There isn’t much Brandon Sanderson hasn’t done by this point in his career as an author, yet he’s still finding new ways to surprise fans in the best possible ways! On June 16, Sanderson’s latest project will release in the form of Songs of the Dead, a project that sees Sanderson wading into new waters alongside his co-author Peter Orullian.
Sanderson is no stranger to partnering with amazing novelists on projects, but this particular partnership has allowed him to tell a story unlike any other he’s told before by weaving music into the heart of the narrative. In fact, it was that desire to tell a story about a heavy metal singer set against the backdrop of an urban fantasy that brought Sanderson and Orullian together for this project.
As Orullian revealed when speaking with The Seattle Times to promote the book, Sanderson was the first name on his wishlist of co-authors for the project after the pair met years ago during a sci-fi conference. While Orullian “didn’t think he’d say yes,” it turned out that Sanderson had been playing around with the idea, and Orullian’s background as a musician made it a dream partnership for them both.
This led to Songs of the Dead, which will be the first book in The Strata War series from the duo, which centers around Jack Solomon, a London rocker who is faced with a life-or-death choice after discovering the truth that a powerful society of magic wielders are the only ones keeping London safe.
“When Jack Solomon, a struggling musician who works in London’s West End, is killed, he awakens to a new reality in which light and music are used to create magic and where living eras of the past sprawl beneath modern London, layer upon layer, all the way back to recorded history,” the official synopsis from S&S/Saga Press teases of the June 16 release.
“Jack also soon discovers that many of those who reside in the stratums of London’s past have grown angry with the present world and that their anger is being channeled by a powerful society of light-and-music-based magic wielders who can cross the realms between life and death, between the present and the past. A past where the dead are sowing revolution against the living, and all of history is at stake.”
The release is certainly one that Sanderson readers will not want to miss out on and promises to bring readers a story a truly unique story. Sure, Sanderson has gifted us with several incredible fantasy stories; we’ve never seen him meld the worlds of music and fantasy together in the way that Songs of the Dead does.
Knowing that Sanderson partnered with a musician on the release should only help increase the excitement around the project. Having that first-hand knowledge of the world of music is sure to elevate the book and help it sing to readers (sorry, couldn't resist getting at least one music pun in there).
Its release timing is also perfect for those looking for a new book to add to their summer reading list. Songs of the Dead is also the sole Sanderson release on the calendar for this summer (his next novel won't drop until September 2026), so this is one that you won't want to sleep on! It's a perfect read for the summer and one that promises to be unlike anything you've read from Sanderson before.
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