[.ca] White Rose (ISBN 0812508440)

The pinnacle of a masterpiece trilogy...:
I just don't find many books that purely entertain me like this very often. Here again, Cook mixes in several plotlines separated in time all culminating in one of the best "show-downs" I've ever read. I just can't say enough good things about this book. The ending was totally unexpected and Cook drove me insane with curiosity about: the Lady's real name, what Bomans was looking for and what happened, who Corbie was, which Taken were loyal to the Lady, who would ultimately win in the end. One is never quite sure who's playing who until the very end. This is the capstone to one of the best trilogies in any genre.

End of the Books of the North:
Glen Cook's "Black Company" certainly isn't for everyone, but for those who enjoy unusual characters who are not so much "heroes" as they are the "lesser" of two evils, then this is the series for you. There are times when his writing gets a little complicated, and it can be hard to follow, but you can forgive this flaw because the story and the characters are unique and engrossing. Highly recommended for fans of noir fiction, Roger Zelazney, dark humor, or Steven Brust. You won't want to read this book if you haven't read the two previous to it. You *can*, but you won't want to -- you'll simply miss too much. This concludes the first three books in a very satisfying ending. No, these aren't "deep" books -- but they are original and refreshing. Glen Cook is a thumb to the eye of the typical square-jawed hero, and a welcome one at that!

A fabulous end to a fantastic trilogy:
The White Rose is the third volume in the opening trilogy of the "Black Company" saga. Buy this book right now. But then click on Cook's name and buy the first two volumes of the series as well: Black Company and Shadows Linger. The Black Company is one of the great creations of modern fantasy. In a genre in which most stories are starkly black and white--really pure good guys and really bad villans--the Black Company (contra its name) lives in gray. Indeed, Cook puts the following words in the mouth of Croaker (the principal viewpoint character and narrator in the early volumes): "I do not believe in evil . . . . I believe in our side and theirs, with the good and evil decided after the fact, by those who survive. Among men you seldom find the good with one standard and the shadow with another." Me too. In early novels of the series, the Black Company was toughest, nastiest, scariest outfit around. "Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil--for I am the baddest SOB in the valley!" could have been the Black Company motto. In the White Rose, their numbers have shrunk and the warriors are starting to show their age. They survive now by guile, rather than brute strength. In the White Rose, the Company also must grapple with its code of ethics, which previously was focused almost wholly inward. Honor vis-a-vis the outside world consisted of keeping one's contracts. Otherwise, honor was focused on one's relationships within the Company. But now the Company has decided that honoring its contract with Lady is not worth its collective soul. Almost against its will, the Company now finds itself serving the greater good. Many reviewers of White Rose and other Black Company novels have commented on the sparse nature of Cook's prose. In fairness, the White Rose is even sparser than most of the other novels in the series. We have almost no sense of Toadkiller Dog's appearance, motivation, attitudes, or aptitudes. Yet, in a curious way, I think of this as one of the strengths of Cook's writing. Reading Cook's novels is sort of like listening to an old-fashioned radio serial. You have to use your imagination to fill in the gaps. I suspect that my mental picture of Toadkiller Dog is a lot scarier than anything Cook would put down in print. I like that sort of novel, but your mileage may vary.

White Rose:
There are many good things about this series. Cook writes in a colloquial, spare style which often achieves a weird elegance. He asks the reader to trust him that information and characterization will be shown rather than told, and he follows through. (Though I still want to know more about the psychology of the Taken.) Though the plot and setting are pretty much those of standard heroic fantasy, the world-weary tone and the fuzzy morality add a new feel. This is the climactic and the most surreal and magical of the first trilogy, and at times it got a bit too out there for me. I wanted more concrete tactical detail--the Black Company is a mercenary unit but one never gets much sense of how warfare really works in this society. However, Croaker's 1st POV voice is engaging, and most of the characterization overall is strong.

Final battle in the north:
The White Rose, the third in Glen Cook's Black Company series, completes this mercenary army's adventures in the north country. It is as different from the first two as they are different from each other. The men grow older, their numbers, dwindle, yet they are feared by their enemies. All of the threads come together, but not altogether cleanly. The differences between good and evil are not always clear. The beginning of the story is disjointed and not nearly as action-oriented as the first two. No one is what he -- or she -- seems to be. Yet at the end, the story is satisfying enough. Cook's gritty prose style changes slightly from one book to the next. Characterization is not as strong as in the previous books. Yet there is enough continuity to keep one reading. And he always has a few surprises. This is a good, fast read. Be sure to read the books 1 and 2 first.