Book Review: 'The Chronicles of the Black Company'

Special to the Herald-Guide

September 02, 2010 at 9:09 am  | Mobile Reader | Print 

Mohammed Mohammed

“The Chronicles of the Black Company” is a trilogy compiling the "Books of the North." It is a science fiction story written by Glen Cook that follows the Black Company through their journeys and struggles across the medieval war-torn land.

War is a dangerous, merciless business. To some, it is the quintessence of death, murder and fear. To others, it is a paycheck. However, for a certain band of mercenaries known as the Black Company, it is all the same. Following the Domination, the Rebel has been at war with the Lady's empire. Despite the best efforts of her powerful sinister cohorts known as The Ten Who Were Taken, the Rebel forces continue to advance, determined to overthrow the Lady. The Black Company plunges into the heart of the chaos when SoulCatcher, one of the Taken, hires the Black Company in service to the Lady. As written by Croaker, the Company's Annalist, they fight for money and indefinable pride. The politics, ethics, and moralities are irrelevant.

I absolutely loved this book. It clearly illustrates human nature and emotions such as pride, greed and fear. The writing style is frank, blunt and real. The story itself is very human, and as a result, it can be very vulgar. As such, I do not recommend this book to a young audience.

Mohammed Mohammed recently completed his sophomore year in the academically gifted program at Hahnville High. He enjoys listening to music, drumming, boxing and working on computers.

Editor’s note: Book reviews are published weekly in agreement with Hahnville High School gifted English teacher Deborah Unger in conjunction with the Brown Foundation Service Learning Program.