Order of Book Series
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Black Company Books in Order

Black Company by Glen Cook contains 10 books, published between 1984 and 2000. The first book is The Black Company (1984) and the newest is Soldiers Live (2000). One more title is announced: The Long Run (2027). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
10 + 1 announced
Published
1984–2000
Confirmed
1 of 11 titles
Pages on record
3,788 in 10 of 11 books
Reading time
63–95 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,788 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 10 of 11 titles with a page count on record.

See all 11 books in order Printable Black Company checklistNext: The Long Run (2027)

Black Company is a dark fantasy series by Glen Cook about a band of mercenaries who take their pay and fight for whoever holds their contract. In the opening book, The Black Company (1984), that employer is the Lady, risen after centuries in thrall and read by some as a shield against evil and by others as evil itself; a prophecy that the White Rose has been reborn sets the company searching for her. Eleven catalogued books reach Soldiers Live, grouped as the Books of the North, the Books of the South and the Books of the Glittering Stone. The Long Run is scheduled for 2027.

How many Black Company books are there?

Black Company has 10 published books, released between 1984 and 2000. One more, The Long Run (2027), is announced.

Black Company Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 11 Black Company books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of The Black Company by Glen Cook, book 1 of the Black Company series (1984)
  2. Cover of Shadows Linger by Glen Cook, book 2 of the Black Company series (1984)
  3. Cover of The White Rose by Glen Cook, book 3 of the Black Company series (1985)
  4. Cover of The Silver Spike by Glen Cook, book 4 of the Black Company series (1989)
  5. Cover of Shadow Games by Glen Cook, book 5 of the Black Company series (1989)
  6. Cover of Dreams of Steel by Glen Cook, book 6 of the Black Company series (1990)
  7. Cover of Bleak Seasons by Glen Cook, book 7 of the Black Company series (1996)
  8. Cover of She is the Darkness by Glen Cook, book 8 of the Black Company series (1997)
  9. Cover of Water Sleeps by Glen Cook, book 9 of the Black Company series (1999)
  10. Cover of Soldiers Live by Glen Cook, book 10 of the Black Company series (2000)
  1. 1
    The Black Company1984 · 320 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1984320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Shadows Linger1984 · 319 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1984319
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The White Rose1985 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1985320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Silver Spike1989 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Shadow Games1989 · 311 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989311
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Dreams of Steel1990 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Bleak Seasons1996 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1996320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    She is the Darkness1997 · 480 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1997480
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Water Sleeps1999 · 480 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1999480
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Soldiers Live2000 · 566 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2000566
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Long Run2027 · confirmed 2/4
    2027–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for Black Company?

No separate chronological order is on record for Black Company, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.

Do you have to read Black Company books in order?

You should read the Black Company books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Black Company book also stands alone.

Where to start with Black Company

Start with The Black Company (1984), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Black Company book?

Soldiers Live (2000) is the newest Black Company book released so far.

Is there a new Black Company book coming?

Yes. The Long Run (2027) is the next Black Company book announced in the catalogue. A publication year announced this far ahead moves, so it is worth rechecking: every announced title dated after 2026 sits on the upcoming book releases page.

Black Company at a glance

Still running
Black Company is still running. The Long Run is announced for 2027.
Release pace
Black Company books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
3,788 pages across the 10 of 11 books with a recorded length, a median of 320 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Black Company books, 5 of 11, were published in the 1980s.

What the Black Company books are about

10 of the 11 Black Company books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: dark fantasy is tagged on 10 of 10. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Dark fantasy 10 of 10 books
  • High fantasy 10 of 10 books
  • Series:The Books of Glittering Stone 4 of 10 books
  • Series:The Books of the North 3 of 10 books
  • Series:The Books of the South 2 of 10 books

More books by Glen Cook

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.

Other series by Glen Cook

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.