Table of Contents
About The Book
A London rocker is faced with a life-or-death choice when he realizes that a powerful society of magic wielders are the only ones keeping London safe in this deft contemporary fantasy cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson with author and musician Peter Orullian.
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.
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.
Welcome to the Strata Wars.
About The Authors
In May 2005, Brandon Sanderson published his first novel, Elantris, followed by the Mistborn trilogy, its follow-up The Alloy of Law, Warbreaker, and The Way of Kings, the first in a projected ten-volume series called The Stormlight Archive. The fifth book in that series, Wind and Truth was an immediate #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller. In 2022, Sanderson broke Kickstarter records by raising over $40 million to self-publish four "Secret Project” novels. Brandon won the Hugo Award in 2013 for his novella “The Emperor’s Soul”, and the David Gemmell Legend Award. His books have hit the New York Times Best Seller list twenty-five times and have been published in forty languages. At the end of each year, thousands of Sanderson’s fans gather at his Dragonsteel Nexus convention to celebrate his stories and to get a first glimpse of what Brandon will be writing next. Visit his website for behind-the-scenes information on all his books at BrandonSanderson.com.
Peter Orullian is an American fantasy author, composer, and performer. As a musician, he has toured internationally—fronting various rock and metal bands—written and released multiple albums, and recently founded his own symphonic rock group, Symphony North, which focuses on building trans-media properties to combine music and narrative. The first of these, entitled The Bell Ringer, was recently released as a full concept album, and will embark on a US tour in holiday of 2026. The novelization of The Bell Ringer will release in tandem with the tour. As an author, Orullian has also novelized chart-topping concept albums for Grammy Award–winning metal giant Dream Theater. In 2012, he was shortlisted for the David Gemmell Morningstar Award. He has written numerous short stories as well as several other novels, including The Vault of Heaven, all of which use music as a driving force for worldbuilding and magical systems. Since 2018, he has been collaborating with Brandon Sanderson on developing and writing The Strata Wars series. Visit Peter Orullian at Orullian.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: S&S/Saga Press (June 16, 2026)
- Length: 464 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668068144
Raves and Reviews
“This well-realized magic system, which feels like classic Sanderson, will draw readers in, and though the fast-paced plot takes some complicated turns, the authors stick the landing. It’s an entertaining start.”
– Publishers Weekly
“Sanderson's touch is evident in the complexity of the magic system, and Jack's journey of discovery is an entertaining diversion, with plenty of conflict to drive sequels.”
– Booklist
“A headbanging beginning to what could be a remarkable urban fantasy series.”
– Kirkus
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Songs of the Dead
Hardcover 9781668068144
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Author Photo (jpg): Brandon Sanderson Photograph by Howard Lyon(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
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Author Photo (jpg): Peter Orullian Photograph by Neil Lim Sang(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
