Book · 1984
The Black Company
by Glen Cook
A mercenary company signs a contract with an undying sorceress they call the Lady, on the losing side of a war where the villains already won.
What does Reddit think of The Black Company?
Ask r/Fantasy for mercenary-fiction recommendations and someone will mention that a past poster read The Black Company, didn't care for it, and got recommended it again anyway by half the replies (↑334). That's the shape of its reputation: not universally loved, but the people who do love it treat that as beside the point. The ↑575 comment frames the whole book as Glen Cook's answer to 'glorious war' fiction, written by a veteran who wanted the boots-on-the-ground version instead. The ↑501 comment adds a detail that keeps surfacing, the narrator is a company physician rather than a soldier, and credits Cook's own history background for it. The Lady herself gets cited (↑394) in the same breath as Gandalf and Nynaeve as one of fantasy's defining characters, and the ↑615 comment puts the series in the 'veterans' tier of reading, not the beginner tier, ideally starting with the first three books at minimum.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · A mercenary company serving the side that already won, with 'morally grey' meaning something more literal than usual
- · War fiction filtered through a company physician's viewpoint instead of a soldier's
- · The Lady as one of fantasy's most-cited antagonist-adjacent characters
- · A love-it-or-bounce-off reputation the fandom shrugs off rather than debates
Common praise
- + The ↑575 comment credits Glen Cook's own military service for why the war scenes read as lived-in rather than glorified.
- + The Lady gets named in the same breath as Gandalf and Nynaeve (↑394) as one of the genre's defining characters.
- + The ↑615 'veterans' tier list treats the first three books as close to mandatory once you're past beginner fantasy.
Common criticism
- − The ↑334 comment is upfront that at least one reader finished it and didn't care for it, and the fandom recommended it to them again anyway.
- − It's filed under 'veterans' reading (↑615), not beginner fantasy, so newer readers get steered elsewhere first.
- − The doctor-narrator detail (↑501) comes up in a tangent about medical history education, not a dedicated review, so the book's own merits get discussed secondhand as often as directly.
Who it's for
Come to this one already tired of fantasy wars that read like glorious set pieces; that's the exact itch the ↑575 comment says it scratches. If you want your morally grey characters actually grey, not just brooding with a sword, The Lady is the test case r/Fantasy reaches for. New to the genre? The 'veterans' tier list (↑615) puts this a few books down the road, not first. And if you already tried it once and bounced off, the fandom's response to that exact complaint (↑334) is usually to recommend it again anyway.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/Fantasy 4,985
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- r/TrueLit 5
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Which Reddit comments matter for The Black Company?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“This is basically the entire point of *The Black Company*. It’s written by a military vet who wanted to see the boots-on-the-ground perspective of all those “glorious” wars.
“Lack of education regarding history. But especially the history of medical advancements. The primary perspective character of the Black Company series is famously a doctor rather than a soldier. Glen Cook is also really big on history.
“Okay, I'll give you must-reads only. There are a lot of other wonderful fantasy books I could recommend, but these are the basics for being a well-read fantasy fan. These are older books, so the odds are excellent that at least some of them will be new to you. Of course J. R. R. Tolkien's {{The Hob…
“The black company by Glen Cook somewhat takes place in a world where the bad guys have won. It follows a mercenary company who contract with an ancient evil and fight in her war against the "good guys" Very morally grey but some of my favorite books as even the evilest characters have a good reaso…
“The Black Company flips this on its head in the series. The "Dark Lord" (lady in this case) becomes a meaningful part of the story and eventually the narrator. It's a fun take on the typical tropes.
“Black Company by Glen Cook! Can’t believe that hasn’t been posted already
“I'm pretty sure The first law, Malazan, Black Company and Witcher would scratch that itch. And Guy Kay. All for different reasons.
“Black Company by Glen Cook!
“Obligatory *The Black Company* and *First Law* series recommendations.
“I would say, without a single doubt, that The Black Company by Glen Cook is up there amongst the best. Amazing characters, amazing world and the books are never afraid of touching upon the horrors of war from either side of the conflict.
“I’m surprised I only saw The Black Company only recommended once. Give it a shot. It’s “Vietnam War on peyote” told from the perspective of a jaded medic in a mercenary company. He possesses no magical powers, and gives the story from a soldiers POV as he’s shipped from front to front. Very good.
“For a group of villains, but Black Company's "The Ten Who Were Taken" is one of the all time greats. For those not familiar, a powerful wizard known for compulsion magic, the Dominator, sought out his ten strongest rivals and forced them to become his lieutenants.
“Missing the grand-daddy here, Black Company. Starts off as mercenary, goes full "dark lord Sauron" and then becomes more anti-hero. I'd say it's mostly single POV, but as the books progress, other people take over the Company and the story is told from their POV. Might not quite fit the bill because…
“Wheel of time, I have gotten to book 3 twice and just can't dig into the series. I have liked LoR, GoT, Malazan, Mistborn, Black Company, Thomas Covenant, Dragon Riders of Pern. But I feel no attraction to WoT... multiple friends love it, and I am sure it is a great series, just not for me, and I ca…
“I think what’s gotten me about the book so far (still on the first one) is that it’s so…unapologetic about what it is and who the company are. Other grimdark I’ve read has felt like it’s trying to be intentional subversive, or to surprise you. I remember one series I read started out as slightly gr…
Convinced? Pick up The Black Company
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with The Black Company — counted from the comments, not curated.
The Black Company — frequently asked
Is The Black Company good for someone new to fantasy?+
Not first, per r/Fantasy's own tiering. The ↑615 comment sorts recommendations into beginner and veteran categories and puts The Black Company, ideally the first three books, firmly in the veteran tier, alongside Discworld and Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice. Start with the beginner-tier picks and come back to this one.
What makes The Black Company different from other war fantasy?+
The narrator's job, mainly. The ↑501 comment points out the primary perspective character is a company physician, not a soldier, and credits author Glen Cook's own history background for that choice. The ↑575 comment adds that Cook served in the military himself, which is why the book reads as a rebuttal to 'glorious war' framing rather than an example of it.
Does everyone on Reddit love The Black Company?+
No. The ↑334 comment describes someone who read it, explicitly said they didn't care for it, and got recommended it again by roughly half the replies anyway. That's the honest picture: real affection for the series, but not universal, and the fandom doesn't treat the dissent as disqualifying.
Who is the Lady in The Black Company, and why do people bring her up?+
She's the series' central undying antagonist and employer, and the ↑394 comment lists her alongside Gandalf, Nynaeve, and Merlin as one of fantasy's most memorable characters, no further explanation offered in that thread. That's the level of name recognition she operates at in these discussions.