Soldiers Live (tenth novel in the Black Company series)

(Originally posted on Monday, 21 September 2009)

My rating: 7/10 (low re-reading value)
Please read my post from April 2009 to find out about my rating.
Please read my post from May 2009 to learn about Glen Cook’s style of writing.

[Short review]

What’s bad:
1) everything could be told a little faster (but not much);
2) in some parts it seems that Glen Cook wanted to kill as much Black Company characters as possible (they die just too easily, considering their high military ranks);
3) introduction of flying posts which can be operated by anyone, not only by wizards;
4) final “battle” against Kina is way too easy;
5) the Black Company has some strange allies, whose abilities are very powerful;
6) the presence of teenage characters playing some important roles was annoying to me (I don’t know why);

What’s good:
1) Glen Cook’s style of writing;
2) a lot of action (also military action);
3) complex and thought out plot;
4) perfect ending for the whole series (I’m talking about the last few sentences).

I had a hard time rating Soldiers Live. It has some annoying flaws, but also a lot of action and perfect ending. Overall this is a good (solid) book, but its re-reading value is low.
(7/10)

Memory is immortality of a sort.
In the night, when the wind dies and silence rules the place
of glittering stone, I remember. And they all live again.