It reads like a Black Company fanfic, so a non-fan wouldn't get much out of it. I enjoyed it, mostly due to nostalgia for the characters. However, the ending is unsatisfying as the book must contrive to reset things in order to fit between book 1 and book 2 of the original series. ( )

This one is a bit odd, even by Cook's standards.

Definitely a Croaker book, not quite the voice of the original Black Company trilogy, but very similar, but with the same disconnects and abrupt transitions of Murgen's Books of the Company- Croaker has the insanity he has in the final Book of the Company, though it's written very naturally.

This is a book for the fan. Readers not already familiar with the series will not understand much of what goes on; those who are fans of the Company will find much to enjoy.

The story is less important than the question: What is the Tides Elba and her children that return from the Tower? And in true Cook fashion; never directly answered.

An intriguing book, written to Cook's usual standards, but more an "ongoing tales of the Black Company" than the start of something new. ( )

Be warned: The entire point of this novel is that it is collected by in-universe fragments and viewpoints that have both been meddled with and modified by characters whose agendas are not stated, and can only be guessed at with information found in the rest of the "Black Company" novels. This makes for an unusual reading experience, and if you're not prepared going in, it's likely to sour most on the book.

In spite of being set between books 1 and 2 of this series, therefore, it should be read much later -- it will be off-putting and impossible to follow if read in its place in a strict chronological order. I personally read it after "Dreams of Steel", and found this to be a good spot, as having read a book narrated by Lady before reading this helps me care and understand about the person who more than anyone else shapes the events in the world of The Black Company. On re-read of the series as a whole, though, it will likely benefit from being read exactly where it takes place.

As a novel, it's a bit weak. The story is erratic and episodic, and when it finally does start building towards a climax, the viewpoint character is so uninformed and out of the loop -- as well as having had his mind and memories magically muddled -- that it likely will feel anti-climactic to the reader.

But as an entry to the larger character arcs and mythology of the Black Company universe, this is quite a treat. I'd therefore recommend this as warmly to the die-hard fan as I would warn off a casual reader expecting more of the same as was on offer in the rest of the series. One might, a bit reductively, liken it to reading Tolkien's "Silmarillion" -- an erratic narrative unlikely to be an engrossing reading experience to someone who once read and enjoyed "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" a decade or two ago, but a treasure trove hugely rewarding to those who immerse themselves in the books again and again, year after year.

In short, "Port of Shadows" follows two plotlines. The main one is set during the time gap between the original "Black Company" novel and its immediate sequel, "Shadows Linger", and has the same first person narrator as those books. The second one, containing much shorter chapters, is set centuries before, during the tyrannic era of the Dominator, and thus gives us intriguing glimpses into the world's background.

The former of these plotlines is made muddy both by Croaker's lack of information (he's purposefully kept in the dark about many pivotal facts) and by his mind being magically altered over the course of the book (affecting both his personality and his memory). The second is made muddy by being presented as 'found footage' that has been censored, rewritten and edited, possibly many times, by people with a vested interest in doing so. What we're reading is likely true in the broad strokes, but specific details like character relationships, identities and -- vitally -- names are obviously modified or outright fabricated.

The point, it seems to me, is precisely what doesn't jive in "Port of Shadows". Every plotpoint, detail or action that doesn't seem to immediately make sense is a clue -- why has this been changed? Who has had the power to change it, and what would their motivation have been? And, perhaps crucially, why is it changed at all, instead of outright deleted and censored? These questions aren't really as complicated as they might seem, if the other books in the series are taken into account. And I found it both touching, interesting and plain cool once I started gleaning the answers.

However, the story also provides plenty of mysteries to which we do not have answers, and loose ends that are not tied up. The plan, clearly, is for Cook to bring it all together in his planned final entry to the series, which this seems to act as "part 1" to. Whether that will pay out depends on if that novel is ever finished, and how good that novel is. If it's a worthy conclusion, it will likely retroactively make "Port of Shadows" a much more vital entry. As it stands, though, it's mainly for those with a particular vested interest in the franchise. But I am one of those, and I'm certainly very happy I read it. ( )

Not the best in the series by any stretch. At times, it drags and almost seems like Glen Cook is phoning it in; however, still pretty good. Definitely to be read after all the preceding novels; this one doesn't stand on its own. ( )

A new Black Company novel! This one occurs about mid-way through the previous books, after the battle at Charm but before the Company heads south. If you haven't read any Black Company books before, this won't make a lot of sense to you.
Because this one is going back in time, all of the old favorite members of the Company are around - Elmo, Otto, Silent, One-Eye, Goblin, the Captain and of course Croaker, the annalist and teller of this tale.
Like some of the latter books, this one is primarily about the company in an occupation phase. They have been given responsibility for rooting out rebels in and around Aloe, in the name of the Lady. Despite being mercenaries, they keep the peace and help out with civic improvements, this is a very gentle 'occupation'. Things would be quiet if they didn't have to deal with both rebels and people trying to bring back the Dominator, the ultimate evil.
This would have been given a higher rating but for some unfortunate anti-feminist themes. Not sure why Cook had to go there, in one case it is totally unexplained and completely unnecessary. There's also too much emphasis on keeping information away from Croaker, which I guess was an explanation for how the narrator could be surprised by some events, but it was clumsy. ( )