October's Baby

Dread Empire #2

by Glen Cook

Before there was Black Company, there was the Dread Empire, an omnibus collection the first three Dread Empire A Shadow of All Night's Falling, October's Baby and All Darkness Met. For the first time in eBook format, the A Cruel Wind collection is available as individual books.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, High Fantasy, Science Fiction

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1980

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 4 out of 5]

💀 Vanishing Unrelenting Glen Cook Mercenaries Buddy Read (VUGCMBR™) with The Overlord and My Nefarious Daughter 💀

I’m currently Super Extra Busy (SEB™) conquering new territories and slaughtering puny humans (with the help of my pincer-clad, slightly vindictive children, obviously), meaning I most regrettably have no time to write a 200-page Super Extra Concise (SEC™) review for this Slightly Very Good (SVG™) cookbook Cook book. Yeah yeah yeah, I know, you were anxiously waiting for said review, and woe is probably you right now, but life sucks and all that so do try to get over it and stuff.



You decapods have a funny way of showing your utter despair, but to each his/her/its/their/whatever own and all that. (Lovely outfits, by the way.)

Anyway, I’m not completely entirely totally heartless sometimes , so I asked (very nicely, of course) my two ever-decaying grey cells my mathematically-inclined cerebellum to come up with a little tiny small something for you, and she (because yes, my cerebellum is a she. And her name is Waltraud, in case you were wondering) most graciously complied. So here goes and stuff.

Presenting…Waltraud’s October’s Baby Miscalculations Crappy Computations!

“Calficication of brain pan setting in” + turn coats and treachery and backstabbing galore, oh my + rabbit-like little people and hairy men + “evil spanning unknown centuries”+ mostest awesomest chapter titles ever + Mist aka Lady’s granny aka “so much evil in such a beautiful package” + scarlet horrors + hahahaha and ha Mocker I lurves thee + dwarves with the egos of giants + wicked sausage sellers (don’t ask) – uncharacteristically and very un-Cook-like not-so-exciting battles and fights + Mist’s Scrumptious Menagerie of Scrumptiouness (SMoS™) + power failures + thaumathurgic battles + megacephalic demons with ravenlike feet + Bragi aka Conan’s gramps (💕 “Bellowing like a thwarted bull in rut, ignoring the agony in his head, he grabbed two, smashed them together, then used his fists on their faces. A neck went snap! He lifted the second overhead, hurled it skull-first against the floor” 💕) + exterior decorating, Lady style + guerrilla warfare + Assorted Glorious Proto-Black Company Stuff (AGBCS™) =



And also:



Until next time and stuff.



Reading order for this series, as firmly kindly suggest by Evgeny (aka the Ruthless Glen Cook Overlord™):

① Book 1: A Shadow of All Night Falling ★★★★
② Book 4: The Fire in His Hands ★★★★
③ Book 5: With Mercy Towards None ★★★★
④ Book 2: October’s Baby ★★★★
⑤ Book 3: All Darkness Met ★★★★★
⑥ Book 6: Reap the East Wind ★★★★★
⑦ Book 7: An Ill Fate Marshalling ★★★★★
⑧ Book 8: A Path to Coldness of Heart ★★★★
⑨ Short stories: An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat ★★★★

[Eilonwy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, the last chapter of this book was so shocking, it pretty much wiped all the rest of what happened right out of my head!

Because of the book order the Buddy Read Leader chose for this series, we read the immediate predecessor to this installment first, then two other books in between. It was interesting to get back to the characters and time-frame from Book 1 after getting backstory with a whole different war and place from Books 4 and 5. Thank goodness I had the collected volume, so it was easy to keep flipping back to Book 1 to catch back up on all the little things (and some big things!) I'd forgotten.

The moral of these book is The War Is Never Over. Different place, different enemy, different justification. But always the same damn war.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrible cover art, but a pretty good military fantasy novel! I had a hard time rating this one; on one hand, there are moments of pure excellence and many of the Cook trademarks I’ve come to love. On the other hand, I’m just not a big fan of Bragi, and a huge portion of this book is devoted to him...I found those sections to be either boring or confusing (this author’s ultra-sparse writing style doesn’t seem to work as well with third-person POV as opposed to the first-person perspectives in the Black Company series; as such, it often feels like we are reading a summary of a novel, and many important facts are presented very quickly...if you don’t pay close attention at all times, you might feel lost).

On the plus side, there are some great new characters, as well as many returning from A Shadow of All Night Falling. There is also plenty of action, treachery, and backstabbing. I liked this book for the most part, but it’s just not one of my favorite Glen Cook novels.

[Douglas Milewski · Rating 2 out of 5]

October's Baby is the second book by Glen Cook and the second book in his Dread Empire Series. Dense, often abbreviated, and somewhat wayward, the book often resembles a history more than a narrative. The novel often feels very wayward, filled with many engaging ideas given only cursory exploration, and when it does look like ideas may be explored, switching to a different feel and style without warning.

From its opening, the story misleadingly appears to be a normal sword and sorcery style book. Bragi Ragnarson is the lord of a minor land grant, but with a newborn heir kidnapped and a throne in balance, he's called back to active service. The book doesn't stay there, taking the story into full-blown military fantasy, with the story turning on battles and sieges rather than chutzpah and chance encounters. By the end, it's an all-out battle for the fate of the west.

Being among the first true military fantasies, if not the first, Cook hasn't figured out how to tell this sort of story yet. The whole thing still feels like a chimaera, but this time, you know which sort of animal the work is supposed to look like. For the first time, it's apparent that Cook hasn't merely stretched the sword and sorcery subgenre, but created a new thing, a new subgenre, military fantasy, one that he would perfect in his Black Company series.

The narrative is dense, often so dense that if you skim a paragraph you miss so many details that you need to go back and reread. There's no fluff here.

The narrative hops between four or five characters, with these changes well signaled to the reader. You'll have no trouble following the point of views of each actor.

This book is brilliant in many ways, mostly in the way that it goes into brand new fantasy territory, but the cost of this brilliance is a leaden narrative, one that leaves the reader shuffling through the work.

Objectively, the books is a bit of a mess, alternating between traditional human-centric narrative, summarized history that's part of the unfolding story, and detailed summaries of major battles. Although there is a through-line with the Dread Empire, the lines doesn't feel very satisfying.

In the end, the book feels less like a narrative and more like an elaborate report. I'm giving this book a low score, not because I think it worthless, but because the number of people deriving enjoyments from this titles will be in the minority. Getting through the middle of this thing felt like an absolute slog for such a short book. However, I won't call it a dog because there are cool things about this book, just not enough for me to rave over. The reach its true potential, the book really needs to be 3x longer.

[Reagan Chiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose and the writing was nice, and I love the little bits of dry humor Cook throws in, but I was bored with the military campaign that took up most of the book

[Redsteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronologically 4th in the series, this is my favorite of the Dread Empire books. It has a just about perfect balance of battle, intrigue, politics, and sorcery. Lots of morally ambiguous characters. Of the three main characters of the series, this book is mainly focused on Bragi Ragnarsson, with a bit of the Mocker, and Haroun mainly appearing in behind-the-scenes plotting. The one weak point in the book (to me) is near the end, when the POV briefly switches to the "bad guys" and goes back over the events of the story. It feels as if the author is trying to let the reader know that everything isn't as black and white as it seems - but, if you're used to Glen Cook's novels, you know that already - but doesn't really include any surprises and seems more like a bump in the narrative road. Very strong four stars.

[Massimiliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glen Cook in this series defies all the unwritten rules on how to write a genre novel, and possibly any sort of novel. Characters fleetingly mentioned before (if mentioned at all) show up and play key roles (Steven Erikson, I found your source!!), dei ex machina abound, the ending feels incredibly rushed and some characters who were central to the story are quickly and summarily dispatched. Still (and maybe also because of this) the book feels a breath of fresh air, the worldbuilding is noteworthy (especially considering that it was 1980) and there is great care in describing political machinations, warfare logistics/battles and multi-ethnic societies. This anticipated of over a decade the works of Martin(not sure if Martin ever read Dread Empire though), Erikson and their followers. The book is not at all as grim as most contemporary fantasy which is a plus. Not perfect but will read the third one at some point.

[Anthony O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting reading these older Cook books, as I feel like I'm watching his style and confidence evolve from book to book. October's Baby - the second in the Dread Empire series - is far more assured than the previous entry, featuring deeper characterisation and a more consistent narrative.

It still gets a little too brusque in the third act, with a final chapter I had to read twice to grasp what just happened, but I'm looking forward to hitting up the nexty and seeing how this whole caper resolves.

Not quite at Black Company level, but still pleasingly evocative and original dark fantasy antics.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every now and then Glen Cook has one that just doesn't hit for me. This is one of those.

The beginning is intriguing: a changeling baby! Mocker & Nepenthe a few years on - wedded bliss?

Then everything just gets bogged down in what I found to be meaningless battles and movements. Maybe I was just missing the larger picture. I felt a map might have helped.

The final chapter feels very poetic, but I didn't know who was doing the things happening, or why, so it was just a big shrug for me.

Curious to see if book 3 will actually include the Dread Empire, or if they're always just in the background, influencing things.

[Drew McCaffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite up to the standard of the best of The Black Company or Garrett, but this was a rollicking ride with shocking conclusion.

Cook took things in several unexpected directions, not least of which was making Bragi Ragnarson the main protagonist. He expanded the world and the political situation quite a lot, packing tons of work into a typically small space.

Perhaps most notably, Cook styled this book in an unusually lyrical voice. I’m not used to flowery descriptions from him, but they worked beautifully here.

[Eric Hafner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it more than the first book, which felt a bit like a long prelude to this one. I would probably give it 3.5 vs 4 if that were possible. It reads heavily as military strategy, a bit of political intrigue and much too light on the battle scene. I was left wanting more background on the sorcery, the Dread Empire, and some the characters themselves. Moving on to the third in the series now.

[Leif · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll admit it: sometimes I find Glen Cook's Byzantine plots confusing. His tendency to avoid names and multiply surprises can be more obfuscating than it is entertaining, and despite the epic take in this novel of the retired farmer come back to war, I've enjoyed other Cook novels much more. Perhaps my own failing. One must also grant Cook the excuse of history in regard his essentialist use of fantastic orientalism, which defines the terms of the Dream Empire.

[Purity Anddeath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perked up a little from book 1. Still issues of overall power creep that make little sense.

This one actually had some of his general elements of combat and characterization. A better and faster read than book 1. Still lacking a generally successful mood that tells a story with real merit but his style of writing is adapting & becoming more interesting.

[Ramunas K · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, too much war tactics and strategy and too little of what I actually like. Maybe I just don't like war for war's sake. Seemed to me characters involved in the war were too anonymous. And maybe, I was expecting more Black Company, which I guess is unfair. But what can you do.

[Zeak · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's cool. i always have to read Cooks books twice (or even more) because first read always enjoyable and very confusing lol
This is what I like about Cook fantasy tho. I'll remember small fragments and build off of that when I re-read the book.
Cook the Bossman 👍

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally all the characters make sense and the overall arc of the 3 books series can unfold. Enjoyed this more than the first, from what I can remember. Again, the magic is fantastic.

[Michael M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Dread Empire trilogy's middle child adds too many dry military maneuverings to the mix for my taste, but there's still a lot of good stuff in the stew.

[Newton Nitro · Rating 3 out of 5]

October's Baby (Dread Empire #2) - Glen Cook | A primeira saga de fantasia sombria do criador da Companhia Negra! | NITROLEITURAS #fantasia

Minhas impressões do primeiro volume da primeira saga de fantasia sombria do criador da Companhia Negra!

October's Baby (Dread Empire #2) - Glen Cook | 248 pgs, Berkley Books, 1984 (1ed. 1980) | Lido de 2.12.17 a 4.12.17 | NITROLEITURAS #fantasia #fantasiasombria

SINOPSE

Bragi Ragnarson é um lendário guerreiro e senhor de uma pequena concessão de terras, mas quando o herdeiro recém-nascido do rei a quem serve é sequestrado, o que joga o reino em uma guerra civil sangrenta, ele é chamado de volta ao serviço ativo.

Em pouco tempo Ragnarson reúne seus antigos companheiros, e entra em uma guerra terrível, que ameaça engolfar todos os reinos livres e dar a chance para o terrível Dread Empire e seus exércitos de guerreiros demoníacos, de expandir para os reinos do ocidente.

RESENHA

OCTOBER'S BABY é considerado uma espécie de divisor de águas na fantasia contemporânea, pois foi quando Cook fez o experimento, que ele iria aperfeiçoar na saga da Companhia Negra, de misturar a espada e feitiçaria com uma narrativa militarista.

O resultado, ainda sem o equilíbrio entre os eventos pessoais e coletivos presente na saga da Companhia Negra, ficou bem interessante, com o personagem Ragnarson roubando todas as cenas em que aparece.

Porém, a narrativa abusa de sumários narrativos de uma campanha imensa de guerra. A prosa é muito densa, e requer atenção do leitor para não se perder nas movimentações e reviravoltas das diversas forças em guerra e disputando o trono de um reino.

A construção de mundo continua ótima, com mais revelações sobre uma disputa de poder dentro do misterioso Dread Empire, com uma jovem feiticeira disputando com seu irmão o trono do maior império do mundo criado por Cook.

Recomendo para quem é fã de fantasia militarista e queira conhecer como o gênero nasceu! E para os fãs da Companhia Negra, é claro!

ONDE COMPRAR

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[Sam Macuga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish it wasn’t so confusing to get to the point but it’s always so good by the end

[Daniel Swensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

October's Baby is a big leap in quality and clarity over its predecessor. Unpredictable plot twists, deeply flawed characters, and wild circumstances that come out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. The inhabitants of Dread Empire truly do seem to be trapped in a world much bigger than they are, subject to the whims of vast plots they can't even grasp the fullness of, much less thwart or combat. The battle scenes are concise but full of juicy detail, and once again the story sweeps through an epic multi-year plot that would take some authors an entire series to cover. One of Cook's big strengths is the ability to go from tiny character-driven scenes to sweeping narrative without jarring the reader.

If I had to level one complaint, it would be that Cook has no compunctions about heaping proper names of places and people on the reader like a dump truck backing up to a construction site.

[William Gerke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my re-read of the Dread Empire in preparation for "Path." Cook grows visibly stronger with each novel. "October's Baby" takes the characters of the first book and pushes them to the limit. His depiction of the political turmoil in Kavelin is utterly believable (having just read a book on the history of Italy, almost anything is believable by comparison to reality). The magic feels magical while remaining strangely gritty, as the magic using characters have a pragmatic and direct side that's rarely seen in fantasy fiction. Finally, the Battle of Savernake Gap is a thing of awesome beauty, beggaring any other fantasy battle I've read in its clarity, complexity, and sheer bloody-handedness.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some confusion in the book. When I reread the blurb after finishing the book I questioned my understanding of how the child came into being....

How did all the Wizards lose their powers? and a few other things I can't recall at the moment.

The sad thing was seeing Bragi's "friend" use him to accomplish a task(and gain power)... then utterly destroying all his hard work.

I'm sure the next book is going to start in confusion.

What I really enjoyed was Mocker's way of speech... I might try to imitate it someday.

[Viktor Davion · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is second book in Dread Empire sequence. More polished than first, though I liked first one a bit more.
This one is more about war and soldiers than about ancient sorcery, fate and wizards. All in all story is fine, with some unexpected turns and nice fleshed out characters. I have one complaint though - names. Hard to remember all of them and they are strange. There almost overwhelming amount of details in book setting (as in most Cook's novels). Though it is earlier work I can't said it is inferior to author's more polished later works. Less polished, but still good.

[Bogdan Capitanoiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short review:
q: Gd, what happened here?
A: no idea. This is written from a temporal&perspective eagle-eye view....and not from Cook's famous ant-view (soldiers perspective vs. a long list of event and names and ONE phrase long battles, prb more suited for an historical tome). But I got used to this, after the Swordbearer&darkwars later books.

5/5 ?
With that in mind the book is perfect.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dread Empire series was written in a very different style than the Black Company books and at first I wasn't in to it as much. I never did like it quite as much as the Black Company series but I came to enjoy it a lot and consider it a very strong fantasy series.

[Reblua · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2nd installment of the Dread Empire was much better than the first. The characters were better developed. The story flowed more. And you finally got a glimpse of the Dread Empire. I look forward to the next.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuation from Shadow. Fantasy war, done right. Logistics top notch, use of magic subtle, impact of the seasons logical. Shame Cook felt obliged to use the Battle of Lake Trasimene, but you can't expect imagination all the time, and it is good to see an author know the classics. Rated M. 4/5

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Glen Cook's novels. Steven Erickson credits Glen Cook with single-handedly changing how fantasy is written by bringing it down to a human level. I tend to agree. After reading novelists like Cook and Martin, I could never go back to Shannara or any of the Eddings drivel.

[Kurt Criscione · Rating 3 out of 5]

putting aside the rest of these books until I feel into them again... meh.

[George Christie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to like this, but I couldn't. it seemed disjointed, all over the place and totally confusing. Aside from Bragi's sorry love I was pretty lost, and I don't get lost easily