Glen Cook's love of writing began in grade school, and in high school he wrote the occasional article for his school's newspaper. After high school, Cook spent time in the United States Navy and later worked his way through college, leaving little time for his writing endeavors. Cook began to write in earnest while working for General Motors at an auto assembly plant in a job which was"hard to learn, but [involved] almost no mental effort", writing as many as three books per year.

It was during this time that Cook wrote his first novel of The Black Company, a gritty fantasy series that follows an elite mercenary unit through several decades of their history. The series, currently 10 novels long, has become something of a cult classic, especially among current and former members of the military. When asked about the series' popularity among soldiers, Cook replied: "The characters act like the guys actually behave. It doesn't glorify war; it's just people getting on with the job. The characters are real soldiers. They're not soldiers as imagined by people who've never been in the service. That's why service guys like it." Cook is also well known for his Garrett P.I. series, which tells the haphazard adventures of hardboiled detective Garrett, and his Dread Empire series, which highlights Cook's earlier published work.

Cook is currently retired from his job at GM, living with his wife, Carol, and children (Justin, Chris, and Mike) in St. Louis, Missouri. Although he can now devote himself full-time to his writing career, he feels he was actually more productive while he was still employed at his old job.

The Black Company

An epic fantasy series about a band of mercenaries known as The Black Company.

• Books of the North:
• The Black Company (May 1984)
• Shadows Linger (October 1984)
• The White Rose (April 1985)
• Barrowlands:
• The Silver Spike (September 1989)
• Books of the South:
• Shadow Games (June 1989)
• Dreams of Steel (April 1990)
• Books of the Glittering Stone:
• Bleak Seasons (April 1996)
• She Is the Darkness (September 1997)
• Water Sleeps (March 1999)
• Soldiers Live (July 2000)
• Not Yet Published:
• A Pitiless Rain (TBA)
• Port of Shadows (TBA)

• Science Fiction Book Club hardcover omnibus editions:
• Annals of the Black Company (collects The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose)
• The Black Company Goes South (collects The Silver Spike, Shadow Games, and Dreams of Steel)
• The Black Company: Glittering Stone I (collects Bleak Seasons and She Is the Darkness)
• The Black Company: Glittering Stone II (collects Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live)

• Tor Fiction softcover omnibus editions:
• The Chronicles of The Black Company (collects The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose) (November 2007)
• The Books of the South (collects Shadow Games, Dreams of Steel, and The Silver Spike) (June 2008)
• The Return of The Black Company (collects Bleak Seasons, and She Is The Darkness) (September 2009)
• The Many Deaths of The Black Company (collects Water Sleeps, and Soldiers Live) (January 2010)
• Short stories
• "Raker" - appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (August 1982). This was a pre-publication excerpt of chapter 3 from The Black Company, with slight editing differences to make it stand alone as a short story.
• "Tides Elba" - appeared in Swords & Dark Magic anthology (June 2010)

Garrett P.I.

A combination fantasy and mystery series about Garrett, a freelance private investigator.

1. Sweet Silver Blues (1987)
2. Bitter Gold Hearts (1988)
3. Cold Copper Tears (1988)
4. Old Tin Sorrows (1989)
5. Dread Brass Shadows (1990)
6. Red Iron Nights (1991)
7. Deadly Quicksilver Lies (1994)
8. Petty Pewter Gods (1995)
9. Faded Steel Heat (1999)
10. Angry Lead Skies (2002)
11. Whispering Nickel Idols (2005)
12. Cruel Zinc Melodies (2008)
13. Gilded Latten Bones (2010) (forthcoming)

• Science Fiction Book Club omnibus editions:
• The Garrett Files (collects Sweet Silver Blues, Bitter Gold Hearts, and Cold Copper Tears; 2003)
• Garrett, P.I. (collects Old Tin Sorrows, Dread Brass Shadows, and Red Iron Nights; 2003)
• Garrett Investigates (collects Deadly Quicksilver Lies, Petty Pewter Gods, and Faded Steel Heat; 2004)
• Garrett On The Case (collects Angry Lead Skies, Whispering Nickel Idols; 2005)

Dread Empire

• Prequels
1. The Fire in His Hands (1984)
2. With Mercy Toward None (1985)
• Main Sequence
1. A Shadow of All Night Falling (1979)
2. October's Baby (1980)
3. All Darkness Met (1980)
• Sequels
1. Reap the East Wind (1987)
2. An Ill Fate Marshalling (1988)
3. The Wrath of Kings (manuscript stolen)
• Omnibus Volumes (reprinted by Night Shade Books):
• A Cruel Wind: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire, an omnibus of the three main sequence novels (2006)
• A Fortress in Shadow: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire, an omnibus of the two prequels (2007)
• An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire, a collection of short fiction set in the Dread Empire (2008)
• Short Stories
• "The Nights of Deadful Silence" - appeared in Fantastic (September 1973)
• "Ghost Stalk" - appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (May 1978)
• "Quiet Sea" - appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (December 1978 )
• "Castle of Tears" - appeared in Whispers (October 1979)
• "Call for the Dead" - appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (July 1980)
• "Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted With Defeat" - appeared in The Berkley Showcase, Vol 2 (August 1980)
• "Filed Teeth" - appeared in Dragons of Darkness (October 1981)
• "Severed Heads" - appeared in Sword and Sorceress 1 (May 1984)

Instrumentalities of the Night

1. The Tyranny of the Night (2005)
2. Lord of the Silent Kingdom (2007)
3. Surrender to the Will of the Night (2010) (forthcoming)

Starfishers

Starfishers is a science fiction series drawing on elements of Norse mythology, and in the case of Passage at Arms, World War II submarine warfare.

1. Shadowline (1982)
2. Starfishers (1982)
3. Star's End (1982)
4. Related
5. Passage at Arms (1985)
6. Short story
7. Sunrise - appeared in Eternity SF (1973)

Dark War

1. Doomstalker (1985)
2. Warlock (1985)
3. Ceremony (1986)
4. Short story
5. Darkwar - appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (December 1982)

Standalone novels

• The Swap Academy (1970) (written as "Greg Stevens")
• The Heirs of Babylon (1972)
• The Swordbearer (1982)
• A Matter of Time (1985)
• The Dragon Never Sleeps (1988)
• The Tower of Fear (1989)
• Sung in Blood (1992)

Standalone short stories

• "Silverheels" - appeared in Witchcraft and Sorcery #6 (May 1971)
• "Song from a Forgotten Hill" - appeared in Clarion (June 1971)
• "And Dragons in the Sky" - appeared in Clarion II (June 1972)
• "Appointment in Samarkand" - appeared in Witchcraft and Sorcery #7 (November 1972)
• "The Devil's Tooth" - appeared in Literary Magazine of Fantasy and Terror, Volume 1, #5 (1974)
• "In the Wind" - appeared in Tomorrow Today (1975) and Space Dogfights (1992)
• "The Recruiter" - appeared in Amazing Stories (March 1977)
• "The Seventh Fool" - appeared in the The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (March 1978)
• "Ponce" - appeared in Amazing Stories (November 1978)
• "Enemy Territory" - appeared in Night Voyages #9 (Spring 1983)