Finally done!Kids, I gotta be honest. This one felt kinda like homework.Sleepy is our narrator this time. She's not fun or funny, which is a drag. But she is a genius at guerrilla warfare, and that is pretty great. She is in charge of a tiny ragtag bunch - Company members not cocooning under the Glittering Plain. We have the ancient but antic loving wizards One Eye and Goblin, Murgen's wife and son, and a few other newbies.They are in the capital city, living in a super secret hideout, wearing disguises, instigating riots and other chaos against Soulcatcher (aka. Crazy Bitch That Just Won't Die). They are biding time, getting all their ducks in a row, so they can go rescue the rest of our beloved Black Company from the big nap.City part of the book was fine. After they go through the Shadowgate and head to the rescue is very cool, but the in between was a drrraaaagggg. And for those of us keeping a tally of bad guys needing to die - there is NO Satisfaction. By the time they get to the Shadowgate, they have so many rotten bad guys caged up and in tow - it's like a damn circus parade.Characters - still the Black Company!Action - nothing really large, but they are still trying to stop resurrection of the goddess of death, KinaCool places - the Glittering Plain is very cool and the fortress in the middle of the Plain is funCreatures- shadow critters, a werepanther, a large, smelly goddess with accessories made of skulls and penises, and a couple of horses of unnatural size and breedingMagic - oh Hell yeah, it's all over the placeThe book wasn't bad, but nine books is a lot. The lack of bad guy killing has me quite vexed. I am very vexed. Makes the whole thing seem longer.One last book. Once more into the breach!
The books must be written. The truth must be recorded even if fate decrees that no man ever reads a word I write. The Annals are the soul of the Black Company. They recall that this is who we are. That this is who we were. That we persevere. And that treachery, as it ever has, failed to suck the last drop of our blood.Fourteen years ago, the last of the Free Companies of Khatovar marched out onto the Plain of Glittering Stone. After the most devastating incident in its history, carefully executed by an old nemesis, only a shattered remnant remained capable of escape. Those few continued to resist the tyrannic rule of the newly appointed Protector of All Taglios, all the while carefully waiting for the opportunity to go to the rescue of their lost brethren.This was definitely an enjoyable book. It did not lack for action in any way. Still, it somehow reminded me too much of Bleak Seasons, another great book with very little plot advancement, where the most fascinating characters of the series were all absent. Sleepy started with the promise of becoming as great an annalist as Croaker and Murgen, but in the end I thought the writing was not as good as in the previous instalments.That, however does not mean that the book was bad in any way. Water Sleeps does its job very well. And that job is to set the scene for the last of the Chronicles of the Black Company, and the conclusion to what is now one of my favourite fantasy series.3.5 stars
What do You think about Water Sleeps (2000)?
The books last part was quite vague however I really expected the whole reunion thing to be more emotional. For friends split after 15 years there wasn't any real 'hey man nice to see you back' to be honest.
—Beau Vella
“Water Sleeps” published in 1999 is the 9th book in the Black Company fantasy series by Glen Cook (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Cook). The viewpoint has switched to Sleepy who has taken over as the Company Annalist, and the de facto Captain. Fifteen years have passed since the end of the prior book.Sleepy and Murgen’s wife, Sahra, keep the company together and hidden in Taglios. They organize guerrilla tactics to harass Soulcatcher, the one remaining Shadowmaster and a long time enemy of The Company. Sleepy then leads the remaining Company members from Taglios, heading towards The Glittering Plain and the fortress with no name.They have developed a plan to rescue the Company members who had been trapped there in a stasis at the end of book #8, “She is the Darkness”. Along the way we find out that Murgen’s son, Tobo, is part of a prophecy for the Nyueng Bao. He is also considered the future of The Company by Company wizards One-Eye and Goblin.Besides evading Soulcatcher they also have to battle a more subtle threat from Kina who is still trying to bring on the Year of the Skulls so that she can be woken.
—John Purvis
Wow. Another great book in the Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook. I definitely believe that his writing got better the more books he wrote. In later Black Company books, the writing is better, the plotline and stories are more thought out and full, we continue to meet new characters as old ones evolve, and the books get longer as well. This was by far one of the best books in the series. It is Book 3 of Glittering Stone, and book 8 of the Chronicles.In this book we once again get a new narrator: Sleepy! Since at the end of the previous book (view spoiler)[Murgen and most of the rest of the core of the company are buried alive under the Glittering Plain (hide spoiler)]
—Janice Bonczek
