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This is the article for the first novel of the series. For the organization, see: Black Company. For an overview of the entire series itself, see: Black Company series

The Black Company by Glen Cook is the first novel of the Black Company series and the first of the Books of the North trilogy. It chronicles: the last days of the Black Company's service to the Syndic of Beryl on the northern coast of the southern continent; the new arrangement with their next employer Soulcatcher who brought them on their fateful journey across the Sea of Torments; and, several months of their campaigns and special missions in the Lady's Empire, up to and including the sprawling, bloody Battle of Charm.

Glen Cook initially intended to release the narrative as a literary serial: "a novel made up of a series of novelettes". In fact, the first such serial – the Raker novelette – was published in the August 1982 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Later, Glen's agent sold the book to Tor Books, where his new editor Harriet McDougal persuaded him to reform the narrative into a trilogy. The Black Company was published in May 1984, and was quickly followed by its planned sequel Shadows Linger that same year. The interquel Port of Shadows – which was published about 35 years after the Books of the North – revealed many "lost" events that took place between The Black Company and Shadows Linger.

Regarding Keith Berdak's artwork for the cover of the first edition, Glen Cook revealed in a 2002 interview (external link) that it was not originally planned but rather was selected during a chance encounter:

The cover of The Black Company was a cover somebody made up for me. It was just an example. The marketing guy absolutely didn't want it. But, while it was on his desk, a buyer from a large chain bookstore came in and, not knowing anything about the book, said "I'll buy fifty thousand copies of anything with that on the cover," so they went with it.

Plot summary[]

Chapter 1: Legate[]

The Black Company is in service as bodyguards for the Syndic, the ruler of the Jewel City of Beryl. The band of sell-swords is languishing in the humid city. It is yet another miserable summer, and they are displeased by their current employer and self-conscious of their reduced state compared to prior generations.

The Annalist and physician of the Black Company, Croaker, is curing one of his Company brothers – Curly – for poisoning and questions him for places that he has been eating outside their barracks. Identifying the source, Croaker reports his findings to the Company's leader, the Captain, who sends a sergeant named Mercy, the minor wizard Silent, and a dozen men with Croaker to deal with them. Their target is the Mole Tavern, and they suspect the poisoners are the Blues, the faction which opposes the Syndic. After they kill many of the perpetrators and their sympathizers in a bloodbath, Silent discovers that some of the more conservative members of the Blues are hiding in a cellar. They take them captive to turn them over to the Syndic. On the Avenue of the Syndics, they see a visiting Legate from across the Sea of Torments, accompanied by hard-bitten veterans like themselves. The mysterious masked rider is on the back of a titanic black stallion.

Later, a violent riot erupts in response to the arrest of the Blue leaders. Several Urban Cohorts mutiny when they demand extra pay to deal with the mob and the Syndic refuses. A Company stronghold is attacked, and Mercy is fatally wounded, but the Cohorts are ultimately repulsed.

The next day several members of the Company including Croaker and three of the Company's four wizards (Goblin, Silent, and Tom-Tom) follow a rumor of a legendary creature called a forvalaka escaping from Beryl's Necropolitan Hill. At the opened tomb they discover fifty-four ancient forvalaka skeletons and several freshly-killed soldiers, all drained of blood and missing their hearts and livers. This confirms the rumor about the forvalaka, which frightens Tom-Tom, whose former master N'Gamo was badly mutilated by a young, unrelated forvalaka decades prior.

The riots finally quiet down, and thousands of corpses litter the streets. Tom-Tom leads a Black Company delegation which also includes the Lieutenant (the band's second-in-command), Croaker, and Silent. They are received by the masked Legate aboard his colossal ship. The Legate frightens even the wizard Tom-Tom, and, disturbingly, speaks in entirely different voices. He makes them an offer of alternative employment, but this will require treachery on their part against the Syndic.

During a meeting of the Company's senior members, they eventually decide to take the offer via their most honorable deception. That night, the forvalaka attacks the Syndic's residence, the Paper Tower, and slaughters almost everyone inside. The Syndic actually survives, but it is implied that Match finishes him off. When the Company goes after the forvalaka, it kills many of them, including Tom-Tom, much to the horror of Tom-Tom's brother and fellow wizard One-Eye. It escapes down the exterior of the tower.

Leaving the city that night, they kill hundreds of the mutinous Urban Cohorts soldiers in their sleep. They head to a lighthouse on the Pillar of Anguish, where their transportation arrives in the form of the Legate's gigantic ship. The Legate takes the Black Company into the service of the northern empire and reveals that he has captured the forvalaka and has plans for it. Croaker realizes who the Legate is; when the Captain questions him, he reveals the Legate is Soulcatcher, who was buried alive at least three hundred years ago alongside nine other evil sorcerers called the Ten Who Were Taken and their masters, the Dominator and his wife the Lady. They ruled an ancient empire called the Domination before being sealed away. The Company resigns themselves to their new service and One-Eye is deeply troubled that the caged forvalaka on the ship does not have any of the wounds they gave it.

Chapter 2: Raven[]

After crossing the Sea of Torments, they disembark at the city of Opal, where they stay for a few weeks. They meet with a strange man called Raven at the Gardens to consider his enlistment. After a bizarre confrontation with the powerful Imperial staff general Lord Jalena, the senior Company members witness Raven swiftly murder a woman and two of her companions. They head out to deal with Rebels who are causing trouble in the northern region of the Empire.

The Company enters the province of Forsberg while trying to link up with the Taken called the Limper. The Lieutenant sends Elmo, one of the senior sergeants, to make contact with their advance scouts who are waiting outside a rebellious village. Elmo takes Croaker, Silent, Raven and seven other men with him, and when they arrive at the village, they discover everyone is dying or dead, except for Darling and Flick: a deaf-mute little girl and her elderly grandfather, who are being tortured by the Limper's drunk soldiers. Saving the two victims and later recapturing the fortress at Deal earn the Limper's hatred.

Later during the winter in the fortress at Deal, Raven goes on a weekly supply run ("turnip patrol") to the nearby city of Oar with Candy, Doughbelly, Jolly, and Flick. However when they are sold out by the stablekeeper Cornie, the group is ambushed by about a dozen local thugs hired by the Limper's underlings Captain Lane and Colonel Zouad. Raven is severely wounded and Flick is killed. In retaliation, Elmo leaks the location of the Limper's men to the Rebels, who capture them. But when it becomes a danger that the Company's involvement might be discovered, Soulcatcher sends a fellow Taken called Shapeshifter to help. They infiltrate the Rebel bunker in Oar and spring a trap on the Limper when he arrives to rescue Zouad. Raven goes missing but reappears as the Company moves out from Elm. Rejoining them, he takes the little girl Darling as his ward.

Chapter 3: Raker[]

Now garrisoned in the huge fortress of Meystrikt in the Salient, the Black Company has earned a reputation as the Lady's elite. During an ambush patrol the Company obtains some of the Rebel sorcerer Rakers' hair. Using this One-Eye, Goblin, and Silent come up with a plan to take him down with a bounty for his head, which Soulcatcher approves. Soulcatcher, Goblin, One-Eye, Croaker, Elmo, Raven, and two more soldiers named Otto and Hagop go to the city of Roses and set the trap. A stunning pile of treasure is planted on one of the frozen streets, protected by ward spells. The trap is powered by the sorcerer's own captured hair, and the loot can only be retrieved safely if someone deposits Raker's head nearby.

The powerful Limper arrives to claim the treasure for himself, and corners the helpless Black Company men in their apartment. But Soulcatcher intervenes, and reveals that the Limper has been humiliated by Shapeshifter due to his unauthorized absence from Elm. The Limper flees in terror that he will be disciplined by the Lady, and they go back to maintaining their vigil over the treasure and trap in the street below.

As planned, Raker discredits himself among his Rebel peers trying to disarm the trap, and his followers lose faith. Finally, after Otto and Hagop are assaulted by Raker, Raven and Croaker take the initiative. Raven uses supernatural tracking senses to track down Raker in the frigid city. Using Croaker as bait, the pair kills him. With Elmos' help they pack up the treasure which they split before they return to the rest of the Company.

Chapter 4: Whisper[]

Despite their victory, the Company is forced to leave the Salient on account of the Limper's apparent blunders in the north. They head through the Forest of Cloud toward the city of Lords. During the retreat, they stumble upon and ambush a training camp of the Rebel sorceress/general Whisper. They discover her valuable papers which the Lady and Soulcatcher later use to reveal that the Limper is a traitor. The Limper's true name was uncovered by Whisper, and she has used it to suborn him... the Imperial defeats in Forsberg and the Salient are his treachery.

Croaker and Raven receive some training in Lords, and the pair are sent to ambush both Whisper and the Limper in the forest. The risky operation is a success, and the Lady herself appears to take possession of the prisoners. The Limper is tortured gruesomely by the Lady, and is then carried off by a dragonfly demon. But Whisper suffers a much worse fate: she is transformed into the first of the Lady's new Taken.

Croaker, Raven, and Silent make their way out of the Forest of Cloud to find Lords badly besieged. They cannot enter the city to rejoin their comrades. There is a hellish sorcery duel occurring at the walls: Soulcatcher and Nightcrawler are trading explosive blows with Harden – Whisper's ferocious cousin – and other members of the Circle of Eighteen.

Chapter 5: Harden[]

After the Taken lose Lords, the Company and a few thousand other Imperials retreat across the Windy Country to the Stair of Tear. They fight against Harden's Rebels almost every step of the way. At the Stair, they hold the enemy forces at bay for a time. In a carefully-planned assassination, four of the Taken (Soulcatcher, Shapeshifter, Stormbringer, and the Hanged Man) take down Harden. But Croaker witnesses an inexplicable and frightening incident during which Soulcatcher and Stormbringer allow the Hanged Man to die, despite Shapeshifter's obvious desire to save the man.

Although Whisper and some of the old Taken are accumulating stunning victories against the Rebel in the east, things are collapsing around the Black Company in the center of the Empire. They are forced to retreat yet again, this time toward the Tower at Charm... the Empire's headquarters. The Great Comet is in the sky, a possible harbinger of doom for the Lady and her followers.

Chapter 6: Lady[]

The Black Company captures two more Rebel sorcerers for the Lady, young newlyweds called Feather and Journey. On the return trip to deliver the new prisoners, Croaker believes he is targeted by one of the Taken. Strange lime-colored thread threatens him. They hustle away and meet the Howler, who flies them on a giant flying carpet to the Tower.

During the final preparations for Charm's defenses, Croaker meets the Lady again. Soon, a massive accumulation of Rebel armies attempts to crush their enemy in the days-long Battle of Charm. Shapeshifter is reportedly killed in very suspicious circumstances. Croaker is attacked by the forvalaka, last seen in Soulcatcher's possession, but is saved by the huge Taken known as Bonegnasher. Later that night, the Taken suffer even more fatalities. But it is infighting that does them in, not the enemy. Stormbringer mutinies, and she and Bonegnasher kill one another. On another night, Nightcrawler is killed by the Rebels, but the Faceless Man and Moonbiter kill each other.

The Lady sends for Croaker personally, and reveals that the women among the Taken have been betraying her to support the Dominator, who is the true driving force behind the Rebels. She subjects him to the Eye, a dreadful experience, but gives him a beautiful bow with black arrows to use for a special purpose. He uses one of the arrows to chase away a mysterious attacker: a sheet of darkness which fits the description of Soulcatcher's namesake sorcery.

On the final day of the battle, the Rebel leadership claims to have found their long-awaited savior child, the reincarnation of the White Rose. The Company wizards can see that it is a hoax, created to motivate the enemy rank-and-file. Feather and Journey–new Taken alongside Whisper–emerge to stop the Rebel's final push. War elephants burst forth from hidden compartments near the Tower, and the Rebel only defeats them after suffering terrible losses.

Then, the Howler flies over the enemy formations, dropping bizarre orbs. As he returns, there is yet another betrayal among the Taken: Soulcatcher somehow sabotages the Howler's flying carpet, and the diminutive wizard slams into the top of the Tower at high speed. The Lady and Croaker leave the battle to chase after Soulcatcher on the backs of sorcery-enhanced black stallions. After a long pursuit during which Croaker doubts he is in full control of himself, he shoots Soulcatcher with his special arrows, and lops off his target's head. Soulcatcher's morion opens for the first time, unexpectedly revealing the face of a gorgeous woman. The Lady explains that Soulcatcher was her own sister. Where Croaker once entertained fanciful romances about the Lady, now he is thoroughly disgusted. He has no choice but to accompany her back on her badly damaged flying carpet.

Returning to the Tower, Croaker sees windrows of dead men. Tens of thousands have been killed by the deadly magic in the Howler's orbs. Many dropped dead in formation. While most of the dead were Rebels, a significant number were Imperials. He also briefly sees Darling among the basalt wasteland which surrounds the field of battle. Arriving at the Tower, the Limper is revealed to have been reeducated by the Lady and newly loyal. The remaining Rebel have been killed via ambushes and traps in the Tower.

Chapter 7: Rose[]

Raven is believed to have died in the battle, but Croaker and Silent surmise otherwise and eventually track him down. The two determine, as Raven had beforehand, that Darling is the true reincarnation of a historical hero called the White Rose due to strange events which surrounded the girl during the battle. Raven had deserted with Darling to protect her from the Lady. After Croaker persuades the highly-stressed Raven that they are not there to harm Darling, they give him horses, rations, and money (Raven's share of the treasure from the entrapment of Raker in Roses). Croaker wisely recommends that Raven choose some other direction other than Opal and Beryl. In case Croaker finds himself subjected to the Lady's Eye again, he interrupts Raven before their new destination is disclosed. After a tender farewell with Darling in finger speech, Croaker and Silent ride back toward Charm and the Black Company, and Raven and Darling continue their trek into hiding.

From the back cover[]

Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead. Until the prophecy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her...

Global publication and translation history[]

The Black Company has been published in the following formats and translations.

Gallery of omnibuses and boxed sets[]

All of the omnibuses and boxed sets in which The Black Company is known to have appeared are shown in this gallery. See Books of the North for more details. The two Russian omnibuses from 2008 are atypical arrangements: they contain the 3 Books of the North as well as Shadow Games, which is the first Book of the South.

Single volumes and novel pairs[]

The Black Company was also published in the following single-volume editions, novel pairs, translations, and formats. They are listed in order of publication, earliest first; some reappearances of the same translation may be grouped together.

English (USA)[]

The Black Company
  • Title: The Black Company
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: English
  • Translator: (none)
  • Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates (Tor Books imprint)
  • Pub date: May 1984
  • Cover art by: Keith Berdak
  • ISBN: 9780812533705 (MMP); 9780812503890 (USA MMP); 9780812503906 (CAN MMP)


English (UK)[]

British Roc The Black Company
  • Title: The Black Company
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: English
  • Translator: (none)
  • Publisher: Roc, United Kingdom
  • Pub date: 26 March 1992
  • Cover art by: Keith Berdak
  • ISBN: 9780140165531 (mass market paperback)


Russian (1993 North-West)[]

This "pirated" translation of the The Black Company, released by the St. Petersburg publishing house North-West, was an unauthorized edition. It was produced without the consent of the author Glen Cook. The cover art and the interior illustrations are all by V. Asadullin. The same publisher also released an unauthorized translation of Shadows Linger, which featured cover and interior art by the same artist.

Russian The Black Company Severo-Zapad 1993 front
  • Title: Десять поверженных / Desyat Poverzhenyh
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Russian
  • Translator: Максим Шведов (Maxim Shvedov)
  • Publisher: Северо-Запад / Severo-Zapad (North-West)
  • Pub date: 1993
  • Cover art by: Владислав Альбертович Асадуллин (Vladislav Asadullin)
  • ISBN: 5-8352-0179-6 (hardcover)


Polish[]

Polish The Black Company 1993 front Polish The Black Company 2002 front

  • Title: Czarna Kompania
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Polish
  • Translator: Michał Jakuszewski
  • Publisher: Rebis
  • Pub date: 1993 (left); 2002 (right)
  • Cover art by: Mick Van Houten
  • ISBN: 9788385696261 / 8385696261 (1993 paperback); 9788373010710 / 8373010718 (2002 paperback)


Russian (1997 AST Dragon Age Chronicles)[]

This edition was part of the publisher's Dragon Age Chronicles (Век Дракона Хроники / Vek Drakona Khroniki) series.

Russian series Век Дракона The Black Company 1997 front
  • Title: Черный Отряд
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Russian
  • Translator: Андрей Вадимович Новиков (Andrey Vadimovich Novikov)
  • Publisher: АСТ (AST) and Terra Fantastica
  • Pub date: 1997
  • Cover art by: Wojciech Siudmak
  • ISBN: Hardcovers: 5-697-00188-6 (ACT); 5-7921-0124-8 (TF)


Lithuanian[]

Lithuanian The Black Company front
  • Title: Juodoji gvardija
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Lithuanian
  • Translator: Reda Adomavičiūtė
  • Publisher: Eridanas
  • Pub date: 1997
  • Cover art by: Luis Royo
  • ISBN: 9789986360285 (paperback)


French (1998 L'Atalante)[]

The Black Company (L'Atalante 1998) Cover
  • Title: La Compagnie noire
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: French
  • Translator: Patrick Couton
  • Publisher: L'Atalante
  • Pub date: 22 May 1998
  • Cover art by: Didier Graffet
  • ISBN: 9782841720743 (paperback [broché])


German (1999 Blanvalet)[]

The first German translation, published in 1999 by Blanvalet, is now out-of-print.

German Blanvalet The Black Company 9783442248940
  • Title: Im Dienst der Seelenfänger. Die Schwarze Schar 1.
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: German
  • Translator: Heiko Langhans
  • Publisher: Blanvalet
  • Pub date: May 1999
  • Cover art by: Salvator Rosa
  • ISBN: 9783442248940 (paperback)


Russian novel pair (2000 AST Golden Fantasy)[]

This single hardcover containing both The Black Company and Shadows Linger was part of the publisher's Golden Fantasy series (Золотая серия фэнтези / Zolotaya seriya fentezi). The cover of the first printings is shown here. For the 2008 reprint with an alternative cover, scroll farther down.

Russian series Zolotaya fentezi TBC SL pair 2000 front
  • Title: Черный Отряд. Тени сгущаются (The Black Company & Shadows Linger)
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Russian
  • Translator: Андрей Вадимович Новиков (Andrey Vadimovich Novikov) The Black Company only
  • Publisher: АСТ (AST) and Terra Fantastica
  • Pub date: 2000
  • Cover art by: Ezra Tucker (upper); Wojciech Siudmak (lower)
  • ISBN: Hardcovers: 9785170004546 [5-17-000454-0] (ACT); 9785792102859 [5-7921-0285-6] (TF)


Czech[]

Czech The Black Company front
  • Title: Černá legie: Cyklus Kroniky Černé legie, díl první
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Czech
  • Translator: Alexandra Dědicová
  • Publisher: Brokilon
  • Pub date: 2000
  • Cover art by: Jan Patrik Krasny
  • ISBN: 9788086309071 (paperback)


Hungarian (2000)[]

The Hungarian translation found in this book reappeared 23 years later in a second, revised edition ("második, javított kiadás") published by Tuan.

Hungarian The Black Company front
  • Title: A Fekete Sereg
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Hungarian
  • Translator: Kornya Zsolt
  • Publisher: Valhalla Páholy
  • Pub date: 2000
  • Cover art by: Boros-Szikszai
  • ISBN: 9789639238039 (paperback)


Spanish (2001 La Factoria)[]

The novel was translated into Spanish by the famous Domingo Santos, and was published first by the fantasy publisher La Factoría de Ideas in Madrid in July 2001 (ISBN: 9788484214021). All subsequent reprints featured the same cover art by Luis Royo. It was reprinted in April 2004 and labeled as "2a Edición" (ISBNs: 9788498000078 and 9788484211372). In May 2005, it was released in mass market paperback size, the "Puzzle" edition (ISBN: 9788489746220).

Spanish The Black Company (La Factoria) front
  • Title: La primera crónica. La Compañía Negra - Libro I
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Spanish
  • Translator: Domingo Santos
  • Publisher: La Factoría de Ideas
  • Pub date: July 2001; April 2004 (reprint); May 2005 ("Puzzle" mass market edition)
  • Cover art by: Luis Royo
  • ISBN: 9788484214021 (paperback); 9788498000078 & 9788484211372 (reprints); 9788489746220 (mass market paperback)


Bulgarian[]

Bulgarian 1 The Black Company front
  • Title: Черният отряд (Хрониките на Черния отряд)
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Bulgarian
  • Translator: Елена Павлова (Elena Pavlova)
  • Publisher: Лира Принт (Lira Print)
  • Pub date: 2002
  • Cover art by: Ken Kelly
  • ISBN: 9789548610612 (paperback)


French (2004 J'ai lu)[]

The Black Company (J'ai lu 2004) Cover The Black Company (J'ai lu refresh) Cover Slava Gerj Jai lu The Black Company front
The same French translation previously published by L'Atalante (seen above) was republished by J'ai lu in smaller paperback format [poche]. The first reprints featured cover art by Johan Camou (above left and center), which was replaced years later by the more abstract art of Slava Gerj (right) when the publisher did a cover refresh..

  • Title: Les Annales de la Compagnie Noire 1: La Compagnie noire
  • Page shown: Front covers
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: French
  • Translator: Patrick Couton
  • Publisher: J'ai lu
  • Pub date: 26 November 2004
  • Cover art by: Johan Camou (left & center); Slava Gerj (right)
  • ISBN: 9782290330586 (small paperback [poche])


Serbian[]

Serbian The Black Company front
  • Title: Crna četa: Prva hronika
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Kuk
  • Language: Serbian
  • Translator: Zvezdana Lipovac and Radivoj Đokić
  • Publisher: Magnet
  • Pub date: 2005
  • Cover art by: Dejan Mandić
  • ISBN: 9788685279089 (paperback)


English (2007 reprint)[]

The Black Company 2007 Tor front
  • Title: The Black Company
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: English
  • Translator: (none)
  • Publisher: Tor Books
  • Pub date: February 2007
  • Cover art by: Raymond Swanland
  • ISBN: 9780812521399 (mass market paperback); 9781466831094 (e-book)


Russian novel pair (2008 AST Golden Fantasy)[]

This single hardcover containing both The Black Company and Shadows Linger was part of the publisher's Golden Fantasy series (Золотая серия фэнтези / Zolotaya seriya fentezi). This is a reprint with an alternative cover. To see the original cover which first published in 2000, scroll farther up.

Russian series Zolotaya fentezi TBC SL pair 2008 front
  • Title: Черный Отряд. Тени сгущаются (The Black Company & Shadows Linger)
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Russian
  • Translator: Андрей Вадимович Новиков (Andrey Vadimovich Novikov) The Black Company only
  • Publisher: АСТ (AST); АСТ Москва (AST Moscow); Астрель (Astrel); Полиграфиздат (Polygraph Publishing House)
  • Pub date: 2008
  • Cover art by: Gary Ruddell (upper); Wojciech Siudmak (lower)
  • ISBN: Hardcovers: 978-5-17-052540-9 (ACT); 978-5-9713-8035-1 (АСТ Москва); 978-5-271-29995-7 (Astrel); 978-5-4215-1145-8 (Polygraph)


Russian novel pair (2008 AST Dragon Age 2)[]

This single hardcover containing 2 novels was part of the publisher's Dragon Age 2 series (Век дракона 2 / Vek Drakona 2).

Russian series Vek drakona 2 TBC SL pair 2008 front
  • Title: Черный Отряд. Тени сгущаются (The Black Company & Shadows Linger)
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Russian
  • Translator: Андрей Вадимович Новиков (Andrey Vadimovich Novikov) The Black Company only
  • Publisher: АСТ (AST) and АСТ Москва (AST Moscow)
  • Pub date: 2008
  • Cover art by: Wojciech Siudmak
  • ISBN: Hardcovers: 978-5-17-049167-4 (ACT); 978-5-9713-7259-2 (АСТ Москва)


Romanian[]

Romanian The Black Company front
  • Title: Compania Neagră
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Romanian
  • Translator: Mircea Pricăjan
  • Publisher: Millennium Books
  • Pub date: 2010
  • Cover art by: Raymond Swanland
  • ISBN: 9786068113166 (paperback)


Brazilian Portuguese[]

Brazil A Companhia Negra front
  • Title: A Companhia Negra
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Brazilian Portuguese
  • Translator: Edmo Suassuna
  • Publisher: Editora Record
  • Pub date: 2012
  • Cover art by: Ilustrarte Design e Produção Editorial
  • ISBN: 9788501099211 (paperback); 9788501401328 (e-book)


Russian (2013 Astrel)[]

Russian Astrel The Black Company front
  • Title: Черный Отряд
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Глен Кук (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Russian
  • Translator: Андрей Вадимович Новиков (Andrey Vadimovich Novikov)
  • Publisher: Астрель (Astrel)
  • Pub date: January 2013
  • Cover art by: Les Edwards (man foreground); Max Bertolini (background)
  • ISBN: 978-5-271-43912-4 (hardcover)


Persian[]

Persian The Black Company cover
  • Title: سرگذشت گروهان سیاه،
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Persian
  • Translator: آيدا کشوري (Aida Keshvari)
  • Publisher: نشر کتابسرای تندیس، (Tandis Publishing)
  • Pub date: 2014
  • Cover art by: moni158
  • ISBN: 9786001821332 (paperback)


Finnish[]

The Black Company (Vaskikirjat 2015) Cover
  • Title: Musta komppania (Musta komppania #1)
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Finnish
  • Translator: Markus Harju
  • Publisher: Vaskikirjat
  • Pub date: 2015
  • Cover art by: Petri Hiltunen
  • ISBN: 9789525722260 (paperback); 9789525722277 (ePub)


German (2015 Mantikore)[]

The German translation published in 2015 by Mantikore is still available and is also on sale in e-book format.

The Black Company (Mantikore-Verlag 2015) Cover
  • Title: The Black Company 1 - Seelenfänger
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: German
  • Translator: Andrea Blendl
  • Publisher: Mantikore-Verlag
  • Pub date: 2015
  • Cover art by: Kiss László (cover design)
  • ISBN: 9783945493281 (paperback); 9783945493298 (e-book)


Chinese[]

Chinese The Black Company front
  • Title: 黑色佣兵团
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: 格伦·库克 (Glen Cook)
  • Language: Simplified Chinese
  • Translator: Ma Xiao
  • Publisher: Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House
  • Pub date: 1 September 2017
  • Cover art by: (unknown)
  • ISBN: 9787559409997 (paperback)


Spanish (2019 Montena)[]

Montena (Penguin Random House Grupo) picked up the rights to the Spanish translation that was originally published by La Factoría (seen above). It was republished in 2019 with new cover art by Adam S. Doyle.

Spanish The Black Company (Montena) front
  • Title: La Compañía Negra. La primera crónica: Libro I
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Spanish
  • Translator: Domingo Santos
  • Publisher: Montena (Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial)
  • Pub date: 21 March 2019 (Spain); 19 Nov. 2019 (Mexico)
  • Cover art by: Adam S. Doyle
  • ISBN: 9788417460679 (Spain paperback); 9788417671365 (Spain e-book); 9786073178488 (Mexico paperback)


European Portuguese[]

Portugal A Companhia Negra front
  • Title: A Companhia Negra
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: European Portuguese
  • Translator: Renato Carreira
  • Publisher: Saida de Emergência
  • Pub date: 08 August 2019 (paperback); May 2020 (ePub e-book)
  • Cover art by: Luis Corte Real (design); Nik Keevil (cloaked man), Stephen Mulcahey (background)
  • ISBN: 9789897731648 (paperback); 9789897732973 (ePub e-book)


English (2022 Tor reprint)[]

The first novel was reprinted in single-volume format in February 2022 as part of the Tor Essentials backlist line from Tom Doherty Associates. This is the first time the novel in English appeared in either hardcover or trade paperback size; previous English publications of the first novel in single-volume format were all mass market paperbacks.

The Black Company 2022 Tor Essentials
  • Title: The Black Company
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: English
  • Translator: (none)
  • Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates (Tor Essentials imprint)
  • Pub date: February 2022
  • Cover art by: Zef Art (photo); Jamie Stafford-Hill (design)
  • ISBN: 9781250841841 (hardcover); 9781250781208 (trade paperback); 9781466831094 (e-book)


English (2023 MidWorld Press)[]

On 19 November 2022, MidWorld Press began accepting pre-orders for their signed, limited edition of the first novel in hardcover. It contains new cover artwork and interior images by Kai Carpenter. Though April 2023 is mentioned on the copyright page, the book was actually shipped in August 2023 due to production delays.

The Black Company by Kai Carpenter front cover
  • Title: The Black Company
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: English
  • Translator: (none)
  • Publisher: MidWorld Press
  • Pub date: April 2023 (dated); August 2023 (distributed)
  • Cover art by: Kai Carpenter
  • ISBN: 9781735483481 (hardcover)


Hungarian (2023)[]

This Tuan publication is marked as the second, revised edition ("második, javított kiadás"). The previous edition – seen above – was published in the year 2000 by a different publisher, Valhalla Páholy, in which this translation by Kornya Zsolt first appeared.

Hungarian Tuan The Black Company
  • Title: A Fekete Sereg
  • Page shown: Front cover
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Hungarian
  • Translator: Kornya Zsolt
  • Publisher: Tuan
  • Pub date: 28 February 2023
  • Cover art by: Hevesi József
  • ISBN: 9789635890613 (paperback)



Audiobooks[]

English audiobook[]

Audible The Black Company
  • Title: The Black Company
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: English
  • Narrated by: Marc Vietor
  • Length: 10 hours 54 minutes
  • Format: Audible digital audiobook
  • Publisher: Audible Studios
  • Pub date: 31 August 2010
  • Cover art by: Keith Berdak
  • ISBN: (ASIN: B0041G9T7E)


Polish audiobook[]

Polish audiobook The Black Company
  • Title: Czarna Kompania
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Polish
  • Narrated by: Robert Jarociński
  • Length: 11 hours 20 minutes
  • Format: MP3 download
  • Publisher: Parlando
  • Pub date: 23 April 2018
  • Cover art by: (unknown)
  • ISBN: 9788394736682


Russian audiobook[]

Russian audio Soyuz The Black Company
  • Title: Чёрный Отряд
  • Author: Glen Cook
  • Language: Russian
  • Narrated by: Всеволод Кузнецов (Vsevolod Kuznetsov)
  • Length: 10 hours 52 minutes
  • Format: MP3 download
  • Publisher: СОЮЗ, Покидышевъ и сыновья (Soyuz, Pokidyshev and Sons)
  • Pub date: March 2022
  • Cover art by: (unknown)
  • ISBN: 9785535103563; 4066338561510
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