The Black Company reading order

A plan for the whole series

12 volumes, 4,423 pages, about 80 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 4 months.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 4, “Shadow Games” (by 26%).
• Readers scored volume 3.5, “The Silver Spike”, below its predecessor (7.8 after 8.1). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 5 the form returns.
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2025. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

6 stages, with 5 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around March 7, 2027, 20 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 118 habout 3 weeksby November 22, 2026

   • 1. The Black Company1984 · 324 pages · 6 h
   • 2. Shadows Linger1984 · 320 pages · 6 h
   • 3. The White Rose1985 · 320 pages · 6 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 25, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 219 habout 4 weeksby December 21, 2026

   • 3.5. The Silver Spike1989 · 320 pages · 6 h
   • 4. Shadow Games1989 · 320 pages · 6 h
   • 5. Dreams of Steel1990 · 384 pages · 7 h
4. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by December 25, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 313 h17 daysby January 11, 2027

   • 6. Bleak Seasons1996 · 320 pages · 6 h
   • 7. She Is the Darkness1997 · 384 pages · 7 h
6. Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by January 15, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 49 h11 daysby January 26, 2027

   • 8. Water Sleeps1999 · 464 pages · 9 h
8. Short breakTo Be Taught, If Fortunate · Becky Chambers · 153 pp. · score 8.33 h, by January 31, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 516 habout 3 weeksby February 22, 2027

   • 9. Soldiers Live2000 · 566 pages · 10 h
   • 10. Port of Shadows2018 · 320 pages · 6 h
10. Short breakThe Importance of Being Earnest · Oscar Wilde · 102 pp. · score 8.22 h, by February 25, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 67 h9 daysby March 7, 2027

    • 11. Lies Weeping2025 · 381 pages · 7 h
12. The end of the series

    March 7, 2027

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: uneven. Scores jump by 0.4 points with no clear direction.

Best volume: The White Rose (8.1, 179 ratings). Weakest: The Silver Spike (7.8). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 3 and 4: 26%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2025. The last volume (8.0) scores close to the series average or above it.