Glen Cook Books in Order (Updated August 5, 2026)

Glen Cook is an American fantasy and science fiction writer best known for the Black Company, a military fantasy saga told through the records of a long-lived mercenary brotherhood. He also created the Garrett P.I. fantasy mysteries, the Dread Empire, the Instrumentalities of the Night, and several science fiction series.

His bibliography does not belong to one shared universe. Each major sequence has its own characters, history, and rules, so there is no reason to combine the Black Company, Garrett, Dread Empire, and Starfishers into a single chronology.

The Black Company requires the most explanation because its publication order, internal chronology, spin-off novel, interquel, short stories, and newer continuation do not form a simple straight line.

Which Glen Cook Book Should You Read First?

Choose the opening that matches the type of story you want.

1. The Black Company (1984): Begin here for military fantasy told by soldiers who record campaigns, compromises, and changing employers without pretending their side is morally pure.
2. Sweet Silver Blues (1987): Begin here for a hardboiled detective story in a fantasy city, following private investigator Garrett through murder, magic, organized crime, and complicated personal loyalties.
3. A Shadow of All Night Falling (1979): Begin here for an older and denser epic fantasy about ambitious rulers, dangerous sorcerers, and the political struggles of the Dread Empire.
4. The Tyranny of the Night (2005): Begin here for a later historical fantasy series shaped by crusades, religious conflict, espionage, gunpowder, and supernatural forces.
5. Shadowline (1982): Begin here for Cook’s Starfishers science fiction, where powerful families, corporate warfare, mercenaries, and an energy source found inside stars drive the conflict.

For most fantasy readers, The Black Company is the safest overall starting point.

Glen Cook’s Major Series

Cook’s bibliography is divided into these principal continuities:

1. The Black Company
2. Garrett P.I.
3. The Dread Empire
4. The Instrumentalities of the Night
5. Starfishers
6. Darkwar

The remaining novels are standalones or books with only loose conceptual connections to his series.

The Black Company Books in Order

The Black Company novels follow an ancient mercenary organization whose annalists preserve its history. The narrators change over time, and every account is shaped by incomplete knowledge, personal prejudice, rumor, and the needs of the Company.

The broad first-reading order is:

1. The Black Company
2. Shadows Linger
3. The White Rose
4. The Silver Spike
5. Shadow Games
6. Dreams of Steel
7. Bleak Seasons
8. She Is the Darkness
9. Water Sleeps
10. Soldiers Live
11. Port of Shadows
12. Lies Weeping
13. They Cry

They Cry is scheduled for November 3, 2026 and had not yet been published on this article’s update date.

The Books of the North in Order

The first three novels establish Croaker, the Lady, the Taken, the Dominator, and the long struggle surrounding the reincarnation of the White Rose.

1. The Black Company (1984): Croaker records the Company’s decision to abandon one employer for the Lady, whose war against the Rebel draws the mercenaries into a conflict involving the Taken and an enemy imprisoned beneath the Barrowland.
2. Shadows Linger (1984): The Company reaches Juniper, where innkeeper Marron Shed becomes entangled with a black castle that grows by consuming bodies while Raven tries to protect Darling from the powers searching for her.
3. The White Rose (1985): The surviving factions converge on the Plain of Fear as Croaker confronts the truth about the White Rose, the Lady, and the greater danger posed by the Dominator.

These books form the first completed Black Company arc. Read all three before moving to the southern campaign or the later interquel.

The Silver Spike

The Silver Spike (1989): Former Company members and new characters confront the consequences of removing a powerful silver spike from the Barrowland, while the remnants of earlier enemies continue threatening the north.

The novel follows a branch of the cast after The White Rose. It does not continue Croaker’s southern expedition, but it resolves the northern storyline and the fates of several characters left behind.

Read it immediately after The White Rose for the cleanest continuity. Some omnibus editions place it after Dreams of Steel, but that packaging should not be treated as the only correct narrative order.

The Books of the South in Order

The Company travels south toward Khatovar, the place it remembers as its origin. The journey becomes another military campaign before the group can discover whether its traditions are accurate.

1. Shadow Games (1989): Croaker leads the reduced Company south and becomes involved in Taglios’s war against the Shadowmasters, while his relationship with the Lady moves into a new stage.
2. Dreams of Steel (1990): The Lady takes over the Annals after disaster separates her from Croaker, forcing her to rebuild military power while carrying out a campaign shaped by grief, pregnancy, and revenge.

These two novels should be read consecutively. Dreams of Steel begins from the consequences of the previous book and shifts the narrative voice without resetting the story.

The Glittering Stone Books in Order

The Glittering Stone sequence completes the southern campaign and the search for Khatovar. Its narrators, timelines, and memories are deliberately unstable.

1. Bleak Seasons (1996): Murgen records the siege of Dejagore through fractured memories and repeated jumps in perception, revealing what happened while the Company was divided and trapped.
2. She Is the Darkness (1997): The Company resumes its war against the Shadowmasters as Murgen’s unusual experiences expose hidden connections among dreams, shadows, and the plain of glittering stone.
3. Water Sleeps (1999): Years after the Company’s defeat, Sleepy leads an underground movement in occupied Taglios and works to recover comrades imprisoned beyond the shadowgate.
4. Soldiers Live (2000): Croaker resumes the Annals as the survivors cross worlds, confront old enemies, and complete the long journey toward the truth about Khatovar and the Company’s future.

Do not separate these four books. Bleak Seasons can initially feel disconnected because of its structure, but its events become essential to everything that follows.

Port of Shadows

Port of Shadows (2018): Croaker recounts a campaign set during the gap between The Black Company and Shadows Linger, involving a child who resembles the Lady, forgotten events, and records that do not fit comfortably with the established Annals.

This is an interquel, not the proper second book for a first-time reader. Its contradictions and uncertainties are intentional parts of the Black Company’s unreliable historical record.

Read Port of Shadows after Soldiers Live. That placement lets readers recognize why its chronology, memories, and identities are difficult to reconcile.

A Pitiless Rain Books in Order

A Pitiless Rain continues the Black Company after Soldiers Live. Arkana and Shukrat take on responsibility for the Annals while Croaker remains connected to the plain of glittering stone.

1. Lies Weeping (2025): The Company retreats into Hsien as Arkana and Shukrat become reluctant annalists, while Croaker’s transformation and the Lady’s changing condition create new political and supernatural problems.
2. They Cry (Expected November 3, 2026): Arkana and Shukrat struggle with powers they barely understand as intrigue develops in Hsien and Croaker risks losing what remains of his humanity.

Two additional titles, Summer Grass and Darkness Knows, have been discussed as later books in the arc, but confirmed publication dates were not available as of August 5, 2026.

Do not begin A Pitiless Rain before Soldiers Live. The new arc continues directly from the status of Croaker, the Lady, the Voroshk, and the Company at the end of Glittering Stone.

The Recommended Black Company Reading Order

The following order gives the clearest first experience:

1. The Black Company (1984): Croaker introduces the mercenaries and their service under the Lady.
2. Shadows Linger (1984): The conflict expands through Juniper, Raven, Darling, and the black castle.
3. The White Rose (1985): The Books of the North reach their decisive confrontation.
4. The Silver Spike (1989): The northern aftermath and several separated characters receive their conclusion.
5. Shadow Games (1989): Croaker takes the Company south in search of its origins.
6. Dreams of Steel (1990): The Lady continues the campaign after the Company suffers a major reversal.
7. Bleak Seasons (1996): Murgen reconstructs the siege of Dejagore and the Company’s fractured experience.
8. She Is the Darkness (1997): The southern war moves toward the shadowgate and the plain of glittering stone.
9. Water Sleeps (1999): Sleepy rebuilds resistance and attempts to recover the lost Company.
10. Soldiers Live (2000): Croaker completes the original long-form saga and resolves the journey toward Khatovar.
11. Port of Shadows (2018): The interquel revisits an uncertain period in the early Annals once readers understand the full history.
12. Lies Weeping (2025): A new generation of annalists begins recording the Company’s life in Hsien.
13. They Cry (Expected November 3, 2026): The A Pitiless Rain continuation develops the threats created in Lies Weeping.

This order favors narrative clarity over strict fictional chronology.

Black Company Chronological Order

A simplified internal chronology places the novels in this sequence:

1. The Black Company
2. Port of Shadows
3. Shadows Linger
4. The White Rose
5. The Silver Spike
6. Shadow Games
7. Dreams of Steel
8. Bleak Seasons
9. She Is the Darkness
10. Water Sleeps
11. Soldiers Live
12. Lies Weeping
13. They Cry

This order is not recommended for a first reading. Port of Shadows was written decades after the early trilogy and depends on uncertainty created by the later books.

The chronological relationship of some Black Company short stories is also approximate because the Annals contain gaps, revisions, and conflicting memories.

Black Company Short Stories

Several Black Company stories add episodes from gaps in the Annals. Some were later incorporated into novels, while others remain independent.

1. Raker (1982): The Company attempts to identify and capture a dangerous Rebel agent in a story later adapted into part of The Black Company.
2. Tides Elba (2010): The Company becomes involved in an unsettling episode during the period later developed in Port of Shadows.
3. Smelling Danger (2011): Croaker and the Company face another threat connected to the forgotten campaign eventually incorporated into Port of Shadows.
4. Shaggy Dog Bridge (2013): The Company investigates trouble involving an isolated crossing during the gap between Shadows Linger and The White Rose.
5. Bone Candy (2014): A disturbing encounter from the interquel period was later revised and incorporated into Port of Shadows.
6. Bone Eaters (2015): Croaker records another mission from the Company’s northern years, involving an enemy whose methods make an ordinary military response difficult.
7. Chasing Midnight (2019): The Company confronts another dangerous assignment from an incompletely documented period in its early campaigns.
8. Cranky Bitch (2021): A Black Company episode expands the record of the soldiers and personalities operating during one of the Annals’ gaps.
9. Leta of the Thousand Sorrows (2022): The Company encounters a woman whose history and reputation add another morally uncertain case to its records.
10. Wet Dream Fish Story (2023): A smaller Company adventure combines soldierly humor with the dangers hidden inside an apparently limited assignment.
11. Those Who Went Before (2024): The story examines another piece of Company history and the burdens left by earlier members or earlier conflicts.

“Raker” is effectively an early version of material in the first novel. “Tides Elba,” “Smelling Danger,” and “Bone Candy” were reworked into Port of Shadows.

The independent stories are optional. Read them after Soldiers Live or through a collection rather than interrupting the main novels.

Black Company Omnibus Editions

The omnibus editions can make the sequence appear more complicated than it is.

1. Chronicles of the Black Company (2007): This volume contains The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose.
2. The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company (2008): This volume contains Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, and The Silver Spike.
3. The Return of the Black Company (2009): This volume contains Bleak Seasons and She Is the Darkness.
4. The Many Deaths of the Black Company (2010): This volume contains Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live.
5. Annals of the Black Company (2018): This larger edition collects the first three novels and may include additional introductory or edition-specific material.

The second omnibus places The Silver Spike after Dreams of Steel. Readers who want the cleanest narrative transition should move to The Silver Spike after finishing The White Rose, even when that requires opening the second omnibus before returning to Shadow Games.

Garrett P.I. Books in Order

Garrett is a former marine who works as a private investigator in TunFaire, a crowded fantasy city filled with humans, nonhuman peoples, crime families, political factions, sorcerers, and veterans of the Cantard war.

The novels borrow the structure and voice of hardboiled detective fiction. Most cases have their own mystery, but Garrett’s relationships, household, business arrangements, and city continue changing throughout the series.

1. Sweet Silver Blues (1987): Garrett is hired to locate a missing woman and recover an inheritance, sending him back toward the war-torn Cantard with old companions and dangerous new allies.
2. Bitter Gold Hearts (1988): The kidnapping of a wealthy family’s son pulls Garrett into a case where ransom demands, inheritance, and hidden motives refuse to align.
3. Cold Copper Tears (1988): Garrett investigates disappearances and religious violence connected to a charismatic cult operating within TunFaire.
4. Old Tin Sorrows (1989): A retired military officer asks Garrett to investigate a haunting and a series of deaths inside a household still shaped by memories of war.
5. Dread Brass Shadows (1990): Competing factions search for a magical book capable of identifying people by true name, turning Garrett’s home and personal life into targets.
6. Red Iron Nights (1991): Garrett hunts a serial killer whose victims and methods suggest that ordinary criminal explanations are not enough.
7. Deadly Quicksilver Lies (1994): Garrett searches for a missing woman and becomes trapped among spies, criminals, political schemes, and people concealing multiple identities.
8. Petty Pewter Gods (1995): Rival deities compete for worshippers and survival, forcing Garrett to navigate a conflict where divine power behaves much like organized crime.
9. Faded Steel Heat (1999): Garrett investigates political violence and racial hostility while human supremacists attempt to exploit TunFaire’s social divisions.
10. Angry Lead Skies (2002): A missing-person case involving strange lights, unexplained visitors, and altered memories pushes Garrett into a mystery resembling an alien-abduction story.
11. Whispering Nickel Idols (2005): Garrett’s attempt to solve a case involving shapeshifters and organized crime becomes complicated by major changes inside his own household.
12. Cruel Zinc Melodies (2008): Construction of a new theater is disrupted by sabotage, monsters, and unexplained disturbances that threaten the project’s wealthy backers.
13. Gilded Latten Bones (2010): An attack on a close associate draws Garrett into another investigation involving hidden enemies, political influence, and the changing balance of his personal life.
14. Wicked Bronze Ambition (2013): Garrett investigates a case involving magical experimentation, powerful families, and dangerous young people while TunFaire continues adjusting to its postwar future.

Publication order is also the correct reading order. The individual mysteries usually conclude, but recurring characters and relationships make random reading less satisfying.

Garrett P.I. Omnibus Editions

Several collections package the Garrett novels in groups of three.

1. Garrett, P.I. (2003): This omnibus contains Sweet Silver Blues, Bitter Gold Hearts, and Cold Copper Tears.
2. Garrett Takes the Case (2005): This volume contains Old Tin Sorrows, Dread Brass Shadows, and Red Iron Nights.
3. Garrett Investigates (2007): This collection contains Deadly Quicksilver Lies, Petty Pewter Gods, and Faded Steel Heat.
4. Garrett on the Case (2012): This omnibus contains Angry Lead Skies, Whispering Nickel Idols, and Cruel Zinc Melodies.

The later novels may need to be purchased separately, depending on edition availability.

Is the Garrett P.I. Series Complete?

Wicked Bronze Ambition is the latest published Garrett P.I. novel. It resolves its main case, but the series was built around continuing investigations rather than one single overarching mystery.

No fifteenth Garrett novel had a confirmed title and release date as of August 5, 2026.

Readers can stop after any completed case, but publication order provides the clearest view of Garrett’s changing household, relationships, and city.

The Dread Empire Books in Order

The Dread Empire is an epic fantasy sequence about war, empire, sorcery, prophecy, and ambitious figures whose loyalties change across decades.

Its publication history is divided into an original trilogy, two prequels, and three later sequel novels.

The Main Dread Empire Trilogy

1. A Shadow of All Night Falling (1979): Mocker, Bragi Ragnarson, and other adventurers become entangled in political and magical struggles involving the Dread Empire and the ancient powers influencing the west.
2. October’s Baby (1980): War and prophecy expand as the struggle over kingdoms, children, and imperial ambitions draws the central characters into increasingly dangerous alliances.
3. All Darkness Met (1980): The first Dread Empire arc reaches a large military and supernatural confrontation as earlier schemes, invasions, and personal ambitions collide.

These three novels were published first and provide the intended introduction to the world.

Dread Empire Prequels

1. The Fire in His Hands (1984): Haroun bin Yousif and El Murid rise during an earlier period of religious and political upheaval, revealing the origins of conflicts remembered in the main trilogy.
2. With Mercy Toward None (1985): El Murid’s movement expands into a major war while Bragi Ragnarson and other figures move closer to the roles they hold in the original books.

The prequels occur before A Shadow of All Night Falling, but they should usually be read after the original trilogy. They explain histories and identities that the first books reveal more gradually.

Later Dread Empire Novels

1. Reap the East Wind (1987): The surviving rulers and soldiers face renewed conflict as the Dread Empire, western kingdoms, and powerful individuals struggle over the consequences of the earlier wars.
2. An Ill Fate Marshalling (1988): Bragi Ragnarson’s position becomes increasingly unstable as military threats, betrayal, and personal losses converge.
3. A Path to Coldness of Heart (2012): The long-delayed continuation returns to the surviving characters and resolves major questions left after An Ill Fate Marshalling.

The manuscript intended to follow An Ill Fate Marshalling was lost, which contributed to the long gap before the eventual concluding volume.

Recommended Dread Empire Reading Order

Use publication order for a first reading:

1. A Shadow of All Night Falling
2. October’s Baby
3. All Darkness Met
4. The Fire in His Hands
5. With Mercy Toward None
6. Reap the East Wind
7. An Ill Fate Marshalling
8. A Path to Coldness of Heart

This order introduces the world through the books readers originally received, then returns to the past before continuing the later history.

Dread Empire Chronological Order

A chronological route places the two prequels first:

1. The Fire in His Hands
2. With Mercy Toward None
3. A Shadow of All Night Falling
4. October’s Baby
5. All Darkness Met
6. Reap the East Wind
7. An Ill Fate Marshalling
8. A Path to Coldness of Heart

This route works better for rereading. It provides historical causes before the original trilogy has presented their consequences.

Dread Empire Omnibus Editions

1. A Cruel Wind (2006): This omnibus contains A Shadow of All Night Falling, October’s Baby, and All Darkness Met.
2. A Fortress in Shadow (2007): This collection contains the prequels The Fire in His Hands and With Mercy Toward None.
3. An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat (2008): This collection gathers short fiction set in the Dread Empire world rather than continuing the main novels.
4. Wrath of Kings (2018): Some editions collect later Dread Empire material, so readers should check the contents rather than assuming the title represents a new installment.

Readers who own A Cruel Wind and A Fortress in Shadow already possess the first five novels.

An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat

An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat (2008): This collection gathers Dread Empire stories about soldiers, sorcerers, rulers, and people living at the edges of larger historical events.

The stories add breadth to the setting without forming another numbered novel. Read the collection after the original trilogy and prequels.

Status: Optional companion collection.

The Instrumentalities of the Night Books in Order

The Instrumentalities of the Night is a four-book historical fantasy inspired by medieval Europe, the Crusades, religious conflict, and emerging gunpowder warfare.

The story follows Else Tage, also known as Piper Hecht, a soldier and spy whose assignments place him between competing faiths, states, secret organizations, and supernatural powers.

1. The Tyranny of the Night (2005): Else Tage survives an encounter with a supernatural entity and enters the service of powers whose military and religious plans stretch across the known world.
2. Lord of the Silent Kingdom (2007): Piper Hecht’s growing authority draws him deeper into wars shaped by church politics, hidden identities, assassinations, and supernatural interference.
3. Surrender to the Will of the Night (2010): Conflicts among empires, religious institutions, and the Instrumentalities intensify as Hecht’s personal history becomes harder to conceal.
4. Working God’s Mischief (2014): The surviving factions confront the consequences of earlier campaigns while Hecht attempts to manage war, family, faith, and powers beyond human control.

The series should be read in publication order. Its large cast and changing political alliances make skipping or rearranging volumes especially confusing.

The Complete Instrumentalities of the Night Series

The Complete Instrumentalities of the Night Series (2018): This omnibus collects all four novels in one edition.

It does not contain a fifth installment. Readers who own the four individual books already have the full series.

Starfishers Books in Order

Starfishers is a science fiction sequence involving interstellar conflict, intelligence operations, mercenary power, family dynasties, and the harvesting of energy from stars.

1. Shadowline (1982): The rivalry between the Storm and Norbon families becomes a destructive conflict shaped by mercenaries, old grudges, and the economic power surrounding starfishers.
2. Starfishers (1982): The struggle expands around the people and organizations that harvest energy from stars, placing control of the technology at the center of a larger conspiracy.
3. Star’s End (1982): The trilogy’s competing families, military forces, and political interests reach their final confrontation over the future of the Starfishers universe.

Read the trilogy in publication order. Although the books share a universe with Passage at Arms, they form their own central sequence.

Passage at Arms

Passage at Arms (1985): A journalist joins the crew of a nearly undetectable Climber warship and records the psychological strain of a mission fought under extreme isolation and constant threat.

The novel takes place in the Starfishers universe but stands apart from the trilogy’s central family conflict.

It can be read after Star’s End or independently. Readers interested primarily in military science fiction may even choose it as their first Glen Cook novel.

Darkwar Books in Order

Darkwar is a science fantasy trilogy centered on Marika, a member of a matriarchal species whose psychic abilities and determination carry her from a threatened rural community into larger conflicts.

1. Doomstalker (1985): Marika survives an attack on her pack and begins developing powers that bring her into contact with the silth, a feared order of psychic females.
2. Warlock (1985): Marika’s abilities and ambitions grow as she moves through silth society and becomes involved in political struggles extending beyond her original world.
3. Ceremony (1986): Marika’s pursuit of power and knowledge reaches into space, forcing a final confrontation with the institutions and assumptions that shaped her.

The trilogy is complete. Read it consecutively because Marika’s growth, relationships, and increasing power form one continuous arc.

Darkwar Omnibus

Darkwar (2009): This omnibus collects Doomstalker, Warlock, and Ceremony.

It is a complete repackaging of the trilogy rather than a fourth Darkwar book.

Glen Cook Standalone Novels in Publication Order

These books are not part of Cook’s major continuing series.

1. The Heirs of Babylon (1972): Survivors aboard an aging warship continue carrying out orders in a future where the original political purpose of the conflict has become uncertain.
2. The Swordbearer (1982): A young man becomes bound to a powerful and dangerous sword, drawing him into conflicts shaped by revenge, prophecy, and forces with their own plans for him.
3. A Matter of Time (1985): A police investigation into an unusual death develops into a science fiction mystery involving time, identity, and events separated by decades.
4. The Dragon Never Sleeps (1988): The Guardships maintain order across an interstellar civilization until rebellion, political manipulation, and ancient military power threaten the system.
5. The Tower of Fear (1989): Rival occupiers, rebels, priests, and supernatural forces compete inside a conquered city whose political factions are all hiding dangerous objectives.
6. Sung in Blood (1992): A ruler’s son investigates his father’s murder and faces conspiracies involving succession, sorcery, and the institutions holding a kingdom together.

Each novel has a separate cast and continuity. They can be read in any order.

The Dragon Never Sleeps is the strongest choice for readers seeking large-scale standalone science fiction. The Tower of Fear is the clearest choice for a self-contained fantasy built around political tension.

The Best of Glen Cook

The Best of Glen Cook (2019): This collection gathers eighteen stories from across Cook’s career, including Black Company and Dread Empire material alongside independent science fiction and fantasy.

The volume includes previously published stories and “Chasing Midnight,” which first appeared in the collection.

Because it crosses multiple continuities, it should not be used as the first book in any particular series. Read it after sampling the Black Company and Dread Empire novels.

Glen Cook Books in Broad Publication Order

The following list shows the principal novels in the order they first appeared, without inserting every short story or omnibus.

1. The Heirs of Babylon (1972): A warship’s crew continues an inherited mission in a future shaped by old commands and uncertain enemies.
2. A Shadow of All Night Falling (1979): The Dread Empire begins through adventurers, rulers, and sorcerers caught in a widening struggle.
3. October’s Baby (1980): Prophecy and war deepen the first Dread Empire conflict.
4. All Darkness Met (1980): The original Dread Empire trilogy reaches its first major conclusion.
5. The Swordbearer (1982): A young man’s bond with a supernatural weapon drives a standalone fantasy of revenge and manipulation.
6. Shadowline (1982): Rival dynasties and mercenaries begin the Starfishers trilogy.
7. Starfishers (1982): Control of stellar energy becomes central to the interstellar struggle.
8. Star’s End (1982): The Starfishers conflict reaches its conclusion.
9. The Black Company (1984): Croaker begins recording the Company’s service to the Lady.
10. Shadows Linger (1984): Juniper and the black castle draw civilians and mercenaries into the same danger.
11. The Fire in His Hands (1984): The first Dread Empire prequel explores the rise of El Murid.
12. The White Rose (1985): The Books of the North reach their final confrontation.
13. With Mercy Toward None (1985): The second Dread Empire prequel expands the earlier religious war.
14. Doomstalker (1985): Marika begins her ascent in the Darkwar trilogy.
15. Warlock (1985): Marika’s psychic power and political importance grow.
16. A Matter of Time (1985): A murder investigation develops into a standalone time-related mystery.
17. Passage at Arms (1985): A Climber crew undertakes a psychologically punishing military mission.
18. Ceremony (1986): Marika’s Darkwar journey reaches its conclusion.
19. Sweet Silver Blues (1987): Garrett begins his first published fantasy investigation.
20. Reap the East Wind (1987): The later Dread Empire sequence begins.
21. Bitter Gold Hearts (1988): Garrett investigates a kidnapping shaped by wealth and family conflict.
22. Cold Copper Tears (1988): Religious violence and disappearances create Garrett’s next case.
23. An Ill Fate Marshalling (1988): Bragi Ragnarson faces another stage of war and political instability.
24. The Dragon Never Sleeps (1988): Guardships, rebels, and old powers collide in a standalone space opera.
25. Old Tin Sorrows (1989): Garrett enters a haunted household shaped by military memory.
26. Shadow Games (1989): The Black Company begins its southern journey.
27. The Silver Spike (1989): The northern aftermath of The White Rose receives a separate conclusion.
28. The Tower of Fear (1989): Several factions compete for control of a conquered fantasy city.
29. Dreams of Steel (1990): The Lady takes over the Black Company Annals.
30. Dread Brass Shadows (1990): Garrett becomes involved in the search for a dangerous magical book.
31. Red Iron Nights (1991): A serial killer tests Garrett’s investigative methods.
32. Sung in Blood (1992): A ruler’s son investigates murder and succession in a standalone fantasy.
33. Deadly Quicksilver Lies (1994): Garrett searches for a missing woman amid espionage and deceit.
34. Petty Pewter Gods (1995): Rival gods turn TunFaire into a battleground for worship and survival.
35. Bleak Seasons (1996): Murgen reconstructs the siege of Dejagore.
36. She Is the Darkness (1997): The Black Company moves closer to the shadowgate and glittering stone.
37. Faded Steel Heat (1999): Garrett investigates political extremism and racial violence.
38. Water Sleeps (1999): Sleepy rebuilds the Black Company in occupied Taglios.
39. Soldiers Live (2000): The original long Black Company journey reaches its conclusion.
40. Angry Lead Skies (2002): Garrett investigates a case involving strange visitors and missing memories.
41. Whispering Nickel Idols (2005): Shapeshifters and criminal politics complicate Garrett’s changing domestic life.
42. The Tyranny of the Night (2005): Piper Hecht enters the wars surrounding the Instrumentalities.
43. Lord of the Silent Kingdom (2007): Hecht’s military and political responsibilities expand.
44. Cruel Zinc Melodies (2008): Garrett investigates supernatural trouble at a theater project.
45. Gilded Latten Bones (2010): An attack close to home leads Garrett into another hidden conspiracy.
46. Surrender to the Will of the Night (2010): The Instrumentalities conflict widens across states and religions.
47. A Path to Coldness of Heart (2012): The later Dread Empire story receives its long-awaited continuation and resolution.
48. Wicked Bronze Ambition (2013): Garrett’s latest published case involves magic, ambition, and powerful families.
49. Working God’s Mischief (2014): Piper Hecht’s four-book sequence reaches its conclusion.
50. Port of Shadows (2018): Cook returns to an uncertain gap in the early Black Company Annals.
51. Lies Weeping (2025): The Black Company begins the A Pitiless Rain arc in Hsien.
52. They Cry (Expected November 3, 2026): Arkana and Shukrat continue the Annals as new supernatural and political threats emerge.

This publication list is useful for seeing Cook’s career develop, but readers should still finish one series block before moving to another.

Latest Glen Cook Book

Lies Weeping (2025): Published on November 4, 2025, this is Glen Cook’s latest released novel as of August 5, 2026.

It begins A Pitiless Rain, a new Black Company arc following the Company’s retreat into Hsien after the events of Soldiers Live.

They Cry (Expected November 3, 2026): This is the next confirmed Glen Cook novel. It is the second A Pitiless Rain volume and the thirteenth numbered Black Company book in the publisher’s current sequence.

Because its publication date falls after this article’s update, it remains upcoming.

Glen Cook Series Completion Status

The Black Company

Ongoing: The original Books of the North, Books of the South, and Glittering Stone arcs are complete. A Pitiless Rain began with Lies Weeping and continues with They Cry.

Garrett P.I.

Open-ended, with no new volume confirmed: Fourteen novels have been published through Wicked Bronze Ambition.

The Dread Empire

Complete: Eight principal novels form the original trilogy, prequel sequence, and later continuation.

The Instrumentalities of the Night

Complete: Four novels, ending with Working God’s Mischief.

Starfishers

Complete: The central trilogy ends with Star’s End. Passage at Arms is a separate novel in the same universe.

Darkwar

Complete: Three novels, ending with Ceremony.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Glen Cook book should I read first?

Start with The Black Company for military fantasy or Sweet Silver Blues for fantasy mystery.

Readers seeking science fiction can begin with The Dragon Never Sleeps or Passage at Arms.

What is the correct Black Company order?

Read The Black Company, Shadows Linger, The White Rose, The Silver Spike, Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, Bleak Seasons, She Is the Darkness, Water Sleeps, and Soldiers Live.

Continue with Port of Shadows, then Lies Weeping and They Cry. They Cry remains upcoming as of August 5, 2026.

Should The Silver Spike come before Shadow Games?

Yes, for the cleanest first reading. The Silver Spike resolves the northern characters and threat left after The White Rose.

Publication dates place Shadow Games slightly earlier in 1989, and the Books of the South omnibus prints The Silver Spike after Dreams of Steel. Neither fact prevents readers from placing it after The White Rose.

Where should Port of Shadows be read?

Read it after Soldiers Live. Its events appear to occur between the first two Black Company novels, but the book relies on contradictions and uncertainties that are clearer after the original saga.

Is Port of Shadows a prequel?

It is more accurately an interquel. It revisits an early gap rather than taking place before the entire series.

Its status inside the Annals is deliberately difficult to interpret.

Is Lies Weeping a direct sequel to Soldiers Live?

Yes. It begins a new arc after the status established at the end of Soldiers Live.

Readers should complete the southern and Glittering Stone books before starting it.

Is They Cry already published?

No. It is scheduled for November 3, 2026.

As of August 5, 2026, Lies Weeping remains the newest published Black Company novel.

Are Summer Grass and Darkness Knows confirmed books?

They have been discussed as later A Pitiless Rain titles. Firm publication dates were not confirmed by the update date.

They should not yet be included among the published novels.

Are the Black Company short stories required?

No. Several are expansions of gaps in the Annals, while others were later revised into novels.

The principal story can be followed through the novels alone.

What order should Garrett P.I. be read in?

Use publication order, beginning with Sweet Silver Blues and ending with Wicked Bronze Ambition.

The cases are often self-contained, but Garrett’s relationships and household develop across the series.

Is Garrett P.I. connected to the Black Company?

No. Garrett lives in a separate fantasy continuity.

The series shares Cook’s interest in practical characters and morally complicated institutions, but it does not share history or characters with the Black Company.

What is the correct Dread Empire order?

For a first reading, begin with the original trilogy: A Shadow of All Night Falling, October’s Baby, and All Darkness Met.

Then read The Fire in His Hands, With Mercy Toward None, Reap the East Wind, An Ill Fate Marshalling, and A Path to Coldness of Heart.

Should the Dread Empire prequels be read first?

Not on a first reading. They occur earlier but were published after the original trilogy.

Read them first only when revisiting the series chronologically.

Is Passage at Arms part of Starfishers?

It takes place in the same science fiction universe, but it follows a separate wartime mission and cast.

It can be read after the trilogy or independently.

Is The Dragon Never Sleeps a series?

No. It is a standalone science fiction novel.

Its large setting and unresolved wider history can make it feel like part of a longer sequence, but no direct sequel has been published.

What is Glen Cook’s newest published book?

Lies Weeping, published in 2025, is his newest released novel as of August 5, 2026.

They Cry is scheduled to follow on November 3, 2026.

The Most Practical Way to Read Glen Cook

Begin with one complete continuity rather than moving through Cook’s books strictly by year.

For the Black Company, start with the original northern trilogy, place The Silver Spike immediately afterward, and then continue through the southern campaign and Glittering Stone. Save Port of Shadows until the original saga is complete, then begin A Pitiless Rain.

For Garrett P.I., publication order is enough. For the Dread Empire, read the original trilogy before the earlier-set prequels. The Instrumentalities of the Night, Starfishers, and Darkwar each follow straightforward numbered sequences.

The central recommendation remains The Black Company. It introduces Cook’s economical style, soldier-level viewpoint, unreliable history, and preference for characters who must operate inside institutions far larger and less moral than themselves.