History Literature / TheBlackCompany

* UnusualEuphemism: Subverted in ''Port of Shadows.'' Bathdek assumes that Leysa refers to sex as "being made warm," because her imperfect resurrection has left her with a childish demeanor. She later realizes Leysa is describing the act literally, as she perceives; the procreative act fills her with life energy that she has no other access to.

** A little bit too much time passed between the death of the woman who would become Leysa and her resurrection. She is mentally and emotionally stunted as a result.

* {{Interquel}}: ''Port of Shadows'' takes place after the battle of Charm but before the Company deserts The Lady's empire.

** The necromancer from outside Dusk who forms the B plot of ''Book of Shadows'' only ever identifies himself as "Papa." He also only knows Bathdek as "Kitten," owing to being a bit nuts.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Released 30 years later, ''Port of Shadows'' includes plenty of in-universe justification for the Dominator infamously thinking his wife's name was Ardath (her older sister's name).

* CreepyChild: The Daughter of Night.
** Mischievous Rain comes with a matches set in Baku and Shin.

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%%* CreepyChild: The Daughter of Night.

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* MaximumFunChamber: The Lady's Tower. Doubles as an EldritchLocation, judging by reports that she can alter the flow of time within it.

** TheReveal that Stormshadow is actually [[spoiler:Stormbringer]] has to be articulated by one of the Company Brothers calling out her name, as her physical description in earlier books was a single line buried in the first booked.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Released 30 years later, ''Port of Shadows'' includes plenty of in-universe justification for The Dominator infamously thinking his wife's name was Ardath (her older sister's name).

** Also subverted by The Limper, who is described as a runt and is also the premier LightningBruiser of the series.

* LightningBruiser: Most major wizards. Weaker wizards like those in the employ of the Company live for a long time but reap few other benefits. A wizard on the Taken's power level is very nearly a PhysicalGod...and [[spoiler: Kina]] literally is.

* CameBackWrong: [[spoiler:Goblin]] is killed trying to injure Kina, only for Blade to hear his voice calling for help four years later. No one trusts the returned wizard--and they're right.

* TheChosenOne: The White Rose is prophesied to reincarnate and return to defeat the Lady at the appearance of [[CometOfDoom a certain comet]] in the sky. This trope is first deconstructed then used straight in the ''Books of the North'':

** TheReveal that Stormshadow is actually [[spoiler:Stormbringer]] has to be articulated by one of the Company Brothers calling out her name, as her physical description in earlier books only stated that she was almost child-like.

* LightIsNotGood: Overlook, and by extension, Longshadow. Murgen even compares Overlook to "some religion's idea of heaven".

* LukeYouAreMyFather: [[spoiler:Daughter Of Night aka Booboo is spawn of Lady and Crocker. She was separated from her parents as soon she was born and only reunites with them at teenage years.]]

** A less extreme example is [[spoiler:The Howler]]. Narration early in ''She Is the Darkness'' notes him as so badly arthritic that he prefers to use his magic to float while moving, rather than walk. There is also his uncontrollable shouting, which is dealt with in ''Soldiers Live'' but putting his head in what amounts to a fishbowl.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

*** ''A Pitiless Rain''
*** ''Port of Shadows''

''The Black Company'' is a series of DarkFantasy books by Creator/GlenCook. Released between 1984 and 2000, the series chronicles an ancient mercenary company -- the titular Black Company, last of the Free Companies of Khatovar -- as it plies its trade across the world and tries to find its lost roots. The series is notable for its unusual choice of protagonists in a fantasy setting: being a group of mercenaries, the Black Company does not turn down potential employers, and it prides itself on its sense of professional honour.

!''Black Company'' provides examples of:

** The Company's title as "last of the Free Companies of Khatovar" is this at the beginning of the series. They had completely forgotten what that means or where Khatovar is ''centuries'' previous.

*** Croaker states that there is no-one left in the Company who knows ''what'' Khatovar is. As he puts it:
--> It could be a person, or a country, or a city, or a title, or a deity.

** ''The Silver Spike'' (1989) (side story that takes place roughly at the same time as ''Shadow Games'')

** The Lady's Empire in the North, which the Black Company works for for a while. While [[LawOfConservationOfDetail we don't quite see enough detail]] to suss out what life under the Empire was like, it's pretty expansionist and militaristic, the soldiers are willing to rape and plunder, and the leadership is a pretty messed up lot.