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Water Sleeps by Glen Cook is the "Eighth Chronicle" of the Black Company series and the third novel in the Books of Glittering Stone tetralogy. It begins 15 years after the closing of the prior novel, She Is the Darkness.

The new narrator is Sleepy, a young Jaicuri woman who had been rescued from her sexually abusive family during the Siege of Dejagore by the Black Company roughly 20 years before the opening of the novel. She is a gifted and well-read strategist who has surrounded herself with a retinue of experienced veterans of the Kiaulune wars (conflicts which occurred during the time between She Is the Darkness and Water Sleeps). Supported by the Nyueng Bao De Duang, she has tricked the entire world into believing that the Company is extinct. Even their sworn enemy Soulcatcher – now the empress of the sprawling Taglian Protectorate – does not know they are an underground organization operating under her nose. Sleepy and her crew begin conducting a series of bold abductions, maneuvers, journeys, and deals with devils... all for the purpose of reuniting with the Captured: the long-lost leadership of the Black Company.

Glen Cook stated that the title (and the recurring slogan in the book) comes from a Turkish proverb.

Plot summary[]

Preceding events[]

Immediately after the events of She Is the Darkness, many of the senior members of the Black Company disappeared after traveling through the Shadowgate onto the glittering plain. They were presumed dead by everyone they had left behind. But, while some were indeed dead, most had actually been trapped by Soulcatcher in an enchanted stasis in a supernatural ice cave beneath the fortress with no name. Only a handful of people would come to learn that "the Captured" were still alive, albeit frozen and virtually unreachable.

The ranking officer of the Company's remnants was Sleepy, a young Jaicuri Vehdna woman who aspired to become the group's Annalist as an understudy of Murgen. She and her close ally Ky Sahra led the Company and their Shadowlander allies in the Kiaulune wars, which lasted for 5 years. Against the superior Company-trained Taglian forces of the Great General Mogaba, it ended with their defeat. This is how Soulcatcher became the "Protector" of a newly-consolidated, massive empire. Taglios and its new territories – now often called the Protectorate – were still ostensibly ruled by the Radisha Drah, but the power behind the throne was Soulcatcher. Willow Swan, who helped her trap the Captured, was now part of the Privy Council as the head of the Greys, the city force in charge of maintaining order.

The setup[]

Fifteen years after She Is the Darkness, the Black Company has been mostly forgotten by the populace despite its historic influence. The government of the Protectorate has even publicly declared the group to be extinct. But a remnant has survived as an underground organization inside Taglios... united in purpose but largely powerless. They have blended into society by working diligently by day in common jobs: each member had at least one new identity. Their headquarters is a waterfront warehouse on the great river owned by their elderly ally Banh Do Trang, in the Nyueng Bao neighborhood inside the city. Unwanted visits to the structure are deterred by webs of subtle magic placed by the elderly Company wizards One-Eye and Goblin.

Under the direction of the Annalist Sleepy and her indispensable ally Ky Sahra, the Company distracts Soulcatcher and her minions while trying to uncover a way to rescue the Captured from the glittering plain. One of their early schemes is to foment disarray and dissatisfaction among the Taglian people. Tobo (son of Sahra and Murgen) frequently distributes mocking graffiti and triggers frightening illusions of a demon called Niassi. They plant false evidence that suggests the trouble is coming out of Chor Bagan, a crime-ridden slum still avoided by even the new police force known as the Greys. Adding to the chaos are the Bhodi disciples, who have begun publicly immolating themselves in protest against the Protectorate.

While Sleepy focuses on the undercover operations of their small group, Sahra (Murgen's wife) takes over the administrative tasks which traditionally would be handled by the Black Company Lieutenant. Sahra also makes periodic mental contact with her husband to gather information. Murgen, despite being one of the Captured, is still able to dream-travel around the world and report back via the link with his wife.

Actions in Taglios[]

Although the old wizards One-Eye and Goblin are weak and afflicted by age, the actions of the group become bolder. Sleepy's people directly attack the Palace in a firestorm of fireball projector fire, and capture Willow Swan. Disguised as servants, Sleepy, Sahra, and Tobo enter the Palace and also successfully capture two high-ranking members of the Privy Council: Purohita Arjana Drupada and Inspector-General Chandra Gokhale. Later Goblin replaces Tobo and they even kidnap the Radisha Drah herself, outraging Soulcatcher, who does not yet even know the Black Company is behind the abductions.

Concurrently, the reviled Deceivers appear in Taglios. Both the Daughter of Night and Narayan Singh are tracked by the Company wizards to Chor Bagan and captured.

When Goblin finds himself trapped inside the Palace, he needs to outsmart Soulcatcher to escape. In the process, he plants a trap using incendiary fireball projector ammunition concealed inside a small statue of Ghanghesha. She takes the bait, assuming a shadow is hidden within, and stomps on it... and in the process incinerates part of her foot.

Soulcatcher plans a trap at the library with her Greys, to catch the thief responsible for swiping old documents she had ordered destroyed long ago. This is where Sleepy worked as "Dorabee Dey Banerjae" (an alter ego); Soulcatcher thankfully was unaware of Sleepy's presence there. Sleepy is not ensnared in the trap. Surendranath Santaraksita, the Master of the library, and the aged copyist Baladitya, were not present either, as they were both captured by Sleepy the night before the trap.

Banh Do Trang, the owner of their hidden headquarters, passes away of old age, and Sleepy mourns the death of her ally. She recognizes it is time to leave the city.

Mogaba and his troops approach the city, but most of the Black Company has already departed in disguise. They cross paths on the Rock Road, but they are not recognized.

Traveling south[]

On their way toward the Shadowgate, the Company divides into two main groups.

Sleepy travels with Uncle Doj, the prisoner Narayan Singh the Deceiver, and some others. She has made a bargain with Singh: she will hand over their confiscated pages of the incomplete Books of the Dead, and in turn, he will guide them to the Shadowgate key he had stolen from Soulcatcher (who had taken it from the Nyueng Bao before that).

They follow Singh to the Deceivers' ancient temple within the Grove of Doom. Sleepy, being naturally suspicious, had sent the reliable Slink and a small advance team to get to the place first. She learns that Slink is watching from a distance, and upon discovering some rumels, that his men have killed at least 6 or 7 Stranglers who had been planning to ambush her. After a while, he surrenders a small but heavy hammer. In exchange, he receives the book and his freedom, but not before learning by accident that his Stranglers had been killed.

With the Key in hand, the group proceeds as planned southward. They pass around Lake Tanji, across the Plain of Charandaprash, through the Dandha Presh, and into the valley of Kiaulune and the nearby Shadowgate.

Kiaulune and the Shadowgate[]

In the city of Kiaulune, the old wizards attach sorcery traps to a cage to keep the Daughter of Night restrained. The harder she attempts to escape, the more pain and injury is brought to her body. The cage shares the same fate as her, which means that she cannot attack it directly. Only sorcery from outside can free her.

Goblin and One-Eye reveal the true nature of the Shadowgate key. After they remove the external metal that made it look like a hammer, they discover that it was actually a golden pickax: an ancient, ritual tool used by Deceivers to dispose of the corpses of their sacrificial victims.

The Company relieves the regional army leader – Suvrin – from his command, and Sleepy decides to befriend him. They also capture a fort from Protectorate loyalist Khusavir Pete. But a small shadow escapes to warn Soulcatcher. Soon, Murgen confirms that Soulcatcher was coming: she has left Taglios aboard a flying carpet and will be there shortly.

The group of refugees that now forms the Company prepares an ambush for Soulcatcher. Uncle Doj sneaks and destroys Catcher's carpet after she lands. Then he runs through the Shadowgate where his companions are waiting with Suvrin. Catcher observes them flaunt the golden pickax to distract her, while Khusavir Pete attempts to assassinate her with a fireball projector from hiding. Soulcatcher's supernatural sense of self-preservation enables her to survive the attack by a gnat's breath, and Khusavir Pete is doomed. But, her enemies are safely out of her reach.

Across the glittering plain[]

This is the last cast of the dice, Sleepy. And it's for everything.

Murgen, Chapter 76

Sleepy's group starts their dangerous journey through glittering plain. Because of their careful planning and training, there are no fatalities due to shadows. Along the path, they find the desiccated bodies of Sindawe, Bucket and his bodyguard Suyen Dinh Duc, and several others. They are delayed by snow which conceals the trail that they should follow. Goblin and Tobo (now a wizard apprentice) unveil the way.

After arriving at the fortress with no name, the group is amazed to see Shivetya, the gigantic golem that protected Kina's tomb. He is stuck to a wooden throne by daggers. The throne had been overturned over a crack in the ground during the earthquake that had occurred at the end of Bleak Seasons, so Sleepy orders the group to stand it upright. While her people are occupied by the tasks, she starts to follow Swan down, into the caverns beneath the fortress. They follow an immense staircase until they found an opening, the cave of the ancients, where several men, forgotten by time itself, are found petrified, frozen and unable to die in stasis, unable to live too.

Near the frozen ancients are the Captured, including Murgen, Lady (the second-in-command), Croaker (the Captain), the Prahbrindrah Drah, Murgen's brother-in-law and bodyguard Thai Dei, Otto, Hagop, Blade, and two wizard prisoners: the Howler and Longshadow. Many are alive but extremely vulnerable: a single touch without sorcery precautions will kill them. Strangely, a small group of 7 men are already dead, including Wheezer, Candles, and Longinus (whom Sleepy misidentifies as Cletus).

One-Eye and Tobo start to revive a selected few of the Captured: Croaker, Lady, and Murgen. For purely political reasons, Thai Dei is awakened since he is Sahra's beloved brother, and the Prince of Taglios, the Prahbrindrah Drah as well. The corpse of Cordy Mather is discovered in a different place: they learn he was not successfully frozen in stasis like the others. Worse, he tried to communicate with some other Captured, like Wheezer and Candles, and they also died after being touched. But what killed Cordy was not starvation; he had fallen into an ancient mechanic trap in a deeper part of the cavern.

Encounter with Kina[]

While the group transports the rescued members of the Company upstairs, Sleepy goes deeper in the caverns to find and incinerate the Books of the Dead. Along the way, Goblin disables about a dozen lethal mechanical traps, and they finally find Kina's tomes. Sleepy soon learns that Tobo had kept going downstairs, where only Kina herself can be located. She and a handful of others leave to find him.

They descend with the Lance of Passion until they discover the final chamber: the tomb of Kina in the flesh. There, Tobo stands enchanted by the dark goddess's beauty. Each observer sees something different when gazing upon her. Suddenly her form changes, and Kina attacks the intruders with evil sorcery in the form of smoke rising from her nostrils. Goblin fights back with the Lance, but he is surrounded. Trapped, he decides to sacrifice himself for the benefit of the others. He charges with the spear, striking for her heart. The demonic smoke sets Goblin aflame. The earth shakes as psychic screaming fills the air, and the terrified survivors run upstairs.

Tobo gets to the top first. Eventually, Sleepy and Swan, despite their exhaustion, incinerate all three Books of the Dead. They have struck back against the goddess, a small bit of revenge for the loss of Goblin. Afterward, they are found by Riverwalker and the brothers Iqbal and Runmust Singh, who bring a strange, delicious sustenance that has been supplied personally by Shivetya. They all reunite with everyone else in Shivetya's prehistoric throne room. There, the old swordsman Doj is uncharacteristically talkative: he eagerly shares with Sleepy the things he has learned from a direct mental link with their new ally Shivetya.

Shivetya next communicates with Sleepy, revealing to her in dreams how Soulcatcher caused the horrible earthquake during one of her visits the fortress, and also, how she trapped the Captured after that. Then, the stone golem sends them away, levitating them safely over the dangerous plain until they reach the other members of their group that had already departed. They follow the path to the next Shadowgate.

Land of Unknown Shadows[]

The Black Company, now reunited with its long-lost leadership and several allies and old prisoners, crosses the gate into an alien world. But what they find is a land eerily reminiscent to their own homeworld. The geography inexplicably resembles the landscape around Kiaulune but without the towers of Overlook and the associated construction.

The Company has reached the Land of Unknown Shadows – the origin of the ancestors of the Nyueng Bao De Duang – instead of their intended destination, the fabled Khatovar.

As the group follows the path descending from the Shadowgate of the strange new world, they meet some natives: the monks of Khang Phi. The monks communicate with Uncle Doj in a tongue not unlike the Nyueng Bao language. The Company learns that the monks had posted themselves there in case their enemies return. This refers to sorcerers who had invaded from the gate in the past, namely, Longshadow and his kin... once the hated tyrants of this land.

The Company is allowed to settle in the fields, and soon builds the Abode of Ravens. They make several expeditions back to the fortress with no name to rescue the other Captured that were initially left behind. Tobo practices sorcery and studies all manner of things with Lady, One-Eye, Master Santaraksita, and even Longshadow. One-Eye survives four more years, but in the meantime, he suffers strokes and becomes increasingly debilitated. They are preparing in earnest to return to the homeworld and strike back at Soulcatcher.

From the back cover[]

Regrouping in Taglios, the surviving members of the Black Company are 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 world gained and lost... all at a terrible price.

Global publication and translation history[]

In addition to the editions listed in the infobox at the top of this article, Water Sleeps also appeared in the following formats and translations.

Gallery of omnibuses[]

All of the omnibuses in which Water Sleeps is known to have appeared are shown in this gallery. See Books of Glittering Stone for more details.

Single and double volumes[]

Water Sleeps was also published in the following single- and double-volume editions, translations, and formats. They are listed in order of publication, earliest first; some reappearances of the same translation may be grouped together.

Polish[]

Polish Water Sleeps front
  • Title: Woda śpi
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Polish
  • Translator: Jan Karłowski
  • Publisher: Rebis
  • Pub date: 2000
  • Cover art by: Boris Vallejo
  • ISBN: 9788371209529 / 8371209525 (paperback)


Russian (2000 AST Dragon Age Chronicles)[]

This edition was part of the publisher's Dragon Age Chronicles (Век Дракона Хроники / Vek Drakona Khroniki) series.

Russian series Век Дракона Water Sleeps 2000 front
  • Title: Воды спят
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Russian
  • Translator: Беллы Жужунавы (Bella Zhuzhunava)
  • Publisher: АСТ (AST) and Terra Fantastica
  • Pub date: 2000
  • Cover art by: Luis Royo
  • ISBN: Hardcovers: 5-237-05205-3 (ACT); 5-7921-0278-3 (TF)


Russian (2001 AST Golden Fantasy)[]

This hardcover was part of the publisher's Golden Fantasy series (Золотая серия фэнтези / Zolotaya seriya fentezi).

Russian series Zolotaya fentezi Water Sleeps 2001 front
  • Title: Воды спят
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Russian
  • Translator: Беллы Жужунавы (Bella Zhuzhunava)
  • Publisher: АСТ (AST); АСТ Москва (AST Moscow); Terra Fantastica; Харвест (Harvest)
  • Pub date: 2001
  • Cover art by: Luis Royo (left and lower); Gary Ruddell (upper)
  • ISBN: All hardcovers:
    year 2001: 9785170051830 [5-17-005183-2] (АСТ); 9785792102781 [5-7921-0278-3] (TF)
    year 2002: 9785170109173 [5-17-010917-2] (АСТ)
    year 2008: 978517052698-7 (ACT); 9785971380849 (АСТ Москва); 9789851651333 (Harvest)


French 2 volumes (2005 L'Atalante)[]

The French translation, first published by L'Atalante, was divided into two volumes.

Volume I:

Water Sleeps Part 1 (L'Atalante 2005) Back
Water Sleeps Part 1 (L'Atalante 2005) Cover
  • Title: L'eau dort, I
  • Page shown: Front & back covers
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: French
  • Translator: Frank Reichert
  • Publisher: L'Atalante
  • Pub date: 27 January 2005
  • Cover art by: Didier Graffet
  • ISBN: 9782841722938 (paperback [broché])


Volume II:

Water Sleeps Part 2 (L'Atalante 2005) Back
Water Sleeps Part 2 (L'Atalante 2005) Cover
  • Title: L'eau dort, II
  • Page shown: Front & back covers
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: French
  • Translator: Frank Reichert
  • Publisher: L'Atalante
  • Pub date: 27 January 2005
  • Cover art by: Didier Graffet
  • ISBN: 9782841722945 (paperback [broché])


Russian (2008 AST Dragon Age 2)[]

This hardcover was part of the publisher's Dragon Age 2 series (Век дракона 2 / Vek Drakona 2).

Russian series Vek drakona 2 Water Sleeps 2008 front
  • Title: Воды спят
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Russian
  • Translator: Беллы Жужунавы (Bella Zhuzhunava)
  • Publisher: АСТ (AST); АСТ Москва (AST Moscow); Харвест (Harvest)
  • Pub date: 2008
  • Cover art by: Luis Royo
  • ISBN: Hardcovers: 978-5-17-050445-9 (ACT); 978-5-9713-8083-2 (АСТ Москва); 978-985-16-5134-0 (Harvest)


Spanish[]

Spanish Water Sleeps (La Factoria) front
  • Title: El agua durmiente. Un libro de La Compañía Negra. Tercer libro de Piedra reluciente
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Spanish
  • Translator: Raquel Faes Díaz
  • Publisher: La Factoría de Ideas
  • Pub date: 10 April 2009 (paperback); December 2014 (e-book)
  • Cover art by: Jan Patrik Krasny
  • ISBN: 9788498004625 (paperback); 9788490183892 (e-book)


French 2 volumes (2010 J'ai lu)[]

The same French translation previously published by L'Atalante (seen above) was republished in 2010 by J'ai lu in smaller paperback format [poche] with cover art by Johan Camou. It was also divided into two volumes. These artworks were replaced in 2019 by the more abstract art of Slava Gerj (right) when the publisher refreshed the covers.

Volume I:

Slava Gerj Jai lu Water Sleeps 1 front
Water Sleeps Part 1 (J'ai lu 2010) Cover
  • Title: Les Annales de la Compagnie Noire 10: L'eau dort, Première partie
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: French
  • Translator: Frank Reichert
  • Publisher: J'ai lu
  • Pub date: 10 March 2010
  • Cover art by: Johan Camou (left); Slava Gerj (right)
  • ISBN: 9782290022856 (small paperback [poche])


Volume II:

Slava Gerj Jai lu Water Sleeps 2 front
Water Sleeps Part 2 (J'ai lu 2010) Cover
  • Title: Les Annales de la Compagnie Noire 11: L'eau dort, Deuxième partie
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: French
  • Translator: Frank Reichert
  • Publisher: J'ai lu
  • Pub date: 13 October 2010
  • Cover art by: Johan Camou (left); Slava Gerj (right)
  • ISBN: 9782290022863 (small paperback [poche])


Bulgarian[]

Bulgarian 9 Water Sleeps front
  • Title: Водата спи: Трета книга за Блестящия камък (Хрониките на Черния отряд IX)
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Bulgarian
  • Translator: Пепа Соколова (Pepa Sokolova)
  • Publisher: Лира Принт (Lira Print)
  • Pub date: 2012
  • Cover art by: Nicholas Jainschigg
  • ISBN: 9789548610889 (paperback)


Persian[]

Persian Water Sleeps front
  • Title: سرگذشت گروهان سیاه - جلد 8 - سکوت آب
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Persian
  • Translator: آيدا کشوري (Aida Keshvari)
  • Publisher: کتابسرای تندیس، (Tandis Publishing)
  • Pub date: 2020
  • Cover art by: Nicholas Jainschigg
  • ISBN: 9786001826351 (paperback)



Audiobooks[]

English audiobook[]

Audible Water Sleeps
  • Title: Water Sleeps
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: English
  • Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
  • Length: 18 hours 7 minutes
  • Format: Audible digital audiobook
  • Publisher: Audible Studios
  • Pub date: 31 August 2010
  • Cover art by: Nicholas Jainschigg
  • ISBN: (ASIN: B0041JM4SC)


Russian audiobook[]

Russian audio Soyuz Water Sleeps
  • Title: Воды спят
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Russian
  • Narrated by: Всеволод Кузнецов (Vsevolod Kuznetsov)
  • Length: 16 hours 25 minutes
  • Format: MP3 download
  • Publisher: СОЮЗ, Покидышевъ и сыновья (Soyuz, Pokidyshev and Sons)
  • Pub date: August 2022
  • Cover art by: (unknown)
  • ISBN: 4066338994059
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