Books On Board
series Reading Order

Black Company Books in Order

10 Books
1984 – 2000 Published
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Reading order

The Recommended Reading Order

For your first time reading the series, the safest and most satisfying path is publication order. While some books are chronological prequels or side stories, reading them out of publication order can spoil character developments, reveal late-game lore, or disrupt the natural evolution of Glen Cook's writing style. here is the recommended sequence:

  1. The Black Company (1984)
  2. Shadows Linger (1984)
  3. The White Rose (1985)
  4. The Silver Spike (1989)
  5. Shadow Games (1989)
  6. Dreams of Steel (1990)
  7. Bleak Seasons (1996)
  8. She Is the Darkness (1997)
  9. Water Sleeps (1999)
  10. Soldiers Live (2000)
  11. Port of Shadows (2018)
  12. Lies Weeping (2025)
  13. They Cry (Forthcoming, late 2026)

Understanding the Subseries

The saga is broken into distinct narrative arcs, each focusing on different eras and campaigns of the mercenary unit:

The Books of the North

This is where it all begins. Comprising The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose, this original trilogy introduces Croaker, the Captain, the Lady, and the Taken in their campaign across the northern empire.

The Silver Spike (The Northern Spin-off)

Published in 1989, The Silver Spike wraps up the storylines of characters who chose to remain in the north instead of traveling south. Some readers prefer to read it immediately after The White Rose, while others wait until after Dreams of Steel. Either option works, but reading it after The White Rose keeps the northern events fresh in your mind.

The Books of the South

This duology (Shadow Games and Dreams of Steel) follows the remaining members of the Black Company as they travel south to search for the origins of their order.

The Books of Glittering Stone

This final main-sequence arc includes Bleak Seasons, She Is the Darkness, Water Sleeps, and the epic conclusion Soldiers Live. This arc wraps up the classic storyline of the Company.

Port of Shadows (The Chronological Catch)

Though published in 2018 and chronologically set between The Black Company and Shadows Linger, do not read Port of Shadows second. It assumes you already know major spoilers about the characters and contains stylistic differences that fit much better as a post-series return to the world.

A Pitiless Rain (The Modern Sequel Arc)

Glen Cook has returned to the world of the Black Company with a new sequence set after the events of Soldiers Live. The first volume, Lies Weeping, was published in November 2025, and the second volume, They Cry, is scheduled for late 2026.

Frequently Asked

QCan I read Port of Shadows second in the series?

No, it is highly discouraged. Although Port of Shadows takes place chronologically between the first and second books, it was written decades later and contains meta-textual elements, lore reveals, and spoilers that assume you have finished the original series up to Soldiers Live.

QWhere does The Silver Spike fit in the reading order?

You should read The Silver Spike right after finishing the original trilogy (The White Rose) or after the first book of the South (Shadow Games). It resolves outstanding northern plotlines before the main company moves fully south.

QIs the Black Company series finished?

The original story arc concluded with Soldiers Live in 2000. However, author Glen Cook has returned to the universe, releasing the interquel Port of Shadows in 2018 and launching a sequel arc called A Pitiless Rain starting with Lies Weeping in 2025.

QWhat is the new book Lies Weeping about?

Released in November 2025, Lies Weeping is the first book of the new A Pitiless Rain saga, continuing the timeline after the conclusion of Soldiers Live.

QAre there any short story collections for the Black Company?

There is no dedicated Black Company short story collection. Standalone short stories like Bone Eaters and Shaggy Dog Bridge can be found in Cook's multi-franchise collection The Best of Glen Cook (2019).

QWho is the main narrator of the series?

The annals of the Black Company are primarily recorded and narrated by Croaker, the unit's doctor and historian. However, other characters take over the role of annalist in later books, such as Lady, Murgen, and Sleepy.