Do yourself a favor and buy this book. The Chronicles of the Black Company is a compilation of the first three books in the Black Company series, and they are undoubtedly the best fantasy books I've ever read and some of my favorite novels in general. I had never head of Glen Cook or The Black Company before picking this up; it was a completely blind buy as I wanted something to wash the vile taste out of my mouth after finishing one of the worst books I've ever read (Orcs, by Stan Nicholls), and I'll be honest in saying that I was only drawn in by the fantastic cover art on the front of this compilation. I couldn't put it down. I raced through all three novels contained within eager to know what would happen next. The magic of The Black Company series is in the rich, realistic characters that Glen Cook has fleshed out here. There are too many interesting characters to mention, but I will say that Croaker (the narrator) is the best main character I have ever encountered in a written work, and The Lady (the "villain") is one of the most complex and compelling foils I've ever seen committed to the page. The world of these books is alive and rich in complex history and lore and will make you hungry to learn more about it as you read. There's so much to love here and so much to learn, and Cook's writing style makes it all worth reading. The characters take center stage here; you won't be subjected to the awful, mechanical descriptions of combat that pad out most fantasy novels to distract from a lack of any character development or an intricate plot. Let's face it: 99.9% of fantasy novels are absolute trash, and only rarely can one find works where the story and characters escape the rote, cliched premises of this genre. The sign of a truly great fantasy novel is one which can touch upon these staples and yet still make them seem novel. This is dark fantasy, with real characters in a morally ambiguous world where those who are "good" and those who are "evil" never fit comfortably in their designated roles; black and white does not exist here, and gray bleeds into everything. Unlike authors like George R. R. Martin, where the world is bleak and dark only for the sake of shocking readers with random acts of violence and depravity, Cook creates a world that closely mirrors reality.I love these books. If you're tired of seeing the fantasy section at your book store crammed with the latest Dungeons & Dragons schlock that barely passes the quality of fan-fiction and want something intelligent, compelling, and original, try The Black Company. You won't be disappointed.