Reading order
Books of Glittering Stone reading order
Volumes 14–17 of 20 in The Black Company
1
2
3
4- 4 volumes
- Volumes
- 1996–2000
- Published
- about 30 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Fantasy
- Genre
Quick answer
Publication order
4 volumes1996–2000Completed
- These are the final four books of Glen Cook’s Black Company, the gritty military fantasy told by the mercenaries’ own annalist; start with The Black Company, not here.
- In this last arc the Company heads south to the land of the Glittering Stone.
- The ratings climb steadily, and Soldiers Live, the finale, rates highest.
A plan for the whole series
4 volumes, 1,734 pages, about 30 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 6 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: high
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 14, 2026, 4 days later than in one go.
- Stage 113 h17 daysby November 15, 2026
- Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.8
- Stage 219 habout 4 weeksby December 14, 2026
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
Does the series hold up
Shape of the series: even. Volume scores differ by at most 0.3 points. You get the same level from the first page to the last.
Best volume: Soldiers Live (8.0, 67 ratings). Weakest: Bleak Seasons (7.8). The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.0) scores close to the series average or above it.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Books of Glittering Stone books ranked, best to worst
- 1.Soldiers LiveBook 4 · 20008.0
- 1.Water SleepsBook 3 · 19998.0
- 3.She Is the DarknessBook 2 · 19977.9
- 4.Bleak SeasonsBook 1 · 19967.8
Extras, short stories and spin-offs
Not needed to follow the main story — read them after the series or skip them.
- The Black Company: Glittering Stone I2000
- The Black Company: Glittering Stone II2000
Frequently asked questions
Which Books of Glittering Stone book is the best?
By reader score, Soldiers Live (8.0/10). The lowest-rated is Bleak Seasons (7.8/10).
Which Books of Glittering Stone book is the longest?
“Soldiers Live” is the longest at 566 pages; the shortest is “Bleak Seasons” with 320 pages.
What should I read after Books of Glittering Stone?
After the main series: The Black Company: Glittering Stone I, The Black Company: Glittering Stone II.
