Glen Cook
Encyclopedia
Glen Cook is a contemporary American science fiction
and fantasy
author, best known for his fantasy series, The Black Company
. Cook currently resides in St. Louis
, Missouri.
at an auto assembly plant in a job which was
"hard to learn, but [involved] almost no mental effort", writing as many as three books per year.
It was during this time that Cook wrote his first novel of The Black Company
, a gritty fantasy series that follows an elite mercenary unit through several decades of their history. The series, currently 10 novels long, has become something of a cult classic, especially among current and former members of the military. When asked about the series' popularity among soldiers, Cook replied: "The characters act like the guys actually behave. It doesn't glorify war; it's just people getting on with the job. The characters are real soldiers. They're not soldiers as imagined by people who've never been in the service. That's why service guys like it." Cook is also well known for his Garrett P.I.
series, which tells the haphazard adventures of hardboiled
detective
Garrett, and his Dread Empire series, which highlights Cook's earlier published work.
Cook is currently retired from his job at GM, living with his wife, Carol, and children (Justin, Chris, and Mike) in St. Louis
, Missouri. Although he can now devote himself full-time to his writing career, he feels he was actually more productive while he was still employed at his old job.
known as The Black Company
.
A combination fantasy
and mystery
series about Garrett
, a freelance private investigator
.
, and in the case of Passage at Arms, World War II
submarine warfare
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
author, best known for his fantasy series, The Black Company
The Black Company
The Black Company is a series of fantasy novels by author Glen Cook. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.- The Books of the North:#The...
. Cook currently resides in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri.
Biography
Glen Cook's love of writing began in grade school, and in high school he wrote the occasional article for his school's newspaper. After high school, Cook spent time in the United States Navy and later worked his way through college, leaving little time for his writing endeavors. Cook began to write in earnest while working for General MotorsGeneral Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
at an auto assembly plant in a job which was
"hard to learn, but [involved] almost no mental effort", writing as many as three books per year.
It was during this time that Cook wrote his first novel of The Black Company
The Black Company
The Black Company is a series of fantasy novels by author Glen Cook. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.- The Books of the North:#The...
, a gritty fantasy series that follows an elite mercenary unit through several decades of their history. The series, currently 10 novels long, has become something of a cult classic, especially among current and former members of the military. When asked about the series' popularity among soldiers, Cook replied: "The characters act like the guys actually behave. It doesn't glorify war; it's just people getting on with the job. The characters are real soldiers. They're not soldiers as imagined by people who've never been in the service. That's why service guys like it." Cook is also well known for his Garrett P.I.
Garrett P.I.
Garrett P.I. is a series of books by author Glen Cook about Garrett, a freelance private investigator. The novels are written in a film noir-esque style, containing elements of traditional mystery and detective fiction, as well as plenty of dialogue-based humor. The Garrett P.I...
series, which tells the haphazard adventures of hardboiled
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Garrett, and his Dread Empire series, which highlights Cook's earlier published work.
Cook is currently retired from his job at GM, living with his wife, Carol, and children (Justin, Chris, and Mike) in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri. Although he can now devote himself full-time to his writing career, he feels he was actually more productive while he was still employed at his old job.
The Black Company
An epic fantasy series about a band of mercenariesMercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
known as The Black Company
The Black Company
The Black Company is a series of fantasy novels by author Glen Cook. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.- The Books of the North:#The...
.
- Books of the North:
- The Black CompanyThe Black Company (novel)The Black Company is the first novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The book combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it describes the dealings of an elite mercenary unit, the Black Company, with the Lady, ruler of the Northern Empire.-Plot introduction:The...
(May 1984) - Shadows LingerShadows LingerShadows Linger is the second novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot...
(October 1984) - The White RoseThe White Rose (novel)The White Rose is the third novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot...
(April 1985)- Barrowlands:
- The Silver SpikeThe Silver SpikeThe Silver Spike is a spin-off from Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The story combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows two former members of The Black Company and the formerly renown "White Rose" down their own path after parting ways with the company...
(September 1989)- Books of the South:
- Shadow GamesShadow Games (novel)Shadow Games is the fourth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot...
(June 1989) - Dreams of SteelDreams of SteelDreams of Steel is the fifth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-The Black...
(April 1990)- Books of the Glittering Stone:
- Bleak SeasonsBleak SeasonsBleak Seasons is the sixth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot summary:Taking...
(April 1996) - She Is the DarknessShe Is The DarknessShe Is The Darkness is the seventh novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history....
(September 1997) - Water SleepsWater SleepsWater Sleeps is the eighth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot summary:Cook...
(March 1999) - Soldiers LiveSoldiers LiveSoldiers Live is the ninth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.-Plot summary:In...
(July 2000)- Not Yet Published:
- A Pitiless Rain (TBA)
- Port of Shadows (TBA)
- Science Fiction Book ClubBook of the Month ClubThe Book of the Month Club is a United States mail-order book sales club that offers a new book each month to customers.The Book of the Month Club is part of a larger company that runs many book clubs in the United States and Canada. It was formerly the flagship club of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc...
hardcover omnibus editions:
- Annals of the Black Company (collects The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose)
- The Black Company Goes South (collects The Silver Spike, Shadow Games, and Dreams of Steel)
- The Black Company: Glittering Stone I (collects Bleak Seasons and She Is the Darkness)
- The Black Company: Glittering Stone II (collects Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live)
- Tor Fiction softcover omnibus editions:
- The Chronicles of The Black Company (collects The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose) (November 2007)
- The Books of the South (collects Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, and The Silver Spike) (June 2008)
- The Return of The Black Company (collects Bleak Seasons, and She Is The Darkness) (September 2009)
- The Many Deaths of The Black Company (collects Water Sleeps, and Soldiers Live) (January 2010)
- Short stories
- "Raker"—appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...
(August 1982). This was a pre-publication excerpt of chapter 3 from The Black Company, with slight editing differences to make it stand alone as a short story. - "Tides Elba"—appeared in the Swords & Dark Magic compilation (June 2010)
- "Smelling Darkness"—scheduled to appear in the forthcoming Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
anthology, Tales of Dark Fantasy 2.
Garrett P.I.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
series about Garrett
Garrett P.I.
Garrett P.I. is a series of books by author Glen Cook about Garrett, a freelance private investigator. The novels are written in a film noir-esque style, containing elements of traditional mystery and detective fiction, as well as plenty of dialogue-based humor. The Garrett P.I...
, a freelance private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
.
- Sweet Silver BluesSweet Silver BluesSweet Silver Blues is the first novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(1987) - Bitter Gold HeartsBitter Gold HeartsBitter Gold Hearts is the second novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(1988) - Cold Copper TearsCold Copper TearsCold Copper Tears is the third novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(1988) - Old Tin SorrowsOld Tin SorrowsOld Tin Sorrows is the fourth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(1989) - Dread Brass ShadowsDread Brass ShadowsDread Brass Shadows is the fifth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(1990) - Red Iron NightsRed Iron NightsRed Iron Nights is the sixth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(1991) - Deadly Quicksilver LiesDeadly Quicksilver LiesDeadly Quicksilver Lies is the seventh novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(1994) - Petty Pewter GodsPetty Pewter GodsPetty Pewter Gods is the eighth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(1995) - Faded Steel HeatFaded Steel HeatFaded Steel Heat is the ninth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(1999) - Angry Lead SkiesAngry Lead SkiesAngry Lead Skies is the tenth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(2002) - Whispering Nickel IdolsWhispering Nickel IdolsWhispering Nickel Idols is the eleventh novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(2005) - Cruel Zinc MelodiesCruel Zinc MelodiesCruel Zinc Melodies is the twelfth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Plot introduction:...
(2008) - Gilded Latten BonesGilded Latten BonesGilded Latten Bones is the thirteenth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing Garrett P.I. series. The series combines elements of mystery and fantasy as it follows the adventures of private investigator Garrett.-Characters in "Gilded Latten Bones":*Garrett...
(2010)
- Science Fiction Book ClubBook of the Month ClubThe Book of the Month Club is a United States mail-order book sales club that offers a new book each month to customers.The Book of the Month Club is part of a larger company that runs many book clubs in the United States and Canada. It was formerly the flagship club of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc...
omnibus editions:
- The Garrett Files (collects Sweet Silver Blues, Bitter Gold Hearts, and Cold Copper Tears; 2003)
- Garrett, P.I. (collects Old Tin Sorrows, Dread Brass Shadows, and Red Iron Nights; 2003)
- Garrett Investigates (collects Deadly Quicksilver Lies, Petty Pewter Gods, and Faded Steel Heat; 2004)
- Garrett On The Case (collects Angry Lead Skies, Whispering Nickel Idols; 2005)
Dread Empire
- Main Sequence
- A Shadow of All Night Falling (1979)
- October's Baby (1980)
- All Darkness Met (1980)
- Prequels
- The Fire in His Hands (1984)
- With Mercy Toward None (1985)
- Sequels
- Reap the East Wind (1987)
- An Ill Fate Marshalling (1988)
- A Path to Coldness of Heart (2012)
-
-
- Presumably replaces The Wrath of Kings, whose manuscript was stolen
- Omnibus volumes (reprinted by Night Shade Books):
- A Cruel Wind: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire, an omnibus of the three main sequence novels (2006)
- A Fortress in Shadow: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire, an omnibus of the two prequels (2007)
- An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire, a collection of short fiction set in the Dread Empire (2008)
- Short Stories
- "The Nights of Deadful Silence"—appeared in FantasticFantastic (magazine)Fantastic was an American digest-size fantasy and science fiction magazine, published from 1952 to 1980. It was founded by Ziff-Davis as a fantasy companion to Amazing Stories. Early sales were good, and Ziff-Davis quickly decided to switch Amazing from pulp format to digest, and to cease...
(September 1973) - "Ghost Stalk"—appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (May 1978)
- "Quiet Sea"—appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (December 1978)
- "Castle of Tears"—appeared in WhispersWhispers (Magazine/Anthologies)Whispers was probably the most widely respected and one of the most ambitious of the new horror and fantasy fiction magazines of the 1970s. It became at least as visible and nearly as influential as a series of mostly original anthologies in the 1980s....
(October 1979) - "Call for the Dead"—appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (July 1980)
- "Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted With Defeat"—appeared in The Berkley Showcase, Vol. 2 (August 1980)
- "Filed Teeth"—appeared in Dragons of Darkness (October 1981)
- "Severed Heads"—appeared in Sword and Sorceress 1 (May 1984)
- "The Nights of Deadful Silence"—appeared in Fantastic
- Omnibus volumes (reprinted by Night Shade Books):
- Presumably replaces The Wrath of Kings, whose manuscript was stolen
-
Instrumentalities of the Night
Epic fantasy in a reinterpreted version of 13th century Europe and Western Asia.- The Tyranny of the Night (2005)
- Lord of the Silent Kingdom (2007)
- Surrender to the Will of the Night (2010)
- Working the Gods' Mischief (TBA)
Starfishers
Starfishers is a science fiction series drawing on elements of Norse mythologyNorse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, and in the case of Passage at Arms, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
submarine warfare
Submarine warfare
Naval warfare is divided into three operational areas: surface warfare, air warfare and underwater warfare. The latter may be subdivided into submarine warfare and anti-submarine warfare as well as mine warfare and mine countermeasures...
.
- Shadowline (1982)
- Starfishers (1982)
- Star's End (1982)
- Related
- Passage at Arms (1985)
- Short story
- "Sunrise"—appeared in Eternity SFEternity SFEternity SF, also known as Eternity Science Fiction and Eternity, was a semi-professional science fiction magazine published by Stephen Gregg out of Sandy Springs, South Carolina. The magazine was issued from 1972–1975 and was briefly revived from 1979-1980. It contained stories from famous...
(1973)
Darkwar
- Doomstalker (1985)
- Warlock (1985)
- Ceremony (1986)
- Short story
- "Darkwar"—appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (December 1982)
Standalone novels
- The Swap Academy (1970) (written as "Greg Stevens")
- The Heirs of Babylon (1972)
- The Swordbearer (1982)
- A Matter of Time (1985)
- The Dragon Never Sleeps (1988)
- The Tower of Fear (1989)
- Sung in Blood (1992)
Standalone short stories
- "Silverheels"—appeared in Witchcraft and Sorcery #6 (May 1971)
- "Song from a Forgotten Hill"—appeared in Clarion (June 1971)
- "And Dragons in the Sky"—appeared in Clarion II (June 1972)
- "Appointment in Samarkand"—appeared in Witchcraft and Sorcery #7 (November 1972)
- "The Devil's Tooth"—appeared in Literary Magazine of Fantasy and Terror, Volume 1, #5 (1974)
- "In the Wind"—appeared in Tomorrow Today (1975) and Space Dogfights (1992)
- "The Recruiter"—appeared in Amazing StoriesAmazing StoriesAmazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
(March 1977) - "The Seventh Fool"—appeared in the The Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...
(March 1978) - "Ponce"—appeared in Amazing Stories (November 1978)
- "Enemy Territory"—appeared in Night Voyages #9 (Spring 1983)
External links
- The Glen Cook Wiki - A great resource with over 550 articles, mostly on The Black Company and Garrett P.I. series.
- Glen Cook Bibliography on SciFanSciFanSciFan is an online database for fans of science fiction and fantasy books.The site provides detailed bibliographies, linking books together into series' where appropriate and, in turn, grouping series by universe...
- Novel synopses, cover art, and reviews at Fantasy Literature