This is one book that I have been waiting for, since I heard about it a few years ago. I'm a huge fan of The Black Company, as it was the first fantasy series that I had read.

I got an ebook ARC from Netgalley, but am waiting for my physical hard cover book to arrive.

This book was really interesting, even if not much really happened. It basically was an update with what The Black Company has been up to, which isn't a lot, since Soldiers Live.

Lies Weeping was a book I was pretty nervous to read, because it had a huge publishing gap between Soldiers Live, and I consider Soldiers Live to be one of my favorite ever final scenes to a series. Especially with the last published Black Company book(Port of Shadows) being received rather poorly.

So the number 1, most important question is, does this book ruin, or harm Soldiers Live, because if that was the case, I would actively recommend people to not read it. I am happy to say I think it unequivocally does not ruin Soldiers Live, and if you like The Black Company series you should read it without fear.

My favorite thing about this book, is the duel narrators who have a best friend/sibling dynamic going on, and who spend a bunch of time basically talking shit about the other narrator. They were pretty consistently quite funny, and compelling to me. I think Glen Cook does meta humor quite well. There was also a 3rd PoV that gave us some history of the world, and I liked those even more. So as a result I overall enjoyed most of the novel.

That being said, I think the plotting is a little weak. For a solid chunk of the book I just don't think there is an inciting incident, and it felt a little aimless. And then I don't feel like we are really clear what the actual conflict is about, to a degree that I can be really invested, until like 10 pages before it's resolved, and then the book ends very very suddenly. Like this might set a record for shortest falling action ever, we barely even get a resolution, I was wondering if my ARC was missing a chapter or 2.

And this isn't some mystery where I was trying to figure stuff out, it was just kinda an absence of knowledge, until I got it.

So I can sum this up really easily. Do you like the Black Company. Read this without fear of it ruining Soldiers Live in hindsight, or reading it and thinking Glen Cook forgot how to write.

Have you never read The Black Company before, or are not caught up. Go read the main series first, this one will spoil the ever loving shit out of Soldiers Live, and a lot of previous Black Company books as well. And I think is a little less good, although that is not due to writing, or characters, but plot, so it does have me excited for Cook to continue with Pitiless Rain, as I really like the characters, and setting.


7.4/10

Lies Weeping by Glen Cook
4.5 out of 5

I think this is a great first entry in the new Black Company series(yes this should be considered a new series).

It is a direct sequel to *Soldiers Live* but also acts as a reboot for the series. We have new Annalists and new locations/characters.

The tone and voice of the book is different than any previous entries as well. Yet again Cook shows us his mastery of using character voice to make each POV feel unique.

Now that I have read his bibliography I can see how his style has changed over the years. This has a lot more in common with his later Garrett novels when it comes to his word usage and pacing. Which is a good thing. Some of the later Garrett novels are not as good as the earlier works but they go down easy and I enjoyed the writing on a "line by line" level.

This reads like a pared down version of the previous Black Company novels which plays into the feeling of it being a new series and I am really looking forward to the sequels.

This book was a fantastic read and well done continuation of such a fantastic series. I love the dual POV of Arkana and Shukrat. The different tone change now that we have two younger perspectives did take a second to get used to as they use the annals as more of a diary and the more casual language used however it works really well for a Black Company not in an immediate war and to get to know our new annalists better. Again the company doesn't have any immediate and dangerous threats so the plot and where things are headed take some time however again it's fitting but it does make the book feel more setup esque than previous ones have. All around though a great book that continues to deliver what you want from the series.

It feels so good to be back with the Company!

I had never read Port of Shadows, so this was my first experience with a BC novel post-Soldiers Live (and wonder why). I completed a re-read right before receiving this ARC, so I was about as refreshed as one can be before hitting this book which takes place IMMEDIATELY after the end of book 10. Cook is firing on all cylinders here, filling the pages with everything we've come to expect from a Company novel - the lives of the regular soldier, a cynical, yet hopeful worldview, and some overpowered sorcerers on top of an unraveling mystery. This time, however, it's from the perspective of two teenage girls.

I gave this 4 stars because, for me, it feels more a setup novel than even Shadow Games. It doesn't have the highs of Darkness, Water, and Soldiers. In fact, this may be THE slowest paced of all the Company novels. And that's for a reason. What does the Company do when it's 'off-duty' so to speak? What are they supposed to do when they have no immediate purpose? I love the explorations of soldiers who don't have any soldiering left to do.

My qualms with this book are small and though not a ton of epic moments are present in here, it does unravel some mysteries we thought we were done with as well as add a whole lot more. And, of course, it's the Black-freaking-Company. Can't wait for the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the ARC!

Massive thanks to Tor for approving this arc. If Tolkien got me into fantasy as a kid, Glenn Cook reignited my passion for the genre as an adult. Side note: I’m currently running a Black Company read along on a discord server. That out of the way, onto my feedback. Cook is still at the top of his game. 5/5 stars. I don’t want to give spoilers, but if you’re a black company fan, this is a must read. I can’t wait for the other volumes to drop.

Very confusing book. While the characters and writing style was interesting. I found that the plot was very confusing and felt that details were missing. It probably would have helped if I had read other books in the series before this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the chance to read this book early.

The (first installment of) the long, long-awaited Black Company sequel A Pitiless Rain lives up to the lofty expectations.

While Cook released Port of Shadows in 2018, it never really felt like a true continuation of the series. Partially due to its place in the chronology, partially due to the VERY different tone, but altogether Port of Shadows seemed like a strange sibling of the Company mainline series, rather than a must-read installment. But we'll get back to that in a minute.

Lies Weeping very much feels like a true continuation of the story, though Cook never rests on his laurels. The structure of the book has changed a bit—though it's still an in-world artifact, written by Annalists—and doesn't focus as much on the military side of things.

Rather, this book is laser-focused on the human weaknesses, emotions, and desires of its characters. The cover may say "A Pitiless Rain" is the title of the sequel series, but the title page of the book gives its true name: The Orphans' Tale.

For this truly is a story of orphans. The Annalists Arkana and Shukrat are orphans, but they're not the only ones here who've lost their homes, whether physical or spiritual. The Black Company has always been a new home to orphans, whether they're disabled children like Darling or men seeking revenge like Raven or hardened criminals, desperate characters, fortune-seekers like the majority of the mercenaries. Cook is telling THAT story now.

And the characters shine in it. I love the relationship between our two new Annalists. Their banter is great, and Cook once again shows his chops as a writer by changing the style of the Annals to fit the Annalists. Despite the title, this book is frequently heartwarming—and the give-and-take style of the Book of Arkana and Shukrat Voroshk gives plenty of opportunities for genuine humor. It's like if One-Eye and Goblin were teenaged girls. On top of that, Cook seems to be even more self-aware than usual, often calling out his own writerly foibles through the girls.

But the cast is so much more than just the Voroshk girls. New characters step up and side characters from previous books have their moments as well. Suvrin, Tobo, Dikken, and especially Uncle Jun Go are a blast.

There are other characters, major characters, about whom I won't go into detail. Suffice it to say that this book serves up plenty of jaw-dropping surprises. Long-standing mysteries get answered here; many old answers are revealed to be less conclusive than we thought. And Port of Shadows? Yeah, suddenly that book feels a lot more important than it did before I read Lies Weeping. A reread is certainly in order.

I worried at points that Cook was going to constrain himself in his world and conflicts, recycling old places and names the way he did when the Company went south. By the end of the book, however, any qualms were gone entirely. Cook has opened up an entire new tableau of wonder; I can't wait to see what else he has up his sleeve for the sixteen worlds and the glittering plain.

Lies Weeping isn't perfect. It's a bit meandering in the early going (though the strength of the characters carried the story for me) and I do miss the military brotherhood side of things. Perhaps I should accept that that story is finished—"Soldiers live. And wonder why." is perfect ending enough.

And speaking of endings, this one is a SERIOUS cliffhanger. Maybe the most severe in the entire Black Company oeuvre...though Shadow Games and Dreams of Steel are also contenders. I desperately await They Cry, next year.

All in all, it was wonderful to be back with the Company. Cook is still a masterful storyteller with a deft hand at character voices and a wit unique among the fantasy genre.