The Glen Cook Frequently Asked Questions List Maintained by Pete Vonder Haar (peter.vonderhaar@bakerhughes.com) Version 1.21 (January 18, 2001) Credits: Thanks to anyone and everyone who gave me feedback and corrected my more egregious errors. Specific thanks go out to the following, who helped flesh this thing out, whether they realize it or not: ethesis@aol.com Christoper (LynnJorge@aol.com) The Baltimore Science Fiction Society Dr. Jeff Wragg (wraggj@cofc.edu) Matthew Roche (rocheml@cerebusnm.com) calatine@aol.com "Eldon the Seer," (eldon_seer@hotmail.com) David George Craig Dutton, "Ender" (ender-w@mailcity.com) the author of The Black Company Index Richard Chilton Harold Burns John P. Speno Gregg Parmentier Peter Leitch Especially thanks to Eric Herrmann, maintainer of the Glen Cook Fan Page (http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Home.html). Without it, this FAQ would be about half a page long. History: Version 1.0 (September 14, 2000) written by Pete Vonder Haar Version 1.1 (January 18, 2001) Frequently Asked Questions Index: 1. Who is this Glen Cook fellow anyway? 2. What has he written? 3. Are there any Glen Cook web sites? 4. Is it true he works in an auto plant? 5. Did he ever serve in the military? 6. How can I contact him? Does he have an e-mail address? 7. Where can I find a copy of Dread Empire/Starfishers/Darkwar books? 8. What is this mailing list you keep yammering about? 9. What's his best book? 10. Why not? 11. Is Cook planning on writing any more... Dread Empire books? Black Company books? Swordbearer books? Garrett books? 12. What other authors would you recommend for a fan of Cook's? Black Company Questions 13. What is Tonk? 14. Do any maps exist of the world of the Black Company novels? 15. Have any video games or RPGs been based on the Black Company novels? 16. What's Croaker's real name? 17. Who are the Ten Who Were Taken? 18. Who were the four Senjak sisters? 19. Who the hell is the 3rd female Taken? 20. Why the long wait between "Dreams Of Steel" (1990) and The Glittering Stone (1996) books? Wasn't "The Glittering Stone" supposed to be the third book in the Books of the South Trilogy? 21. Why didn't he just finish "The Glittering Stone" as a stand-alone book in 1990? Why expand it into a series? Frequently Asked Questions: 1. Who is this Glen Cook fellow anyway? Glen Charles Cook was born in 1944 in New York City. He has lived in Columbus, Indiana; Rocklin, California; and Columbia, Missouri, where he attended the state university (The University of Missouri). He attended the Clarion Writers Workshop in 1970, where he met his wife, Carol. He is the author of, among others, the Black Company series; the Garrett, P.I. series; the Dread Empire series; the Starfishers trilogy; and the Darkwar trilogy. He has three children. >From "Winter's Dreams" (http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/Books/WntrDrms.html) "Glen's hobbies include stamp collecting, book collecting, and a passing interest in military history. Usually Glen can be found behind a huckster table at those conventions he attends. So, if you are in the dealer's room buying one of his books, and the man behind the table asks if you want it signed, chances are you just met him." 2. What has he written? The Black Company: The Books of the North "The Black Company" (1984) "Shadows Linger" (1984) "The White Rose" (1985) "The Silver Spike" (1989) The Books of the South "Shadow Games" (1989) "Dreams of Steel" (1990) Glittering Stone "Bleak Seasons" (1996) "She Is the Darkness" (1997) "Water Sleeps" (1998) "Soldiers Live" (2000) Collections "The Annals of the Black Company" (containing "The Black Company," "Shadows Linger," and "The White Rose") (1986) From the Files of Garrett P.I. "Sweet Silver Blues" (1987) "Bitter Gold Hearts" (1988) "Cold Copper Tears" (1988) "Old Tin Sorrows" (1989) "Dread Brass Shadows" (1990) "Red Iron Nights" (1991) "Deadly Quicksilver Lies" (1994) "Petty Pewter Gods" (1995) "Faded Steel Heat" (1999) "Angry Lead Skies" (2001)* Collections "The Garrett Files" (containing "Sweet Silver Blues, " "Bitter Gold Hearts," and "Cold Copper Tears) (1988) *not yet published The Haunting Dread Empire Prequels "The Fire in His Hands" (1984) "With Mercy Towards None" (1985) The Dread Empire Trilogy "A Shadow of All Night Falling" (1979) "October's Baby" (1980) "All Darkness Met" (1980) Sequels "Reap the East Wind" (1987) "An Ill Fate Marshalling" (1988) Future works "A Path to Coldness of the Heart" "The Cruel Storm" (Cook has said the planned Dread Empire books are "unlikely to appear." According to later reports, this might be viewed as an understatement) The Starfishers Trilogy "Shadowline" (1982) "Starfishers" (1982) "Star's End" (1982) "Passage at Arms" (1985) The Darkwar Trilogy "Doomstalker" (1985) "Warlock" (1985) "Ceremony" (1986) Others "The Swap Academy" (as Greg Stevens) (1970) "The Heirs of Babylon" (1972) "The Swordbearer" (1982) "A Matter of Time" (1985) "The Dragon Never Sleeps" (1988) "The Tower of Fear [working title: Nor Even Death Destroy]" (1989) "Sung in Blood" (1990) Short Stories "In the Wind" (1971) "Silverheels" (1971) "Song From A Forgotten Hill" (1971) "And Dragons in the Sky" (1972) "Appointment in Samarkand" (1972) "Sunrise" (1973) "Nights of Dreadful Silence, The" (1973) "Devil's Tooth, The" (1974) "Recruiter, The" (1978) "Ponce" (1978) "Seventh Fool, The" (1978) "Ghost Stalk" (1978) "Quiet Sea" (1978) "Castle of Tears" (1979) "Call for the Dead" (1980) "Filed Teeth" (1981) "Raker" (1982) "Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted With Defeat" (1982) "Darkwar" (1982) "Enemy Territory" (1983) "Waiting Sea, The" (1983) "Severed Heads" (1984) "Winter's Dreams" (1997) 3. Are there any Glen Cook web sites? There are several. The most comprehensive site by far is Eric Herrmann's Glen Cook Fan Page - http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Home.html The Black Company Homepage - http://www.shout.net/~bburgner/blackco.html Eldon the Seer's Black Company Outpost - http://members.tripod.com/~blackco/ Ender's Black Company page - http://www.angelfire.com/bc/blackcompany/ The Black Company Index - http://www.connectexpress.com/~rfr/bcompany1.html Tor - Cook's publisher - http://www.tor.com/tor.html A much more exhaustive list can be found at http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Links.html 4. Is it true he works in an auto plant? Cook used to work in a GM light truck plant in St. Louis. He has since retired. 5. Did he ever serve in the military? Short answer: Yes. >From "A (Pseudo) Interview with Glen Cook:" (http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/GC-Biog2.html) "Eight years Navy and Navy Reserve with four years high school ROTC beforehand. For a while I thought it was what I wanted to do with my life. Served aboard destroyers and with a Marine Force Recon outfit as Forward Fire Control Observer." According to "Winter's Dreams," Cook served with the 3rd Marine Recon Battalion. 6. How can I contact him? Does he have an e-mail address? It is pretty widely acknowledged that Glen does not have an e-mail address and, in fact, is not very enamored of computers in general. A more reliable method to get in touch with Glen is to attend a Con at which he's running a table. If that's out of the question, Glen has a mailing address where fans can request autographs and hard to find books of his: The Dragon Never Sleeps 4106 Flora Place St. Louis, MO 63110 Note that this is not a physical store to visit, per se, but a private service run by Glen for people seeking specific books. It is also not a pen-pal service. As Glen reminds us: "Matters of courtesy to recall when writing your favorite authors. There is one of him and many of you. It takes away from writing to answer letters. It costs money to answer letters when you do not include a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope. Only a handful of writers make any money writing." 7. Where can I find a copy of...Dread Empire books? Starfishers books? Cook's works are often popping up on different auction sites and book search pages. Here are a few places to look: ABE Books - http://www.abebooks.com Alibris.com - http://www.alibris.com Amazon - http://www.amazon.com eBay - http://www.ebay.com Bookfinder - http://www.bookfinder.com Bibliofind - http://www.bibliofind.com Barnes and Noble - http://www.bn.com Border's Books - http://www.borders.com The Dragon Never Sleeps (see above) Don't underestimate the power of used bookstores and flea markets. If you check regularly several titles may turn up. Occasionally, members of the mailing list have extras they are willing to sell/trade for. 8. What is this mailing list you keep referring to? You can sign up for the Glen Cook Fans Mailing List by sending a message to majordomo@xmission.com with "subscribe glencook-fans" in the body. If you prefer to receive messages in digest form, send a message to majordomo@xmission.com with "subscribe glencook-fans-digest" in the body. 9. What's his best book? Depends on who you ask. Some love "The Tower of Fear," others favor "The Dragon Never Sleeps," still more would say "The Black Company." One thing's for certain, nobody ever recommends "The Swap Academy." 10. Why not? "The Swap Academy" was an adult book written under a pseudonym (Greg Stevens). It has nothing to do with his later work, and is included here only in the interest of completeness. 11. Is Cook planning on writing any more... Dread Empire books? Highly unlikely. The originals sold so poorly that it is apparently not feasible for him to write any more, though he has said he has plots for further books. Black Company books? Possibly. The ending of "Soldiers Live" (the latest Chronicle of the Black Company) has inspired a healthy debate as to whether another book is possible or even desirable. However, during a Q&A session at Windycon in 1999, Glen was asked about the possibility of starting a new fantasy series and admitted, "I had expected to begin, and I would start something entirely new, but my agent and my editor both are pressuring me to do more Black Company material because they sell so well." So there's hope... Swordbearer books? >From "A (Pseudo) Interview...:" "...I went ahead and wrote two-thirds of one called 'The Swordbreaker.' Then the editor got fired and the whole Timescape line folded and I quit working on it. Looking at it later, I didn't think what I had done was very good, so I ditched the whole project." Garrett books? A: Yes. "Angry Lead Skies" is scheduled to be released Summer, 2001. Probably the definitive answer to some of these questions can be found in a FAQ Glen himself put out circa 1992 or so: "There will be no sequel to (take your pick) ' Matter of Time,' 'The Swordbearer,' 'The Dragon Never Sleeps,' 'Tower of Fear,' 'Passage at Arms,' The Starfishers Trilogy. Several more titles in the Dread Empire were planned at one time but lack of commercial success makes it unlikely any will get written." 12. What other authors would you recommend for a fan of Cook's? Many Cook readers look for authors that write with a gritty, realistic (for fantasy/sci-fi) feel similar to his. Some names that have come up, repeatedly (and this is by no means an exhaustive list), on the Glen Cook Mailing List include: Steven Brust (Vlad Taltos series) Laurel Hamilton (Anita Blake series) David Gemmell (Drenai series) George R. R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire) David Drake (Northworld trilogy) MS Rohan (Winter of the World series) Iain M. Banks Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melnibone series) Robert Jordan Steven Erikson Damien Broderick (The Black Grail) Frequently Asked Questions About the Black Company series: The "Black Company" series is Cook's most popular, without a doubt. 13. What is Tonk? A card game played by mercenaries of the Black Company throughout the series to pass the time. The following sites have versions of the rules: http://www.gamecabinet.com/rules/Tonk.html http://www.bsfs.org/bsfstonk.htm 14. Do any maps exist of the world of the Black Company novels? Cook has never made any official maps, and has indicated he will never do so. Some fan representations can be found at: http://www.cofc.edu/~wraggj/blackco/ http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/Images/MapNorth.GIF http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/Images/MapSouth.GIF http://www.xmission.com/~shpshftr/GC/Images/MapShadow.GIF 15. Have any video games or RPG's been based on the Black Company novels? No. At least, not directly. The games "Myth: The Fallen Lords" and "Myth II: Soulblighter" are not based directly on the Black Company series, but the similarities between the two are enough to put that whole Lincoln-Kennedy thing to shame. "Eldon the Seer" has a fine page dedicated to just this topic. You can find it here: http://members.tripod.com/~blackco/myth-n-bc.html For a time, The Blacksburg Tactical Research Center (BTRC), makers of CORPS, attempted to obtain a license for developing a Black Company setting. It was not successful. >From http://www.btrc.com: "A Black Company setting for CORPS is looking more and more unlikely (sigh). The license holders, while still expressing interest, have not shown that interest by bothering to return my email and phone calls. If you are a fan of this series and want to see a game adaptation, email me and them (see email address below)." The e-mail in question is IMAC100@aol.com, I'm unsure as to its validity. 16. What's Croaker's real name? Marion Morrison. Kidding. It's never stated. 17. Who were the Ten Who Were Taken? >From "The Black Company": "...I told him about the Domination, and the Dominator and his Lady. Their rule had spanned an empire of evil unrivalled in Hell. I told him about the Ten Who Were Taken (of which Soulcatcher was one), ten great wizards, near-demigods in their power, who had been overcome by the Dominator and compelled into his service. I told him about the White Rose, the lady general who had brought the Domination down, but whose power had been insufficient to destroy the Dominator, his Lady, and the Ten. She had interred the lot in a charm-bound barrow somewhere north of the sea." The original Ten Who Were Taken are/were: Soulcatcher The Howler The Limper Stormbringer Shapeshifter Moonbiter The Faceless Man Bonegnasher Nightcrawler The Hanged Man Throughout the Books of the North, the original Taken's numbers were thinned by infighting and enemy action against the rebellion (in fact, all but Soulcatcher, the Howler, and the Limper had died by the end of the Battle of Charm). Several powerful members of the Circle of Eighteen, the White Rose's high command, found themselves Taken as well: Whisper Feather Journey Benefice Blister Creeper Learned Scorn 18. Who were the four Senjak sisters? Dorotea - The youngest daughter. Real name of The Lady. Ardath - Name by which the Dominator knew Lady. In actuality, one of Lady's sisters, who was killed before the ascent of the Dominator. Credence - Married to Barthelme of Jaunt. Died when Jaunt was taken by the Dominator and the Lady. Sylith - Swept away when the River Dream flooded. Body never found. Widely believed to be the real name of the Taken Soulcatcher. 19. Who the hell is the 3rd female Taken? >From "The Black Company": "Three of the Taken are female, but which are which only the Lady knows. We call them all 'he'." The two Taken we know to be female are Soulcatcher and Stormbringer. Moonbiter? Nightcrawler? Your guess is as good as ours. 20. Why the long wait between "Dreams Of Steel" (1990) and The Glittering Stone (1996) books? Wasn't "The Glittering Stone" supposed to be the third book in the Books of the South Trilogy? The wait was caused by a misunderstanding. Cook thought his book deal for The Books of the South was for a trilogy plus a stand-alone book ("The Silver Spike") while the publisher knew he was buying three Black Company books. Part of the problem may have been "The Tower of Fear" - a stand-alone book published during this period. When Cook discovered this he immediately stopped work on the third book. Over the years, book sales and reader interest convinced the publisher that more Black Company novels would sell. Hence, The Glittering Stone series was published. 21. Why didn't he just finish "The Glittering Stone" as a stand-alone book in 1990? Why expand it into a series? Glen Cook is a professional writer - which means he is paid for his writing IF the book is sold. Most published writers submit an outline to a publisher and only write the book if a publisher accepts it. It takes the same time and effort to write the first draft of a book that isn't sold as one that isn't - and as someone who earns an income writing, Cook has to concentrate on what will put money in his pocket. It's rumoured that he finished at least one manuscript for a Dread Empire book - one he couldn't sell when he was finished - and after that decided never to write a book that wasn't already sold. If he had written "The Glittering Stone," and a publisher didn't accept it, his fans wouldn't have seen it. It was expanded into a series for 2 reasons: Cook felt expanding the story (from one book to four) would be a good idea, and publishers tend to prefer series over stand-alone books. If it had just been the last book of The Books of the South trilogy the publisher would have had to reprint two old titles to support one new title. As things turned out they ended up with four new titles and a renewed interest in Cook's back list. Here endeth version 1.1. If you have any suggestions or information, feel free to contact me at peter.vonderhaar@bakerhughes.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------