They Cry by Glen Cook: Release Date, Story and Black Company Reading Order

Glen Cook’s They Cry releases November 3, 2026, from Tor Books. It follows Lies Weeping as Book Two of A Pitiless Rain, the latest Black Company story arc. For readers catching up, the immediate predecessor is clear—but newcomers should begin with The Black Company.

Cook’s series follows mercenary soldiers navigating wars, dangerous employers and powerful sorcerers. That makes a new installment more than another chance to visit a fantasy world: it is a return to a company whose survival has always depended on understanding who holds power and what serving them will cost.

Here is what to know before picking up They Cry, including its confirmed publication details and a practical route through the earlier novels.

When does They Cry come out?

Tor’s U.S. hardcover listing gives November 3, 2026, as the publication date. It lists 400 pages and ISBN 9781250405913. These details refer to that edition; other editions and territories may differ.

The publisher identifies the book as the thirteenth volume in its wider Chronicles of the Black Company listing. Its subtitle, however, calls it Book Two of A Pitiless Rain. Those labels describe different levels of the same series.

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Continuing the latest arc? Find They Cry by Glen Cook on Amazon.

What is They Cry about?

Spoiler warning: The following premise reveals developments from earlier Black Company books. Skip to the reading order if you are new to the series.

According to Tor’s synopsis, Arkana and Shukrat possess unfamiliar magical abilities while political and supernatural threats gather in Hsien. Croaker, now the Steadfast Guardian, risks losing his remaining humanity. Soulcatcher, meanwhile, continues plotting from captivity.

The premise’s most interesting tension is the gap between having power and being ready to use it. That is an editorial reading of the setup, rather than a verdict on the finished novel. A character becoming stronger does not automatically become wiser—or better equipped to recognize manipulation.

For returning readers, the appeal is seeing familiar relationships tested under changed circumstances. For newcomers, those relationships are also the strongest reason to read the earlier books first. A synopsis can explain someone’s new role; it cannot replace the experience of watching that person reach it.

What should you read before They Cry?

Read Lies Weeping immediately before They Cry. Tor identifies it as the first book of A Pitiless Rain, originally published November 4, 2025.

Treat this as a continuation for established readers. Starting a new arc does not erase the history carried by its characters. My recommendation is to begin with the original trilogy, then continue through the later sequences before tackling A Pitiless Rain.

If you have already read through Soldiers Live, Lies Weeping is the next step in the new arc. Port of Shadows is also worth including in a fuller series read, as shown below.

Need the preceding novel? Find Lies Weeping on Amazon.

Black Company reading order before They Cry

For a first read, I recommend the following order. It keeps the opening trilogy together and places The Silver Spikedirectly afterward. This is a recommended reading order, not a strict publication-order list.

The sequence above follows the broad arrangement in Tor’s series bibliography. Placing Port of Shadows later lets a first-time reader experience the established sequence before returning to earlier material. Its 2018 publication date should not be mistaken for its position in the story’s timeline.

Starting from the beginning? Find The Black Company on Amazon.

Which Black Company omnibus should you buy?

If you prefer collected editions, Tor lists these combinations:

The second omnibus groups The Silver Spike after the other two novels. Readers following the recommended order above can read that novel first within the collection.

These four collections cover the ten earlier novels shown in the table. They do not include Port of Shadows or the two A Pitiless Rain novels..

Is They Cry a good place to start?

My recommendation is to save it for later. Start with The Black Company if you are curious about Cook’s mercenaries; start with Lies Weeping if you are already caught up and ready for the new arc.

The useful distinction is simple: They Cry is the next book for readers following A Pitiless Rain. The original novel remains the clearest introduction for readers discovering the Company for the first time.

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