Kirjahaku

The best short fiction of legendary author Glen Cook (The Black Company, the Dread Empire) is collected into a new paperback volume. For over forty years, Glen Cook has been among the most well-known, influential, and widely respected authors in science fiction and fantasy. Through classic series such as The Black Company, Garrett P.I., the Dread Empire, Starfishers, Darkwar, and more, his gritty, down-to-earth style left an indelible impression on his readers around the world, forever shifting the genre landscape and carving out his place as a pioneering icon. The Best of Glen Cook collects eighteen of his greatest stories--as chosen and introduced by the author himself--including a new, never-before-published Black Company novelette. With works set in all of his most famous series, these tales of science fiction and fantasy offer both the perfect way for longtime fans to trace Cook's history and for new readers to become familiar with one of the finest genre authors of the twentieth century.

In a land where magic can be murder, Garret, a human detective, tries to track down the heir to a fortune in silver in a world of gnomes, centaurs, and vampires--all of whom get in his way. Original.

The Stormwarden's children have been kidnapped and Garrett, P.I. is on the case. But caught between the bewitching beauty of a half-elf and the fearsome power of a horde of ogres, Garrett has to think twice before sacrificing all for a fortune in gold-after all, even in this enchanted land, he's only human.

A series far ahead of its time, now back in print Anyone else would have learned by now: when trouble comes knocking, don't open the door. But there's a reason why Garrett's still in the P.I. business after all these years-he's not one to learn his lessons. Maybe that's why he lets himself get roped into being a bodyguard for Kip Prose, an obnoxious kid being threatened by creatures that can't quite be described. But before Kip Prose has a chance to explain what he's done to get on the hit list of some nameless nasties, the precocious Prose is abducted, and the chase begins...

View our feature on Glen Cook's Cruel Zinc Melodies.Garrett uncovers the dark side of the fantasy city TunFaire, where no one is to be trusted especially beautiful women. When a pack of gorgeous women knock on his door, Garrett knows it's too good to be true. The leader of the group is Alyx Weider, the daughter of the largest brewer in town. Her father and friends are opening a new theater in TunFaire and the lovely ladies are there to persuade Garrett to help get rid of the paranormal parasites living in the new construction. Garrett agrees because after all, it means free beer and the company of these beautiful girls. What else could a man want? But Garrett doesn't realize the drama he's stepping into.

For Garrett, P.I., loyalty and love come a close second to survival... Garrett's attempt at domestic bliss with the fiery Tinnie Tate is sidetracked when he waylays a pair of home intruders and learns they've been paid by an unknown source to kidnap Tinnie. But as Garrett rushes to find out who is trying to push his buttons, his best friend is attacked. Now, Garrett has to track down both malefactors. Unless they're really one and the same-in which case Garrett might be next...

The first three books in a classic urban fantasy series. Garrett is a private investigator with a diverse clientele-from damsels in distress to elves, trolls, and sorcerers. Together for the first time are the first three books in the long-running, groundbreaking series: In Sweet Silver Blues, Garrett fights vampires and centaurs as he tracks down a woman with a fortune. In Bitter Gold Hearts, Garrett is hired by a powerful sorcerer to find her kidnapped son. In Cold Copper Tears, Garrett takes a case for a woman so gorgeous it can only spell trouble.

Garrett is a private investigator who always gets his man-or elf, troll, or sorcerer. In the magical city of TunFaire, he's the first name in paranormal detection. Garrett Takes the Case collects three of his adventures in one volume.In Old Tin Sorrows, Garrett is hired to figure out if someone is poisoning a wealthy, retired General, but quickly finds that the man's employees are dying off at a far faster rate; in Dread Brass Shadows, a trio of redheads plunge Garrett straight into the chase for The Book of Shadows, a sorceror's tome holding secrets no mortal was ever meant to master; and in Red Iron Nights, Garrett is hired to track down a serial killer who's preying on the high born young ladies of TunFaire.

Meet Garrett, P.I. He's a hardboiled human detective who stands out in a crowd of elves, trolls, and other otherworldly denizens in the magical city of TunFaire. Garrett For Hire is "fantasy noir at its best" (Library Journal), collecting three novels from Glen Cook's classic urban fantasy series. Deadly Quicksilver Lies A rich woman hires Garrett to find her missing daughter...or to act as her hitman. In TunFaire, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference, leaving him no choice but to sift through the sex, intrigue, and murder to uncover the truth behind this case...Petty Pewter Gods With TunFaire real estate at a premium and prayer palaces at a minimum, the big gods on the block hold a contest: find the "key" to the one temple still available for worship. And when two rival pantheons try to hire Garrett to find it on their behalf, he finds himself facing the wrath of gods...Faded Steel Heat Riots between humans and non-humans have turned TunFaire into a war zone. And when a powerful gang of "human rightists" drag Garrett into the fray, he defends himself with a circle of friends no one would wish on their worst enemy...

Garrett is a human detective in the fantastical city of TunFaire. And now he's getting tangled up in the worst sort of laws... In-laws. Garrett is set to stow his wandering heart with his fianc e, Strafa Algarda. But for Garrett, even true love comes with its share of headaches--namely, the Algarda family. Strafa's family needs Garrett's unique skills in the worst way. Rumors are spreading that someone is organizing a Tournament of Swords--a brutal contest that magically compels the children of sorcerers to battle until only one is left alive. The winner will absorb the power from those he has killed and thus become a demigod. Strafa and her family want to protect her daughter, Kevans, from being forced to take part in the lethal contest...and they've asked Garrett to find out who is organizing the tournament and nip it in the bud. The only problem is that finding the culprit is most likely impossible. But the Algardas are used to getting what they want....

The series that brought grittiness to Fantasy and became a bestseller in the US finally comes to the UK

Piper Hecht's first and greatest secret is that he knows how to kill gods. What's not a secret is that he knows how to win wars. Hecht's secrets make him dangerous, but his skill and his reputation put him in danger--from his enemies, who fear what he might do or who want revenge for what he has already done; and from his friends, who want to use his military gifts for their own purposes. His sister Heris and his living ancestor Cloven Februaren, the Ninth Unknown, have made Hecht part of their fight against the return of the dark god, Kharoulke the Windwalker. At the same time, the half-mad Empress Katrin wants Hecht to lead the armies of the Grail Empire eastward on a crusade against his old co-religionists the Praman. Meanwhile, the world is changing. The winters are growing longer and harsher every year, and the seas are getting shallower. The far north and the high mountain ranges are going under the ice, fast. The Wells of Power are getting weaker, and the old evils, the Instrumentalities from the Time Before Time, have begun to ooze back into the world. Surrender to the Will of the Night is the third book in Glen Cook's phenomenal Instrumentalities of the Night fantasy series. As ever, the genius of Glen Cook's storytelling lies in his common touch: in soldiers, who are like real soldiers; in men and women, who love and laugh and sweat, with real hopes and real fears, united only in their determination to face the oncoming night.

From Glen Cook, the godfather of Grimdark, comes Chronicles of the Black Company, an omnibus comprising of The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose--the first omnibus volume of the bestselling fantasy series, with millions of copies in print. Darkness wars with darkness as the hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must. They bury their doubts with their dead. Then comes the prophecy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more... "With the Black Company series Glen Cook single-handedly changed the face of fantasy."--New York Times bestselling author Steven Erikson Chronicles of The Black Company The Black Company (The First Chronicle) Shadows Linger (The Second Chronicle) The White Rose (The Third Chronicle) The Silver Spike Shadow Games (The First Book of the South) Dreams of Steel (The Second Book of the South) Bleak Seasons (Book One of Glittering Stone) She Is the Darkness (Book Two of Glittering Stone) Water Sleeps (Book Three of Glittering Stone) Soldiers Live (Book Four of Glittering Stone) Port of Shadows Lies Weeping (Book One of A Pitiless Rain) Omnibus editions: Chronicles of the Black Company (comprising The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose) The Books of the South (comprising Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, and The Silver Spike) Return of the Black Company (comprising Bleak Seasons and She Is the Darkness) The Many Deaths of the Black Company (comprising Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live)

In a second omnibus of tales featuring the Black Company, the survivors of the devastating battle at the Tower of Charm are hounded by the predatory Shadowmasters throughout a risky march to the south. Original.15,000 first printing.

From Glen Cook, the godfather of Grimdark, comes The Return of the Black Company, an omnibus comprising of Bleak Seasons and She is the Darkness--the third omnibus volume of the bestselling fantasy epic Chronicles of the Black Company, with millions of copies in print. "Let me tell you who I am, on the chance that these scribblings do survive. . . "I am Murgen, Standardbearer of the Black Company, though I bear the shame of having lost that standard in battle. I am keeping these Annals because Croaker is dead, One-Eye won't, and hardly anyone else can read or write. I will be your guide for however long it takes the Shadowlanders to force our present predicament to its inevitable end. . ." "With the Black Company series Glen Cook single-handedly changed the face of fantasy."--New York Times bestselling author Steven Erikson Chronicles of The Black Company The Black Company (The First Chronicle) Shadows Linger (The Second Chronicle) The White Rose (The Third Chronicle) The Silver Spike Shadow Games (The First Book of the South) Dreams of Steel (The Second Book of the South) Bleak Seasons (Book One of Glittering Stone) She Is the Darkness (Book Two of Glittering Stone) Water Sleeps (Book Three of Glittering Stone) Soldiers Live (Book Four of Glittering Stone) Port of Shadows Lies Weeping (Book One of A Pitiless Rain) Omnibus editions: Chronicles of the Black Company (comprising The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose) The Books of the South (comprising Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, and The Silver Spike) Return of the Black Company (comprising Bleak Seasons and She Is the Darkness) The Many Deaths of the Black Company (comprising Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live)

From Glen Cook, the godfather of Grimdark, comes The Many Deaths of The Black Company, an omnibus comprising of Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live--the fourth omnibus volume of the bestselling fantasy epic Chronicles of the Black Company, with millions of copies in print. In Water Sleeps, the surviving members of the Company regroup in Taglios, determined to free their fellow warriors held in stasis beneath the glittering plain. Journeying there under terrible conditions, they arrive just in time for a magical conflagration in which the bones of the world will be revealed, the history of the Company unveiled, and new worlds gained and lost...all at a terrible price. And in Soldiers Live: No Black Company member has died in battle for four years. Croaker figures it can't last. Then a report arrives warning of an old enemy newly active. The enemy attacks them at a Shadowgate-- setting off a chain of events that will bring the Company to the edge of apocalypse and, as usual, several steps beyond. "With the Black Company series Glen Cook single-handedly changed the face of fantasy."--New York Times bestselling author Steven Erikson Chronicles of The Black Company The Black Company (The First Chronicle) Shadows Linger (The Second Chronicle) The White Rose (The Third Chronicle) The Silver Spike Shadow Games (The First Book of the South) Dreams of Steel (The Second Book of the South) Bleak Seasons (Book One of Glittering Stone) She Is the Darkness (Book Two of Glittering Stone) Water Sleeps (Book Three of Glittering Stone) Soldiers Live (Book Four of Glittering Stone) Port of Shadows Lies Weeping (Book One of A Pitiless Rain) Omnibus editions: Chronicles of the Black Company (comprising The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose) The Books of the South (comprising Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, and The Silver Spike) Return of the Black Company (comprising Bleak Seasons and She Is the Darkness) The Many Deaths of the Black Company (comprising Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live)

Now in trade paperback: The Tyranny of the Night is the start of a fantasy epic from Glen Cook, the creator of the Black Company, rich as history and deep as the night sky.Welcome to the world of the Instrumentalities of the Night, where imps, demons, and dark gods rule in the spaces surrounding upstart humanity. At the edges of the world stand walls of ice which push slowly forward to reclaim the land for the night. And at the world's center, in the Holy Land where two great religions were born, are the Wells of Ihrain, the source of the greatest magics. Over the last century the Patriarchs of the West have demanded crusades to claim the Wells from the Pramans, the followers of the Written. Now an uneasy truce extends between the Pramans and the West, waiting for a spark to start the conflict anew.Then, on a mission in the Holy Land, the young Praman warrior Else is attacked by a creature of the Dark--in effect, a minor god. Too ignorant to know that he can never prevail over such a thing, he fights it and wins, and in so doing, sets the terrors of the night against him.As a reward for his success, Else is sent as a spy to the heart of the Patriarchy to direct their attention away from further ventures into the Holy Lands. Dogged by hidden enemies and faithless allies, Else witnesses senseless butchery and surprising acts of faith as he penetrates to the very heart of the Patriarchy and rides alongside their armies in a new crusade against his own people. But the Night rides with him, too, sending two of its once-human agents from the far north to assassinate him.Submerged in his role, he begins to doubt his faith, his country, even his family. As his mission careens out of control, he faces unanswerable questions about his future. It is said that God will know his own, but can one who has slain gods ever know forgiveness?

It's cold. The wells of power are weakening and the forces of Night grow strong. The gods are real, and still have some power, mostly to do harm. The Instrumentalities of the Night are the worst of these.Piper Hecht, born Else Tage, survived a battle with the Instrumentalities. Now he's Captain-General of the armies fighting a crusade for Patriarch Sublime V. Intrigues swirl around the throne of the Grail Empire, as the imperial family's enemy Anne of Menand raises money to help the perpetually indebted Patriarch finance his crusades. To reduce his own vulnerability, sickly young Emperor Lothar assigns his two half-sisters his immediate heirs to their own realms.Now Piper Hecht learns that the legendary sorcerer Cloven Februaren, referred to as the Ninth Unknown, is still alive, more than 100 years old, and on Piper's side. As the dynastic politics of the Empire become even more convoluted, it's clear that while the old gods may be fading, they're determined to do everything they can to bend the doings of men to their own advantage.Sieges, explosions, betrayals, Anti-Patriarchs, and suspicious deaths will ensue as the great chess game plays itself out, with Piper Hecht at the center of it all In "Lord of the Silent Kingdom," Glen Cook has created a complex and original sequel to The Tyranny of the Night, continuing this intriguing fantasy epic."

Piper Hecht's first and greatest secret is that he knows how to kill gods. What's not a secret is that he knows how to win wars.Hecht's secrets make him dangerous, but his skill and his reputation put him in danger--from his enemies, who fear what he might do or who want revenge for what he has already done; and from his friends, who want to use his military gifts for their own purposes.His sister Heris and his living ancestor Cloven Februaren, the Ninth Unknown, have made Hecht part of their fight against the return of the dark god, Kharoulke the Windwalker. At the same time, the half-mad Empress Katrin wants Hecht to lead the armies of the Grail Empire eastward on a crusade against his old co-religionists the Praman.Meanwhile, the world is changing. The winters are growing longer and harsher every year, and the seas are getting shallower. The far north and the high mountain ranges are going under the ice, fast. The Wells of Power are getting weaker, and the old evils, the Instrumentalities from the Time Before Time, have begun to ooze back into the world."Surrender to the Will of the Night" is the third book in Glen Cook's phenomenal Instrumentalities of the Night fantasy series. As ever, the genius of Glen Cook's storytelling lies in his common touch: in soldiers, who are like real soldiers; in men and women, who love and laugh and sweat, with real hopes and real fears, united only in their determination to face the oncoming night.

Dreams of Steel is Book 5 in Glen Cook's fantasy masterpiece, The Chronicles of the Black Company.Croaker has fallen and, following the Company's disastrous defeat at Dejagore, Lady is one of the few survivors--determined to avenge the Company and herself against the Shadowmasters, no matter what the cost.But in assembling a new fighting force from the dregs and rabble of Taglios, she finds herself offered help by a mysterious, ancient cult of murder--competent, reliable, and apparently committed to her goals.Meanwhile, far away, Shadowmasters conspire against one another and the world, weaving dark spells that reach into the heart of Taglios. And in a hidden grove, a familiar figure slowly awakens to find himself the captive of an animated, headless corpse.Mercilessly cutting through Taglian intrigues, Lady appears to be growing stronger every day. All that disturbs her are the dreams which afflict her by night--dreams of carnage, of destruction, of universal death, unceasing...