The Black Company Reading Order

Glen Cook's The Black Company is the grandfather of grimdark — the story of an elite mercenary company told from the ranks, in the terse voice of its annalist. It reshaped modern fantasy's taste for morally grey soldiers and worn-down heroes.

Our Recommendation: Publication Order Read in publication order, which is also chronological. The series groups into the Books of the North, the Books of the South, and the Glittering Stone sequence.

Reading Order

  1. The Black CompanyBuy NowAudible1984
  2. Shadows LingerBuy NowAudible1984
  3. The White RoseBuy NowAudible1985
  4. The Silver SpikeBuy NowAudible1989
  5. Shadow GamesBuy NowAudible1989
  6. Dreams of SteelBuy NowAudible1990
  7. Bleak SeasonsBuy NowAudible1996
  8. She Is the DarknessBuy NowAudible1997
  9. Water SleepsBuy NowAudible1998
  10. Soldiers LiveBuy NowAudible2000
Own the Complete Series Buying the whole series at once is usually cheaper than individual books, and box sets make a great gift. See The Black Company box set options on Amazon ›

The Three Sub-Series

Books of the North (1–3) form the founding trilogy. The Silver Spike is a standalone side-story that follows characters from The White Rose. Books of the South (Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel) and the Glittering Stone sequence (Bleak Seasons through Soldiers Live) carry the company to the far south and its origins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does The Silver Spike go?

After The White Rose. It's a standalone that follows secondary characters while the main company heads south, so it's usually read as book 3.5 before Shadow Games.

Is The Black Company hard to get into?

The first book drops you into the middle of things with little hand-holding — that's the point. Stick with the first hundred pages and the annalist's voice pulls you in.

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