lady. The greatest, most wickedest, most cunningest, most strategicest, most ruthlessest, most cutthroatest mind in the history of litterature the world in case you were wondering, YES, all of the aforementioned adjectives really do exist.



Lady, I am yours. Do of me what you will. Cut my little head off and use it to decorate a spike, practice your delightful strangling skills on me, use my skull as a neck ornament, sacrifice me in one of your deliciously devious schemes, I don't care. Eternal devotion is me. If this pathetic little world was perfect, I would be you when I grew up. That might prove difficult since I'm kind of ancient already, so I guess having you as my super hot and wicked girlfriend should do Croaky and Markus be damned. I'm stealing you away from them both. And my harem boys might get jealous, but I don't care. Besides, I have no heart and do as I please. To hell with the possessive sex slaves.

③ Glen Cook THE god writes female characters like no other

This guy should give Women Empowerment 101 classes. These classes should be mandatory for all pathetic, crappy, disgraceful PNR authors out there. THIS is how you write female characters. Why should the dudes have all the fun? Why shouldn't the chicks be as strong and slick and lethal and violent and vicious and Machiavellian and oh-bloody-hell-again-amazing as their fellow mercenaries? Why would accepting your emotions, being feminine and doing everything in grand style be incompatible with kicking glorious ass?



Believe me when I tell you that Glen Cook is the ultimate feminist. Rosie the Riveter has nothing on this guy. Now excuse me for a minute, I think it's worshipping time again.



Anything else? Nope. Told you this one was going to be short. I bet you thought this was some kind of scam on my part. Like I would resort to such a demeaning scheme to get you to read my reviews. I feel insulted. I would NEVER do such a thing. I am not like that. I am magnanimous and thoughtful, remember? You know what your problem is? You never believe me, no matter what I say. No wonder you keep reading crap. If you actually listened to me and followed my ever-insightful advice once in a while, you would get to read awesome-amazing-OMFG this is unbelievable-YES YES YES-MORE MORE MORE books like this one. But you don't, so you won't. A loser is you.

Now. To those delightfully wise people who do listen to my ever-insightful advice, I have one thing to say:



» This is the end of my fangirling-free review. You can resume your boring daily activities. Bye now.

· Book 1: The Black Company ★★★★★
· Book 1.5: Port of Shadows ★ ← I have no idea where this book came from, or what it's about. Pretty sure I never read it.
· Book 2: Shadows Linger ★★★★★
· Book 2.2 (short story): Shaggy Dog Bridge ★★★★★
· Book 2.3 (short story): Bone Eaters ★★★★★
· Book 2.4 (short story): Letha of the Thousand Sorrows ★★★
· Book 3: The White Rose ★★★★★
· Book 3.5: The Silver Spike ★★★★
· Book 4: Shadow Games ★★★★★
· Book 6: Bleak Seasons ★★★★★
· Book 7: She Is The Darkness ★★★★★
· Book 8: Water Sleeps ★★★★★
· Book 9: Soldiers Live ★★★★★
· Book 10: Lies Weeping ★★★★

[Layla ✷ Praise the sun ✷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am at a loss for words.

I stand in awe.

This book is a dream come true.

The Lady on her quest for restitution was such a delight to read, a book unputdownable from the first to the last page.

Oh, is she an evil, deadly, power-hungry, manipulating, strong-willed, blackhearted thing.

"You ever watch a gardener prune? He snips a twig here, a branch there, and the plant grows stronger. I’ll prune if I have to.”

And she sticks at nothing if need be.

She starts off alone and without anything or anyone to help her in Dreams of Steel, and the reader witnesses how she assembles her own army to unite the country and get her revenge against the Shadowmasters. Through smartness, manipulations, and more.

People are after her for a number of reasons. Some are after the immense and invaluable knowledge she possesses. Several others have their own agenda, not revealed until later in the book.

Big questions are always "Who is manipulating who?" and "Who will be backstabbed next?"

Depictions of vivid nightmares, a prophecy called "The Year of the Skulls", a caste system based on the number of successful murders add to a dark, gloomy and grim atmosphere.

Landscapes of despair and death under skies of lead, fields where bodies rotted and stunted vegetation melted down like slow, soft candlewax. Slime covered everything, hung in strands like the architecture of drunken spiders.



Since the Lady's first appearance in the Black Company, I always thought how awesome it would be to see things from the Lady's POV.
At the same time I feared that that might take away the mystery around the character, make her seem more... like everyone else.
Thankfully having her as the narrator took nothing away from her character but on the contrary, I admired her more with every page I read in spite of how evil she is. Her intrigues and manipulations were so much fun to witness from up close.

Best book I've read in a long time.

[HaMiT · Rating 5 out of 5]

بهترین جلد گروهان تا الان برام همین بود
مخوف و بسیار تا بسیار کریپی و عجیب غریب
راوی اصلی کتاب هم معرکه بود که آشکار کردنش اسپویله. امیدوارم اگه گروهان رو شروع کردید، تا این جلد برسید


اون نارایان کوفتی هم همش منو یاد این بسیم مینداخت. حتی دیالوگ‌هاشو با همون لهجه می‌خوندم
منم تو بازی دلم میخواست اون لبخندشو از صورتش جدا کنم

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy Read with Buddies Books and Baubles. it was a bit torturous not to leap ahead after that cliff hanger. Come on Lady, I'm pulling for you.

Have you ever read a book and discovered that just about anything you said about it would be a spoiler?

This is that book for me. I have been working on how to talk about it for a week without giving everything away and I’m pretty sure that is practically impossible.

Here is what you need to know:

• Your favorite characters are probably alive….at least for the moment.

• There is a new chronicler for the Black Company And she is AMAZING

• There is a new god Kina and I’m pretty sure that she and The Lady are not going to get along long term.

• That person that showed up at the end of Shadow Games….has a plan and it totally worries me.

• Rule #1 of this series has been….DO NOT CROSS THE LADY. Characters still do it and they pay dearly. Some are probably already dead they just don’t know it yet.

• I caught on to one of the twists pretty early but that little gem is going to lead to some great things going forward I can already tell. It also didn’t quite go like I’d imagined.

• The down time of the last book is over. We know where we are. We know who the players are so most of the time the book is just getting down to business.

• There is a smidgen of a love story….It’s Glen Cook so please there isn’t much time for romance but I still hold out hope for the only Ship worth having in the series….you know who they are

Everything else is spoiler this and spoiler that so I can’t say more. But Kina…I’m pretty sure that you are going down and it will be brutal.

[Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In the night the winds die and silence rules the place of glittering stone."

The great battle of Dejagore is over, with devastating consequences for the last of the Free Companies of Khatovar. The infamous black battle standard disappears in the following chaos and confusion, and several key members of the Company are lost. The battle delivers Taglios from the jaws of its enemies, but the Shadowmasters still pull the strings in secret. And all the while, greater evils arise from the darkness...

Dreams of Steel is perhaps the best book among the Chronicles of the Black Company, and certainly my favourite so far. The change in protagonist is a welcome one, even though none can match Croaker's skills as the Company's annalist. Several returning characters, most importantly the Lady, develop a lot during the course of this novel, and several new and interesting characters are introduced.

Among all the books I've now read about the Black Company, this is the one that comes closest to getting five stars from me. However, I still feel that it lacks that little extra that's required to go all the way to the top. Still, it's 'absodamnlutely' another marvellous tale of war and soldiering in Glen Cook's world of fantasy.

And the Black Company takes another step towards the fabled city of Khatovar...

EDIT: Changed the rating to the one this book deserves.

[S. ≽^•⩊•^≼ I'm not here yet · Rating 5 out of 5]

ترس منشا قدرت بود. هر آنچه آدمی که از آن بترسد، بر وجودش حکمرانی میکند...



الان زشته که بانو شده یکی از سه بهترین خفن ترین شخصیت های زنی که تا حالا خوندم؟؟!!

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.36 ***

A buddy read with the mercenaries from BB&B!

I love the Lady and her black and Bloodthirsty heart! My heart aches for the Black Company and the many hardships it has been forced to endure as of late... The previous book ended by spearing me through the chest and left me at the mother of all cliffhangers!!! The first sentence in this one solved most of my questions and by the middle of the book things are back on a typical for the company track. By the end I am sure we are in for a long battle to come...

This time around The Lady is the one writing the journal of the company's history and at the end she closed her book with promises of vengeance and furious retribution!!! I can't wait to find out how she goes about it!!! She is strong, smart, perfectly secure in who she is and I had no idea I could love her even more than I have loved her up to now!!!

I will not discuss the plot because anything could spoiler it for you guys, but it was full of intrigue and action packed! And the ones who betrayed her - YOU WILL PAY!!!

I recommend this series to the fans of military dark Fantasy - it is a must read!!!

Now as always, I wish you all happy reading!!!

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Many months have passed. Much has happened and much has slipped from my memory. Insignificant details have stuck with me while important things have gotten away.”

Of all the Books, Croaker is my favourite chronicler, but the Lady’s edition was also very interesting. The Lady marches straight ahead as if she were to build another Tower tomorrow, and the intensity of the action makes the book very readable.

Despite the fact that at times, the rest of those Black Company misfits that would defuse the atmosphere are missing a bit, this is a relatively good volume. Although the absence of Goblin and One-Eyed was a bit painful, because this pair had introduced a lot of fun energy into this world, Mr Cook did not leave much time to ponder what was happening to them. The Lady set the war machine in motion and did not let it stop for a moment. It genuinely drew me in and confirmed that in certain aspects, Books of the South beat the first Company trilogy by several orders of quality. Within a few months worth of action, in one city and in the vicinity of one fortress, much more happened here than in all these chaotically fragmented, several-year-long campaigns from the North.

Having said this, you need to be warned that the new “Chronicler” of the story is completely pretextual, and in fact, we still have different protagonists and different narratives in every chapter. Typically for the Black Company, these tales come without a lot of explanation or flashbacks. The Lady’s narrative is up to scratch. Surely, it has more style and cynicism than all the other mercenaries combined. I liked her more than I thought I would.

For obvious reasons. Actually, let us say it again out loud

Team Soulcatcher!

You understand then that I really could not cheer for the Lady. Not one bit. (and so, do not wonder at the rating)

“The whole world thinks we’re dead. You can get away with anything when you’re dead.”

As much as ecstatic I was for Catcher, you need to know that in this series, everyone returns sooner or later and will magically resurrect, which is one of the biggest flaws in the design. Old protagonists are trying to replace the new ones we barely got to know, new evil awaits us again, and so on, endlessly. I suppose that before Mr Cook wraps it all up, many readers may get bored. I will give you the full list of people who had supposedly died, and now suddenly appear to avoid spoilers, but believe me when I say that those miraculous reappearances verge on ludicrous.

The second thing that might be an issue here is a poor start. However, the book gains verve with each page, so do not be discouraged by the beginning.

We also (finally!) get a colossal amount of world-building in this volume. Social, religious and geographic aspects of this world are laid out in their fascinating and disturbing opulence of deities, caste divisions, really disturbing cultists and their rituals, and political contexts. Finally, something more than “in the east, there are flying whales and that is that.”

There is also an interesting build-up based on further secrets concerning the standard of the Black Company and Khatovar, its legendary place of origin. It promises a lot of fun in future instalments. This is good because while the intrigues and the people Lady leads are interesting, the whole plot is somewhat long-winded. The saving grace is that we learn a little more about the truth about the Black Company. Most importantly, we have tension that will surely resonate with the reader, and some decent twists.

The only pity is the ending. Firstly, one of its motives is very predictable and hackneyed (I really laughed at chapter 68 “shocking reveal”). Secondly, there is no grand finale. The book suddenly ends as if the Author let things go hang with the thought “you know what, I don’t feel like it anymore, I will develop it somehow in the next book.” So although the volume ends with a very, very unexpected twist there was something missing for me. Perhaps it is not a bad thing altogether as it does motivate me to continue the series.

The other Chronicles:

1. The Black Company ★★★★☆
2. Shadows Linger ★★★☆☆ (and a half, Goodreads!)
3. The White Rose ★★★★☆
3.5 Silver Spike ★★☆☆☆
4. Shadow Games ★★★★☆
6. Black Seasons ★★★☆☆
7. She is the Darkness ★★★★☆
8. Water Sleeps RTC
9. Soldiers Live RTC
10. A Pitiless Rain RTC

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

+4
“-Si cada hombre eligiera un mal y lo atacara sin descanso. ¿cuánto tiempo podría pervivir ese mal?
Era una respuesta fácil: para siempre. Se hace más mal en nombre de la rectitud que por cualquier otro motivo. Pocos son los villanos que se consideran tales”.

Segundo libro que compone los Libros del Sur de la Compañía Negra. Me ha gustado muchísimo, sobre todo por quien ha narrado el libro. Llevaba 6 libros esperando este momento y me lo he pasado como una niña pequeña con un chupete. Eso sí, me niego a aceptar que esto sea un “final” de saga cuando claramente quedan otros cuatros que van a versar sobre el mismo tema…

“Pero no soy la niña malcriada y sin corazón que se piensa. Una mocosa con una pizca de talento que debía heredar alguna corona menor que no quería. Una zopenca que escapó en brazos del primer aventurado que se cruzó en su camino”.

No puedo hablar del contenido porque simplemente decir quien es el narrador es un destripe máximo de la historia, pero solo digo que el señor Cook, gracias. Gracias por haber aportado este punto de vista y demostrar a todos el poder de este gran personaje que siempre quedaba relegado en segundo plano.

"-Claro que sí. Lo harás. Lo harás porque es lo que nos mantendrá a los dos con vida. Es algo que todos compartimos, ¿no es cierto?: las ganas de vivir. Yo quiero que ella viva porque deseo verla sufrir. Tu quieres vivir por ella, porque veneras a la Compañía…porque…-entonces se carcajeó sonoramente-. Porque mientras hay vida, hay esperanza".

A por el siguiente después de un breve descanso porque me dejó bastante mosqueada. Eso no se hace, Cook.

“Nadie engaña a la Compañía”.

[Caro the Helmet Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

OMG I've just read Indiana Jones Black Company and the Temple of Doom.


Ok guys, you can boo me all you want, but I didn't enjoy this book. I hardly even liked it, to be honest. Out of the whole series it was the weakest one for me. Hear me out, please.

The last 1/3 of it saved it from total failure, but the first 2/3 wasn't even close to goodness of previous volumes. The action from the start was slow like a stoned turtle, with anything barely happening - mostly it was Lady grouping and regrouping her army, trying to scare her enemies by killing off people here and there, and also being a bit of a silly (honestly, this chick is more than a few hundreds years old witch with huge knowledge and doesn't recognize her own “symptoms”? gimme a break!). Plus it all was happening in some cheap Bollywood scenery with turbans, patriarchal priests that expect women to “know their place”, warriors with huge swords and people of the land adoring their prince. Again, Temple of Doom anyone?

Also, there was lot of dialogues right out of B class movies. Or worse. The whole thing itself felt like B class horror movie.


What put me off most, was that Cook wasn't even trying to pretend that it was some fantasy Neverland, like he fantastically did before – names were Indian-ish pretty much, rituals (sati) came straight from Indian religious tradition (lets not discuss if it's a good ritual or not, because of course not), Deceivers were sort of a parody of Sikh warriors – he used such name as Narayan Singh for one of the characters. He couldn't be more obvious and cliché with this one, could he? It’s even sort of insulting, but I don’t think it was on purpose, so lets skip it.

And goddess Kina, that's of course Kali herself, also depicted in quite literal manner, just much uglier than the latter, with six spare boobs and wearing some couture multiple penises skirt.


In Hindu mythology Kali is so much more than just a bloodthirsty monster. I confess, she's one of my favourite gods and it sort of upset me a bit that Cook diminished her in such manner.

In general, it was all seriously confusing to me. I mean - come on! This guy used to have some crazy great ideas and didn’t have to rip off exotic cults to make it interesting (or bloody, haha)! Besides, India and Hinduism isn’t even that exotic.

Also, I didn't find the sarcasm and self-irony of narrator of previous books here. I missed this voice the most.

Like I said before, it got better right before the end, when the action (and reading) finally moved on and things started to happen and some of them were surprising... but I keep thinking that instead I could save myself some time and just read the Wikipedia plot summary of it, which is really short and literal, and it's rather fair in this case, because everything else in the book is blah, blah and whatnot.

Was Cook busy writing something else or was he just tired of the Black Company cycle while having a contract for some more books in series – I'll never know. I'm really disappointed with this one and I don't even care how the whole thing ends.

P.S. ...All right, I do care and I might actually get back to it after a while.

P.S.2 And where the f... is preview button??

[Zahra · Rating 2 out of 5]

متاسفانه روند نزولی مجموعه تو این کتاب هم ادامه پیدا می‌کنه و نود و هشت درصد کتاب شدیداً خسته کننده و بدون هیجان خاصیه و یهو دو درصد باقی مونده هیجان انگیزه و انفجار اتفاقات داره.
درنتیجه یه کتابی که حتی چهارصد صفحه هم نیست شیش ماه طول کشید تا تموم بشه. البته که چشم انداز ناقص موندن ابدی مجموعه هم کمکی به بالا رفتن انگیزم برای تموم کردن مجموعه نمیکنه.

[Athena Shardbearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, by far, is my favorite book yet! And if you love the Lady, which I now do, you will love this book. Lady, you are and will always be the best villain and lesser of villains ever! You're bad...oh so bad!

The Lady is the new Annalist and the new captain of The Black Company, and she is out for blood and revenge.



We are missing a few from the company, One-Eye, Goblin, Croaker and we met new people, Narayan and the Goddess Kina. I'm scared of where that is going to go. She has some crazy psychotic followers and all that shit going on in the temple. We have some characters show up that I thought long gone, and I feel like this one is leading to a long fight ahead.

Oh man, how I love this series. Read it if you want dark and gritty and super trippy. I feel like I'm on acid while reading this series, even though I have never tried it! The Black Company is like no other band of bad boys I have ever come upon.

[Eilonwy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Wow, wow, wow!

This installment picked up right from the cliffhanger at the end of Shadow Games, and carried on relentlessly. I'm completely absorbed in these books when I'm reading them -- the world and mythology are so vivid, so real, and the characters so interesting. I'm just blown away by how freaking brilliant Glen Cook is, and the powerful way he's telling this huge story, filling in details without ever bogging down in too many words or descriptive passages, and dropping hints about the Big Story at just the right pace to keep me breathlessly flipping the pages, even as each installment has its own gripping plot arc.

Each book in this series has its own very distinct feel, but I suspect that this one will stand out in my memory as extra-special because it is the Book of Lady. I loved getting this glimpse into her mind and worldview, and I appreciate that Cook didn't soften anything up just because the narrator is female. This installment is full of death and bloodshed -- but weirdly, in the best way possible, if that makes any sense. I'm just fascinated by the cultures, religions, and warring factions in this world. It's a terrific mix of the real and the made-up, and completely believable.

I'm not sure what else I can say without spoilers.

The next volumes only promise to get even creepier and deadlier. And I can't wait to experience them.

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cliffhanger at the end of the previous book made me so glad that I wasn't reading the series when it was being written (mostly due to the fact that I wasn't born back then!). I would have started Dreams of Steel immediately had my schedule permitted because I needed, needed, NEEDED to know the fate of the Black Company and because a big part of me hoped that Croaker will pull a Raven. So a few days later I put my headphones in and downloaded DoS anxiously awaiting to see who will be the new analyst. Imagine my delighted surprise when it turned out that it's Lady! To be honest I probably looked like a moron having a seizure the way I squealed and jumped up and down (I fell off my chair but shh don't tell anyone) because Lady is the absolute best! And now I sound like a brainwashed fangirl. Oh well *shrugs*

This instalment gets us deeper in the socio-political situation of the South continent and we get introduced to a set of new characters the most impressive of which is the Goddess Kina. Basically she's chaos incarnate and I fell in love with her immediately. I have a soft spot for female villains as my continued infatuation with Lady can confirm. I love her bloodthirstiness and the mayhem her followers create.

Lady being Lady snatches up the opportunity presented by the Kina worshippers to use them for her own agenda. Of course she's being used in return but at the time she doesn't care. What I found most surprising however had nothing to do with her plotting and all to do with how naive she is when it comes to certain aspects of life. I found it bizarre and endearing at the same time. It also made me see red when her baby was ripped from her as I now understand that even though she's been alive for centuries she hasn't truly lived. That aside I loved how she dealt with the misogynistic pricks that inhabit Taglios. We, the women living in the real world, should take a note from her tactics to protect the rights our mothers and grandmothers fought for. Though most of the world would probably be terrified if we implement Lady's tactics *smirk*.

Relatively early on we learn that Croaker is alive and a big part of the plot had to do with this character's path back to the Black Company. I loved those POVs and often caught myself wondering how screwed up the character will be after these events. And just when there was some light in the end of the tunnel the ending happened! And I'm mad! Because they deserved a break and a little happiness. Even if they're not technically the good guys. Or maybe they are, depends on the point of view. Still I wanted at least a scene with Lady, Croaker and their baby daughter damn it all! And because I've finally managed to catch up to my fellow mercenaries of BB&B I will have to wait to see what revenge Lady will wreck at the Deceivers.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sit, Narayan. It's time you understood where you're placing your bets."

He looked me askance but settled. The crow watched him. His fingers teased at that fold of black cloth.

"Narayan, the throne I gave up was the seat of an empire so broad you couldn't have walked it east to west in a year. It spanned two thousand miles from north to south. I built it from a beginning as humble as this. I started before your grandfather's grandfather was born. And it wasn't the first empire I created."

He grinned uneasily. He thought I was lying.

"Narayan, the Shadowmasters were my slaves. Powerful as they are. They disappeared during a great battle twenty years ago. I believed them dead till we unmasked the one we killed in Dejagore.

"I'm weakened now. Two years ago there was a great battle in the northern-most region of my empire. The Captain and I put down a wakening evil left over from the first empire I created. To succeed, to prevent that evil from breaking loose, I had to allow my powers to be neutralized. Now I'm winning them back, slowly and painfully."

Narayan couldn't believe. He was the son of his culture. I was a woman. But he wanted to believe. He said, "But you're so young."

"In some ways. I never loved before the Captain. This shell is a mask, Narayan. I entered this world before the Black Company passed this way the first time. I'm old, Narayan. Old and wicked. I've done things no one would believe. I know evil, intrigue, and war like they're my children. I nurtured them for centuries.

"Even as the Captain's lover I was more than a paramour. I was the Lieutenant, his chief of staff.

"I'm the Captain now, Narayan. While I survive the Company survives. And goes on. And finds new life. I'm going to rebuild, Narayan. It may wear another name but behind the domino it be the Black Company. And it will be the instrument of my will."

Narayan grinned that grin. "You may be Her indeed."

"I may be who?"

"Soon, Mistress. Soon. It's not yet time. Suffice it to say that not everyone greeted the return of the Black Company with despair."


4 1/4 stars

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

More evil gets done in the name of righteousness than any other way.

Just when I thought that Glen Cook’s grimdark Black Company world couldn’t get any bleaker, any darker, or any weirder…. I realize that I am wrong. Mr. Cook, your dark imagination scares me!

But, I am still invested in the two main characters in Dreams of Steel, namely Croaker and Lady. Croaker provides the dark sense of humour of the two, with Lady remembering some of things he has said or imagining what he would say when she finds herself hip deep in slaughter. Lady can never be said to be the softer, gentler one of the pair—if anything, she is even more ruthless, willing to put heads on stakes to make a point. Revenge is everything!

There really are no good guys in this series, just shades of black. It would be a shock to the system to try to jump in here at book 5, without having read the preceding novels—the level of violence and disregard for life would be overwhelming. But my situation is like the proverbial frog in the pot of water—it has gradually come to a boil without my noticing!

Now my search for a copy of Bleak Seasons must begin. I couldn’t abide a constant diet of grimdark fantasy in my reading life, but I must know what happens to this two bloodthirsty duo.

Book number 258 in my Science Fiction and Fantasy reading project.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the first book in the Book of the South series was a bit of a lull for The Black Company series this one was a return to top form. Dreams of Steel was as action packed and interesting as the early books in the series.

After the events at the end of Shadow Games we have a new annalist and captain of The Black Company in the form of its former adversary Lady. She is every bit as interesting as Croaker and very easy to like despite some of the stuff she gets up to. As well as the Shadow Masters we have a host of new enemies that trouble Lady. Some are familiar faces while others are fascinating new characters. The most interesting of the bunch being the Goddess Kina and her crazy cult followers.

The book ended with a few shocks and on a massive cliffhanger. I cannot wait to find out what is going to happen next in this series.

Rating: 4.5 stars.

Audio Note: This instalment of The Black Company series saw a change of narrator from the excellent Marc Vietor to Rachel Butera. Buerta has some flaws. She was overly dramatic at times. That said, I've listened to a lot worse and I was fine with her once I adapted to her quirks and the general narration change.

[Sina · Rating 4 out of 5]

خب خب خب .... جناب گلن کوک بالاخره یکم دلش به حال خواننده رحم اومد و اطلاعات داد. درمورد روند داستانی و اتفاقاتش خیلی حرف نمیزنم چون هرگونه حرفی اسپویل محسوب میشه. بخشی از اطلاعتی که تو این کتاب بدست میاد در جهت تکمیل مکتب های مختلفیه که تاگلی ها دارن و تو کتاب قبل باهاش آشنا شدیم. و بخش اعظمی از اطلاعات جدید به مکتبی مخفی میپردازه که به شدت به اساطیر هندی نزدیکه. برای مثال کینا به طورمشخصی از خدای آشوبگری هندی "شیوا" وام گرفته و رسم "ساتی" که به طور مشخص تو کتاب اشاره شده بهش. اما هنوز که هنوزه سرچشمه گروهان و ارتباطش با این اساطیر نامشخصه. و چیزی که این راز رو پیچیده تر و جذاب تر میکنه قضیه نیزه قدیمی گروهانه. داستان همچنان غافلگیری و پیچش های جذاب خودشو داره و یکی از قشنگ ترین فصل ها یافتن راز عروسک های پوشالی بود که من به شخصه با هوش همون فرد که نباید اسمشو برد 🤐 خیلی حال کردم.
همچنین ترجمه خوب و روون خانم کشوری هم جای تقدیر و تشکر بسیار داره.
پایان کتاب جنوب

[Jake Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Focused more on a new cast of characters, who I didn't quite enjoy as much. But also there is a new main perspective who I love. The entire cult of strangling death people was not my favorite though.

Still thoroughly enjoyable. I guess technically my least favorite so far, but barely. In the same ball park as the other 5 I have read.

8/10

[Allen Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this way better than last time I read it.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one seemed to fade into a panoramic overview of the Black Company, detailing specific characters in a more plot driven manner. I prefer the author's character driven stories, hence the drop in score in my review. I am sure the overall for the collection will be high, but there were times this book was hard for me to pull myself through.
My complete review will be in the collection of 4-6 I am reading.

[Hossein · Rating 4 out of 5]

وای که چقدر گلن کوک خوبه
همچنان شخصیت پردازی عالی
همچنان داستان هیجان انگیز
همچنان ترجمه فوق‌العاده
و بازهم غافلگیری های جدید

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I would grow on them. Just a matter of creating a legend.”

Buddy Read with Sarah, Elena, and Maria. Puppet strings pulled by Evgeny.

Dreams of Steel is the fifth installment in the so-far excellent Black Company series. If you enjoyed Shadow Games, then you don’t need me to convince you to read this one...especially not after that cliffhanger! While Shadow Games was a bit of a slow build to the eventual climactic events, it really can be viewed as an extended introduction to this novel (and presumably the rest of the series, based on all the new plates that were just tossed into the air).

It’s difficult to talk about any plot details without spoilers. Let’s just say the promises made by the end of Shadow Games were certainly fulfilled here, and then some. The overall tone is similar to the prior volume, but this one is paced better and has some of the most memorable scenes in the series thus far.

The characters continue to be a strong point in the Black Company books, and I even grew to like some that I was previously indifferent about. Glen Cook is skilled at not only detailing the unique personalities of these characters, but perhaps more importantly, showing the relationships and interactions between them.

Without giving too much away, I will also mention that Dreams of Steel introduces what appears to be a (rather terrifying) Big Bad Villain into the series, and does it in the perfect way...teasing us with bits and pieces to leave us in anticipation for further novels.

Finally, it should be noted that even though Shadow Games and Dreams of Steel are marketed as “The Books of the South”, and the next installment, Bleak Seasons, begins “The Book of Glittering Stone”, don’t be thrown off by this delineation...the major plot points are definitely not wrapped up by the end of this novel, and seem to lead right into the next one.

And if you haven’t even started this series yet, what are you waiting for?

[Milda Page Runner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell of a ride that left me breathless. G.Cook really knows how to deliver on the last book . If the previous one had some shortcomings this book more than made it up for them.
Dark, bloody and twisted. And I loved every bit of it. Hardly any sarcasm or humour, which usually is a must in grimdarks for me, but suspense is held masterfully and I could not peel my eyes of. Breath of old death, seeping blood of the thousands, cruel old gods, dark cults, human sacrifices. Intrigues layered with mysteries, unpredictable enemies and unreliable allies and darker than ever shadow of the Company's own past.
Recommended for everyone who likes strong female characters and their fantasy dark and bloody (not for the faint of heart)

I’m no believer in fate or gods, in the accepted senses, but there are powers that move the world.
That I know well.
Once I was one.
==========
Welcome to the Book of the Lady

[Aida · Rating 5 out of 5]

باید باز هم خونده بشه مطمئناً. این تازه اول راهه!
پیچیده و عجیب و غریب بود.
خیلی خیلی عجیب
گلن کوک توی هر جلد نوشته‌هاش پیچیده‌تر و در عین پخته‌تر می‌شه

[Sadra Khalaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well the book was good enough for me to continue the exciting stories of The Black Company but in this book they were so many referals to Indian cultures and believes that was odd for a fantasy and i did not like it much.
But it seems that the writer is going to continue this style for next book and i have to somehow tolerate it but then i compared this book to the "Silver Spike" that i gave 3 stars and i decided that 3.5 stars is more justified but i had to round my ratings and upgraded from 3 to 4 stars.

After the cliffhanger ending that we saw on the last book, i was eager to see what happened to the Black Company after the horrible the defeat that they were concede on the Storm-guard battle and i was amazed by the fact that Lady's point of view added to the book and it was really interesting to see her side of the view of the story.
Hope that it continue in following books.

..................

پنجمین کتاب از مجموعه گروهان سیاه رو تونستم به لطف ساعات ازاد در حین خدمت سربازی به سرعت به پایان برسونم. جذابیت کتاب همچنان در سطح بالا قرار داره و تویستای مختلفی وجود داره ولی گلن کوک توی این کتاب از عقاید و افسانه‌های با منشا هندی تو سطح خیلی زیادی استفاده کرده که تا حدی برای یه فانتزی سبک نظامی جادویی عجیب هستشو به دل من چندان ننشست ولی خب به هر حال تحملش میکنیم و ادامه میدم داستان نسبتا پر رمز و راز و تعلیق گروهان سیاه رو.
توی اولین ریویو به این کتاب 3 ستاره بیشتر ندادم به خاطر استفاده بیش از حد و نه چندان جالب از اساطیر با رگ و ریشه هندی ولی بعد از مقایسه با کتاب سرنیزه نقره ای که به اونم 3 ستاره دادم، دیدم که 3.5 ستاره معقول تر هستش چون این کتاب از سرنیزه نقره‌ای قوی‌تر بود ولی ازونجایی که 3.5 ستاره نداریم، به ناچار به 4 ستاره گردش میکنم ولی در واقع کتاب به نظر من در حد 4 ستاره نبود.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following the cliff hanger conclusion of the fourth book in The Black Company Series, Shadow Games, this fifth book picks up immediately after and finds the actual members of the Black Company down to a single soul…The Lady. One must always capitalize her name for she is one of the best drawn, most intriguing, least apologetic, and most devilishly beguiling women in all of fantasy fiction. This time, finally, she is the one telling the tale. And we get to see events from her point of view.

This novel is best read immediately after book 4 as together, they really are a duology within the larger series. As always with these books, the reader really needs to be on their toes because the plot is complex and details are sometimes sparse. The author’s style tends toward minimalism but nevertheless he manages to create an atmosphere that fully absorbs the reader. And holy cow! What an ending! I did not see that coming even though looking back, all the clues were there.

I want to say this is probably my favorite book in the series so far. That’s hard to say though because of the high quality of the others…and they are not at all the same. There is certainly no “formula” to the plots. Most definitely looking forward to the next.

[BridgeBurger Spoony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favourite Black Company book so far.

The main POVs are still intriguing for the most part, albeit not as much as in earlier books, but the main flaw is the lack of a strong secondary cast. We get plenty of new side characters, but they all feel a little flat making Dreams of Steel a fairly lifeless experience.

As an extension of the character issue, this makes the politics of the situation feel dull as well. I didn’t much care for anything anyone was doing except the few known characters from earlier books I’d already become attached to.

Whatever you do, don’t audiobook this one. Who thought it would be a good idea to hire someone that sounds like a teenage girl to narrate the POV of an ancient tyrannical sorceress?

I want to give this 2 stars, but I suspect my dislike of some elements stems from the horrendous narration, so I’ll put this down as a 2.5/5

[Silvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the previous installment yet I am still confused with some stuff. Oh and I hated it when authors employ that morning sickness and one-night stand pregnancy tropes. So soapy. Should I continue or not, that is the question.

[Sumant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the book ended on a solid note for me, I disliked most parts of the books because I think the book dragged in some parts especially soul catcher and croaker part where they just seem to be hanging around a place for the sake of it.Also lady getting her powers back was some what rushed for me because if lady gets her powers back then will darling also get her powers back ?The last two books in the black company series which I have read did not have the company itself, and I think cook basically excels in showing us soldier's pov rather than single pov of lady or soul catcher in this book also cook seems to be getting getting his geography more and more hazy because I was lost as to the location of characters in this book.I had to refer to maps on internet as to determine where in each character was present.

Well after this rant let me get back to the plot, the book basically follows lady where she has survived the battle of dejagore which has had devastating consequences for the company, the company is holding the city of dejagore but with taglios cut off from them as shadow spinner has his forces ruling in goja.The lady vows revenge against the shadow masters and stumbles by fortune on a group of cultists namely called the deceivers.The deceivers are basically a cult who are devoted to goddess kina, they manage to convince the lady that she is her manifestation.The lady starts getting followers and is quite ruthless with her methods when crushing her opposition.

This book basically gives us access into the mind of the lady, how she manages the whole picture with a view on her ultimate aim.The part where she ruthlessly massacres all the priests basically tells us she will go to any ends necessary in order to achieve her objectives.even the crown prince of taglios the prabrindrah and his sister radisha starts fearing her.Once she has assembled an army she goes after the shadow spinner and gets a favorable result from it.

Mean while we have croaker in the company of soul catcher who wants to use him not only to fix her but also to use him against her sister.But not all things happen as you wish for in the war, when croaker and soul catcher enter taglios masked as lady, and croaker being her body guard croaker manages to escape when howler hijacks soul catcher thinking that she is the lady.

The ending of the book springs us a surprise on us and definitely pushes you to start the next book.I am only hoping that croaker being the captain again we will get him back as the main pov because although I liked the pov of lady in this book but the narrator R Butera has overdone it in most of the parts.I give it 3/5 stars.