SOLDIERS LIVE: THE BLACK COMPANY

Fourth (and last, we're told) of Cook's Glittering Stone yarns (Water Sleeps, 1999, etc.) about the good-guy warrior Black Company and its diverse foes, among them Narayan Singh and his apocalyptic yearnings, and the magic-powered Shadowcatcher, not to mention Longshadow, Howler, and so forth. The Company are in poor fettle: battle-weary, trading off various influential backers in pursuit of its own designs, many of its members are risen from the dead, while others just look that way. The adventures of leader Croaker, One-Eye, Sleepy, Tobo the young sorcerer, the Lady, etc, are impossible to summarize: If you're a fan, you'll love this one; if not, you'll wonder what all the fuss is about.