The Chronicles of The Black Company

Chronicles of the Black Company is an omnibus edition of the first three novels in the Black Company series. I've seen these books recommended several times over the last few years and I've finally got round to reading them. This book is a secondary world fantasy, of a fairly medieval flavour, where magic exists. Our protagonist is Croaker, the medic and records keeper for the Black Company - a band of mercenaries that have existed for the last few hundred years. As we start the first book they are contracted to protect the ruler of and enforce law and order on a city. This rather less than satisfactory contract is coming to a close and they take on a new contract in a certain amount of haste - this turns out to be working for the Lady, as part of her army putting down a rebellion in her lands in the north.

The Lady is ... not nice. In fact she's on the evil side of the good/evil divide. Once long ago she, her husband (the Dominator) and their chosen/magically bound servants (the Taken) were imprisoned and buried by the forces of the White Rose. The Lady and the Taken were released (some time ago when the story starts) and now rule almost uncontested over the north. They're not immortal, in that they can die if you stick a sword or an arrow in them, but they aren't going to die of old age. The only "good" thing about their release, is that the Dominator is still bound ... And this is who the Black Company has contracted with.

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