Songs of the Dead

The Strata Wars #1

by Brandon Sanderson, Peter Orullian

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy

464 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 16, 2026

About the author

I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.

During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Reviews

[ଘRory]

➤​Seriously, a musician co-writing a fantasy book with BRANDON SANDERSON ? That's just beyond cool💃.

_P.S.I've never added a book to my TBR that fast, and never managed to set up a buddy read that quickly, lol! (I am so excited, guys!) I'm reading that book with my pookie 💖 Grace when it comes out.

[DianaRose]

beyond excited to finally dive in😩

——

i'm ready for this insanely amazing project full of rockstars and dark magic 🙂‍↕️

[Grace Btrs]

UPDATE:
DID I JUST SCREAM CZ I GOT THE ARC? FUCK YEAH I DID!!!

--
Update:
So um... I applied for the ARC.... I know I am reaching, and if I don't read other Brandon books before, it would be my first... but... just... the premise and conditions are so compelling!!!

--
Anticipated because:
I am freaking SAT for whatever the outcome here will be.
I was planning to start my Brandon Sanderson journey in 2026.
But then knowing he's co-writing this with a musician specialised in music and storytelling?
I'll be here, waiting....

Thank you to the gorgeous ଘRory for bringing this to my attention.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never felt the urge to say this before but it is pretty cool to have the first review on here.

This was so good, but not in the typical Sanderson way. The magic system, thanaturgy, is very much classic Brando Sando, yet not at the same time. It feels less defined than his other magic systems, yet pulls at the familiar love I have for his systems and from the more familiar necromancy and thaumaturgy. There is a mix of music and light that makes the magic of this world work, and I love that Peter Orullian is the co-writer he brought in on the project as he is also a musician.

Orullian’s voice shines through this story in the characters and lived experiences in music, but also in the grittiness and the urban fantasy setting, versus Sanderson’s typical epic new worlds. Jack, our MC, has a lot of relatable characteristics - especially with a lot of childhood traumas that lead to many of his flaws that he has to overcome to save the wards protecting the Iron Horse and ultimately the Abyssal Steps and a song that could end the normal world as we know it.

The concept of the strata, which contain living past eras of the world, is fascinating and is an interesting way to look at a version of the afterlife for the world and its magic. I think another read through may help with understanding the magic and the strata better as I was more focused on the characters and the intriguing plot on this read through!

~I'll update if I get the time to do this before release~

4.5 stars

Thank you to @sagapressbooks for the eARC. All thoughts are my own!

[Tree]

The audacity to be writing another book when we've been waiting more than a decade for The
Aztlanian to have even a release date.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book by Brandon Sanderson that I ever read was not in the Cosmere but a collaboration, admittedly his collaborator was no longer available for consultation but the skill of picking up an established series and providing the continuity of experience that readers developed all the way to the conclusion sold me on a fantastic author and one who can hold up with integrity any other author he partners with. Songs of the Dead continues the practice of Sanderson co-authorships into a new world and new era. We have an engaging plot, great world-building, interesting magic system and compelling characters written in an easy to follow style, all things that we may take for granted from Sanderson, but a full slate that is not found with great frequency in all books. I have never been a metal head and though I listen to a fair amount of pop as well as classical music, I don't consider music to be one of my greatest interests, but this book made it interesting for me and opened up the world of musicians in an relatable way. And, if I could be pulled into this world, I imagine someone who is more invested in music, clubs and bands would likely find this story quite appealing. I thoroughly enjoyed getting transported into the London music scene, and the central character's, Jack's, adventure. The music based magic that holds the powers to cross realms for living and dead and the bevy of characters that are part of the war that was introduced in this book made the story intriguing and I am excited for the next volume in this series to continue the journey.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Saga Press) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Thank you NetGalley!

4.5/5

Come for the magic system; stay for the surprisingly deep and emotional themes of forgiveness, coping, and learning to let go of things (and people) that can’t be tied down.

From page one, you’re dropped into a world of rock music, found family, and mystery. Did I understand the magic system right away? Not for at least the first 40% of the book. Did that stop my enjoyment? Honestly, no. I trusted that things would make sense in time, and they eventually did. At first, the reader figures things out alongside the main character (which was comforting, since I felt as confused as he was). The protagonist soon stumbles upon a reservoir of knowledge and begins dropping breadcrumbs of information as needed. At times, this was frustrating because I wanted to know as much as the characters; however, since the alternative might have been a lengthy, pace-killing "info-dump," I learned to go with the flow and was soon caught up in the complexity of the world.

What was truly unexpected (and what will keep me coming back) was the combination of obscure musical references (both rock and classical) and the emotional depth of the protagonist's struggle. I wasn’t expecting themes like separating art from the artist, the complications of family history, or the messy imperfection of forgiveness. The way the characters tackle these themes within a magical reality was really engaging. This is a solid read for fantasy fans, with double the enjoyment for music lovers.

[Mon · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 22%. I'm really going against the grain of the other early reviews, but I can't force myself to keep reading.

My eyes want to look anywhere but the page. The main character is so bland. I'm nearly a quarter through the book and I can't even remember his name. He's just A Guy Who Likes Music A Lot.

The lore and magic system should be interesting, but brother it ain't. Nameless Main Dude has spent a lot of time so far reading textbooks, having infodump conversations, and, unbelievably, infodump street flights.

There's also an undercurrent of ✨music is healing and love✨ which, while a beautiful sentiment to have IRL, comes across weirdly preachy in text form.

Two stars, because I like the idea of the worldbuilding but hate the execution.

Thank you to Saga Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Travis Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Songs of the Dead
By Brandon Sanderson, Peter Orullian
Pub Date: Jun 16 2026

Jack, a vocalist and his friend are murdered outside the Iron Horse. Jack is brought back to life to solve his friend's murder.
I enjou d this book. The character development is great. The story and magic system are different. It's urban fantasy without the juvenile humor.
I love that Orullian tackles tough subjects like love, loss.and forgiveness.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early in return for my honest review.

[Koda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to arc this!! This book is beyond cool. I’ve always loved and had a soft spot for Sanderson and his world building, but this is next level craftsmanship. The ideas have really come to life. As someone who’s married to a musician this book was everything to me and I can not wait for more!!! 10/10 chefs kiss.

[Viking Jam]

Review: This novel was a trip. Interesting world building, characters with empowerments embedded and instinctive. The MC shines through out the story, within a unique land scape. I am not sure of the division of work that occured between the two authors, yet I would like to see a stand alone novel by Peter that embraces this world.

[Alex Jackson]

GIVE IT TO ME NOW