Customer Reviews

Water Sleeps

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The second to last Black Company installment.

This one did not work so well for me as some of the others.

Sleepy, the narrator, is a less than successful character for me: snappish, intolerant, periodically mentioning a dark past which never gets revealed enough to create sympathy for her. Many of the other important characters are either imprisoned in this volume or getting old, and the new upcoming ones don't hold a lot of interest for me. It's hard to see here how anyone could have ever fallen in love with Sahra, and Murgen, a favorite of mine, gets pushed to the perimeter. Only the return of Willow Swan, whom I've always liked, gives this book character interest for me.

The plot progresses, though I found the resolution of one fairly long-term suspenseful thread anticlimactic, accomplished easily and almost offstage. Particularly at the end, events become hard to follow and jump around. There's a sense of ennui about the whole thing, of "so what?". Followers of the series will nevertheless want to see what happens and progress to the (so far) final volume.

I really like the way the catchy title of each book is foreshadowed in the preceding volume; a clever touch by the author.

I found this series to be absolutely riveting for the first 3 novels, entertaining but less enjoyable in the next 2, and then the last 3 just got bizarre.

Glen Cook's writing style changed each time different character took over as Annalist. Clearly, imo, Croaker could tell a tale. Once they started this "ghosting" thing, the novels were no longer as interesting. That mechanism just didn't thrill me.

Also, seeing Goblin and One-Eye reduced to what they became was hard to watch. And, Silent was sorely missed in all the books of the south.

There are times I wish I never read past the first 3 books, because those were excellent.

This series peaked with Shadow Games and has been interesting, but rather meandering and lacking focus ever since. It's interesting to note that Glittering Stone was originaly intended to be one book (the 3rd Book of the South) following Steel Dreams, but Cook decided to expand it into 4. I think he would have been better off sticking to his first idea.

I agree with everything Patrick said below me. There is actually one other plot hole that is even bigger and more irritating than those he pointed out. Namely: After capturing the Black Company leadership with some spell at the end of She Is The Darkness (an event that was never really explained very well), why the heck doesn't Soulcatcher just kill them? Instead, she goes to the great bother of dragging them all down into that cave to enter some suspended animation. Seems to me the only reason she would do this is so Cook can write more books about the Black Company. Even more puzzeling is where Cook writes that Soulcatcher thinks the company is all dead rather than asleep. Excuse me? She hauled them all down there thinking they would die, despite the fact that everyone else down there was in suspended animation? As I stated before, if she wanted them dead she would have just stuck a knife in each one before she left and end of story. I hate to belabor the point, but Cook ought to fire his editor, and then maybe fire himself for thinking his readers wouldn't notice these gaping holes in his plot.

I'm still giving it 3 stars because Cook still has a knack for making us care about his characters, even though almost all of the old ones are dead now or strangly sidelined (Lady and Croaker). I've even pre-ordered Soldiers Live to see how it all ends. Maybe he'll redeem himself at the end...

I have to admit this book was a page turner but only because I was so anxious to find some trace of Cook's previous writing style. Though I have become accustomed to Cook adding new characters and relegating old ones to the background, I am particularly disappointed with his treatment of One Eye, Goblin and Soulcatcher. Has he grown tired of these characters and indulged in some pettiness by portraying them in manners inconsistent with past storylines? Mr. Cook's writing style also contains more profanity and sexual inuendo than before. I am no prude but this all adds up to a significant departure from previous Black Company novels. It bears more resemblance to his writing style in the "Garrett" series (ie; "Petty Pewter Gods"). Please Mr. Cook, examine your writing style and how this latest installment is a glaring departure from previous volumes and not for the better. Thank You.

"Bleak Seasons" was a let-down for me, but things were looking up with "She is the Darkness," despite its funky self-conscious title. I loved the ending of SD, and applauded Cook for making such a bold move with his plot.

I should've waited for "Water Sleeps" before I made up my mind on that front. The disappointment I felt with "Bleak Seasons" was back, tenfold. After a while, I had the urge to just skim to the parts of the story with Goblin, since he's the only character in the story that was even remotely interesting... and that's really saying something.

My sincere hope is that Cook ditches the current protagonist/narrator and gets us back to the truly unique Black Company of old. But I'm not holding out much hope. Mostly, I'm waiting for it all to end, so I can put the Black Company behind me.

A friend got me started on Black Company, although I had already been reading the Garrett series. I had begun to lose interest in the Black Company, but this book brought it back! I've been recommending it to all my friends, and have already ordered a copy of the next one (release August 2000. Hardback but I'm hooked again).

Possible SPOILER.

Since "Dreams of Steel", the Black Company has supposedly been moving towards a major league showdown with Kina. However, some 1500 pages later, nothing, and no end in sight. For cryin' out loud, Glen, wrap it up. I need some closure.

"Water Sleeps" is definitely a page turner. The plot is nicely constructed and seems to have more direction than "She Is the Darkness". Sleepy, the new annalist, keeps the company spirit alive as she pulls some tricks truly worthy of the Black Company's style. As someone else noted, Cook definitely seems to be getting into saga mode. I don't think one more book will wrap up this series. Count on at least two.

Now the gripes (SPOILERS AHEAD! Skip the rest if you haven't read the book): It would have been nice to have some dialogue with Croaker and Lady, at least at the end. I also noticed some inconsistencies in the story. For example, when Soulcatcher's sabotaged carpet gives way, she sees the words 'Water Sleeps' written in the sky. Later, Cook writes that she didn't know the carpet breaking was sabotage until she checked her other carpet and saw that it too was sabotaged. Somehow I think 'Water Sleeps' as she fell would have been a good clue.

As for someone's comment wondering why the Company hasn't gotten Soulcatcher's true name, I'd go further than that. Why the heck did they leave her alive anyway? In "She Is the Darkness", they dragged around Howler and Soulcatcher for no good reason. 'They might come in handy' is not a compelling reason to keep two incredibly dangerous enemies alive. I don't recall any better reasons being given (someone enlighten me, by all means, if there was). I couldn't believe that an outfit that can be as ruthless as the Black Company would let those two live when they caught them unless it was VERY important. Sorry, this just drove me nuts as I read 'She Is the Darkness'. Now Cook may be doing it again at the end of 'Water Sleeps', though not quite as badly, with Narayan and Longshadow. Maybe we can chalk up Narayan's continued life to Kina's subtle influence on his captor... maybe. Okay, my rant is over. 'Water Sleeps' is quite good, certainly better than 'She Is the Darkness'.

Once I started reading I couldn't put the book down. The story was spellbinding, the characters felt more real than ever, and the tone of the book was upbeat. Cook never fails to surprise me in his ability to keep a reader guessing. I was amazed at the amount of detail Cook includes in this book. He manages to create a world that is truly intoxicating. I can't wait till the next installment.

Cook has written a bad ending for some interesting people. It was unsatisfying and banal. I got the feeling that he is sick of this milieu and is killing it off by degrees. It appears that there is to be another book. The question is why ?