Black Company reading order
Black Company reading order: publication first, from The Black Company through Soldiers Live. Port of Shadows and the Long Run shorts labeled — not between books 1 and 2.
Short answer · Start here
The Black Company
It is book one (1984). Publication order through Soldiers Live is the first-read path. Port of Shadows sits between books 1 and 2 in story time. It was published in 2018. Do not insert it there on a first visit. The On the Long Run shorts are the same kind of later extra.
Ten novels from 1984 to 2000, then a long silence, then extras and a new arc. Cook’s Company books were met as a chronicle that moves forward. Later volumes that fill earlier gaps assume you already know who survived.
Retail and some wikis will show Port of Shadows as book 1.5. That is chronology. It is not a first-read mercy.
The chronicles — publication order
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Black CompanyStart here | 1984 | Start here. Books of the North. | Amazon search for The Black Company |
| 2 |  Shadows Linger | 1984 | Amazon search for Shadows Linger | |
| 3 |  The White Rose | 1985 | Closes the first three. | Amazon search for The White Rose |
| 4 |  The Silver Spike | 1989 | Spin-off after the first three. Still fourth. Not a South on-ramp. | Amazon search for The Silver Spike |
| 5 |  Shadow Games | 1989 | Books of the South. | Amazon search for Shadow Games |
| 6 |  Dreams of Steel | 1990 | Amazon search for Dreams of Steel | |
| 7 |  Bleak Seasons | 1996 | Glittering Stone. Not a new book one. | Amazon search for Bleak Seasons |
| 8 |  She Is the Darkness | 1997 | Amazon search for She Is the Darkness | |
| 9 |  Water Sleeps | 1999 | Amazon search for Water Sleeps | |
| 10 |  Soldiers Live | 2000 | Closes the original run. | Amazon search for Soldiers Live |
Read them in this order. The Silver Spike follows leftover names from the first three while Croaker’s column goes south. It is not optional preamble to Shadow Games, and it is not a door.
Some readers skip The Silver Spike and go south immediately. Allowed. Do not skip Shadows Linger.
Port of Shadows and On the Long Run — labeled
| Title | Form | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Port of Shadows | 2018 | Interquel between books 1 and 2 in story time. Read after Soldiers Live. Not book 1.5 for a first visit. | Amazon search for Port of Shadows | |
| On the Long Run | Shorts | 2019– | Interquel shorts between books 2 and 3. After Port of Shadows. Not a novel 2.5. | Amazon search for On the Long Run |
Port of Shadows folds in earlier shorts (“Tides Elba,” “Smelling Danger,” “Bone Candy”). You do not need those separately.
On the Long Run is a later arc of short stories (Chasing Midnight, Cranky Bitch, and others) set in the gap after Shadows Linger. They revisit Company texture the 2018 novel already spent. House rule: novels through Soldiers Live first. Port of Shadows next if you want the lost-history extra. The Long Run shorts after that, or not at all.
Lies Weeping — new arc, after the original ten
| Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
 Lies WeepingDo not start here | 2025 | A Pitiless Rain, book 1. Sequel territory after Soldiers Live. Not an on-ramp. | Amazon search for Lies Weeping |
This is the start of a later Company arc, not a reboot and not a prequel. Read it after Soldiers Live. Port of Shadows can sit before it as extra, or you can go straight from the original ending into the new books. Do not start the Company here because the cover is recent.
Common mistakes
- Starting with Port of Shadows because a timeline put it between books 1 and 2.
- Reading the Long Run shorts as a hidden prequel trilogy.
- Starting with The Silver Spike or Bleak Seasons because a later omnibus labeled a new “book of.”
- Mixing in Cook’s Dread Empire as Black Company 0.
What to read next
- Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson) — If you want the other grim company-level epic that punishes starting on a later door.
- The First Law (Joe Abercrombie) — If you want another finished grim street about what a war does to the people who win it.
- Powder Mage (Brian McClellan) — If you want another military fantasy with a sequel trilogy that looks like a new book one.
- The Banished Lands (John Gwynne) — If you want another complete war-epic whose later trilogy is the same world, later generation.
- Stop after The White Rose. The first three are a complete visit. The South and Glittering Stone books are a longer appetite.
FAQ
Port of Shadows after book one?
Not on a first read. After Soldiers Live, even though it sits earlier in Company time.
Do I need On the Long Run?
No. Shorts. After Port of Shadows if you want them.
Is The Silver Spike required?
It is fourth in publication. You can skip it and still follow Croaker south. It is not book one of the South.
Is Lies Weeping a new series?
It is a new Company arc after the original ten. Not a door.
Sources
- Tor / Macmillan, Lies Weeping — publisher page for the 2025 continuation. Opened 2026-09-18.
- The Black Company on Wikipedia — publication list for the original ten and Port of Shadows. Opened 2026-09-18.
Same shelf
