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From: owner-glencook-fans-digest@lists.xmission.com (glencook-fans-digest)
To: glencook-fans-digest@lists.xmission.com
Subject: glencook-fans-digest V1 #13
Reply-To: glencook-fans-digest
Sender: owner-glencook-fans-digest@lists.xmission.com
Errors-To: owner-glencook-fans-digest@lists.xmission.com
Precedence: bulk
glencook-fans-digest Monday, August 14 2000 Volume 01 : Number 013
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 03:56:12 EDT
From: CookReader@aol.com
Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
In a message dated 8/13/00 11:43:01 PM, shpshftr@xmission.com writes:
>on 8/13/00 11:40 AM, Steve Harris at harrissg@SLU.EDU wrote:
>> If you'll recall, I brought up Jordan as a source of comparison for a
>> group of sorcerous baddies. I think there was some good exchange on
>> that score, in terms of character development and strength of
>> do-unto-others.
Except as soon as an author, other than Cook, is mentioned the discussion
denigrates into a thread that is of little substance. And I don't think this
is just a subjective observation on my part. It's not hard to go back over
the threads and see this trend.
>Comparisons are allowed on the list as long as they don't devolve into
>a sole discussion of the other author or flame baiting. And given Jordan's
>popularity, it is difficult to avoid using him for comparison.
And one could say that just mentioning him is flame baiting to a degree,
just like mentioning Anthony on rec.arts.sf.written. You can take whatever
stance you like on either of these authors and a thousand people will
line up to disagree with you. I say this isn't the forum.
>The comparisons of the Forsaken, Nazguls and Taken has been good so far.
It started this way, but too many posters were making the assumption that
people have read all three authors. There was some content pointing to how
each author delt with evil character, but this didn't last. Again, the
thread's
there.
>I understand Christopher's posts and it is a valid warning, though it may
>be a bit overstated. There is a very good reason why
rec.arts.sf.written.jordan
>exists.
Overstated? Me? Never.
I may be over-reacting, but just call it dissapointment that with a fresh GC
book
out, we're discussing...Jordan?
christopher....
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 08:13:25 -0700
From: Aaron Contreras <Aaron.Contreras@sierra.com>
Subject: RE: (glencook-fans) The Glen Cook Fan Page v2.0 GM
Woohoo!
Nice stuff! Like the bibliography.
Aaron Contreras
- -----Original Message-----
From: Eric Herrmann [mailto:shpshftr@xmission.com]
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2000 11:47 PM
To: Glen Cook Fans
Subject: (glencook-fans) The Glen Cook Fan Page v2.0 GM
The Glen Cook Fan Page v2.0 has gone final! Thank you to everyone who sent
me comments and criticism. I tried to use most of it.
You can now find the new site in the place of the old site. So delete all
your links to the new site and start using your old site links again.
And in case you've forgotten it is at,
<http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/>.
For those who are new to the list, there has been a lot of new material
added as part of the Biography, Bibliography, and Links.
And now you have the option to get the glencook-fans mailing list as a
digest. See the site for details.
- --
Eric Herrmann
<shpshftr@xmission.com>
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
=======================================================================
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 10:25:19 -0500
From: "Wright Frazier" <khelek@cioe.com>
Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Favorite BC book
Shadowslinger.
I love the feel that Cook gave Juniper and that was the start for me of the
real black company series. It delt much much more with people in a personal
level like the later books. I must say though, Water Sleeps comes a close
2nd.
Wright
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Glenn Hoetker" <ghoetker@umich.edu>
To: "Glen Cook Fans" <glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2000 9:25 AM
Subject: (glencook-fans) Favorite BC book
> Having just finished SL (much to the detriment of my dissertation!), I was
> curious what _single_ BC book was people's favorite and why--now that it
> appears Glen has given us the whole set. Anyone have an opinion they'd be
> willing to share (good bet in this group!)?
>
> For myself, I still the think the book that hooked me on the whole thing,
> The Black Company, is the winner. I like that the villians (and heroes!)
> are still villianous and mysterious--Raven is still a bad-a**, Lady is
> humanizing but not yet humanized, Soulcatcher is still somewhat distant,
> Limper still sane enough to be a threat and the Dominator a scary beast in
> the ground. Even more peripheral characters, like Harding and Whisper,
have
> a hardness and resiliance I didn't find as consistently in the subsequent
> books. Since the Company is still together, the narrative is coherent and
> continuous, which I like (personal taste). Less feeling of the Company as
a
> pawn of greater celestial powers. And, much as I respect Cook for letting
> his characters age, decay and even die, several of my favorite characters
> (One-Eye and Goblin, mainly) are more fun when they are still spry.
>
> That said, I love the all, even Silver Spike.
>
> Others?
> -----
> Glenn Hoetker
> ghoetker@umich.edu
> PhD Candidate, International Business &
> Corporate Strategy
> University of Michigan Business School
>
>
> =======================================================================
> To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list,
> visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
>
=======================================================================
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 08:30:10 -0700
From: Aaron Contreras <Aaron.Contreras@sierra.com>
Subject: RE: (glencook-fans) Favorite BC book
I'd have to say the original Black Company as well. The emphasis on being
right there as things happened, part of a squad rather than following around
the commander of a large unit. I rather liked the Company as mercenaries
working for the 'bad guys'.
I really liked Bleak Seasons, because it confused me so much. I loved She
is the Darkness, because it made Bleak Seasons make sense and really hyped
me up for Water Sleeps. Soldiers Live was kind've a letdown, simply because
(as many have stated) all the new cool cultures and magical stuff either
gets pushed aside or quickly debunked and discarded. Still a great read, of
course.
I've only reread Bleak Seasons and She is the Darkness about twice each.
Anytime I've read a glittering stone book, I've done it in under 48
hours...they just float together in my head.
Aaron Contreras
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Glenn Hoetker" <ghoetker@umich.edu>
To: "Glen Cook Fans" <glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2000 9:25 AM
Subject: (glencook-fans) Favorite BC book
> Having just finished SL (much to the detriment of my dissertation!), I was
> curious what _single_ BC book was people's favorite and why--now that it
> appears Glen has given us the whole set. Anyone have an opinion they'd be
> willing to share (good bet in this group!)?
>
> For myself, I still the think the book that hooked me on the whole thing,
> The Black Company, is the winner. I like that the villians (and heroes!)
> are still villianous and mysterious--Raven is still a bad-a**, Lady is
> humanizing but not yet humanized, Soulcatcher is still somewhat distant,
> Limper still sane enough to be a threat and the Dominator a scary beast in
> the ground. Even more peripheral characters, like Harding and Whisper,
have
> a hardness and resiliance I didn't find as consistently in the subsequent
> books. Since the Company is still together, the narrative is coherent and
> continuous, which I like (personal taste). Less feeling of the Company as
a
> pawn of greater celestial powers. And, much as I respect Cook for letting
> his characters age, decay and even die, several of my favorite characters
> (One-Eye and Goblin, mainly) are more fun when they are still spry.
>
> That said, I love the all, even Silver Spike.
>
> Others?
> -----
> Glenn Hoetker
> ghoetker@umich.edu
> PhD Candidate, International Business &
> Corporate Strategy
> University of Michigan Business School
>
>
> =======================================================================
> To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list,
> visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
>
=======================================================================
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
=======================================================================
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 10:43:19 -0500
From: Steve Harris <harrissg@slu.edu>
Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
Christopher,
Well, instead of over-reacting to the means (comparsion with Jordan) to
this particular end (the nature of the singular qualities of Cook), how
about discussing the thesis I advanced for the specific nature of the
difference in Cook's cycle, to wit, the use of an organization of
changing personnel as the protagonist that carries the moral burden of
the cycle?
Does the company, actually, fit the literary trope of a protagonist on a
journey of moral discovery? If so, is this actually a unique invention
of Cook's, or does it have literary antecedents? Is it a successful
device on its own merits, or does the cycle work in spite of, not
because of, this feature?
Steve
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 11:12:48 -0500
From: "Warner, Jon" <Jon.Warner@ps.net>
Subject: RE: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
Steve wrote: how about discussing the thesis I advanced for the specific
nature of the
> difference in Cook's cycle, to wit, the use of an organization of
> changing personnel as the protagonist that carries the moral burden of
> the cycle?
An excellent question,imho. I think the BC cycle actually works
best when viewed as journey fiction. The Company as a protagonist provides
a large canvas that allows a look at the "moral burden" of the organization,
which changes dramatically from the outset of the Free Companies from
Khatovar to the close of SL. It also works well on a personal level as you
see how the unfolding events effect the men and women who comprise the
Company.
> Does the company, actually, fit the literary trope of a
> protagonist on a
> journey of moral discovery?
Definitely. The Company has a tangible history and character that
is subject to the forces of change and tradition.
>If so, is this actually a
> unique invention
> of Cook's, or does it have literary antecedents?
Journey literature has been around for a long time. I think Cook's
particular take resonates well with The Heart of Darkness, Lord of the
Flies, and (reaching way back) even the Israelites of the Old Testament to
name just a few.
>Is it a successful
> device on its own merits, or does the cycle work in spite of, not
> because of, this feature?
I think it is a successful device on it's own merits and an
excellent vehicle to examine group "morality" over the course of several
generations. Best of all, it entertains and holds the imagination.
Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Jonathan
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Harris [mailto:harrissg@slu.edu]
> Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 9:43 AM
> To: glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com
> Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
>
>
> Christopher,
>
> Well, instead of over-reacting to the means (comparsion with
> Jordan) to
> this particular end (the nature of the singular qualities of
> Cook), how
> about discussing the thesis I advanced for the specific nature of the
> difference in Cook's cycle, to wit, the use of an organization of
> changing personnel as the protagonist that carries the moral burden of
> the cycle?
>
> Does the company, actually, fit the literary trope of a
> protagonist on a
> journey of moral discovery? If so, is this actually a
> unique invention
> of Cook's, or does it have literary antecedents? Is it a successful
> device on its own merits, or does the cycle work in spite of, not
> because of, this feature?
>
> Steve
>
> ==============================================================
> =========
> To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list,
> visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
>
=======================================================================
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 10:52:03 -0600
From: Matthew Roche <rocheml@cerebusnm.com>
Subject: RE: (glencook-fans) Favorite BC book
i think that _the white rose_ is my favorite black company book. the
juxtaposition of the dominator's resurgence with the mystery letters coming
from the barrowland (i just love 'views into the past' and similar plot
devices) and the way the two plotlines converged was just masterful. that,
combined with the denouement involving the dominator, the lady, the white
rose and the near total destruction of the company made for a book that's
hard to beat.
although if you were asking about cook novels in general, you can't beat
_the dragon never sleeps_...
(begging for argument)
- -----Original Message-----
From: Glenn Hoetker [mailto:ghoetker@umich.edu]
Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2000 10:26 AM
To: Glen Cook Fans
Subject: (glencook-fans) Favorite BC book
Having just finished SL (much to the detriment of my dissertation!), I was
curious what _single_ BC book was people's favorite and why--now that it
appears Glen has given us the whole set. Anyone have an opinion they'd be
willing to share (good bet in this group!)?
For myself, I still the think the book that hooked me on the whole thing,
The Black Company, is the winner. I like that the villians (and heroes!)
are still villianous and mysterious--Raven is still a bad-a**, Lady is
humanizing but not yet humanized, Soulcatcher is still somewhat distant,
Limper still sane enough to be a threat and the Dominator a scary beast in
the ground. Even more peripheral characters, like Harding and Whisper, have
a hardness and resiliance I didn't find as consistently in the subsequent
books. Since the Company is still together, the narrative is coherent and
continuous, which I like (personal taste). Less feeling of the Company as a
pawn of greater celestial powers. And, much as I respect Cook for letting
his characters age, decay and even die, several of my favorite characters
(One-Eye and Goblin, mainly) are more fun when they are still spry.
That said, I love the all, even Silver Spike.
Others?
- -----
Glenn Hoetker
ghoetker@umich.edu
PhD Candidate, International Business &
Corporate Strategy
University of Michigan Business School
=======================================================================
To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list,
visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
=======================================================================
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 11:55:58 -0500
From: Steve Harris <harrissg@slu.edu>
Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
Jonathan,
Whoa, that is reaching, alright! But a very intriguing grasp, it is:
"(reaching way back) even the Israelites of the Old Testament"
The Black Company as the Chosen People? With Croaker as Moses,
providing the moral focus (in the stricter sense of that word "moral"),
writing the history of his people, but not able to go with them in their
final journey?
(Just how far can we stretch this--hmm, chosen by Kina? or by Shivetya?
"Light unto the nations"--naaaa, I don't think so.)
Well, it's a fun exercize, anyway.
Seriously: The sort of literary antecedent I was hoping for would have
to be one that dealt largely with a changing body of people (with,
perhaps, a single guiding hand leading the way), and that experienced a
change in convictions--in moral thrust of their existence--during the
course of the changes in personnel (possibly accompanying a similar
change in a guiding hand). Could, indeed, be modeled in that respect by
the Israelites of the Books of Moses, though I was hoping for something
in a more clearly fictive/entertainment vein.
Steve
=======================================================================
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 12:05:26 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jake Kesinger <kesinger@math.ttu.edu>
Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
On Mon, 14 Aug 2000, Steve Harris wrote:
> Jonathan,
>
> Whoa, that is reaching, alright! But a very intriguing grasp, it is:
> "(reaching way back) even the Israelites of the Old Testament"
>
> The Black Company as the Chosen People? With Croaker as Moses,
> providing the moral focus (in the stricter sense of that word "moral"),
> writing the history of his people, but not able to go with them in their
> final journey?
``In those days, the Children of Isreal were in service to Pharoh...''
Then the other Free Companies of Khatovar could represent the Ten
Lost Tribes?
==Jake
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 11:11:34 -0600
From: Eric Herrmann <shpshftr@xmission.com>
Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Journey Fiction (was Enough on Jordan!)
on 8/14/00 10:55 AM, Steve Harris at harrissg@slu.edu wrote:
> Whoa, that is reaching, alright! But a very intriguing grasp, it is:
>
> "(reaching way back) even the Israelites of the Old Testament"
>
> The Black Company as the Chosen People? With Croaker as Moses,
> providing the moral focus (in the stricter sense of that word "moral"),
> writing the history of his people, but not able to go with them in their
> final journey?
>
> (Just how far can we stretch this--hmm, chosen by Kina? or by Shivetya?
> "Light unto the nations"--naaaa, I don't think so.)
>
> Well, it's a fun exercize, anyway.
So we've gone from Jordan to the River Jordan. <g>
Not that this topic needs to stay with the Old Testament.
I've changed the subject line to reflect this.
- --
Eric Herrmann
<shpshftr@xmission.com>
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 13:11:54 -0400
From: "Joshua Peery" <jloasrah@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
> ``In those days, the Children of Isreal were in service to Pharoh...''
>
> Then the other Free Companies of Khatovar could represent the Ten
> Lost Tribes?
>
> ==Jake
hehehe Captain Moroni waging war .....
=======================================================================
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 12:29:24 -0500
From: "Warner, Jon" <Jon.Warner@ps.net>
Subject: RE: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
Steve,
It is a fun exercise! For something in a more fictive/entertainment
vein, (not to mention more contemporary) how about Frank Herbert's DUNE and
Asimov's Foundation series? The style differs widely from Cook, but the
large thematic brush strokes are there. However, I can't think of examples
that adhere more closely to Cook's recipe off the top of my head (aside
from Moses and his crew). Cook is able to use these large themes extremely
well, like the Starfishers play on Wagner's Ring Cycle. I'm also wondering
if the Black Company, as a protagonist, would fit well into Joseph
Campbell's Hero's Journey?
Jonathan
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Harris [mailto:harrissg@slu.edu]
> Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 10:56 AM
> To: glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com
> Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
>
>
> Jonathan,
>
> Whoa, that is reaching, alright! But a very intriguing grasp, it is:
>
> "(reaching way back) even the Israelites of the Old Testament"
>
> The Black Company as the Chosen People? With Croaker as Moses,
> providing the moral focus (in the stricter sense of that word
> "moral"),
> writing the history of his people, but not able to go with
> them in their
> final journey?
>
> (Just how far can we stretch this--hmm, chosen by Kina? or by
> Shivetya?
> "Light unto the nations"--naaaa, I don't think so.)
>
> Well, it's a fun exercize, anyway.
>
> Seriously: The sort of literary antecedent I was hoping for
> would have
> to be one that dealt largely with a changing body of people (with,
> perhaps, a single guiding hand leading the way), and that
> experienced a
> change in convictions--in moral thrust of their existence--during the
> course of the changes in personnel (possibly accompanying a similar
> change in a guiding hand). Could, indeed, be modeled in that
> respect by
> the Israelites of the Books of Moses, though I was hoping for
> something
> in a more clearly fictive/entertainment vein.
>
> Steve
>
> ==============================================================
> =========
> To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list,
> visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
>
=======================================================================
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visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 12:47:31 -0500
From: Steve Harris <harrissg@slu.edu>
Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan!
Jonathan,
"how about Frank Herbert's DUNE and
Asimov's Foundation series? The style differs widely from Cook, but the
large thematic brush strokes are there."
I don't think Dune makes it as an analogous cycle, as there's no
coherent group which goes on a moral journey (at least I don't see that
in either the Fremen or the Bene Gesserit). The orginal Foundation
Trilogy maybe has a case for it in terms of the Foundationers (First and
Second combined), but there's no reader identification with the group
that I feel. (It's not the broad sweeps I find of interest in this
particular exploration of literary comparison.)
"the Starfishers play on Wagner's Ring Cycle"
I think I've got one of those around, but not the first, so I've not
delved into that series. Maybe I can find them at Archon?
"I'm also wondering
if the Black Company, as a protagonist, would fit well into Joseph
Campbell's Hero's Journey?"
Care to elaborate on this? I don't know Campbell's detailed version,
though the idea in general is pretty common.
Steve
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 14:24:28 -0500
From: "Vonder Haar, Peter C." <Peter.VonderHaar@bakerhughes.com>
Subject: (glencook-fans) The FAQ - V. 0.1
Little did I realize how much I *didn't* know about Glen Cook until I
started doing my research for this. Said research basically involved
looking at the various web pages out there - primarily Eric's - sifting
through the list archives, and copying other author FAQs' formats.
Nonetheless, I have come up with a rough version of the FAQ.
"Rough" being the operative word.
I should also point out that my knowledge of Cook's work extends only
through what I've personally read: the BC series, a few Garrett novels, the
_Swordbearer_, and _The Heirs of Babylon_. The FAQ reflects this, and if
anybody has any contributions that should be included about DE, Darkwar, or
Starfishers, I'm all ears.
The wording of the document is also not complete. I plan on putting
everything together better, format-wise, and credit will be given where due.
Most answers will be fleshed out as well. What I'm looking for at this
point is content. I'll make it pretty later.
The FAQ has ???'s listed where information is either suspect or frankly
lacking. Note that this doesn't mean I'm assuming everything else is
correct. This e-mail is for you, the listmembers, to pick apart and review
what I've put together. I'm not sensitive. If you think it sucks, tell me
so, and I'll change what I can.
That said, here you go:
- ------------
The Glen Cook FAQ
Q: Who is this Glen Cook fellow anyway?
A: Glen Charles Cook was born in 1944 in New York City. He has lived in
Columbus, Indiana; Rocklin, California; and Columbia, Missouri, where he
attended the state university (Univeristy of Missouri)[1]. He attended the
Clarion Writers Workshop in 1970, where he met his wife, Carol. He is the
author of, among others, the Black Company series, the Garrett, P.I. series,
the Dread Empire series, the Starfishers trilogy, and the Darkwar trilogy.
He is widely regarded by his fans as one of the most under-appreciated and
unsung fantasy/sci-fi authors working today.
Q: What other authors would you recommend for a fan of Cook's?
A: Many Cook readers look for authors that write with a gritty, realistic
(for fantasy/sci-fi) feel similar to his. Some names that have come up,
repeatedly, on the Glen Cook Mailing List include: Steven Brust (Vlad Taltos
series), Laurel Hamilton (Anita Blake series), David Gemmell (Drenai
series), George R. Martin, David Drake, MS Rohan (Winter of the World
series, Northworld trilogy), Iain M. Banks, Michael Moorcock (Elric of
Melnibone series), Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time series).
This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Q: Where can I find a copy of Dread Empire/Starfishers/Darkwar books?
A: Cook's works are often popping up on different auction sites and book
search pages. Here are a few places to look:
EBay - http://www.ebay.com
ABE Books - http://www.abebooks.com
Alibris.com - http://www.alibris.com
Bibliofind - http://www.bibliofind.com
Barnes and Noble http://www.bn.com
The Dragon Never Sleeps (see below)
Occasionally, members of the mailing list have extras they are willing to
sell/trade for.
Q: What is this mailing list you keep referring to?
A: You can sign up for the Glen Cook Mailing List at
mailto:majordomo@xmission.com?body=subscribe%20GlenCook-Fans
Q; What are some good web sites devoted to Glen Cook?
A: There are several.
The Glen Cook Fan Page - http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Home.html
The Black Company Homepage - http://www.shout.net/~bburgner/blackco.html
Eldon the Seer's Black Company Outpost -
http://members.tripod.com/~blackco/
Tor - Cook's publisher - http://www.tor.com/tor.html
A much more comprehensive list can be found at
http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Links.html
Q: Is it true Cook works in an auto plant?
A: Mr. Cook used to work in a GM light truck plant in St. Louis. He has
since retired.
Q: Did Cook ever serve in the military?
A: ???
Q: How can I contact him? Does he have an e-mail address?
A: It is pretty widely acknowledged that Glen does not have an e-mail
address and, in fact, is not very enamored of computers in general.
The Dragon Never Sleeps
4106 Flora Place
St. Louis, MO 63310
Note that this is not a physical store to visit, per se, but a private
service run by Cook for people seeking specific books.
Q: What has he written?
(apologies in advance if the formatting is screwy)
A: The Black Company: From the Files of Garrett
P.I.
The Books of the North Sweet Silver Blues (1987)
The Black Company (1984) Bitter Gold Hearts (1988)
Shadows Linger (1984) Cold Copper Tears (1988)
The White Rose (1985) Old Tin Sorrows (1989)
Dread Brass Shadows (1990)
The Silver Spike (1989) Red Iron Nights (1991)
Deadly Quicksilver Lies
(1994)
The Books of the South Petty Pewter Gods (1995)
Shadow Games (1989) Faded Steel Heat (1999)
Dreams of Steel (1990)
Omnibus
Glittering Stone The Garrett Files
(1988)
Bleak Seasons (1996)
She Is the Darkness (1997)
Water Sleeps (1998)
Soldiers Live (2000)
Anthologies
The Annals of the Black Company (1986)
The Haunting Dread Empire The Starfishers Trilogy
Prequels Shadowline (1982)
The Fire in His Hands (1984) Starfishers (1982)
With Mercy Towards None (1985) Star's End (1982)
The Dread Empire Trilogy Passage at Arms
(1985)
A Shadow of All Night Falling (1979)
October's Baby (1980)
All Darkness Met (1980)
Sequels
Reap the East Wind (1987)
An Ill Fate Marshalling (1988)
Future works
A Path to Coldness of the Heart
The Cruel Storm
The Darkwar Trilogy Others
Doomstalker (1985) The Swap Academy (1970)
Warlock (1985) The Heirs of Babylon (1972)
Ceremony (1986) The Swordbearer (1982)
A Matter of Time (1985)
The Dragon Never Sleeps (1988)
The Tower of Fear (1989)
Sung in Blood (1990)
Short Stories
???
Cook has said the planned Dread Empire books are "unlikely to appear."
According to later reports, this might be viewed as an understatement.
Q: What's Glen's best book?
A: Depends on who you ask. Some love _The Tower of Fear_, others favor _The
Dragon Never Sleeps_, still more would say _The Black Company_. One thing's
for certain, nobody ever recommends _The Swap Academy_.
Q: Is Glen planning on writing any more...
Dread Empire books?
A: Highly unlikely. The originals sold so poorly that it is apparently not
feasible for him to write any more, though he has said he has plots for
further books. (Harold Burns)
Black Company books?
A: Also not likely. Glen has said he's hanging it up after _Soldiers Live_.
Swordbearer books?
A: He did, reportedly. He didn't like it.
Garrett books?
A: ???
Q: To whom should I write to encourage the publication of more Dread Empire
stories?
A: Cook's editor may or may not be Patrick Nielsen Hayden (???)
Tor Books
175 Fifth Avenue
New York City, NY 10010
BC QUESTIONS:
The "Black Company" series is Cook's most popular, without a doubt.
Q: What is Tonk?
A: A card game played by mercenaries of the Black Company throughout the
series to pass the time. The following sites have versions of the rules:
http://www.gamecabinet.com/rules/Tonk.html
http://www.bsfs.org/bsfstonk.htm
Q: Do any maps exist of the world of the Black Company novels?
A: Cook has never made any official maps, and has indicated he will never do
so. Some fan representations can be found at:
http://www.cofc.edu/~wraggj/blackco/
http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/Images/MapNorth.GIF
http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/Images/MapSouth.GIF
http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/Images/MapShadow.GIF
Q: Are the games "Myth: The Fallen Lords" and "Myth II: Soulblighter" based
on the Black Company novels?
A: Not officially, though the similarities between the two are enough to put
that whole Lincoln-Kennedy thing to shame. "Eldon the Seer" has a fine page
dedicated to just this topic. You can find it here:
http://members.tripod.com/~blackco/myth-n-bc.html
Q: What's Croaker's real name?
A: Marion Morrison. Kidding. It's never stated.
- --------
There, told you it was rough. Obviously since there isn't (to my
knowledge) a Usenet newsgroup devoted to Cook there's no need to post things
about spam, but I'm considering including a section on e-mail etiquette and
off-topic posts. Please e-mail me privately with any suggestions. I'm
especially open to anything people feel should be included about the other
series, the debate over naming, and what the deal is with the attempt to
name Lady, since I've only read _The White Rose_ once (and that was several
years ago) and it's the only BC book I don't own.
Pete
[1] I'll have to check my parents' old yearbooks, as they attended Mizzou at
roughly the same time Cook would've.
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Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 14:32:55 -700
From: Eric Herrmann <shpshftr@xmission.com>
Subject: (glencook-fans) Soldiers Live PB
The TOR site lists "Soldiers Live" to published in paperback April
2001. <http://www.tor.com/scheduletor.html>
- --
Eric Herrmann
<shpshftr@xmission.com>
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Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 15:48:37 -0500
From: "Bill Acuff" <wacuff@edge.net>
Subject: (glencook-fans) newbie talks about Cook and the Black Company
Hey, all.
First time poster who really likes Glen Cook--mostly because of the Black
Company series. I just finished SL and a subsequent message will follow re.
that novel. I've read all of the Company books, The Swordbearer, the
Starfishers series, and The Tower of Fear.
I can't remember when I first picked up a copy of The Black Company, but it
must have been in the very early 90s. I think Dreams of Steel had just come
out, so that must be right. In any case, like most of you I fell in love
with that story and the two novels that followed it. My Cook favorites have
to be TBC, Shadows Linger, and The Silver Spike (I know that last one may
seem like an odd choice, but I just love what he did with the characters in
that book), followed closely by The White Rose and a non-Company book, The
Tower of Fear.
Favorite characters: Croaker leads the pack, followed by Raven, who is
followed closely by One-Eye, Goblin, and Silent. Cook was at his absolute
best, IMO, when he had all five of these guys together in TBC. I liked
Marron Shed and Smeds Stahl, too (in spite of myself)--and of course the
Lady (not Lady, but THE Lady . . . big difference, there), Soulcatcher and
Limper, and Case from TSS. I always tried to play One-Eye as my black
sorcerer in Diablo. Anybody else do that? <grin> Also on that subject, of
COURSE the Bungie game "Myth" borrowed, and I do mean borrowed *heavily*,
from The Black Company. No doubt--but I think that's cool. <shrug> Short of
having Bungie do a "Black Company" game, this is the next best thing.
Cook sure does a good job of making us like "bad" characters, doesn't he?
Raven, all by himself, is worthy of an entire series of novels, IMO. I read
somewhere that Cook doesn't think of himself as being very good at
characterization. I have to respectfully disagree with him. I think he
absolutely nails to the wall so many diverse and believable personality
types in his work--and I just KNOW that most of these characters have to be
at least loosely based on friends or acquaintances of his from over the
years. Why not? He admits that Croaker is more-or-less an image of himself,
right? So maybe he works with two guys, one black and one white (the latter
with a frog-faced grin, no doubt), who are always playing tricks on each
other . . . see what I'm getting at? Of course, the sign of an author who
can write good characters would be one who can make us either care deeply
about them -or- hate them with everything we have--I think Cook has
obviously done admirably there, but to say more would be a spoiler, so I
won't. <grin>
I think a lot of the ground Cook has traversed with his work (or at least
that portion of his work that I am conversant with) does draw from many
established influences in those genres--but I have little thought of Cook
ripping other authors off (he may be writing about swords and sorcery and
fantastical wars and monstrous things from barrows, but he does it from a
quite unique perspective and with a creative flourish that can be found
nowhere else, IMO). The hiring of a band of mercs by one of The Ten Who Were
Taken in the midst of their plotting and political backstabbing, as ideas,
are of pure genius, IMO.
As an amateur writer ("amateur" because I haven't actually sold anything,
"writer" because I've actually completed a few things) I appreciate
creativity. And I think for me the ultimate writing experience would be to
create an entire world (geography, people, history, social and economic and
cultural issues, etc) out of cloth and populate it with interesting people
doing very interesting things--just like Glen has done many times.
One point of interest that you BC fans may really appreciate (assuming no
one has brought this up before): I was poring over my college copy of "A
History of England and the Empire-Commonweath" (my first BS degree was in
history) looking for "grist for the mill," as Glen puts it. I've got some
ideas that I was looking into. Anyway, check out what I found in a chapter
entitled "Beyond the Borders, 1277-1377":
"Yet another military innovation, particularly stimulated by this progress
of infantry, was the professional, or mercenary, soldier. Two centuries
earlier, when scutage began to appear, Henry II had appreciated the
advantage of hiring the fighters who would stay under arms for more than the
conventional forty days (see page 78). The system became general during the
Hundred Years' War. Contractors--or, as the Italians called them,
"condottieri"--would promise to furnish a ruler so many fighters for a
certain price. These men were not necessarily of the same nationality. The
contractor would then sign up the necessary number of "free companies," or
units which were ready to sell their services for ready money. The first
armies sent to France during this war were general levies based on the
military legislation of Edward I; then, England turned to the professionals
of the free companies. During the next three centuries the average free
companies in Europe might be composed of men of a dozen different lands;
those in English pay were largely Englishmen. All free companies fought for
anyone, as long as their pay came regularly. During intervals of peace, and
consequent unemployment, they would live off the country, and any luckless
peasant at their approach knew that neither he himself, his crops, his home,
nor his womenfolk were safe. Such bands, both English and French, were to
ravage the French countryside year after year."
Pretty interesting, no? I have to wonder if Glen didn't get the basis for
the entire series from this area of history (surely not from the same book,
though . . . LOL).
By the way, anybody know where I can score a decent copy of any of the
following (especially the Dread Empire books and Doomstalker)?
October's Baby, All Darkness Met, An Ill Fate Marshalling, Passage At Arms,
Doomstalker, The Dragon Never Sleeps, The Heirs of Babylon, A Matter of
Time, Sung in Blood, The Swap Academy.
Once I score copies of these, I'll have all of Glen's novels except for the
Garrett stuff. I haven't tried any of that yet--maybe I will one of these
days.
Enough for now.
L8r,
Bill Acuff
wacuff@edge.net
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. And inside of a dog, it's
too dark to read." - Fiction Writer, October 1999.
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End of glencook-fans-digest V1 #13
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