Glen Cook

[Ali Kazam]

I'm just coming up to the end of his Black Company series, which is one of the best series I've ever read. Just wondering if anyone has read any of Cook's other works and whether you would recommend them.

I've been looking at Garrett P I, but I'm in two minds.

I don't tend to read multiple series' from one author because I always feel that if I do, and a series is crap, it will take my enjoyment away from the one that I do like. But since Black Company is finished, I don't mind having a fling with one of the others.

[Expletive Deleted]

I really enjoy the Garrett books. Granted, I'm a mark for mystery novels in fantasy or science fiction settings, but this series is genuinely good stuff. It drops off a bit in the later installments, much like the Black Company series, but if you like this kind of genre mashup and you don't mind going a little lighter in tone (lighter than the Black Company, at least), the first half-dozen or so are worth a read.

You might also take a look at the recently revived Dread Empire series. It's a bit closer to the Black Company in terms of tone and subject matter.

[Ali Kazam]

Look like my reading list is going to grow. Thanks!

[Inkthinker]

I liked the Garrett books a lot. Ignore the crap covers with the Dashiell Hammett-looking PI amongst the trolls, that's a terrible visual representation of the character and the world... the character isn't some transdimensional detective in a fedora and trenchcoat (well, maybe a trenchcoat of sorts), he exists fully in and of his world as a retired soldier turned professional problem solver/troublemaker, which is about as close to "private detective" as a fantasy world without a precedent for such things can get. People come to Garrett with their problems, Garrett turns over the rocks and knocks heads (and gets his head knocked) until he finds the solution. It's good stuff.

The latter books have gotten a touch continuity-laden (and Angry Lead Skies was just awful, skip it) but the character is fairly unique in the fantasy genre and the stories are a lot of fun.

[Ali Kazam]

Thanks guys.

Tell me, do you think Glen Cook sewed the seeds for a lot of fantasy books that have come along since he started writing?

I only started his Black Company a few months ago and prior to it I'd read a raft of fantasy books. Reading The Black Company I saw so many ideas that I think in some way must have influenced a lot of other books I've read. I see a lot of Wheel of Time in them, for example.

So I'm wondering if there is an element of Garrett in the Dresden files? I'm presuming Cook started first

[Inkthinker]

Cook definitely came first, by almost 13 years, but other than a shared tone in terms of writing style and a little bit of character, I'm not sure how much they have in common. Garrett is a man of his world, and his world is distinctly a fantasy one with fairies and goblins and ogres and dwarves and magic. He was born in that world, served in his city-state's military and survived (not unscathed), came home and sort of fell into the "private detective" business (not once is the term ever used in his novels, because there's no precedent for what Garrett does in a fantasy world. He's mostly referred to as a "nosy shit-stirrer"). It's why I hate those covers, which make it look like Garrett was literally snatched out of a Philip Marlowe book and dropped into D&D land.

Dresden lives in a modern-day Earth Chicago where magic is meant to be part of a "hidden world" that lives beside our own, the shadows that go bump in the night, and Harry is one of those who bumps back. He's a private detective from pretty much the beginning (and not a military veteran until later in the series). For Harry to have a bit of a Philip Marlowe thing going on requires him to be self-conscious of it, because there IS such a thing in his world. Harry's world is effectively our world, Garrett's is most definitely not.

If anything, I think they probably have a shared ancestry, both Cook and Butcher sourcing from the same influences (Marlowe, Hammett, etc), but you'd have to ask Butcher to really be sure. At any rate, Sweet Silver Blues (1987) predates Storm Front (2000), so Cook gets cool points for being first.

[Subotai]

Love this guy. Steven Erikson has repeatedly cited him as a major influence.

Great interview:

http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.ca/20...interview.html

[Expletive Deleted]

Yeah, I agree with Inkthinker. While I do think Cook's Garrett novels were somewhat influential (I see a lot of Garrett in Scott Lynch's "Gentlemen Bastards" series), I don't think he necessarily gets credit for shaping modern urban fantasy the way he does for shaping modern epic fantasy via the Black Company.

[Shellhead]

I really enjoyed the Black Company series, but when I tried one of the early Garrett P.I. books many years ago, I wasn't that impressed. Recently, I decided to give the Garrett books another try and read three of them in the last three weeks. I read Bitter Gold Hearts, Old Tin Sorrows, and Dread Brass Shadows. They're okay. Some interesting ideas and storylines, but maybe a few too many plot twists in each book. Each one stands alone pretty well, though there are nods in the direction of past continuity that don't spoil previous books if you read them out of order. Compared to other fantasy books, I would rate the Black Company series as a B+ and the Garrett books as a B-.

[Ali Kazam]

Love this guy. Steven Erikson has repeatedly cited him as a major influence.

Great interview:

http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.ca/20...interview.html

I've actually got some of his books lined up to read. I've nearly finished Soldiers Live, and though the series takes a dip compared to the beginning, I just love Croaker, and Lady will always be a legendary character to me.

I'm going to get around to some Garrett books I think.

[Ali Kazam]

Well. I finally finished Soldiers Live...blimey! I suppose it was an appropriate ending for Croaker, now he can chronicle forever, in a way.

But still, wow.

Apart from Case, Croaker was always my favourite, and I'm glad he got to finish the series

Wow.

[Inkthinker]

I liked Croaker best when he was the annalist... I never did warm up to Murgen properly, and Croaker got dark when he moved up in the world.

Still, you can't say Cook doesn't grow his characters. :)

[Shellhead]

I felt like Cook introduced about 50 new characters in the Books of the South, and I couldn't keep track of half of them. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the series, especially the first four books. My favorite might be The Silver Spike.

[Ali Kazam]

I liked Croaker best when he was the annalist... I never did warm up to Murgen properly, and Croaker got dark when he moved up in the world.

Still, you can't say Cook doesn't grow his characters. :)

Murgen was here there and everywhere, with his blackouts etc. I do think it was the first book of the Company that I felt genuine horror - the state of Dejagore and Mogaba's behaviour. They were some Company dark times.

I felt like Cook introduced about 50 new characters in the Books of the South, and I couldn't keep track of half of them. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the series, especially the first four books. My favorite might be The Silver Spike.

Really grew to love Swan, Mathers and Blade. It's been interesting how much you see of a character depending on who's the annalist. In some ways I feel like I never got to say goodbye to a bunch of them properly because of the way it was written - Goblin, Sleepy, Murgen, Sahra, the three that I've just mentioned...I suppose only Croaker and One-Eye got a 'proper' ending as in - I know what happened!

I too think The Silver Spike is my favourite. It's almost like that didn't slow down. And what and ending for Raven - broke my heart.

I think I'll be rereading these books in my future at some point!