The White Rose
I'm not going to write as long a review of this as the first two, but it's a satisfying if somewhat unexpected denouement to the tale. It felt like a faster read than the others, though this is perhaps just my own comfort with the characters and the world Glen Cook has built. And besides, nobody reads the long reviews anyway :)
Again we skip many years, miles and events, and are plunged instantly into a setting more fantastic than any we've met before in this series. For which we will come to find there is a good reason, of course. Darling is no longer a shy happy orphan, or a teenage bar wench, she's grown up and into her destiny, and what remains of the Black Company are her faithful companions and protectors still. The setting here grows more otherworldly, but the plot of the main narrative is fairly straightforward and clear. And really, it ends the only way it could have.
Like in Shadows Linger, the first person narrative of Croaker is only part of the book, but this time there are two other stories going on instead of one, all three intertwined in almost Cloud Atlas fashion. One character is detailing his exploits (or is he?) while another is writing about the first in letters, while attempting to recreate his footsteps, and all being read by a third. As always, layers upon layers, everywhere you look.
