Althea M. (althea) reviewed Black Projects, White Knights: The Company Dossiers (Company) on + 774 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An extremely excellent colletion of Kage Baker's short stories regarding 'The Company.' Three of these were not published previously, and all of them include essential(?) clues and backstory regarding the Company and its mysterious, shadowy projects which interweave the entirety of human history.
Absolutely a must-read for anyone who's read any of the Company books - or a good introduction to the series.
I'm quoting Wikipedia for the contents summary, cause I'm lazy:
"Contents
The stories in this volume are:
Introduction: The Hounds of Zeus: A brief introduction to the world of The Company.
Noble Mold: Mendoza and Joseph attempt to secure a special plant from a Native American family living in 19th century Mission California.
Smart Alec: On the origins of the mysteriously talented Alec Checkerfield.
Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kalugin: Vasilii Kalugin has a bad week in the company of a very old Company operative.
Old Flat Top: A young Cro-Magnon learns some facts about how his valley came to be settled from the Enforcer Joshua.
The Dust Enclosed Here: A simulacrum of William Shakespeare encounters Alec Checkerfield and comes out of the experience changed.
The Literary Agent: Robert Louis Stevenson hallucinates a strangely contemporary encounter with a Mephistophelean figure who helps him rediscover his inspiration.
Lemuria Will Rise: Mendoza encounters an eccentric hermit in 19th century Pismo Beach.
The Wreck of the Gladstone: Victor and Kalugin have to recover Company property from a wreck off the coast of Los Angeles without damaging the local mortals too badly.
Monster Story: Young Alec Checkerfield goes to take his exams.
Hanuman: Mendoza gets hit on by an augmented australopithecine with a story to tell about his tragic upbringing.
Studio Dick Drowns Near Malibu: Joseph goes to shed one mortal identity and assume a new one, but first he has to resolve a complication.
The Likely Lad: Alec Checkerfield and his amoral pet artificial intelligence take to the high seas.
The Queen in Yellow: Literature Preservation Specialist Lewis is given a job on a dig in Egypt for which he is poorly suited.
The Hotel at Harlan's Landing: A storm on the coast of California during the Great Depression where Company secrets are revealed, and more questions posed."
Absolutely a must-read for anyone who's read any of the Company books - or a good introduction to the series.
I'm quoting Wikipedia for the contents summary, cause I'm lazy:
"Contents
The stories in this volume are:
Introduction: The Hounds of Zeus: A brief introduction to the world of The Company.
Noble Mold: Mendoza and Joseph attempt to secure a special plant from a Native American family living in 19th century Mission California.
Smart Alec: On the origins of the mysteriously talented Alec Checkerfield.
Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kalugin: Vasilii Kalugin has a bad week in the company of a very old Company operative.
Old Flat Top: A young Cro-Magnon learns some facts about how his valley came to be settled from the Enforcer Joshua.
The Dust Enclosed Here: A simulacrum of William Shakespeare encounters Alec Checkerfield and comes out of the experience changed.
The Literary Agent: Robert Louis Stevenson hallucinates a strangely contemporary encounter with a Mephistophelean figure who helps him rediscover his inspiration.
Lemuria Will Rise: Mendoza encounters an eccentric hermit in 19th century Pismo Beach.
The Wreck of the Gladstone: Victor and Kalugin have to recover Company property from a wreck off the coast of Los Angeles without damaging the local mortals too badly.
Monster Story: Young Alec Checkerfield goes to take his exams.
Hanuman: Mendoza gets hit on by an augmented australopithecine with a story to tell about his tragic upbringing.
Studio Dick Drowns Near Malibu: Joseph goes to shed one mortal identity and assume a new one, but first he has to resolve a complication.
The Likely Lad: Alec Checkerfield and his amoral pet artificial intelligence take to the high seas.
The Queen in Yellow: Literature Preservation Specialist Lewis is given a job on a dig in Egypt for which he is poorly suited.
The Hotel at Harlan's Landing: A storm on the coast of California during the Great Depression where Company secrets are revealed, and more questions posed."
