Port of Shadows

If you want to read this book after finishing the first trilogy thinking it will expand on the lore, before the surroundings change in the sequels, don't bother. Author pulls the rug under everything that happened in the last chapter saying the most revealing lore parts are to be dismissed completely... The rest is inconsequential. Read it after you're done with the rest and feel like visiting your friendly neighborhood annalist for a new tale.

There are slight spoilers for the first three main Black Company books as well as Port of Shadows below so beware!

I did not have big expectations from this story as when I was deciding whether to continue with Books of the South or jump to this mid-pre-side-whatever-quel no one was praising it as much as what I will call the main series. Nevertheless, I love the bare bone style of writing unique to Cook and Croaker is great main character.

However, it's sort of a waste of time. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved Croaker as “family man” and every scene with Beloved Shin. I laughed out loud more than with any other BC book I've read so far too. But what was the point? I don't want to hate on Cook because “how dares he write a book”. Not at all. I'm glad he's still writing and fully admit I'm relieving my frustration mostly because my expectations were different.

I wish the book mattered. It's written 20+ years after the series began, takes place between the first and second novel and there was certainly a lot of space to expand on the lore, flash out characters like some of the Taken, Captain, Elmo... (If you know you know...) But instead it takes place in one region, has a new Taken it completely focuses on, action is mostly off screen even during the climax of the story, and when it's time to wrap up, everything is magically forgotten, characters disappear and author leaves us to contemplate what was real and what not.

There's a side story that takes place during the time of The Domination that doesn't fit with the narrative from the main story and while I was reading it I was wondering how will this fit together at the end. Well... it doesn't! Narrator says in the last chapter that it was probably a made up story.

Had I read it after I finished the main series I probably would not be as disappointed because it would return me to the beginning, although only a little bit. But reading it after first three novels it feels like a waste of time. It's a fan fiction written by the creator of the series and cleverly set in the time between The Black Company and Shadows Linger, loosely wrapped by spell of amnesia so that it doesn't disturb the already written story.

My recommendation is to read this after the main series, maybe wait a bit, and when you feel like you want to read some more misadventures of Croaker and The Black Company pick this one up if you don't feel as re-read of main series is in order just yet. You will enjoy it a bit more that way and I think that's kind of what Cook was aiming for.