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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 #14 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 014 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 14:05:55 -0700 From: "JM Rhodes" <jammers@netzero.net> Subject: RE: (glencook-fans) Favorite BC book Matthew wrote: although if you were asking about cook novels in general, you can't beat _the dragon never sleeps_... Great book, but I liked Swordbearer more... the writing is definitely more primitive than BC, but it has a freshness that I enjoyed a great deal, and is more cohesive along the line of "Heroic Journey" than some of his other works... John - -----Original Message----- From: owner-glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com [mailto:owner-glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of Matthew Roche Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 9:52 AM To: 'glencook-fans@lists.xmission.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>. ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 14:14:31 -0700 From: "JM Rhodes" <jammers@netzero.net> Subject: RE: (glencook-fans) Enough on Jordan! Not so bad an analogy, really, considering that the birth of the fiction Hero can be drawn from the Ramayana and other semi-religious texts... Joseph Campbell even postulated that the rise in popularity of such stories stemmed from our societies separation from its religious roots while still needing "Heroes" on an emotional/mythological level... So I don't think it's much of a reach to say that the BC device of the changing Company can be related to a historical/mythological text like the story of the Hebrews... in fact, if you've read Judges lately, you'd know that it contains some pretty heavy action... a "whole lot of smitin' goin' on" in there... and the basic plots of the stories of Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and others have been recycled until they are an almost invisible influence on modern writing... John - -----Original Message----- From: owner-glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com [mailto:owner-glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of Jake Kesinger Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 10:05 AM To: glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com 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 ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 16:39:03 -0500 From: "Bill Acuff" <wacuff@edge.net> Subject: (glencook-fans) Soldiers Live discussion (***SPOILERS*** from all of Cook's BC novels) Everyone, Black Company series, including Soldiers Live and The Silver Spike, spoilers below . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric wrote (in terms of the Books of the South and Glittering Stone): >> Total = 2409 pages. (The Books of the North 955 pages) >> I didn't particularly like the Glittering Stone books at all. But I >> suppose that is because I was reading them expecting something different >> and it took so very long for them to be published. Agreed on both points. I long for the days when he was putting out one a year (just like the days when rock bands were putting out an album a year, but I digress). I guess I should say that I didn't like the Glittering Stone books compared to the Books of the North--but, compared to most of the other fantasy I've read, these books are great. >> I expected a nice tight run to Khatavor to find out the Why of the Black >> Company. Shadow Games would have gotten us to Dejagore, Dreams of Steel >> to Overlook, and Glittering Stone to Khatavor and the death of Kina. Done >> in a 1000 pages. Christopher replied: > Hhhhhmmm, got to go against you on this one, Eric. This was one of the > things I actually liked about the Books of the South. The Company can't > just bluster on through like they do in the North. They get thwarted, > side-tracked, and caught up in intrigue. If they ran things in the South > like they did in the north they would have said, "Screw these people, > we've got the Lance, let's make a run around." And don't tell me > they couldn't have. The Company was sneaking in and out of > impenetrable fortress left and right. They could have slipped a > measly seven guys past Overlook. Soulcatcher managed to do it. > The fact that they weren't just gathering up the plot coupons to get > from point A to point B was frustratingly refreshing. Great points, both of you. Christopher, I don't think I've ever heard the term "plot coupons" but I know *exactly* what you're talking about in terms of storytelling and I agree with you--as far as that goes. But, Cook is rarely predictable; I think we'd all agree to that. And this may not be what you were implying, but I myself don't think of the plotting in the Books of the North as coupon gathering. I can't remember exactly how I felt about the stories the first time I read them (long time and many re-readings ago), but I certainly don't remember them being linear at all. Tight, terse storytelling, yes--a weak vehicle to get to the end of the story, no. In fact, the only time at all in the first three that I felt the original story begin to skip along was toward the latter third of The White Rose (when Croaker and Lady hooked up, but before the Barrowland showdown). Could it be that since The White Rose and The Silver Spike Cook just had way too many ideas for the south and so throughout the rest of the series he was flying around willy-nilly by the seat of his pants? I've read that in the early days he was notorious for overwriting and that his stories would invariably be way big--perhaps he intended to expand on a lot of the loose ends but during the writing of each novel he ended up picking one of many courses available to him and stuck with it throughout that particular piece? I know well how a few thoughts can balloon into something practically unmanageable (like this post, for instance). Eric wrote: >> I think the real story would have better if it had been presented as two >> trilogies and lost about 400 pages. The first trilogy handling the Shadow >> Masters and the second trilogy handling Khatavor and Kina. I could do without the entire Dreams of Steel/Bleak Seasons part of the story, myself. The Deceivers was a cool idea, and the Shadowmasters weren't too shabby (but I'd have liked more of them to be old "friends" from the north), and the guerilla warfare feel within Taglios wasn't too bad, but overall, it just didn't do much for me, comparatively speaking. Maybe I am too fond of Croaker, but I could *not* get used to someone else as annalist until She is the Darkness, and then only grudgingly. Sleepy was a better voice than Murgen, I thought, but none of them were as fun to read as Croaker. This last book solidifies that theory, at least for me. It was such a joy to hear the *old* Croaker's voice again (and I don't think he was flat, either; Cook did take pains to draw an older, middle-aged version of the same character--maybe that's what made him different), or at least the most similar voice to the first three books (yes, I realize that Croaker narrated Shadow Games, but that was Croaker as the Captain--a completely different animal than Croaker the Annalist). Eric wrote: >> Reading them thinking that Khatavor was the destination and then not >> getting there each time and starting each book at square one back in >> Taglios was an exercise in frustration for 10 years. I got really tired >> of Taglios. Christopher replied: > Same here, but in the same way I got sick of Dejagore. In a good story > telling way. They characters were also sick of it. It showed. I got tired of both places. *None* of the cities in the south had the character and excitement of a Meystrikt, a Juniper, or an Oar, IMO. Speaking of Meystrikt, "Raker" is a Cook short story, right? I've never seen it or read it, I've only seen it referenced in Eric's Cook bibliography. So was the short story written *before* the "The Black Company" novel (and the novel expanded on the short story), or was the short story just an excerpt from the original story? Which came first? Eric wrote: >> In reality, Khatavor meant very little to nothing. The real story is Kina >> and the half dozen perspectives or mythologies surrounding her. Yeah, I thought that Khatovar could have really been done up by Cook. Maybe he didn't want to fool with Khatovar? A red herring is what it turned out to be, but I wonder if it was always that way in Glen's mind. As for Kina, that whole thing just didn't seem real enough to "scare" me (completely different from the Dominator; that dude seemed badder than bad *way* before we saw him jump out of the ground). Cook likes to do that with his super villains, doesn't he? He kept Kina and the Dominator off stage, and he's done this many other times in other stories he's written (I won't mention any for fear of spoiling). Christopher replied: > I kept wishing another wizard from the north would show up. No one ever > really did go after lady for what she knew. I would have loved a scene > where she gets tortured and gives it up, rats out every names she > knows, gives of the spell of The Eye, and the secret to Taking. Instead > we're constantly told what she represents, more power than the silver > spike, and no one comes a huntin'? Even a few bedraggled bounty hunters > would have been welcome. Ditto, Christopher. Cook is famous for cheating more a soap-opera episode writer in terms of bringing "dead" characters out of the woodwork--why couldn't some of the blasts from the past have shown up? Some of the original Ten were just begging to be elaborated on; many of them weren't really "in" the original three novels, so bring them back for more than an encore, what? I gotta admit, I've wanted to see Raven and/or Silent again ever since they got waxed in the last few pages of TSS. Raven had died only, what, three times? <grin> What difference would another life or two make? And Case only mentions "flesh splashing like water" or something like that when Silent jumps on the Limper-thing's back--Case never acknowledged, *directly*, that Silent was dead. That was a bigger loophole than many of the others got through--a headless Soulcatcher and a "bodiless" Limper come to mind. And yeah, somebody should have come south looking for Lady--she was *way* too valuable. Eric wrote: >> I didn't find the ending satisfying. I didn't like how the characters >> kept dieing. I didn't like how Khatavor was handled. Croaker was missing >> that spark. Lady and Soulcatcher were non-existant. Croaker was the >> only three-dimensional character, everyone else was flat. There wasn't >> a good climax. The book carried on in a monotonous, unemotional style. No kidding, on the character deaths. Starting from the third sentence (Otto and Hagop) of the book and continuing on, and on, and on . . . Maybe we who don't know Cook from the Dread Empire books should have known; heck, he whacked Tom-Tom right quick (which was a shame, too; I thought that character had some serious miles left in him; Candy, Elmo, and the original Captain come to mind, as well). Years ago when Raven and Silent died (on practically the same page, for crying out loud) it was bad enough; then Goblin shuffles off in Water Sleeps; and NOW, my stars, let's start playing Taps throughout the entire novel. One-Eye I expected; heck, he should have died years ago. Murgen and then Sleepy getting axed in such a terrible way was the worst, unless you consider the sheer volume of the body count (practically every principal character)? Geez, Louise, Cook sure can clean house, can't he? I guess he gets to the point when he doesn't want to write any more about a character, and so he pulls the trigger. But this was the equivalent of a time-release bomb to almost all of his characters. I know, I know, it should be gritty and realistic, but still, I was so callused by the end of the book I wasn't even really *that* thrilled to learn that Croaker wasn't going to "die," at least not in a conventional sense. Call me a softie (wouldn't be the first time) but I think I can feel a whole lot better about the resolution of an epic story like this when at least a decent portion of the principal characters survive to see said resolution. Within reason, in any case (some epics take too long in terms of years). But just think of how many years Otto, Hagop, Goblin and One-Eye fought shoulder to shoulder with Croaker in his struggle to find Khatovar--too bad, guys; if you could have just made it a little bit longer! I almost (but not quite) want to wonder if Glen doesn't do this just so he won't be tempted to go back and write more about characters he wanted to be "finished with." I really did find the Khadidas (as opposed to the Khnike or Khconverse, <grin>) stuff interesting, but through that idea Glen even manages to "kill" our beloved Goblin twice! Another pick: Howler wasn't needed in this story (except maybe to build carpets). And to have him just "die" as normally as mortal humans, in a raid, was silly. All those times he escaped death just to be fragged by a shadow along with a bunch of other guys? Geez. More complaining: I've never been the biggest fan of Murgen, but I thought his portrayal in this story was weak as water. Sleepy was done a *little* bit better, but Murgen might as well have not even been in the story. Maybe he should have bought it in Water Sleeps <grin>. Yet another thing: maybe I was reading the ending way too fast, but the whole Lady and Booboo mother-daughter sob story/Mogaba defection/Tobo attacking Aridatha Singh and getting his head broken open/rescue of Arkana sequences smacked of disjointed, direction-less loose-end wrapping. It was, to me, almost like Cook was trying to cram as much stuff and as many of his ideas as he could into a small, confined space. So do I like this stuff or not? Of course! I did like Shukrat (but what kind of name is that, Glen? I kept reading "sauerkraut" or "shuck rat" every time. That was particularly galling when the character in question is supposed to be young and "rather attractive!") and Arkana. Two pleasant surprises. The "love me" spell of Booboo's was done well; pretty amusing, too, when you think about it. What army could hope to conquer when they began loving their enemies as they drew near? <grin> What else did I like: I thought Croaker was fine. He was just playing the part of an old man, way past his prime. Lady and Soulcatcher *were* rather boring (and yet they end up "living!" Crap!). However, this is the first book since The White Rose that I've gotten that "grunt level" storytelling feel from Croaker--and that is one reason I liked the first three books so much. When Croaker became the Captain, a lot of the fun went out of him; consequently, for me, most of the fun went out of the story. The "One-Eye's spear/hat to Goblin's ghost" angle was very touching; I don't think I've ever come close to shedding a tear while reading a fantasy/sci-fi novel (I'm 33 years old, with a wife and two kids, a house and two dogs, bills and a yard to mow--fiction books usually don't move me *that* much) before I read that scene toward the end (page 437) when Croaker talks about how good of a friend One-Eye was to Goblin. Good stuff, Glen. In sum, I really liked SL in terms of wrapping up the story, and I couldn't have been more pleased to discover that Croaker was going to narrate his own swan song. I'd rank this one somewhere below the Books of the North and The Silver Spike, but probably just above the remaining books. Do I wish he had stopped with The Silver Spike? No, I'm glad to have what he's given us. He really is a creative writer in this genre. And to head off anyone who thinks I'm a cad for being so critical, please understand: I love this stuff; if I didn't, I wouldn't care enough to read it, much less read it over and over and type long posts about it. Maybe it's just that when you get that close to a form of art, you'd like to continue to be affected by it in the same way. I hope nobody has been offended by what I've said, and I hope you will realize that I'm absolutely with all of you in caring deeply about Glen and his Black Company universe. I do think that Glen is finished with this particular storyline. I wouldn't mind reading some more set in the north (something with Father Tree or maybe a prequel or something; he's done that with other worlds, right?), but I guess I'm with Eric in that I'm glad the stories from south of the Sea of Torments are over, apparently. By the way, in SL Croaker says that he's 56 (give or take). Isn't that almost exactly the same age as Cook (I thought I read that he was born in 1944)? Along those lines, I think Glen *might* do more BC in the future if he's pressed, but I also would bet that he doesn't want to. Croaker said it himself: "I am putting the pen down." I guess I'd better put the keyboard down, now. Love to hear your comments. 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. ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 16:53:03 -0500 From: "Jamison Wood" <jwood@ftdi.com> Subject: (glencook-fans) Soldiers Live (Spoilers) loose ends One thing I was hoping this book would do would be to tie up a number of loose ends, so I pose this question: What loose ends didn't get tied up that you would have liked to find out the story behind them? For me, I would like to know why Blade was thrown to the Crocs, or what happened to Longshadow once he was brought to justice? I bet there are lots of little tidbits that got left dangling... I'd be interested in others thoughts on loose ends, and possible answers. ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 17:58:37 EDT From: WinB@aol.com Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) newbie talks about Cook and the Black Company Welcome to the list, Bill. You have posted some very interesting comments. You might want to look for the White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is about a free company during the Hundred Years War. Someone posted the Gutenburg link a while back, but I don't have the URL. As far as finding old books, I haven't had much luck in Nashville (I noticed the email address...and as a former Edge employee, it stuck out like a very sore thumb). By the way, your quote is originally from Groucho Marx. Win ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 17:49:31 -0500 From: Steve Harris <harrissg@SLU.EDU> Subject: (glencook-fans) group protagonists Hi, all, Being at a university has its advantages :) Today I was talking with an English professor friend of mine, so I brought up the subject matter I've raised: What literary precedents are there to having, as moral center or protagonist of a story, a group of changing people? He immediately suggested two: _Thin Red Line_ by James Jones (author of _From Here to Eternity_) _White Jacket_ by Herman Melville The first is about an army company; the second about a ship's company. I think it no accident that miliarty or quasi-military novels are the only antecedents he could think of to the Black Company. Steve ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 17:01:54 -0600 From: Matthew Roche <rocheml@cerebusnm.com> Subject: RE: (glencook-fans) group protagonists and is it only coincidence that all of the have a color (or the absence thereof) featured prominently in their titles? hmmmmm... ;-] - -----Original Message----- From: Steve Harris [mailto:harrissg@SLU.EDU] Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 6:50 PM To: glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com Subject: (glencook-fans) group protagonists Hi, all, Being at a university has its advantages :) Today I was talking with an English professor friend of mine, so I brought up the subject matter I've raised: What literary precedents are there to having, as moral center or protagonist of a story, a group of changing people? He immediately suggested two: _Thin Red Line_ by James Jones (author of _From Here to Eternity_) _White Jacket_ by Herman Melville The first is about an army company; the second about a ship's company. I think it no accident that miliarty or quasi-military novels are the only antecedents he could think of to the Black Company. Steve ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 20:10:12 -0500 From: "Tim Stalley" <Stalley@visi.com> Subject: (glencook-fans) The swap academy This is my first time posting and I have a question. Has anyone actually seen "The Swap Acedemy"? http://stalley.dsl.visi.com/glen_cook.htm Tim - -----Original Message----- From: owner-glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com [mailto:owner-glencook-fans@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of Vonder Haar, Peter C. Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 2:24 PM To: 'glencook-fans@lists.xmission.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. ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 18:26:05 -0700 (PDT) From: Craig Dutton <craigld@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) The FAQ - V. 0.1 - --- "Vonder Haar, Peter C." <Peter.VonderHaar@bakerhughes.com> wrote: You may want to include a reference that BTRC [the Blacksburg Tactical Research Center], makers of CORPS, had attempted to get a Black Company licence, but that that deal fell through. From their site at: http://www.btrc.net/ : "08-21-1996 A Black Company setting for CORPS is looking more and more unlikely (sigh). The license holders, while still expressing interest, have not shown that interest by bothering to return my email and phone calls. If you are a fan of this series and want to see a game adaptation, email me and them (see email address below)." This is all I know about that story. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail û Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 19:36:53 -0600 From: Eric Herrmann <shpshftr@xmission.com> Subject: Re: (glencook-fans) The FAQ - V. 0.1 Peter, > 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. It's a great start. > ------------ > 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. I think I'd drop the last sentence. > 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. I don't think this has second priority. > 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. Put this after the Bibliography. > 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 > I'd rather it was called the Glen Cook Fans mailing list. > 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 There is really only one good site devoted to Glen Cook. <G> > 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: ??? See the article "Pseudo Interview" in the Biography section of the site. > 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. Glen used to hand out a FAQ from his huckster's table nearly ten years ago (I think around '92). Very little is relevant now except for these few paragraphs: "The volume of mail received makes it impossible to respond to each letter personally. I hope this can answer your questions." "I have no control over cover art." "There will be no sequel to (take your pick) A MATTER OF TIME, THE SWORDBEARER, THE DRAGON NEVER SLEEPS, TOWER OF FEAR, PASSAGE AT ARMS, THE STARFISHERS TRILOGY. Sever more titles in the Dread Empire were planned at one time but lack of commercial success makes it unlikely any will get written." "Matters of courtesy to recall when writing your favorite authors. There is one of him and many of you. It takes away from writing to answer letters. It costs money to answer letters when you do not include a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope. Only a handful of writers make any money writing." And the zip code is wrong. It should be 63110. > 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: ??? Make sure all the series and singles are listed here. More here from the "Psuedo Interview." I think the only series that has a life is Garrett with a chance of Black Company. > 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 I'm not sure the PNH is the right person. I'd leave this out for now. > BC QUESTIONS: > Don't forget: Who are the taken? Who's the fourth female Taken? What are the names of the four Senjak Sisters? - -- Eric Herrmann <shpshftr@xmission.com> ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>. ------------------------------ End of glencook-fans-digest V1 #14 ********************************** ======================================================================= To unsubscribe, subscribe, or access the archives of this list, visit <http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Mail.html>.