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Dread Empire #5

With Mercy Toward None

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The holy wars had begun, his family was slaughtered by bandits. He was abandoned to die in the desert – but he survived, with the help of his god, and became El Murid, the Disciple. Against him rides Haroun ben Yousif, High Prince of sorcery. Their war will soak the desert with magic, and with blood.

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1985

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About the author

Glen Cook

158 books3,708 followers
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

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5 stars
149 (30%)
4 stars
195 (40%)
3 stars
115 (23%)
2 stars
18 (3%)
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4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 26, 2019
💀 Unrelenting Glen Cook Mercenaries Buddy Read (UGCMBR™) with The Overlord, My One and Only Male Hatchling and My Nefarious Daughter 💀

Actual rating: 3.84875962 stars

Me, upon finishing this book a month ago: “no need to stress about writing this review! You’ll be reading the next book in the series a month from now! You’ve got plenty of time ahead of you and stuff!”
Me, a month later:



Time flies and all that crap.

Sooooo, I started reading October’s Baby last night and figured I should probably maybe perhaps try and write a review for Ain’t No Mercy To Be Had For No Shrimp post haste and stuff. And here we are. Yep. We are indeed. Here. We. Brought together once again by the Super Extra Fluffy World of Glen Cook (SEFWoGC™). And it feels bloody shrimping heartwarming and gleefully joyous and stuff. Sorry, what? I’m shamelessly stalling, you say? I’m dreadfully sorry but have no idea what the fishing barnacle you are talking about. Go home, Comely Decapods Mine, you’re obviously quite very drunk on Laphroaig and stuff.

But anywayyyyyyyyy.

Given that I have about 250,000 highlights and 150+ pages of notes for this book, I thought I’d do the bold and audacious and experimental thing, and paste the first 2000 wonderfully unedited lines of my Evernotes into this Crappier Than Ever Crappy Non Review Thingie (CTECNRT™). Lucky you! So brace your little barnacled selves, for here goes and stuff (the super clever stuff in italics I added along as I did not write this non review the copy/paste thing, FYI):

My glen cook ratings no make no bloody shrimping sense. I didn't even like this one that much but still rated it xxx stars3.84875962 stars, in case you missed it up there ↑. Because it's Glen Cook and because it’s Glen Cook and because it’s Glen Cook. Also because I might love the way he writes (a little, not too much) + he’s the short cut king + he excels at character spring cleaning (die die die, yay!) + dark is dark is delicious. Also also, comfort book, like a cosy blanket and stuff.

[Add cosy blanket gif] → Please squeeze me (baking powder) while I go hunt for one and stuff.



Tada! Cosy blanket gif FTW! Yes, it's a despicable cute one, I know, but life sucks and stuff so QED and stuff.

This book, written by any other author, would have been 600 pages long. At least. But this is Glen Cook, aka the Gloriously Ruthless Lord of the Fast Forward Button (GRLotFFB™), so it's only xxx pages ← 268 pages, in case you are interested. 3 months gone in ONE measly sentence, 3 years gone in TWO miserable lines!

[Add POOF gif] → Please squeeze me again (baking powder again) while I go hunt for one and stuff.



Yep, that’s the GRLotFFB™ at work alright!

Cook excels at character spring cleaningyeah yeah yeah, I know I already said that up there ↑ but these are wonderfully unedited notes, remember? So stop complaining and stuff. Besides, it never hurts to rehash and stuff. So there and stuff.

• The great delightful titillating thing about Cook is that he’s an equal opportunity kind of guy who doesn't differentiate between major or minor characters. When you die, you die. Death is anonymous and abrupt (and a little final, too), and doesn't make allowances for egocentric BS. No flourish, no glory, just scrumptiously beautiful deathly death. YUM.

Ch. 7/8: rock and hard place (I don’t remember, so don’t ask), verbal pyrotechnics, fishes (no clue what this was about, but pretty sure it was awesome since subaquatic individuals were involved), slightly hilarious conversations between Haroun and Mocker, odd-shaped little intrigues + Machiavellian plans ← all of this calls for a little dance, methinks. Especially that thing about fishes.



Ch. 9: El Murid's spoiler spoiler spoiler (I could tell you what this is about but it would kinda sorta, um, you know, spoil things for you and stuff. You are most welcome and stuff) + trading murders and undercover knife work, with a generous helping of evil laughs and wicked grins, now we're talking! + Super Extra Cunning Secret Alliances (SECSA) for the win!

Ch. 13: bloody treachery, yay! Hypnotiiiiize = trust in me song = kaa gif → Please squeeze me again again (baking powder again again) while I go hunt for one and stuff.



Trust in me ♫ and ♫ Trust in Me

Thus to the end of the first 2000 wonderfully unedited lines of my Evernotes we regrettably come, and go back to your boring daily activities you may. Woo bloody shrimping hoo and stuff!

Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): write the review for the next book in this series in less than a month I most assuredly will. Cross my black, withered heart and hope to die an excruciatingly excruciating death and stuff.

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

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



Pre-review nonsense

To be reviewed in 2458. If all goes according to plan.

Profile Image for Mark.
Author 5 books34 followers
March 10, 2019
After my lukewarm reaction to the previous book, The Fire in His Hands, this one really came as a pleasant surprise. For whatever reason, I just enjoyed it a lot more. Perhaps it’s because the pieces that were slowly moved into place in that earlier volume were finally set into action here, as we witness the events of the El Murid Wars. Perhaps it’s because a certain character, who did not appear in the last book shows up here in all their glory. Who knows? Regardless of the reason, this was a solid military fantasy novel with some great characters and exciting scenes.

My only real complaint is that some sections felt rushed and distant; it would have been nice to have some more detail in those scenes. I understand sparse writing is a hallmark of Glen Cook’s style, but I think it worked better in The Black Company, since that series was in first-person POV (and could be chalked up to the narrator only focusing on details which are important to them, and skipping over the rest). But this is a relatively minor complaint, and I still enjoyed the book despite this.

This book also made me a fan of Haroun, who first appeared in A Shadow of All Night Falling, and who will hopefully be in the subsequent volumes of the series.
Profile Image for Eilonwy.
904 reviews223 followers
August 12, 2019
3-1/2 stars

A little heavy on the warfare for me (yeah, yeah, it's Glen Cook), but as always full of fascinating characters, lots of backstabbing, and plenty of twists and unusual uses of magic. Its continuation of El Murid's story is also surprisingly heartbreaking. Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be prophets. And if you meet an angel, be highly suspicious of its motives.
Profile Image for Redsteve.
1,371 reviews21 followers
March 18, 2020
This is the second prequel novel of Cook's Dread Empire series. Unlike The Fire in His Hands (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), this one feels like a stand-alone novel and not just setting the stage for A Shadow of Night's Falling (the first book of the Dread Empire trilogy). Like the rest of the series, this one is military-oriented fantasy (even though there is magic - and some earth-shattering magic at that - the main action is set around warfare - everything from small skirmishes and running fights to huge set battles and sieges). Like And, as always, there's a good bit of politics and intrigue. This book introduces the Mocker, one of the main characters of the series. 4 stars.
Profile Image for Newton Nitro.
Author 6 books111 followers
February 5, 2018
With Mercy Toward None (Dread Empire #5) - Glen Cook | E começa uma GUERRA SANTA no mundo BRUTAL da saga DREAD EMPIRE! | NITROLEITURAS #fantasia #fantasiasombria #horror

A parte final da Duologia que narra a saga de El Murid, o Discípulo, um messias poderoso do passado do mundo de Dread Empire, a saga de fantasia sombria e brutal do criador da Companhia Negra e pioneiro da fantasia militarista e brutal, o mestre Glen Cook!

With Mercy Toward None (Dread Empire #5) - Glen Cook | 1985, 336 páginas, Baen Books | NITROLEITURAS | Lido de 31.01.18 a 04.02.18

SINOPSE

As guerras santas começaram, e sua família foi morta por bandidos. Ele foi abandonado para morrer no deserto, mas ele sobreviveu com a ajuda de seu Deus e de seu Anjo Destruidor, e se tornou El Murid, o Discípulo.

Liderando milhões de guerreiros fanático, ele entra em confronto com poderoso Príncipe Feiticeiro Haroun ben Yousif. E sua guerra irá mergulhar o deserto em magia e sangue!

RESENHA

A conclusão da saga de El Murid segue a evolução da visão criativa de Glen Cook, que, nesse quinto volume da série Dread Empire, já demonstra mais domínio na mistura de ficção histórica, fantasia sombria, e brutalidade realista que o tornou um pioneiro no gênero tornado famoso com George R.R. Martin entre outros.

Como nos demais livros da saga, a prosa é bem enxuta, a caracterização dos protagonistas bem feita para o estilo da narrativa, e as batalhas são fantásticas.

A cada livro, apesar de Cook diminuir o uso de resumos de narrativa e focar mais em cenas dramáticas, os saltos narrativos vertiginosos continuam presentes!

Assim, esteja preparado para ver meses se passando em questão de algumas linhas, e de narrativas se desenvolverem de maneira absolutamente imprevisível!

Nesse volume finalmente compreendemos os motivos do feiticeiro Haroun, e sobre o passado de vários personagens dos volumes 1 a 3 da saga Dread Empire.

E, é claro, finalmente conhecemos os eventos das famosas Guerras de El Murid, que foi tanto referenciado nos volumes anteriores.

A trama é cheia de reviravoltas e bem imprevisível.

A descrição da guerra é bem realista e mostra as dificuldades dos dois lados do conflito, seja com traidores, problemas de gerenciamento de exércitos enormes, e muitos outros detalhes interessantes.

Recomendo para os fãs do Cook, como os demais livros da saga Dread Empire.

Se você não quiser ler todos os 8 volumes, recomendo os volumes 4 e 5, pois contam uma história completa e servem como prequência dos três primeiros!


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With Mercy Toward None (Dread Empire #5) - Glen Cook
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Profile Image for Charles.
Author 41 books288 followers
July 28, 2010
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.
Profile Image for Anthony O'Connor.
Author 2 books35 followers
July 23, 2025
3.5

Mercy Towards None is the second part of the prequel duology in Glen Cook's Dread Empire series. It gets off to a cracking start, and sets up an epic battle between El Murid the Disciple and Haroun bin Yousef but never quite pays that off to my satisfaction.

There's plenty of good stuff here for sure, and a certain character I didn't expect to see was an unexpected delight, but this felt less essential than the previous book.

Mind you, this seems to be a minority opinion so take it for what it's worth. Three more books to go in the series as The Cookening continues...
1 review
May 23, 2013
Glen cook ebook and glen cook novels become popular in the internet.


Glen Cook (born July 9, 1944) is a contemporary American science fiction.

Our Colorado front range Barbecue Posse responded viewer questions on a are living chat Monday.

I'm sure Pecan Lodge shirts a person's Dallas, tx collection currently, nevertheless what are other areas inside better D-FW vicinity -- state, 60-mile distance --
http://www.mangosweetie.com/index.php...
which can be some sort of can't-miss?Micheal Rossman: Lockhart Smokehouse around Pine Clf, Meshack's throughout Garland.
Away from the Bone fragments next to 820/I-20

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condition.

Plenty of excellent focus on Three or more Loads throughout Frisco.H Jacobson: Randy's throughout Reddish Walnut...Loco Coyote near Glen Increased by...

Frank Wilkins: For anyone who is within Collin District, give 3 or more Stacks trying. This ribs are fantastic & this particular synovial has excellent prospective. Is

really a url: http://texasbbqposse.blogger.com/2013...

Bruce Tomaso: Meshack's. Infant Back again Shak in Southern region Akard in Kansas city, more to the practical knowledge than the Barbecue. Mac's Bar-B-Que for Major in

close proximity to Reasonable Car park creates an awesome Frito Cake, applying ham as an alternative to chili.

Tioga is actually slightly within just that will 60-mile distance, however Clark's Outpost Bar-B-Q will be worth an end.

www.mangosweetie.com
Every possibility all of your preferred coming from Austin texas will certainly develop towards the Facilities location?

Bruce Tomaso: Not really that we've got read, Eileen. It is certainly difficult to retain excellent once that you are more than more than one store, specifically when

they can be countless distance a part. Barbecue is just as effective as the actual pitmaster.Glen Cook has carved out a place for himself among the preeminent fantasy

writers of the last period.

Jim Rossman: Every one of these spots are usually user and also pitmaster-driven. Aaron Franklin, Steve Lewis, Sara Mueller, Ben Mickelthwaite, Puncture Kirkpatrick.

Those people fellas include the people of people important joints. I think attempting to expand the crooks to far more regions can be poor.

Not that the item would not be done, nevertheless it would be the exclusion. Could any one create a top-tier Bbq grill shared who has several place?

Chad Wilkins: I would not see any in the Austin texas places likely northern Michael. It feels like development is normally designers the Bar-b-q articulation. The

standard generally appears to drop, just to illustrate will be Rudy's, although even now very good for just a sequence.

Bruce Tomaso: The sole time frame I've ever had a less-than-stellar food during Pecan Make had been sooner or later any time Justin Fourton, the master as well as

pitmaster was not presently there. People fellas merely would not pout out and about any platter that's not about their particular rigorous criteria. Retained assist

minus the mental expenditure (or perhaps the skills to recognise an excellent piece from an acceptable 1) only aren't going to do it exactly the same.
Profile Image for Joanna Marino.
2 reviews2 followers
May 19, 2013
Sorry Glen Cook, this book wasn't worthy of you. I felt this book's plotline was pretty shallow, the characters were all doing things they wouldn't normally do. Maybe he was trying to add some depth to some of the characters but it fell pretty flat. Also, there were at least two scenes in the novel that were so similar to other scenes that it almost felt like he copy/pasted it.

I'm going to finish the series, but this book didn't follow the upward quality trend that each novel before it seemed to follow.

I'm a big fan of Varthlokkur and he was such a wuss in this book too. I guess I don't like seeing weakness in Bragi either.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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