[Slow Ben]

Hello Cook fans.

First of all let me say this, if you have not read Glen Cook, stop reading this and do so now.

I've read or am reading most everything by Cook except the Dread Empire. So i asked for the first omnibus for Christmas, I finally get around to reading it and realize its the omnibus of the two prequels, The Fire In His Hands and With Mercy Towards None.

My question is, read the two prequels or wait for the 3 main stories and come back and read the prequels later? Would it enhance the main story to read these first or diminish it? Things like that.

Any advice (about the books) would be appreciated.



Stay classy Malazan Empire.

[HiddenOne]

I haven' t read prequels, so I don't know. But why wait? I am about ready to re-read that series, maybe after I can get the 3rd book of Instrumentalities. Didn't even know there were prequels, actually, so thanks.

Read them

[Coco with marshmallows]

aren't the dread empire books the ones that he never finished?

As i recall some thieving bastard (probably TT) nicked the final manuscript and notes, and he never finished the story. Not sure why he didn't just write it again, but there you are.

[Slow Ben]

HiddenOne, on 06 January 2011 - 08:31 PM, said:

I haven' t read prequels, so I don't know. But why wait?

If its like Night of Knives, I sure as hell wouldnt have wanted to read that before the rest of the series. I'm not comparing Dread to Malazan, but Knives wouldnt have been as good if i'd read it before the rest of the series.

[Aptorian]

What are the dread empire books about? The Black company or something else? Is it just vanilla military fantasy with some armies clashing in a country with too many 'apostr'ophes in its name or is there something more innovative about it?

[Salt-Man Z]

There are 4 "subsections" of the Dread Empire books: There's the original trilogy, collected in A Cruel Wind, the prequel trilogy, collected in A Fortress in Shadow, and a sequel trilogy whose third manuscript was stolen, though I guess he's working on rewriting it now. The first two sequel books (currently uncollected) are Reap the East Wind and An Ill Fate Marshalling, and the unfinished final book was titled "The Wrath of Kings". There's also a DE short story collection available titled An Empire Unacquainted With Defeat.

I know nothing about the actual content of the series, other than that it's very early Cook, and paves the way for stuff like the Black Company. I have A Cruel Wind on my bookshelf and have vowed to get to it sometime this year.

[SpectreofEschaton]

I only read the first book of An Ill Wind, so I'm not really an expert, but here's my thoughts on it:

• Erikson's clear inspiration for Kruppe is one of the main characters. (I personally like Kruppe much more. I found Mocker dry and kind of lifeless.)
• The story isn't really anything like the Black Company. The first book is about a thief, a princess, and a wizard, a sort of love triangle between them, and doesn't focus so much on what's going on in the world at large, at least from what I remember (which admittedly is kind of vague.) And as much as that sort of sounds like a fairy tale, it doesn't really feel like it. It has a somewhat macabre and dismal feel to it, overall.
• The actual writing is what kept me from continuing with the series. It's literally all "tell" and no "show". The characterization is clumsy and shallow as a result, and just really... doesn't work (in my opinion). It sort of reads like a summary of the events, rather than the events themselves.

Overall, I wouldn't give it the highest recommendation. I much preferred the Black Company, myself.

This post has been edited by SpectreofEschaton: 07 January 2011 - 01:01 AM

[Limper]

I LOVE Glen Cook. The Dread Empire books were my first, and relatively inferior to the first four Black Company books (including Silver Spike). They showed hints of real-life religions and nations, and oddly, an anti-villain of sorts (an evil enemy sorceror-emperor with a lame leg). I probably read them 2-3 times, but have not revisited them in 10-15 years. I'm probably due. The cold wind of the infinite is calling.

Black Company is tastier to me - hard core evil, sorcery to sustain a head without a body or survive in a grave hundreds of years, shapeshifters, and poor simple mercenary men (with a not-so-simple history) trying to survive in the middle of it.

Garrett P.I. books are much lighter, with drinking, romance, xenophobia, and loads of irony. There are virtually no sequencial dependencies, so try any of them to decide if they appeal. Don't make any assumptions about Black Company or Dread Empire based on Garrett, though - no similarities at all. When paperbacks cost $2.95, they were well worth the price.

[Pig Iron]

I love the Dread Empire books too, but I don't expect everyone to. Read them as published as you spoil a huge amount for the first books otherwise. It starts really odd, but after the first short book you get a more conventional story. Mocker is definitely Kruppe's ancestor, but a very tragic character as it turns out. He's one of my favourites in all literature. And the short story collection An Empire Unacquainted With Defeat has some of Cooks best writing IMHO.

[Slow Ben]

Thank you PI, thats what i wanted to hear.

I'm kinda surprised more people havent read these, but i guess they're not that popular.

But Cook wrote them and Erikson mentioned them in the introduction he wrote for the Dread prequel omnibus so thats good enough for me.

[Stalker]

I've only read the original three, but this was the only series by Cook that I did not like. It was a struggle to even finish the omnibus. I'm think the "no show, all tell" method of writing, as mentioned above, was what put me off.

At some point in the future, I may try it again. I have a habit where I don't like books on the first read, but end up liking them a few years later. I didn't like the Instrumentalities of the Night on my first read, but now I am a big fan. Same with GotM, which I hated on my first read. Then I read DG/MoI and really loved the series, and when I reread GotM it was great.

This post has been edited by Stalker: 09 January 2011 - 07:56 PM

[RolandDeschain]

I have a question about this series, though I'd post it here instead of making a new thread.

Is the Dread Empire stories told in a first person view like Black Company was? I had a hard time with that style of writing. Is Dread Empire more of a story instead of just following what a character sees, hears and thinks?

[opiate taylor]

Good news about the unfinished DE book, Wrath of Kings: it seems that back in mid-80's a visiting fan stole the only manuscript of WoK, so Cook was too frustrated to re-write it and basically said forget it. But I read a few days back that he has agreed to finish the DE series, and at long last re-write WoK. I for one can't wait.

[hnoor0044]

I have a habit where I don't like books on the first read, but end up liking them a few years later. I didn't like the Instrumentalities of the Night on my first read, but now I am a big fan. Same with GotM, which I hated on my first read.





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This post has been edited by hnoor0044: 29 March 2016 - 09:08 AM