UNITED STATES AUTHOR · FANTASY · FICTION
Glen Cook
Also known as: Cook, Glen, Cook, G.
Glen Cook (born July 9, 1944) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction, best known for his series The Black Company, a dark military fantasy that follows the adventures of an elite mercenary unit, and Garrett P.I. about a hardboiled detective in a fantasy world, blending elements of mystery and fantasy. Born in New York City, he grew up in northern California and served in the U.S. Navy from 1962 to 1972. He attended the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970, which helped launch his writing career. His first published novel, [The Heirs of Babylon], was published in 1972. After his military service, Cook worked at a General Motors assembly plant while writing prolifically. His works are celebrated for their gritty realism and historical complexity, influencing many in the fantasy genre. [Steven Erikson]has noted that Cook's work significantly impacted the genre by removing the stereotypes and cliches that were previously inherent in it, and introducing real, human characters and believable situations. He resides near St. Louis, Missouri. (Sources:,,) : : : :
There were prodigies and portents enough, One-Eye says.
— from The Black Company
Most acclaimed
Ceremony
1986
"This story, set on an Indian reservation just after World War II, concerns the return home of a war-weary Navaho young man. Tayo, a young Native American, has been a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and the horrors of captivity have almost eroded his will to survive. His return to the Laguna Pueblo reservation only increases his feeling of estrangement and alienation. While other returning soldiers find easy refuge in alcohol and senseless violence, Tayo searches for another kind of comfort and resolution. Tayo's quest leads him back to the Indian past and its traditions, to beliefs about witchcraft and evil, and to the ancient stories of his people. The search itself becomes a ritual, a curative ceremny that defeats the most virulent of afflictions-despair. "Demanding but confident and beautifully written" (Boston Globe), this is the story of a young Native American returning to his reservation after surviving the horrors of captivity as a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II. Drawn to his Indian past and its traditions, his search for comfort and resolution becomes a ritual--a curative ceremony that defeats his despair."--From source other than the Library of Congress
A Shadow of All Night Falling
1979
Across the mountains called the Dragon's Teeth, beyond the chill reach of the Werewind and the fires of the world's beginning, above the walls of the castle Fangdred, stands Windtower. From this lonely keep the Star Rider calls forth the war that even wizards dread, fought for a woman's hundred-lifetime love. A woman called Nepanthe, princess to the Stormkings…