What do you think?
The Strata Wars #1
Canciones de los muertos
Not yet published
Expected 20 Oct 26Cuando Jack Solomon, un músico en apuros que trabaja en el West End de Londres, muere asesinado, despierta a una nueva realidad donde la luz y la música se utilizan para crear magia, y donde las eras vivientes del pasado se extienden por debajo del Londres moderno, formando capas y capas que se remontan a las profundidades de la historia registrada.
Jack también descubre que muchos de quienes habitan los estratos del pasado de Londres están furiosos con el mundo actual, y que esa ira está aprovechándola una sociedad de hechiceros basados en la luz y la música que pueden cruzar la frontera entre la vida y la muerte, entre el presente y el pasado. Un pasado en el que los muertos propagan la revolución contra los vivos y en el que toda la historia está en juego.
Jack también descubre que muchos de quienes habitan los estratos del pasado de Londres están furiosos con el mundo actual, y que esa ira está aprovechándola una sociedad de hechiceros basados en la luz y la música que pueden cruzar la frontera entre la vida y la muerte, entre el presente y el pasado. Un pasado en el que los muertos propagan la revolución contra los vivos y en el que toda la historia está en juego.
480 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2026
About the author
Brandon Sanderson
420 books297k followersI’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.
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.
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June 19, 2026
“[T]he book is like Brandon's world building and Peter's lived experience. That's what I would pitch this book as.” (Brandon in Intentionally Blank:" Ep. 262) Brandon also says he tried to write this novel (then called Death by Pizza) but he "didn’t have the background in the culture that [he] wanted to." (From Intentionally Blank: Ep. 242) All of this made me hesitantly optimistic, but I‘m generally not a fan of collaborations like this. I‘d much rather Brandon had written this himself, but I guess we wouldn’t have this novel if it hadn’t been co-authored. Let’s see if it is worth it.
The novel starts with a bang: Jack, a heavy metal singer recently fired by his band, is murdered. Once murdered, he discovers he is a so-called thanatist, someone who can bind a person’s soul to its body, so that it still can roam the land of the living. That means that, when someone dies, they can decide not to move on, which is called a semblance. His death also awakens Jack to a magical world beneath London, so-called strata which represent different layers of history.
Each strata is not a perfect reflection of the past; they are instead formed by the thoughts and memories of semblances, a sort of "collective subconscious“. This gives Sanderson and Orullian some flexibility with the historical aspect, with the added bonus that nobody will care about anachronisms. Thanatists can then access these layers by descending Steps. And most importantly, music and light are the fundamental sources of magic: music is instrumental (no pun intended) to the Strata but can also be used to cast magic as, for example, in battle.. (The last time I read about music being wielded as magic was in the Demon Cycle, where it was used to repel demons.) I can’t imagine life without music so its importance resonated with me, especially since I like metal as well – but I will say my tastes differ. It is also good to remember that magic use usually has a cost: here, the thanatist needs to relinquish a memory in order to use magic, which also means giving up a piece of your soul – not a very appealing prospect. As for light, it is often used in lantern form, with a bow scraping against it. Shadows are unique and reveal much about a person. All in all, it doesn’t surprise me that, overall, the world building was creative, interesting, and complex; it is Brandon‘s after all.
As for the plot, it turns out that the dead are planning a revolution. Apparently some of them are "angry at the way historians and politicians and creatives have changed and weaponized history to their advantage.“ Others are angry at thanatists looting the Strata. But this exploitation of the Strata is just the excuse; the ultimate goal seems to be rewriting London’s future – by controlling the music of the people. (It seems that there is "right“ and "bad“ music, which shape the Strata. Part of that plan is to regulate which songs are written.) If all of that that sounds a bit nebulous, I‘m with you. I just could not get behind the reasons for the rebellion. It just didn't click with me.
Time for some more honesty: it took me a while to get used to Orullion’s prose. It’s a bit clunky and awkward sometimes, which occasionally pulled me out of the story. I will say the narrative voice matches our first-person viewpoint character Jack. This concession still didn’t make this experience any better. So his prose is not the reason why I would recommend this novel, but I will say it’s accessible enough. The dialogue is functional, but not exceptional. I don’t think all characters had distinctive voices, even if Jack and Chuey use interjections like "man" (which I found very awkward), and minor characters using slang or dialects, a cop speaking Cockney, for example.
I also didn’t love the quantity of exposition that is used here because it kills the momentum sometimes; I understand it is needed to explain a lot of rules about magic in general and thanatists in particular, but that was just too much. Mostly Jack reads books about magic and can easily retain the information because he has an "echoic“ memory – humming while reading gives him the ability to remember everything. How neat is that?
So was reading this novel worth it? Despite everything, a hesitant yes; mostly because of the world building and the importance of music. However, I‘m still not a fan of collaborations (this novel clearly didn’t change my mind), but I seem to read them anyway. And most of these involve Sanderson; I‘ll try and have an open mind for all future collaborations, as there will be many more.
Side note 1: Considering the quotation at the beginning, I‘m left to wonder which parts are autobiographical. I hope none of the bad ones are.
Side note 2: I am a fan, however of the Cytoverse novellas co-authored with Janci Patterson.
The novel starts with a bang: Jack, a heavy metal singer recently fired by his band, is murdered. Once murdered, he discovers he is a so-called thanatist, someone who can bind a person’s soul to its body, so that it still can roam the land of the living. That means that, when someone dies, they can decide not to move on, which is called a semblance. His death also awakens Jack to a magical world beneath London, so-called strata which represent different layers of history.
Each strata is not a perfect reflection of the past; they are instead formed by the thoughts and memories of semblances, a sort of "collective subconscious“. This gives Sanderson and Orullian some flexibility with the historical aspect, with the added bonus that nobody will care about anachronisms. Thanatists can then access these layers by descending Steps. And most importantly, music and light are the fundamental sources of magic: music is instrumental (no pun intended) to the Strata but can also be used to cast magic as, for example, in battle.. (The last time I read about music being wielded as magic was in the Demon Cycle, where it was used to repel demons.) I can’t imagine life without music so its importance resonated with me, especially since I like metal as well – but I will say my tastes differ. It is also good to remember that magic use usually has a cost: here, the thanatist needs to relinquish a memory in order to use magic, which also means giving up a piece of your soul – not a very appealing prospect. As for light, it is often used in lantern form, with a bow scraping against it. Shadows are unique and reveal much about a person. All in all, it doesn’t surprise me that, overall, the world building was creative, interesting, and complex; it is Brandon‘s after all.
As for the plot, it turns out that the dead are planning a revolution. Apparently some of them are "angry at the way historians and politicians and creatives have changed and weaponized history to their advantage.“ Others are angry at thanatists looting the Strata. But this exploitation of the Strata is just the excuse; the ultimate goal seems to be rewriting London’s future – by controlling the music of the people. (It seems that there is "right“ and "bad“ music, which shape the Strata. Part of that plan is to regulate which songs are written.) If all of that that sounds a bit nebulous, I‘m with you. I just could not get behind the reasons for the rebellion. It just didn't click with me.
Time for some more honesty: it took me a while to get used to Orullion’s prose. It’s a bit clunky and awkward sometimes, which occasionally pulled me out of the story. I will say the narrative voice matches our first-person viewpoint character Jack. This concession still didn’t make this experience any better. So his prose is not the reason why I would recommend this novel, but I will say it’s accessible enough. The dialogue is functional, but not exceptional. I don’t think all characters had distinctive voices, even if Jack and Chuey use interjections like "man" (which I found very awkward), and minor characters using slang or dialects, a cop speaking Cockney, for example.
I also didn’t love the quantity of exposition that is used here because it kills the momentum sometimes; I understand it is needed to explain a lot of rules about magic in general and thanatists in particular, but that was just too much. Mostly Jack reads books about magic and can easily retain the information because he has an "echoic“ memory – humming while reading gives him the ability to remember everything. How neat is that?
So was reading this novel worth it? Despite everything, a hesitant yes; mostly because of the world building and the importance of music. However, I‘m still not a fan of collaborations (this novel clearly didn’t change my mind), but I seem to read them anyway. And most of these involve Sanderson; I‘ll try and have an open mind for all future collaborations, as there will be many more.
Side note 1: Considering the quotation at the beginning, I‘m left to wonder which parts are autobiographical. I hope none of the bad ones are.
Side note 2: I am a fan, however of the Cytoverse novellas co-authored with Janci Patterson.
June 8, 2026
The pitch🎤 was strong, but the performance faltered.
Unfortunately, very disappointing from a favourite author.
Jack is a struggling London metal vocalist. After being murdered (what a start), Jack awakens to a hidden, magical world layered beneath modern London. He discovers he is a thanatist, capable of using light and music to harness power as a revolution of the dead threatens humankind.
The worldbuilding has all the notes for a fresh urban fantasy, but lacks playability🎼 - that is to say, it lacks Sanderson’s usual depth and immersion and relies on you accepting ‘the power of music’.
I was looking forward to a dynamic🎸 cast of characters. Instead, they fell into shallow cliches. Jack is your typical urban fantasy protagonist: a tragic past who is surprisingly competent and weirdly adaptable to his new predicament and the end of the world.
Those who deeply connect with music will probably have a stronger emotional resonance🥁, but the cliched ‘power of friendship and magic’ just doesn’t work for me.
There’s a lot of name dropping and I would wager the lack of appreciation played a rookie in my indifference.
Physical arc gifted by The Broken Binding Publishing.
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Unfortunately, very disappointing from a favourite author.
Jack is a struggling London metal vocalist. After being murdered (what a start), Jack awakens to a hidden, magical world layered beneath modern London. He discovers he is a thanatist, capable of using light and music to harness power as a revolution of the dead threatens humankind.
The worldbuilding has all the notes for a fresh urban fantasy, but lacks playability🎼 - that is to say, it lacks Sanderson’s usual depth and immersion and relies on you accepting ‘the power of music’.
I was looking forward to a dynamic🎸 cast of characters. Instead, they fell into shallow cliches. Jack is your typical urban fantasy protagonist: a tragic past who is surprisingly competent and weirdly adaptable to his new predicament and the end of the world.
Those who deeply connect with music will probably have a stronger emotional resonance🥁, but the cliched ‘power of friendship and magic’ just doesn’t work for me.
There’s a lot of name dropping and I would wager the lack of appreciation played a rookie in my indifference.
Physical arc gifted by The Broken Binding Publishing.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
Read
October 6, 2025full rtc closer to pub day!!✨💀🎶
——
beyond excited to finally dive in!😩
——
i'm ready for this insanely amazing project full of rockstars and dark magic 🙂↕️
——
beyond excited to finally dive in!😩
——
i'm ready for this insanely amazing project full of rockstars and dark magic 🙂↕️
June 14, 2026
Songs of the Dead is a truly unique urban fantasy, that ultimately fell flat (haha for music puns). The story starts off with a literal bang when Jack Solomon, a struggling musician living in London, is murdered. Jack wakes up and learns that underneath his London are layers of historic, magical Londons filled with the embodiments of the memories of the dead. Jack then collects an assortment of characters to help him avenge his murder and keep the balance between the living and the dead.
The concept is incredible and the magic system is so fascinating! The found family and music-based magic had me really excited to read this book.
However, the execution ultimately didn't hook me the way I'd hoped. The dialogue felt clunky and borderline ridiculous at times. I feel like I never really got to know the characters or sit with any of the revelations we got about Jack’s past. I went into this expecting intricate world building, nuanced characters, and the epic storytelling I love from Sanderson. And while the framework has his name all over it, the actual writing was lacking.
The beginning has a lot of promise, and for a while I even thought the final battle would make this at least a 3.5 star read. But ultimately I can’t get over how much I wanted less repetitive chase scenes, and more world building. Perhaps if this had the extra 500 pages that most Sanderson novels have, Orullian could’ve pulled it off, but here we are at 2.5 stars. ☹️
Huge thank you to Saga | Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advance copy! 🧡
The concept is incredible and the magic system is so fascinating! The found family and music-based magic had me really excited to read this book.
However, the execution ultimately didn't hook me the way I'd hoped. The dialogue felt clunky and borderline ridiculous at times. I feel like I never really got to know the characters or sit with any of the revelations we got about Jack’s past. I went into this expecting intricate world building, nuanced characters, and the epic storytelling I love from Sanderson. And while the framework has his name all over it, the actual writing was lacking.
The beginning has a lot of promise, and for a while I even thought the final battle would make this at least a 3.5 star read. But ultimately I can’t get over how much I wanted less repetitive chase scenes, and more world building. Perhaps if this had the extra 500 pages that most Sanderson novels have, Orullian could’ve pulled it off, but here we are at 2.5 stars. ☹️
Huge thank you to Saga | Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advance copy! 🧡
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Please let's observe a moment of silence for the masterpiece that this book could have been.
This book had so much potential that it hurt bad when it started spiraling into... whatever this was.
Either Sanderson is too good to his author friends or he just doesn't care anymore, because beside building the magic system I doubt he even read the final product...
When I started this, I was sure it would end up being a 4 stars read with only a few notes about polishing/editing out some sharp edges of clunky writing, but this fell apart exponentially fast after the initial 10%.
In the beginning I was truly convinced the originality of the idea and the fact that it put together some of my favorite things, deserved some leeway and I started taking notes to make a little guide to make it easier on others, but oh boy.
This is a draft. More details to come.
Pre-read
So, I saw this pop-up on Netgalley, and I felt I would be an idiot not to apply! I'm worried by the current low ratings, but I have no regrets! Fingers crossed!
This book had so much potential that it hurt bad when it started spiraling into... whatever this was.
Either Sanderson is too good to his author friends or he just doesn't care anymore, because beside building the magic system I doubt he even read the final product...
When I started this, I was sure it would end up being a 4 stars read with only a few notes about polishing/editing out some sharp edges of clunky writing, but this fell apart exponentially fast after the initial 10%.
In the beginning I was truly convinced the originality of the idea and the fact that it put together some of my favorite things, deserved some leeway and I started taking notes to make a little guide to make it easier on others, but oh boy.
This is a draft. More details to come.
Pre-read
So, I saw this pop-up on Netgalley, and I felt I would be an idiot not to apply! I'm worried by the current low ratings, but I have no regrets! Fingers crossed!
October 7, 2025
🎤 Sound check… 1… 2…
Me: “Hey, you there… who handed you a microphone?”
Crowd boos.
Two tables in the back stare, confused.🪑
One table in the front is also confused because they expected someone else to be doing the act.😕
Me: steps onto the stage and gently —not gently— escorts the author off at the 38% mark.
🎤Well... I thought we were here for a book reading. I didn't know it was a failed stand-up comedy routine.
So yeah... we're not gonna finish this.⛔
Please escort Peter —the very kind author— out of the room because I'm about to take this show into dark-humour territory.
It'll only be humorous for me... very dark for him.
Be warned: humour was my only survival mechanism.🎤
This review is PG-rated: PETER, GO-AWAY.
🎤Am I good at comedy?
Not really.
But neither is Peter at writing.
Listen, listennnn... I'm not disrespecting the man. (Though my final status update while reading the book might suggest otherwise regarding the size of... um... brains. But that's neither here nor there.
~It's there. I'm just not repeating it here.~)
The only way I managed to get through 39% of this book was by making fun of it.
🎤I wish I were a thanatist so I could bind this book back into a decent semblance of a novel and gather whatever vestiges remain from the literary morgue it found itself in.
❓Can thanatists even do that?🤔
Honestly, 181 pages into the book, I still couldn't answer:
• What can a thanatist actually do?
• What's the difference between a semblance and a vestige?
• How is magic powered by music?
Although... Jack (the idiot, pompous protagonist) supposedly can.
Well... "can" is doing some heavy lifting.🎤
This man hummed, fell asleep, convinced himself he'd read eighteen books in two evenings, and then started mansplaining things to people who literally know a hundred times more than he does.
Meanwhile, a woman is trying to have an actual life-or-death conversation with him, and he's busy wondering what her lips taste like, admiring her freckles, and thinking about her beautifully strong jaw.
Anyway...
I guess the only thing I learned is that humming while aggressively speed-flipping through books does not, in fact, lead to comprehension.
🎤People... quick show of hands.
How many metal bands can each of you name?
Okay, okay... different levels in the audience. Fair enough.
Mother bless 💜Paul💜 for single-handedly providing my metal education over the last eight years.
🎤 Now here's your challenge:
Can you squeeze every metal band you know, famous musicians, metal-scene trivia, metal legal cases, famous songs, symbols, and instrument into roughly one hundred fifty pages of an urban fantasy novel?🤔
I bet you can't.
Unless you're writing an educational guide on metal.
...Oh.
Peter apparently could… ?????
Miserably at best.
Peter… Should I also tell everyone about the endless history tangents?
Or are we done proving that YOU KNOW things?🤨
No?
I also have to hear about your philosophy lectures and quotes?
Sir.
I specifically said this was PG-rated.
Leave my brain alone!
Five nights with a book that had one of the coolest premises......and all I got was a headache. Every night. Multiple headaches…
🎭 Okay... Curtain Down. Let's Get Serious.
I am utterly disappointed by this book, and even more disappointed that I had to DNF it.
I thought I can skim through and get to the end of it, but it was so atrociously written I couldn’t find it in me.
The premise immediately spoke to me.
A magic system built around music? Sign me up.
Unfortunately, my brain spent every chapter screaming at the execution.
This feels like the stereotypical case of a man writing for himself rather than for readers.
➡ Nothing is explained clearly.
➡ The information dumping never stops.
➡ The female lead (??) is relentlessly filtered through the male gaze.
➡ A connection is forced where there simply isn't one.
➡ Jack is a man written by a man. (I’m sorry there is no other way to explain this)
➡ Jack spends the entire book mansplaining to people vastly more experienced than he is because he "read" about it.
➡ Jack repeatedly throws himself into danger despite having absolutely no idea what he's doing, nearly dies every other chapter, and somehow still carries the confidence of someone who thinks he's the smartest person in every room. The boisterous confidence is unwarranted and unearned.
Peter was trying to speak to a very niche audience who is heavy into the metal scene and is a nerd of history. I get it, you’re well-read and educated, and you know your passions.
I’m not measuring sizes, dude, chill… You don’t need to prove how big your brain is…
That was just exhausting. Keep it tucked in please…
⚠️ The Parts I Can't Ignore
The ARC I received was dramatically DIFFERENT from the final audiobook.
Entire pages had been rewritten or added simply to explain things that weren't working.
I've honestly never seen edits that extensive between an ARC and publication.
That speaks tons, because even with this, it was not redeemable.
There were also graphic, potentially triggering scenes presented without content warnings, something I find especially disappointing.
I’m sorry, a female author would never do that. And if she did, she would not get away with it. So WHY was it even permissible here? No CW anywhere, not book, not publication, not author websites, nowhere…
The biggest issue for me, however, was the portrayal of self-harm.
The book presents snapping rubber bands against the wrist as a way to avoid self-harm.
IT ISN'T.
This is an unforgiveable sin for me in books
Snapping rubber bands is a form of self-harm. It is not considered a healthy coping strategy, and it should not be presented as such.
Hearing a character who has supposedly relied on this for eight years say -in the same freaking breath that he is doing that- that “aggressive music helps some fans cope with their anger and keeps them from harming others and themselves” felt deeply contradictory, preposterous, and hypocritical.
And one last thing...
Why is the protagonist American if absolutely everything important happens in London? And the US identity doesn’t really impact the story whatsoever in any way (at least up until what I read).
Normally I wouldn't care.
Except, the book specifically associates Egyptian artefacts with "cheap magic and spiritual illusions."
That choice left a very unpleasant taste in my mouth. And I don’t think I can look at the American identity as something without intention after all… What kind of supremacy complex are we sitting on?
See?
Now I'm angry all over again.
Which is exactly why this review needed to be a comedy show, because otherwise my ire with everything in here would reach the deepest level of his unexplained Strata.
🤘🏻 And This is The Biggest Miss
The tragedy is that there is a fascinating book buried somewhere underneath all of this.
Metal music has an incredibly rich history. It has genuine literary influences. It has shaped communities, identities, art, and political expression.
Music itself is one of humanity's oldest storytelling traditions.
The relationship between music, memory, rebellion, identity, and culture could have made for such an incredible fantasy foundation.
I honestly believe that was Brandon's intention….
I would have devoured that book.
Instead, I got pages upon pages that felt more interested in proving how knowledgeable the author is than in inviting readers into that knowledge.
--
Pre-read:
Bit scared of the rating of this one (currently at 3.26 ⭐ avg) but the premise is so compelling, so I'm diving headfirst.
Wish me luck....
--
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.
Me: “Hey, you there… who handed you a microphone?”
Crowd boos.
Two tables in the back stare, confused.🪑
One table in the front is also confused because they expected someone else to be doing the act.😕
Me: steps onto the stage and gently —not gently— escorts the author off at the 38% mark.
🎤Well... I thought we were here for a book reading. I didn't know it was a failed stand-up comedy routine.
So yeah... we're not gonna finish this.⛔
Please escort Peter —the very kind author— out of the room because I'm about to take this show into dark-humour territory.
It'll only be humorous for me... very dark for him.
Be warned: humour was my only survival mechanism.🎤
This review is PG-rated: PETER, GO-AWAY.
🎤Am I good at comedy?
Not really.
But neither is Peter at writing.
Listen, listennnn... I'm not disrespecting the man. (Though my final status update while reading the book might suggest otherwise regarding the size of... um... brains. But that's neither here nor there.
~It's there. I'm just not repeating it here.~)
The only way I managed to get through 39% of this book was by making fun of it.
🎤I wish I were a thanatist so I could bind this book back into a decent semblance of a novel and gather whatever vestiges remain from the literary morgue it found itself in.
❓Can thanatists even do that?🤔
Honestly, 181 pages into the book, I still couldn't answer:
• What can a thanatist actually do?
• What's the difference between a semblance and a vestige?
• How is magic powered by music?
Although... Jack (the idiot, pompous protagonist) supposedly can.
Well... "can" is doing some heavy lifting.🎤
This man hummed, fell asleep, convinced himself he'd read eighteen books in two evenings, and then started mansplaining things to people who literally know a hundred times more than he does.
Meanwhile, a woman is trying to have an actual life-or-death conversation with him, and he's busy wondering what her lips taste like, admiring her freckles, and thinking about her beautifully strong jaw.
Anyway...
I guess the only thing I learned is that humming while aggressively speed-flipping through books does not, in fact, lead to comprehension.
🎤People... quick show of hands.
How many metal bands can each of you name?
Okay, okay... different levels in the audience. Fair enough.
Mother bless 💜Paul💜 for single-handedly providing my metal education over the last eight years.
🎤 Now here's your challenge:
Can you squeeze every metal band you know, famous musicians, metal-scene trivia, metal legal cases, famous songs, symbols, and instrument into roughly one hundred fifty pages of an urban fantasy novel?🤔
I bet you can't.
Unless you're writing an educational guide on metal.
...Oh.
Peter apparently could… ?????
Miserably at best.
Peter… Should I also tell everyone about the endless history tangents?
Or are we done proving that YOU KNOW things?🤨
No?
I also have to hear about your philosophy lectures and quotes?
Sir.
I specifically said this was PG-rated.
Leave my brain alone!
Five nights with a book that had one of the coolest premises......and all I got was a headache. Every night. Multiple headaches…
🎭 Okay... Curtain Down. Let's Get Serious.
I am utterly disappointed by this book, and even more disappointed that I had to DNF it.
I thought I can skim through and get to the end of it, but it was so atrociously written I couldn’t find it in me.
The premise immediately spoke to me.
A magic system built around music? Sign me up.
Unfortunately, my brain spent every chapter screaming at the execution.
This feels like the stereotypical case of a man writing for himself rather than for readers.
➡ Nothing is explained clearly.
➡ The information dumping never stops.
➡ The female lead (??) is relentlessly filtered through the male gaze.
➡ A connection is forced where there simply isn't one.
➡ Jack is a man written by a man. (I’m sorry there is no other way to explain this)
➡ Jack spends the entire book mansplaining to people vastly more experienced than he is because he "read" about it.
➡ Jack repeatedly throws himself into danger despite having absolutely no idea what he's doing, nearly dies every other chapter, and somehow still carries the confidence of someone who thinks he's the smartest person in every room. The boisterous confidence is unwarranted and unearned.
Peter was trying to speak to a very niche audience who is heavy into the metal scene and is a nerd of history. I get it, you’re well-read and educated, and you know your passions.
I’m not measuring sizes, dude, chill… You don’t need to prove how big your brain is…
That was just exhausting. Keep it tucked in please…
⚠️ The Parts I Can't Ignore
The ARC I received was dramatically DIFFERENT from the final audiobook.
Entire pages had been rewritten or added simply to explain things that weren't working.
I've honestly never seen edits that extensive between an ARC and publication.
That speaks tons, because even with this, it was not redeemable.
There were also graphic, potentially triggering scenes presented without content warnings, something I find especially disappointing.
I’m sorry, a female author would never do that. And if she did, she would not get away with it. So WHY was it even permissible here? No CW anywhere, not book, not publication, not author websites, nowhere…
The biggest issue for me, however, was the portrayal of self-harm.
The book presents snapping rubber bands against the wrist as a way to avoid self-harm.
IT ISN'T.
This is an unforgiveable sin for me in books
Snapping rubber bands is a form of self-harm. It is not considered a healthy coping strategy, and it should not be presented as such.
Hearing a character who has supposedly relied on this for eight years say -in the same freaking breath that he is doing that- that “aggressive music helps some fans cope with their anger and keeps them from harming others and themselves” felt deeply contradictory, preposterous, and hypocritical.
And one last thing...
Why is the protagonist American if absolutely everything important happens in London? And the US identity doesn’t really impact the story whatsoever in any way (at least up until what I read).
Normally I wouldn't care.
Except, the book specifically associates Egyptian artefacts with "cheap magic and spiritual illusions."
That choice left a very unpleasant taste in my mouth. And I don’t think I can look at the American identity as something without intention after all… What kind of supremacy complex are we sitting on?
See?
Now I'm angry all over again.
Which is exactly why this review needed to be a comedy show, because otherwise my ire with everything in here would reach the deepest level of his unexplained Strata.
🤘🏻 And This is The Biggest Miss
The tragedy is that there is a fascinating book buried somewhere underneath all of this.
Metal music has an incredibly rich history. It has genuine literary influences. It has shaped communities, identities, art, and political expression.
Music itself is one of humanity's oldest storytelling traditions.
The relationship between music, memory, rebellion, identity, and culture could have made for such an incredible fantasy foundation.
I honestly believe that was Brandon's intention….
I would have devoured that book.
Instead, I got pages upon pages that felt more interested in proving how knowledgeable the author is than in inviting readers into that knowledge.
--
Pre-read:
Bit scared of the rating of this one (currently at 3.26 ⭐ avg) but the premise is so compelling, so I'm diving headfirst.
Wish me luck....
--
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.
June 24, 2026
Sweet Jesus it is over.
By all rights, this book should be one star. However, I have fought too long and hard against the stigmatization of metalheads to completely abandon my respect for Orullian and Sanderson's decision to make a fantasy novel about a pair of metalheads with heroic qualities who help save the world. Every drop in the bucket helps, and if there is one person who reads this book and stops casting side eye glances at the guy who walks into a store with a Cannibal Corpse t-shirt, then I'm glad this book exists.
However mostly what I wish is for this book to have been any good. This is so painful. I am not trying to dunk on this book. I am as far on this book's side as a person could want to be. Sanderson is my second favorite author, this book combines metal and history in a really cool way, I am here for it. Except, I'm not here for it at all, because this book feels like an alien wrote it. Like the dad from 3rd Rock from the Sun had to write a book about why music moves humans and he tried his best and almost got there but fell flat in every single way. It just felt like a book where it had to be as METAL as possible, down to the MC having a lamp made out of Lemmy's boot because LEMMY IS METAL (which is true. Lemmy is the spirit of metal, I don't know what metal properties his boot has though. Copper?)
Mentioning metal bands and metal songs and everyone throwing the horns up at each other doesn't do a whole lot when it all feels paint by Numbers and the emotional cruxes of the book feel half baked and unearned. The big struggle of the MC's emotional life, that he can't finish this song that everyone he plays it for loves, because of trauma, languishes over this book until it is finally resolved in a way that feels out of nowhere and is predicated on love of music, but is explained so cheesily that it almost made me embarrassed to love music.
The worldbuilding in this book is really interesting, besides one aspect I thought was dumb, but is not worth going into. And so I kept hoping the book would rise to the challenge and give me a halfway decent solution but it doesn't.
I have never been more aware of how much better of a writer Brandon Sanderson is than people give him credit for. Because a lot of the worst aspects of this book are things that would be in a Sanderson book, like the magic tying into someone's backstory, or personal struggles, or a character making a big realization about themselves and moving forward. The difference is that every time I was reminded of a Sanderson-esque aspect of the book, I was then reminded how much worse the scene in this book was.
Also at one point the MC says that Skillet is a metal band and understand me right now that Skillet is not a metal band. Nobody thinks that except I guess Peter Orullian? This isn't a knock against Skillet, I love them, but come on. What the hell is this.
By all rights, this book should be one star. However, I have fought too long and hard against the stigmatization of metalheads to completely abandon my respect for Orullian and Sanderson's decision to make a fantasy novel about a pair of metalheads with heroic qualities who help save the world. Every drop in the bucket helps, and if there is one person who reads this book and stops casting side eye glances at the guy who walks into a store with a Cannibal Corpse t-shirt, then I'm glad this book exists.
However mostly what I wish is for this book to have been any good. This is so painful. I am not trying to dunk on this book. I am as far on this book's side as a person could want to be. Sanderson is my second favorite author, this book combines metal and history in a really cool way, I am here for it. Except, I'm not here for it at all, because this book feels like an alien wrote it. Like the dad from 3rd Rock from the Sun had to write a book about why music moves humans and he tried his best and almost got there but fell flat in every single way. It just felt like a book where it had to be as METAL as possible, down to the MC having a lamp made out of Lemmy's boot because LEMMY IS METAL (which is true. Lemmy is the spirit of metal, I don't know what metal properties his boot has though. Copper?)
Mentioning metal bands and metal songs and everyone throwing the horns up at each other doesn't do a whole lot when it all feels paint by Numbers and the emotional cruxes of the book feel half baked and unearned. The big struggle of the MC's emotional life, that he can't finish this song that everyone he plays it for loves, because of trauma, languishes over this book until it is finally resolved in a way that feels out of nowhere and is predicated on love of music, but is explained so cheesily that it almost made me embarrassed to love music.
The worldbuilding in this book is really interesting, besides one aspect I thought was dumb, but is not worth going into. And so I kept hoping the book would rise to the challenge and give me a halfway decent solution but it doesn't.
I have never been more aware of how much better of a writer Brandon Sanderson is than people give him credit for. Because a lot of the worst aspects of this book are things that would be in a Sanderson book, like the magic tying into someone's backstory, or personal struggles, or a character making a big realization about themselves and moving forward. The difference is that every time I was reminded of a Sanderson-esque aspect of the book, I was then reminded how much worse the scene in this book was.
Also at one point the MC says that Skillet is a metal band and understand me right now that Skillet is not a metal band. Nobody thinks that except I guess Peter Orullian? This isn't a knock against Skillet, I love them, but come on. What the hell is this.
Did Not Finish
April 10, 2026Orullian's writing voice here just completely turned me off -- couldn't stick with it for more than a half hour before I pulled the plug
May 26, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for the pre-release copy of Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian. Below is my honest review.
Meh. I hate to say that about a book with BrandoSando's name on it, but meh.
It dragged... a lot. It felt like a lot of info dumping instead of world building. And gosh, I was so sick of hearing about the life-saving power of metal music. Like other reviewers have pointed out, there was a ton of telling instead of showing, too, which also contributed to how the book felt unpolished.
All in all, I gave it 2.5 stars, and since 2 didn't seem right, because it wasn't AWFUL, just not my jam, I rounded up to 3.
Meh. I hate to say that about a book with BrandoSando's name on it, but meh.
It dragged... a lot. It felt like a lot of info dumping instead of world building. And gosh, I was so sick of hearing about the life-saving power of metal music. Like other reviewers have pointed out, there was a ton of telling instead of showing, too, which also contributed to how the book felt unpolished.
All in all, I gave it 2.5 stars, and since 2 didn't seem right, because it wasn't AWFUL, just not my jam, I rounded up to 3.
Did Not Finish
April 1, 2026Pardon my French but wtf was this
September 12, 2026
I am immersed in my indoctrination of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. Mistborn… Stormlight Archive… I am enjoying their worlds immensely.
However, with the publication of Sanderson’s new collaboration with Orullian on a new urban fantasy series - The Strata Wars – which combines music (mostly heavy metal) magic, and the layered architectural history of underground London, I stepped away from the Cosmere momentarily to read the first book.
This was originally an idea that Sanderson developed and worked on back in 2010 – 2013, focusing on a necromancer pizza delivery man and called “Death by Pizza”. Sanderson decided that it didn’t work and put it on hiatus for several years. In 2018, Sanderson announced that he had revised the focus to be on an American lead singer for a heavy metal band in London who is unaware of his latent necromancy powers, as well deciding to collaborate with Orullian, himself a heavy metal musician and author, on the series together. Although they worked together, on and off again between Sanderson’s other big projects, by the end of 2023 Sanderson handed the writing of it over to Orullian and primarily served to provide a lot of the worldbuilding, the hard magic system, and supporting feedback.
Now, in 2026, we finally have - Songs of the Dead” - the first book in the Strata Wars in our hands to read for ourselves.
It is the story of Jack Solomon, who grew up in Westmont “Death Alley” Los Angeles, California. His mother left when he was young, and his father remained aloof emotionally while focusing on his drinking. As Jack grew up, he developed a passionate love for heavy metal rock music, and developed into becoming a singer, musician, and songwriter. He moved from Los Angeles to London to help form a new and upcoming band, the Hounds of Winter. However, due to his inconsistency in behavior, Jack has just been kicked out of the band when the book begins. It turns out that being fired by email is not a cool way to be notified, to say the least.
At least Jack has a place he can run to when things go bad. That place is The Iron Horse, an iconic rock club owned and run by his mentor and close friend, Henry Wilkinson, who has helped Jack find his people and home away from home in the heavy metal fan world. Jack pays Henry back by working with him in the club and helping build the confidence of new bands playing in the club. In addition, Jack walks Henry home every night after the club closes.
That is until one night… when Jack is accosted by a female stranger as he enters the club. She gives him a small stone, instructs him “If you wake up, come find me,” and disappears. Then matters get much worse when he walks Henry home and they are suddenly attacked and shot point blank by strangers covered with corpse paint.
Jack finds himself waking up on the street, somehow still alive following a bizarre dream or vision (he’s not sure), and Henry is missing. Things don’t make sense, especially when a Roman centurion shows up and informs Jack that he’s a thanatist, more commonly known as a necromancer, with powers to bind souls to bodies.
Things get more complicated when Henry and Jack’s friends at the club inform Jack that he needs to learn how to use his thanatist powers as fast as possible because the ancient league of thanatists are coming after him to take what Henry has – The Iron Horse – and the special protections that it has infused around it to separate the real world from the discontented souls of the dead.
In order to protect the club and modern London, Jack will need to learn to navigate the secret world of London called the Strata – the different living eras of the past that live lay beneath the city of London. The near forgotten dead of previous periods are unhappy with the modern world and have gathered a powerful group of light-and-music-based magic wielders who have the power to move between the boundaries of time between the present and the past. They are seeking to start a civil war with the intention of rewriting history through the medium of music.
Jack and his friends are being thrust unwillingly into the Strata Wars…
As weird as this sounds, after finishing this book, I am not sure where to start. I find myself a conflicted in how to reflect my thoughts on what was sometimes a struggle to read. Oh well, that’s always a risk, but let’s get going as I try to organize my commentary.
“Songs of the Dead” is an interesting read, but not necessarily one that will work for all of the fans of fantasy. This is more niche oriented to heavy metal music (history and current) and London history (people and architecture). The worldbuilding is very well done, intricate, layered, complex, and interesting; however, it is also different from the standard Brandon Sanderson fantasy novels that his fans are used to. It didn’t take me many pages to realize why I think Sanderson handed it off to Orullian to write the story itself because it is not a world that Brandon is intimately familiar with in many ways.
The strange this is, that as much as I think Orullian provided a stronger personal influence in telling the story, and that was the right way to go, the result was an odd partnering of Sanderson’s worldbuilding/magic system and Orullian’s storytelling/plotting. I think that my biggest challenge with the book was that I was expecting more of Sanderson’s storytelling influence, but that wasn’t really his contribution. Once I finally adjusted to that reality (It over 100 pages for me to really settle in), I was able to focus on it for what it was, rather than what it wasn’t. There was a good story that was interesting enough to keep my attention; it just required a pretty serious adjustment on my part.
That will most likely be the biggest factor in deciding how much a reader will enjoy this book (and series) – their ability to connect with the characters and plotting. If you’re interested in heavy metal music, culture, and history, that will help a lot in pulling you into it. If you’re not, it’s going to create some roadblocks and distractions that keep you from connecting with it. The weird thing is that I truly felt Orullian’s strong passion and love for these things and it came through in his writing. His prose shows a lot of heart for his subject matter. It just felt like the characters spent almost all of their time running around chasing after things, and that took away from the reader really connecting with the characters in personal and compelling ways.
For example, Jack spent almost all of his time running around - from one attack to another, one crisis to another, and one confrontation to another – which meant that it didn’t always feel like he was being developed in way that made me drawn to him. He faced challenges, all right, but they didn’t always help me connect with him on a personal level. It felt like there were opportunities to explore Jack’s relationships with his new club friends and cohorts like Church and Cassius, and his best friend, Chuey, who felt sometimes felt like the comic relief.
The overall premise was interesting and had potential. The idea of having a conflict between the living and the dead, using people from different eras of the past to represent the dead, giving them a strong reason/motivation to be angry with the current age, and using a magic system that connect with all kinds of music is a fascinating idea to be developed. It had a dark, gritty, and raw style that aligned with the heavy metal genre. However, for me it felt like the execution was a bit hit and miss; at times it delivered a pretty good tale, but at others it felt a bit choppy and erratic like it was trying to do too much too fast.
As much as I enjoyed how Orullian brought in the historical elements of music and London history (persons of interest and architecture) throughout the book, truth be told, I didn’t recognize many of the historical characters until he explained their contributions to society.
Also, I have to admit that as much as I appreciated the magic system and how it was constructed, I struggled at times in my understanding of how it worked and connected together. In some ways, the multiple information dumps felt a bit too complicated for the type of story being told, but maybe that was just me. It seemed like more often than not we didn’t get to see the magic develop through Jack’s own learning experiences, but rather others telling him how it works (which is a Sanderson strength).
The challenge is that this very different than what I expected, engaging at times, and a bit of an erratic wild ride at others. Overall, even with my tough commentary, once you adjust your expectations, this was more enjoyable of a read than not. Two of its strengths for me included having an excellent villain - Brach is an extremely intelligent strategist, believes in his war and is passionate about achieving it – and a multiple twist ending that delivered a pleasing climactic face-off.
The end result for me is 3-stars. We’ll leave it at that and get back to the Cosmere...
However, with the publication of Sanderson’s new collaboration with Orullian on a new urban fantasy series - The Strata Wars – which combines music (mostly heavy metal) magic, and the layered architectural history of underground London, I stepped away from the Cosmere momentarily to read the first book.
This was originally an idea that Sanderson developed and worked on back in 2010 – 2013, focusing on a necromancer pizza delivery man and called “Death by Pizza”. Sanderson decided that it didn’t work and put it on hiatus for several years. In 2018, Sanderson announced that he had revised the focus to be on an American lead singer for a heavy metal band in London who is unaware of his latent necromancy powers, as well deciding to collaborate with Orullian, himself a heavy metal musician and author, on the series together. Although they worked together, on and off again between Sanderson’s other big projects, by the end of 2023 Sanderson handed the writing of it over to Orullian and primarily served to provide a lot of the worldbuilding, the hard magic system, and supporting feedback.
Now, in 2026, we finally have - Songs of the Dead” - the first book in the Strata Wars in our hands to read for ourselves.
It is the story of Jack Solomon, who grew up in Westmont “Death Alley” Los Angeles, California. His mother left when he was young, and his father remained aloof emotionally while focusing on his drinking. As Jack grew up, he developed a passionate love for heavy metal rock music, and developed into becoming a singer, musician, and songwriter. He moved from Los Angeles to London to help form a new and upcoming band, the Hounds of Winter. However, due to his inconsistency in behavior, Jack has just been kicked out of the band when the book begins. It turns out that being fired by email is not a cool way to be notified, to say the least.
At least Jack has a place he can run to when things go bad. That place is The Iron Horse, an iconic rock club owned and run by his mentor and close friend, Henry Wilkinson, who has helped Jack find his people and home away from home in the heavy metal fan world. Jack pays Henry back by working with him in the club and helping build the confidence of new bands playing in the club. In addition, Jack walks Henry home every night after the club closes.
That is until one night… when Jack is accosted by a female stranger as he enters the club. She gives him a small stone, instructs him “If you wake up, come find me,” and disappears. Then matters get much worse when he walks Henry home and they are suddenly attacked and shot point blank by strangers covered with corpse paint.
Jack finds himself waking up on the street, somehow still alive following a bizarre dream or vision (he’s not sure), and Henry is missing. Things don’t make sense, especially when a Roman centurion shows up and informs Jack that he’s a thanatist, more commonly known as a necromancer, with powers to bind souls to bodies.
Things get more complicated when Henry and Jack’s friends at the club inform Jack that he needs to learn how to use his thanatist powers as fast as possible because the ancient league of thanatists are coming after him to take what Henry has – The Iron Horse – and the special protections that it has infused around it to separate the real world from the discontented souls of the dead.
In order to protect the club and modern London, Jack will need to learn to navigate the secret world of London called the Strata – the different living eras of the past that live lay beneath the city of London. The near forgotten dead of previous periods are unhappy with the modern world and have gathered a powerful group of light-and-music-based magic wielders who have the power to move between the boundaries of time between the present and the past. They are seeking to start a civil war with the intention of rewriting history through the medium of music.
Jack and his friends are being thrust unwillingly into the Strata Wars…
As weird as this sounds, after finishing this book, I am not sure where to start. I find myself a conflicted in how to reflect my thoughts on what was sometimes a struggle to read. Oh well, that’s always a risk, but let’s get going as I try to organize my commentary.
“Songs of the Dead” is an interesting read, but not necessarily one that will work for all of the fans of fantasy. This is more niche oriented to heavy metal music (history and current) and London history (people and architecture). The worldbuilding is very well done, intricate, layered, complex, and interesting; however, it is also different from the standard Brandon Sanderson fantasy novels that his fans are used to. It didn’t take me many pages to realize why I think Sanderson handed it off to Orullian to write the story itself because it is not a world that Brandon is intimately familiar with in many ways.
The strange this is, that as much as I think Orullian provided a stronger personal influence in telling the story, and that was the right way to go, the result was an odd partnering of Sanderson’s worldbuilding/magic system and Orullian’s storytelling/plotting. I think that my biggest challenge with the book was that I was expecting more of Sanderson’s storytelling influence, but that wasn’t really his contribution. Once I finally adjusted to that reality (It over 100 pages for me to really settle in), I was able to focus on it for what it was, rather than what it wasn’t. There was a good story that was interesting enough to keep my attention; it just required a pretty serious adjustment on my part.
That will most likely be the biggest factor in deciding how much a reader will enjoy this book (and series) – their ability to connect with the characters and plotting. If you’re interested in heavy metal music, culture, and history, that will help a lot in pulling you into it. If you’re not, it’s going to create some roadblocks and distractions that keep you from connecting with it. The weird thing is that I truly felt Orullian’s strong passion and love for these things and it came through in his writing. His prose shows a lot of heart for his subject matter. It just felt like the characters spent almost all of their time running around chasing after things, and that took away from the reader really connecting with the characters in personal and compelling ways.
For example, Jack spent almost all of his time running around - from one attack to another, one crisis to another, and one confrontation to another – which meant that it didn’t always feel like he was being developed in way that made me drawn to him. He faced challenges, all right, but they didn’t always help me connect with him on a personal level. It felt like there were opportunities to explore Jack’s relationships with his new club friends and cohorts like Church and Cassius, and his best friend, Chuey, who felt sometimes felt like the comic relief.
The overall premise was interesting and had potential. The idea of having a conflict between the living and the dead, using people from different eras of the past to represent the dead, giving them a strong reason/motivation to be angry with the current age, and using a magic system that connect with all kinds of music is a fascinating idea to be developed. It had a dark, gritty, and raw style that aligned with the heavy metal genre. However, for me it felt like the execution was a bit hit and miss; at times it delivered a pretty good tale, but at others it felt a bit choppy and erratic like it was trying to do too much too fast.
As much as I enjoyed how Orullian brought in the historical elements of music and London history (persons of interest and architecture) throughout the book, truth be told, I didn’t recognize many of the historical characters until he explained their contributions to society.
Also, I have to admit that as much as I appreciated the magic system and how it was constructed, I struggled at times in my understanding of how it worked and connected together. In some ways, the multiple information dumps felt a bit too complicated for the type of story being told, but maybe that was just me. It seemed like more often than not we didn’t get to see the magic develop through Jack’s own learning experiences, but rather others telling him how it works (which is a Sanderson strength).
The challenge is that this very different than what I expected, engaging at times, and a bit of an erratic wild ride at others. Overall, even with my tough commentary, once you adjust your expectations, this was more enjoyable of a read than not. Two of its strengths for me included having an excellent villain - Brach is an extremely intelligent strategist, believes in his war and is passionate about achieving it – and a multiple twist ending that delivered a pleasing climactic face-off.
The end result for me is 3-stars. We’ll leave it at that and get back to the Cosmere...
July 2, 2026
Narrated by Jack Ayres
Presented by Bolinda Audio
Sanderson's name does more heavy lifting than the exceptionally bland story.
Honestly, I got bored with this at about 30% and the rest was just such a drag. I definitely zoned out a ton, so keep that in mind.
The story follows rocker Jack Solomon as he is introduced into a strange new world of music-magic, light-magic, and a whole bunch of dead people and stuff. *shrugs*
I was actually hooked by the premise - it sounded like a unique idea, and Sanderson is pretty good at creating fascinating magic systems. But this was messy. Music AND light AND dead people ... and a gratuitous amount of musical name drops. Layer upon messy layer of new ideas, new magic, new weapons and new people, and so many info-dumps I'm amazed I took any of it in at all.
This does not read like something from the mind of Sanderson. This reads like a book written by an aging musician who wants to convey the power of music in a new and interesting form while mentally reliving his own glory days. But those who aren't as musically-inclined will likely be alienated by the sheer volume of references, and it makes the book feel a little bit obnoxious. Jack strikes me as the kind of guy that would name an obscure band and then shame you for never having heard of them. Sanderson may have helped develop the magic but this strikes me very much as the pet project of Peter Orullian.
I might have given this an extra star if I'd read a physical copy and therefore followed the action a little better, but it just didn't interest me at all. The narrator does a fantastic job nailing a bunch of different accents but still somehow makes a handful of characters sound the same.
Did not expect him to sing to me, though; that was wild. Especially after every single other 'song' was spoken like bad poetry.
Overall it was an underwhelming urban fantasy that came across as arrogant rather than fun. I think perhaps a physical copy would deliver a little better, but the narrator does well with what he has to work with. If you're a metal head or big on urban fantasy with a musical twist, this might be for you. But don't pick this up based on Sanderson's name alone or you might be disappointed like I was.
With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC
Presented by Bolinda Audio
Sanderson's name does more heavy lifting than the exceptionally bland story.
Honestly, I got bored with this at about 30% and the rest was just such a drag. I definitely zoned out a ton, so keep that in mind.
The story follows rocker Jack Solomon as he is introduced into a strange new world of music-magic, light-magic, and a whole bunch of dead people and stuff. *shrugs*
I was actually hooked by the premise - it sounded like a unique idea, and Sanderson is pretty good at creating fascinating magic systems. But this was messy. Music AND light AND dead people ... and a gratuitous amount of musical name drops. Layer upon messy layer of new ideas, new magic, new weapons and new people, and so many info-dumps I'm amazed I took any of it in at all.
This does not read like something from the mind of Sanderson. This reads like a book written by an aging musician who wants to convey the power of music in a new and interesting form while mentally reliving his own glory days. But those who aren't as musically-inclined will likely be alienated by the sheer volume of references, and it makes the book feel a little bit obnoxious. Jack strikes me as the kind of guy that would name an obscure band and then shame you for never having heard of them. Sanderson may have helped develop the magic but this strikes me very much as the pet project of Peter Orullian.
I might have given this an extra star if I'd read a physical copy and therefore followed the action a little better, but it just didn't interest me at all. The narrator does a fantastic job nailing a bunch of different accents but still somehow makes a handful of characters sound the same.
Did not expect him to sing to me, though; that was wild. Especially after every single other 'song' was spoken like bad poetry.
Overall it was an underwhelming urban fantasy that came across as arrogant rather than fun. I think perhaps a physical copy would deliver a little better, but the narrator does well with what he has to work with. If you're a metal head or big on urban fantasy with a musical twist, this might be for you. But don't pick this up based on Sanderson's name alone or you might be disappointed like I was.
With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
DNF at 53% and very upset about it.
I love urban fantasy… I love an Underworld… I love the shit out of alternate Londons… on paper, I should be dislocating my jaw and swallowing this book whole yet here I am, tapping out.
TLDR: Songs of the Dead is a little bit of an urban Darker Shades of Magic- there are alternate versions of London and only those called thanatists (Necromancers+) can travel between the worlds, and all the other Londons are populated by spirits. Our MMC Jack Solomon is a musician with a tortured past trying to make it big, when he’s murdered yet wakes back up with magic and the ability to manipulate ghosts.
Unfortunately I just really, really don’t care about the main character or his friends. I don’t particularly like them and I also don’t dislike them, they’re all simply very ‘meh’. Jack is quite milquetoast, and the assembled found family are little more than bland stereotypes. Even the villain of the story is too buttoned up and stiff to seem truly menacing and, color me old fashioned, but I like to hate my Bad Guys.
There’s plenty of ‘stuff’ happening that should keep me eagerly flipping the pages- murders, mayhem, street fights, descents into the Underworld, even a hellhound on the loose- but I’m still wildly uninterested in what happens, even dreaded picking the book up at night, and it really broke my heart.
*Thank you Saga Press for the advance review copy, all opinions are my own.
I love urban fantasy… I love an Underworld… I love the shit out of alternate Londons… on paper, I should be dislocating my jaw and swallowing this book whole yet here I am, tapping out.
TLDR: Songs of the Dead is a little bit of an urban Darker Shades of Magic- there are alternate versions of London and only those called thanatists (Necromancers+) can travel between the worlds, and all the other Londons are populated by spirits. Our MMC Jack Solomon is a musician with a tortured past trying to make it big, when he’s murdered yet wakes back up with magic and the ability to manipulate ghosts.
Unfortunately I just really, really don’t care about the main character or his friends. I don’t particularly like them and I also don’t dislike them, they’re all simply very ‘meh’. Jack is quite milquetoast, and the assembled found family are little more than bland stereotypes. Even the villain of the story is too buttoned up and stiff to seem truly menacing and, color me old fashioned, but I like to hate my Bad Guys.
There’s plenty of ‘stuff’ happening that should keep me eagerly flipping the pages- murders, mayhem, street fights, descents into the Underworld, even a hellhound on the loose- but I’m still wildly uninterested in what happens, even dreaded picking the book up at night, and it really broke my heart.
*Thank you Saga Press for the advance review copy, all opinions are my own.
June 20, 2026
I was so disappointed that I didn’t love this. I always look forward to a new BrandoSando book, and I was thrilled to get an ARC from NetGalley. I had never heard of Peter Orullian but was willing to give him a chance because…Brandon.
Orullian LOVES music—everything about it, and he really taps into what it’s like to live the true musician’s life. What it’s like to write songs and jam with your friends, and be bereft at the thought of losing out on a potential big break. How the bar where the bands play almost becomes your home.
I love music, too, but I’m not a musician. I also am not usually big on urban fantasy, but again…Brandon. Unfortunately, the plot was ALL over the place. It felt like, “What character from a random time period can we throw in now!??. The story was disjointed and chaotic, and ultimately, I had to put the book down.
I’m wondering if Sanderson had the beginnings of a magic system, knew he wanted it to be set in London, and he passed it on to his friend to see what he could do with it. Actually, that’s probably exactly it. It’s just not that interesting of a story. Looking at the overall Goodreads rating, I see I’m not alone in my appraisal of the book.
Le sigh. And now we wait for another solo Sanderson work.
My thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for an eARC. I’m writing this review voluntarily.
Orullian LOVES music—everything about it, and he really taps into what it’s like to live the true musician’s life. What it’s like to write songs and jam with your friends, and be bereft at the thought of losing out on a potential big break. How the bar where the bands play almost becomes your home.
I love music, too, but I’m not a musician. I also am not usually big on urban fantasy, but again…Brandon. Unfortunately, the plot was ALL over the place. It felt like, “What character from a random time period can we throw in now!??. The story was disjointed and chaotic, and ultimately, I had to put the book down.
I’m wondering if Sanderson had the beginnings of a magic system, knew he wanted it to be set in London, and he passed it on to his friend to see what he could do with it. Actually, that’s probably exactly it. It’s just not that interesting of a story. Looking at the overall Goodreads rating, I see I’m not alone in my appraisal of the book.
Le sigh. And now we wait for another solo Sanderson work.
My thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for an eARC. I’m writing this review voluntarily.
June 23, 2026
2.5⭐️
In the "Songs of the Dead" by Peter Orullian and Brandon Sanderson a musician named Jack Solomon is killed and awakes in a hidden reality beneath London. He discovers that the city is layered into "strata", where past still exists and the dead remain active. In this world, magic is powered by light and music. Jack becomes caught in a growing conflict as some of the dead begin to rebel against the living world above. He must navigate this strange world to understand his place in this new reality.
The novel has a very interesting idea at its core. The worldbuilding is the strongest part. I liked the magic system, which is based on music and light, and I also enjoyed the concept of layered London. These ideas felt creative and original.
However, I did not connect with the characters. They felt like basic types rather than real, complex people. Because of this, I was not emotionally involved in the story, which is important for me when I read fantasy.
I also felt there was too much focus on music throughout the book. Instead of adding to the story, it sometimes became repetitive. In addition, the writing did not feel like the usual style I expect from Brandon Sanderson. The story felt less strong and less engaging than his solo work.
Overall, I think this book has a great concept and world, but the characters and storytelling did not work well for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
In the "Songs of the Dead" by Peter Orullian and Brandon Sanderson a musician named Jack Solomon is killed and awakes in a hidden reality beneath London. He discovers that the city is layered into "strata", where past still exists and the dead remain active. In this world, magic is powered by light and music. Jack becomes caught in a growing conflict as some of the dead begin to rebel against the living world above. He must navigate this strange world to understand his place in this new reality.
The novel has a very interesting idea at its core. The worldbuilding is the strongest part. I liked the magic system, which is based on music and light, and I also enjoyed the concept of layered London. These ideas felt creative and original.
However, I did not connect with the characters. They felt like basic types rather than real, complex people. Because of this, I was not emotionally involved in the story, which is important for me when I read fantasy.
I also felt there was too much focus on music throughout the book. Instead of adding to the story, it sometimes became repetitive. In addition, the writing did not feel like the usual style I expect from Brandon Sanderson. The story felt less strong and less engaging than his solo work.
Overall, I think this book has a great concept and world, but the characters and storytelling did not work well for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
The EARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I've followed this project since I discovered its existence as "death by pizza". Brandon Sanderson had the original idea and created the general outline of the worldbulding then, after different revisions by Peter Orullian, he handled the project completely. I understand why Sanderson's name is on the cover, but this is not a Sanderson book. You can find him only in the complexity of the worldbuilding, but I don't think Orullian style fits it. In fact, to describe it, he doesn't show but tells us with not very clear info dumps. Plus, I don't like how many references to music he adds in a single page. Unfortunately, it was hard to read and I DNF it.
I've followed this project since I discovered its existence as "death by pizza". Brandon Sanderson had the original idea and created the general outline of the worldbulding then, after different revisions by Peter Orullian, he handled the project completely. I understand why Sanderson's name is on the cover, but this is not a Sanderson book. You can find him only in the complexity of the worldbuilding, but I don't think Orullian style fits it. In fact, to describe it, he doesn't show but tells us with not very clear info dumps. Plus, I don't like how many references to music he adds in a single page. Unfortunately, it was hard to read and I DNF it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
1.5/5
My most disappointing read of the year.
Honestly, I should have checked the State of the Sanderson Blog (Brandon Sanderson's blog posts about upcoming projects) or the Coppermind page for this book before requesting the ARC (which I was very excited for!!) because it basically confirms what I suspected while reading this book - that Sanderson had very little involvement in writing the final product of this book and getting it past the finish line.
Here's a direct quote from Sanderson's blog:
Unfortunately, I found everything from the worldbuilding to the characters and plot to be very disappointing. The writing was also laughably bad and aside from the technical details related to the worldbuilding, the rest of this book (with respect to the emotional depth, character interactions, and action sequences) felt like I was reading a novel written by a teenaged boy who's trying hard to be "edgy".
The overly complex worldbuilding
The complex worldbuilding was definitely the work of Sanderson, but was overly complex and poorly explained via an incredible amount of info dumping (the amount of info dumping and writing style reminded my of A Deadly Education, which I also struggled with).
The music-based magic system had so much potential. I loved how it touched upon the evolution of music, which draws on inspiration from musicians past, and how music can be used as a tool to shape people's lives, change the past, and start revolutions.
I'll admit, I was hoping for more focus on the magic of music and using music as a weapon (this was not the case - instead, it seems to me that music is used to glimpse into people's pasts which I suppose is also pretty cool), but the musical magic system was overshadowed by the necromancy and various stratum of London's past (basically there's different historic levels that our characters can travel to).
^ this was kind of what I was hoping for...
I read the physical ARC which did not include a glossary but I hope the final published version includes one because there were way too many new terms and worldbuilding elements that were introduced in the span of one or two chapters. I would've really benefited from a glossary as I struggled to fully grasp and understand the magic system.
Basically, I was left confused most of the time and kept getting all the magical terminology and their functions mixed up. Not all of us are blessed with the main character's photographic memory and ability to immediately grasp and accept the complex world of thanurgy. Which leads to my next point about the characters...
Two-dimensional main character, supported by one-dimensional side characters
There wasn't a single likeable character in this book, especially since they were all flat and boring clichés. For example, our main character, Jack Solomon, is a failed musician with a tortured past. However, it all felt inauthentic and emotionless as we're only ever told about his past and love for music rather than having it shown to us. The book never allowed for moments to connect with the character emotionally. Instead, we're provided with heavy exposition and follow Jack's 5-day journey (the entire book takes place in the span of 5 days!!!) of learning everything he can about the magic system and diving head first into the stratum politics while evading a deadly wraith that's been hunting him.
The side characters were equally disappointing as none of them had any personalities aside from a favourite song (which I guess for music lovers, would be enough to describe a person). Also, am I the only one who found Jack's sidekick, Cassius Classicus, absolutely ridiculous? Cassius is a Roman centurion and a cookie-cutter loyal lapdog who is constantly trailing after Jack wherever he goes (and dressed in full regalia, mind you), who always yells his trademark "Bratros!" whenever he fights, like a silly cartoon character.
Don’t even get me started on Emmaline and the forced feelings between Jack and this potential love interest *cue eye roll*.
Excessive musical references
Readers who loved to excessive amount of 80's pop culture references found in Ready Player One will either be delighted or annoyed by the equally abundant musical references that are mentioned in every other page in Songs of the Dead (they were mostly rock music references, with some classical music references). I've kept tabs on every real-world musician, song, band, and composer mentioned - should I post an exhaustive list or create a playlist?
Much like with Ready Player One, some of the musical references were fun at first but I felt like I couldn't appreciate it fully since I wasn't familiar with half of the references. Fans of rock music (spanning from the 60s to 90s) would likely enjoy this book a lot more than I did.
tl;dr - too much exposition, messy worldbuilding, and way too many rock music references. This does not read like a Sanderson novel.
**I had received a physical ARC from the publisher for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
My most disappointing read of the year.
Honestly, I should have checked the State of the Sanderson Blog (Brandon Sanderson's blog posts about upcoming projects) or the Coppermind page for this book before requesting the ARC (which I was very excited for!!) because it basically confirms what I suspected while reading this book - that Sanderson had very little involvement in writing the final product of this book and getting it past the finish line.
Here's a direct quote from Sanderson's blog:
"I built the outline and the world, but as things have gotten so busy with the Cosmere—and because revisions were taking a long time—I made the tough decision to hand this project completely to Peter Orullian, the coauthor.
I did two passes on the finished novel, but I’ve realized I won’t have the time to support the rest of the series in that way."
Unfortunately, I found everything from the worldbuilding to the characters and plot to be very disappointing. The writing was also laughably bad and aside from the technical details related to the worldbuilding, the rest of this book (with respect to the emotional depth, character interactions, and action sequences) felt like I was reading a novel written by a teenaged boy who's trying hard to be "edgy".
The overly complex worldbuilding
The complex worldbuilding was definitely the work of Sanderson, but was overly complex and poorly explained via an incredible amount of info dumping (the amount of info dumping and writing style reminded my of A Deadly Education, which I also struggled with).
The music-based magic system had so much potential. I loved how it touched upon the evolution of music, which draws on inspiration from musicians past, and how music can be used as a tool to shape people's lives, change the past, and start revolutions.
I'll admit, I was hoping for more focus on the magic of music and using music as a weapon (this was not the case - instead, it seems to me that music is used to glimpse into people's pasts which I suppose is also pretty cool), but the musical magic system was overshadowed by the necromancy and various stratum of London's past (basically there's different historic levels that our characters can travel to).
^ this was kind of what I was hoping for...
I read the physical ARC which did not include a glossary but I hope the final published version includes one because there were way too many new terms and worldbuilding elements that were introduced in the span of one or two chapters. I would've really benefited from a glossary as I struggled to fully grasp and understand the magic system.
Basically, I was left confused most of the time and kept getting all the magical terminology and their functions mixed up. Not all of us are blessed with the main character's photographic memory and ability to immediately grasp and accept the complex world of thanurgy. Which leads to my next point about the characters...
Two-dimensional main character, supported by one-dimensional side characters
There wasn't a single likeable character in this book, especially since they were all flat and boring clichés. For example, our main character, Jack Solomon, is a failed musician with a tortured past. However, it all felt inauthentic and emotionless as we're only ever told about his past and love for music rather than having it shown to us. The book never allowed for moments to connect with the character emotionally. Instead, we're provided with heavy exposition and follow Jack's 5-day journey (the entire book takes place in the span of 5 days!!!) of learning everything he can about the magic system and diving head first into the stratum politics while evading a deadly wraith that's been hunting him.
The side characters were equally disappointing as none of them had any personalities aside from a favourite song (which I guess for music lovers, would be enough to describe a person). Also, am I the only one who found Jack's sidekick, Cassius Classicus, absolutely ridiculous? Cassius is a Roman centurion and a cookie-cutter loyal lapdog who is constantly trailing after Jack wherever he goes (and dressed in full regalia, mind you), who always yells his trademark "Bratros!" whenever he fights, like a silly cartoon character.
Don’t even get me started on Emmaline and the forced feelings between Jack and this potential love interest *cue eye roll*.
Excessive musical references
Readers who loved to excessive amount of 80's pop culture references found in Ready Player One will either be delighted or annoyed by the equally abundant musical references that are mentioned in every other page in Songs of the Dead (they were mostly rock music references, with some classical music references). I've kept tabs on every real-world musician, song, band, and composer mentioned - should I post an exhaustive list or create a playlist?
Much like with Ready Player One, some of the musical references were fun at first but I felt like I couldn't appreciate it fully since I wasn't familiar with half of the references. Fans of rock music (spanning from the 60s to 90s) would likely enjoy this book a lot more than I did.
tl;dr - too much exposition, messy worldbuilding, and way too many rock music references. This does not read like a Sanderson novel.
**I had received a physical ARC from the publisher for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
June 30, 2026
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
You know when you love an author and they try something a little new and you are really excited for it on one hand, but then on the other you just want to read the stuff you know you already love. Songs of the Dead, the first book in The Strata Wars, was a book I really wanted to fall in love with. I grew up in the eighties and nineties when Heavy Metal was still going pretty strong and I enjoyed a lot of the music references. But the blend of building a world around heavy metal rockers trying to save the mortal world and spirits in various levels of death just didn't mash up well for me.
Jack left his life growing up with street gangs, being a kid at risk to jump across the pond so to speak and go after his music career. It was going well and he really had a great shot until he was left go by his band when a label became interested in them. Down on his luck he still has his best friend and Henry, the man who gave his band its first shot at the Iron Horse. That was until someone decided to shoot Henry and take Jack out at the same time. Now he is back from the dead with an entirely new goal to save his friends, protect the Iron Horse and stop revolution coming to the mortal world from the land of the dead.
Music is powerful, but you kinda have to hear it for it to move you, just ask Disney. But in a book they just reference the songs and the writers, so not only do you need to build the world in your head you also need to populate it with the music. I struggled with this, especially since some of the songs were supposed to be new. Now, I think as a movie you can pull that off and rely on it to carry the emotion of the story, but in a book at least for me it didn't translate well.
The worldbuilding and magic system was everything I would expect from a Sanderson book. But the plot of the story, the flow and a few other issues with the writing, like the main character being in his thirties and referring to the mother who left him as an early teen as "momma" just didn't really work for me. Still I'm always a fan of found families and trying to do the right thing, even when it isn't easy. Songs of the Dead has plenty of that. This will most likely work for huge music fans but if you are here because you like Sanderson's other works there just might be some of the usual magic missing.
Narration:
Performance: ★★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★★
Diction: ★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★★
Sound Effects: None
Luke Daniels is a fantastic narrator and still does a great with the narration. Even in the areas where there needed to be a little singing. He was able to capture the pretty large cast and did well with making sure the characters were distinctive. There were some tender moments he was also able to add to with his performance.
Listen to a clip: HERE
You know when you love an author and they try something a little new and you are really excited for it on one hand, but then on the other you just want to read the stuff you know you already love. Songs of the Dead, the first book in The Strata Wars, was a book I really wanted to fall in love with. I grew up in the eighties and nineties when Heavy Metal was still going pretty strong and I enjoyed a lot of the music references. But the blend of building a world around heavy metal rockers trying to save the mortal world and spirits in various levels of death just didn't mash up well for me.
Jack left his life growing up with street gangs, being a kid at risk to jump across the pond so to speak and go after his music career. It was going well and he really had a great shot until he was left go by his band when a label became interested in them. Down on his luck he still has his best friend and Henry, the man who gave his band its first shot at the Iron Horse. That was until someone decided to shoot Henry and take Jack out at the same time. Now he is back from the dead with an entirely new goal to save his friends, protect the Iron Horse and stop revolution coming to the mortal world from the land of the dead.
Music is powerful, but you kinda have to hear it for it to move you, just ask Disney. But in a book they just reference the songs and the writers, so not only do you need to build the world in your head you also need to populate it with the music. I struggled with this, especially since some of the songs were supposed to be new. Now, I think as a movie you can pull that off and rely on it to carry the emotion of the story, but in a book at least for me it didn't translate well.
The worldbuilding and magic system was everything I would expect from a Sanderson book. But the plot of the story, the flow and a few other issues with the writing, like the main character being in his thirties and referring to the mother who left him as an early teen as "momma" just didn't really work for me. Still I'm always a fan of found families and trying to do the right thing, even when it isn't easy. Songs of the Dead has plenty of that. This will most likely work for huge music fans but if you are here because you like Sanderson's other works there just might be some of the usual magic missing.
Narration:
Performance: ★★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★★
Diction: ★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★★
Sound Effects: None
Luke Daniels is a fantastic narrator and still does a great with the narration. Even in the areas where there needed to be a little singing. He was able to capture the pretty large cast and did well with making sure the characters were distinctive. There were some tender moments he was also able to add to with his performance.
Listen to a clip: HERE
August 19, 2026
Audiobook (14 hours) narrated by Luke Daniels
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Luke Daniels has received a nomination for his narration, and is on his way to receiving his first award sometime in the future. His narration was good and without issue.
The audio is flawless.
This was a miss for me. I had read a couple of reviews prior that people weren't vibing with this novel, which I brushed off as I was going to read it anyway and an Urban Fantasy with Music and Magic sounded pretty freaking awesome in Sandersons hands.
Unfortch, they were right and I was wrong. I did finish it, but it was meh all the way through. I did notice that some did really enjoy it, so if it sounds good I wouldn't let my review discourage you. Sanderson has such a range of writing that I find many people have sweet and sour spots. The issue generally comes to personal opinion rather than poor writing skills, as he is talented af.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Luke Daniels has received a nomination for his narration, and is on his way to receiving his first award sometime in the future. His narration was good and without issue.
The audio is flawless.
This was a miss for me. I had read a couple of reviews prior that people weren't vibing with this novel, which I brushed off as I was going to read it anyway and an Urban Fantasy with Music and Magic sounded pretty freaking awesome in Sandersons hands.
Unfortch, they were right and I was wrong. I did finish it, but it was meh all the way through. I did notice that some did really enjoy it, so if it sounds good I wouldn't let my review discourage you. Sanderson has such a range of writing that I find many people have sweet and sour spots. The issue generally comes to personal opinion rather than poor writing skills, as he is talented af.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I'm very confused about this book.
Going in, I was expecting the sort of character development, internal consistency, rich worldbuilding, and fluid storytelling that I associate with Brandon Sanderson. As I read more about the project, however, I became increasingly sceptical - particularly when I realised that the co-author is the one expected to continue the series after this first instalment, which is the only volume Sanderson is directly involved with.
The setting is a world in which thaumatics is real, though unknown to the vast majority of people, and where the boundary between the living and the dead is permeable. Thaumatic practitioners can manipulate energies from the world of the dead, while competing factions vie for power, some seeking revenge against the living. Music (particularly metal) plays an important role in channelling and controlling these forces.
The protagonist is a semi-failed musician in his thirties. Having moved to London in the hope of joining a metal band, he instead finds himself working as a dishwasher in a small pub where metal music is a constant presence. One thing leads to another, and he is soon drawn into a struggle over a powerful thaumatic artefact, becoming a practitioner himself.
I really tried to like this book, but simply couldn't. There are so many things wrong with it that it is difficult to know where to begin.
First and foremost, the writing feels infantile and falls completely flat. It is miles away even from what I would consider the weaker end of Sanderson's catalogue. There is very little soul to it, and I found myself unable to care about anything happening on the page. Oh - and the action sequences were echoes of B-movies from the 1990s, vs anything worth spending any time on.
The characters, including the protagonist, are uninteresting, flat, and often actively unpleasant. The authors attempt to give the protagonist depth through a complicated and traumatic backstory, but the result feels transparent - more like an imitation of stronger writers than the work of authors with confidence in their own voice.
The worldbuilding itself is not bad, but it is delivered with all the subtlety of a firehose. The opening portion of the novel overwhelms the reader with information, introducing far too many concepts far too quickly and making the book unnecessarily difficult to follow.
The end result is a novel that seems desperate to be Rivers of London or Night Watch, only with metal music and death magic added to the mix. I find it very difficult to believe that Sanderson had much involvement beyond allowing his name to appear on the cover. Even that feels unfortunate; if he read the finished book, he should have known it simply was not good enough.
Either way, this is a miss. I cannot recommend it to anyone. Full disclosure - DNF @ 25%.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Going in, I was expecting the sort of character development, internal consistency, rich worldbuilding, and fluid storytelling that I associate with Brandon Sanderson. As I read more about the project, however, I became increasingly sceptical - particularly when I realised that the co-author is the one expected to continue the series after this first instalment, which is the only volume Sanderson is directly involved with.
The setting is a world in which thaumatics is real, though unknown to the vast majority of people, and where the boundary between the living and the dead is permeable. Thaumatic practitioners can manipulate energies from the world of the dead, while competing factions vie for power, some seeking revenge against the living. Music (particularly metal) plays an important role in channelling and controlling these forces.
The protagonist is a semi-failed musician in his thirties. Having moved to London in the hope of joining a metal band, he instead finds himself working as a dishwasher in a small pub where metal music is a constant presence. One thing leads to another, and he is soon drawn into a struggle over a powerful thaumatic artefact, becoming a practitioner himself.
I really tried to like this book, but simply couldn't. There are so many things wrong with it that it is difficult to know where to begin.
First and foremost, the writing feels infantile and falls completely flat. It is miles away even from what I would consider the weaker end of Sanderson's catalogue. There is very little soul to it, and I found myself unable to care about anything happening on the page. Oh - and the action sequences were echoes of B-movies from the 1990s, vs anything worth spending any time on.
The characters, including the protagonist, are uninteresting, flat, and often actively unpleasant. The authors attempt to give the protagonist depth through a complicated and traumatic backstory, but the result feels transparent - more like an imitation of stronger writers than the work of authors with confidence in their own voice.
The worldbuilding itself is not bad, but it is delivered with all the subtlety of a firehose. The opening portion of the novel overwhelms the reader with information, introducing far too many concepts far too quickly and making the book unnecessarily difficult to follow.
The end result is a novel that seems desperate to be Rivers of London or Night Watch, only with metal music and death magic added to the mix. I find it very difficult to believe that Sanderson had much involvement beyond allowing his name to appear on the cover. Even that feels unfortunate; if he read the finished book, he should have known it simply was not good enough.
Either way, this is a miss. I cannot recommend it to anyone. Full disclosure - DNF @ 25%.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
˗ˏˋ 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 ˎˊ˗
ᯓ songs of the dead will be published on june 16, 2026!
⤿ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 4.5 sᴛᴀʀs!! ★★★★☆
⤿ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪs ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ: ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇᴍᴘᴏʀᴀʀʏ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ, ᴍᴜsɪᴄ, ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴠᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴs!
ᯓ {🎶} premise:
⤷ London is split. Between the dead in the past and the living in the present. Some magic-wielders, like Jack Soloman, can cross between the two using magic in the form of music. However, the stratums of London’s past want a revolution against the present. Jack has been given the responsibility of stopping them before they destroy all of London’s past, present, and future.
ᯓ {🎶} all my thoughts:
I will read anything that Brandon Sanderson writes (and I’m decently close to having read everything). This is different from a lot of his other work out there. Partially because of the new coauthor: Peter Orullian - I’m not sure.
I am absolutely in love with the premise: London, music, necromancers, and magic! This just sounds like me listing things that I like. So I had very high expectations going into this one.
The writing is clean and so is the plot. I really appreciated how this one was character driven, as opposed to being driven by the politics of the world. Also, because this is set on Earth and one of the authors being a musician - we get an abundance of musical references. I was not alive during that time, so I think rock fans will enjoy that much more than me.
The urban fantasy setting is also such an intriguing concept paired with alternate reality. The crossing between life and death was such a fun reading experience. A little disorientating, but very interesting to read about.
One downfall of this book - I was a little bit unattached to our character, Jack. I didn’t dislike him, he was just the main character. I haven’t read anything from Peter Ourillian before, but I know that they are capable of creating incredible characters and I was a little disappointed in that regard.
ᯓ {🎶} overall thoughts:
⤿I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys rock music, fantasy, and necromancers! This book is absolutely going on my shelf when it gets released in June! :)
ᯓ {🎶} rating:
⤿ four stars ★★★★
ᯓ {🎶} read if you enjoyed:
⤿ a darker shade of magic (ve schwab)
⤿ warbreaker (brandon sanderson)
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Saga Press for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰
{🎶} preread:
i got the arccc! i’m so excited to start this one, it doesn’t matter that this is exam season - im jumping in no matter what! 😁
ᯓ songs of the dead will be published on june 16, 2026!
⤿ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 4.5 sᴛᴀʀs!! ★★★★☆
⤿ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪs ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ: ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇᴍᴘᴏʀᴀʀʏ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ, ᴍᴜsɪᴄ, ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴠᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴs!
ᯓ {🎶} premise:
⤷ London is split. Between the dead in the past and the living in the present. Some magic-wielders, like Jack Soloman, can cross between the two using magic in the form of music. However, the stratums of London’s past want a revolution against the present. Jack has been given the responsibility of stopping them before they destroy all of London’s past, present, and future.
ᯓ {🎶} all my thoughts:
I will read anything that Brandon Sanderson writes (and I’m decently close to having read everything). This is different from a lot of his other work out there. Partially because of the new coauthor: Peter Orullian - I’m not sure.
I am absolutely in love with the premise: London, music, necromancers, and magic! This just sounds like me listing things that I like. So I had very high expectations going into this one.
The writing is clean and so is the plot. I really appreciated how this one was character driven, as opposed to being driven by the politics of the world. Also, because this is set on Earth and one of the authors being a musician - we get an abundance of musical references. I was not alive during that time, so I think rock fans will enjoy that much more than me.
The urban fantasy setting is also such an intriguing concept paired with alternate reality. The crossing between life and death was such a fun reading experience. A little disorientating, but very interesting to read about.
One downfall of this book - I was a little bit unattached to our character, Jack. I didn’t dislike him, he was just the main character. I haven’t read anything from Peter Ourillian before, but I know that they are capable of creating incredible characters and I was a little disappointed in that regard.
ᯓ {🎶} overall thoughts:
⤿I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys rock music, fantasy, and necromancers! This book is absolutely going on my shelf when it gets released in June! :)
ᯓ {🎶} rating:
⤿ four stars ★★★★
ᯓ {🎶} read if you enjoyed:
⤿ a darker shade of magic (ve schwab)
⤿ warbreaker (brandon sanderson)
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Saga Press for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰
{🎶} preread:
i got the arccc! i’m so excited to start this one, it doesn’t matter that this is exam season - im jumping in no matter what! 😁
July 12, 2026
Not a good book. Very disappointed that Sanderson's name is associated with it.
June 23, 2026
3/5 Stars
Format: Harback
Spoilers: No
Thank you to Saga Press for sending me a copy of Songs of the Dead, the first book in the Strata Wars trilogy.
Songs of the Dead is a very unique new trilogy that is co-authored by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian. As the story goes, Sanderson had some general ideas about a story based on necromancers, and couldn't really make it work in a way he wanted. Peter Orullian worked with him to help evolve and develop the story, and as I understand it did the majority of the writing.
The premise behind the book is very interesting, and a fun unique concept. You have levels of London where souls of the dead are living underground in layers of Strata, old London throughout history. The magic is music based, and the book is laden with fun music and metal references.
My main issues with this book were in the first half or so of it. The world building came in large info dumps, and felt overly complex, especially for a first book in a series. Fans of Mistborn: The Final Empire and super hard magic systems may feel that this is not as prominent, but for someone like me who prefers soft magic systems, it was a lot, and I felt like it could have been incorporated in a way that felt much less like a textbook. I think the other big issue was that the dialogue early on. It felt very clunky, and a little forced.
I do think that the writing, especially the dialogue, got better as the book went on, and as I got more familiar with the magic system in the back half of the book there was less info dumping. There is definitely a lot of fun found family in here, and I loved the musical references (as a metal head that's what put this on my radar initially). I also enjoyed the story and the plot line. I think that the magic system is unique, and the final conclusion to this portion of the series was fun to read.
Overall, I think fans of found family and hard magic systems with an interest in music will love this one. I think there is promise, and there is enough there that I will try book two when it comes out.
Format: Harback
Spoilers: No
Thank you to Saga Press for sending me a copy of Songs of the Dead, the first book in the Strata Wars trilogy.
Songs of the Dead is a very unique new trilogy that is co-authored by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian. As the story goes, Sanderson had some general ideas about a story based on necromancers, and couldn't really make it work in a way he wanted. Peter Orullian worked with him to help evolve and develop the story, and as I understand it did the majority of the writing.
The premise behind the book is very interesting, and a fun unique concept. You have levels of London where souls of the dead are living underground in layers of Strata, old London throughout history. The magic is music based, and the book is laden with fun music and metal references.
My main issues with this book were in the first half or so of it. The world building came in large info dumps, and felt overly complex, especially for a first book in a series. Fans of Mistborn: The Final Empire and super hard magic systems may feel that this is not as prominent, but for someone like me who prefers soft magic systems, it was a lot, and I felt like it could have been incorporated in a way that felt much less like a textbook. I think the other big issue was that the dialogue early on. It felt very clunky, and a little forced.
I do think that the writing, especially the dialogue, got better as the book went on, and as I got more familiar with the magic system in the back half of the book there was less info dumping. There is definitely a lot of fun found family in here, and I loved the musical references (as a metal head that's what put this on my radar initially). I also enjoyed the story and the plot line. I think that the magic system is unique, and the final conclusion to this portion of the series was fun to read.
Overall, I think fans of found family and hard magic systems with an interest in music will love this one. I think there is promise, and there is enough there that I will try book two when it comes out.
July 31, 2026
Hmmm. I think that the biggest struggle I had with this story is that the characters didn’t feel very well developed outside of the main character. I don’t want to say they felt flat, because the did have some backstory, but it felt kind of like a video game. In that, the main character has agency and emotions, and the npc’s have lore and routines they follow but they aren’t actual people if that makes sense.
I listen to a little bit of everything when it comes to music, but I am by no means a heavy metal fangirl, so most of the references were lost on me. When I switched to the audiobook version, there were some sections of in-book songs that were actually sung and it did absolutely nothing for me lol I was just standing there awkwardly 🧍🏻♀️
I do think that Thanaturgy (sp?) was really well developed and that definitely is giving Sanderson, but it isn’t enough to keep me invested in the series, especially since Sanderson won’t really be involved going forward.
By no means is this book bad, I think there were a lot of interesting beats about surviving trauma. But not much else worked in the book to keep me invested in the story.
I listen to a little bit of everything when it comes to music, but I am by no means a heavy metal fangirl, so most of the references were lost on me. When I switched to the audiobook version, there were some sections of in-book songs that were actually sung and it did absolutely nothing for me lol I was just standing there awkwardly 🧍🏻♀️
I do think that Thanaturgy (sp?) was really well developed and that definitely is giving Sanderson, but it isn’t enough to keep me invested in the series, especially since Sanderson won’t really be involved going forward.
By no means is this book bad, I think there were a lot of interesting beats about surviving trauma. But not much else worked in the book to keep me invested in the story.
July 24, 2026
Chose the book because of its focus on music. It was a brilliant idea with great potential but it was poorly executed.
December 3, 2025
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!
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!
January 29, 2026
A big thank you to NetGalley & Saga Press for this ARC.
Songs of the Dead is an urban fantasy based in London with a unique magic system based around music. If you love music, history and fantasy you will love how they collide in this book. However, if you do not have much musical knowledge (as I do not) it is not necessary to enjoy it.
The main character - Jack - is a metal singer with a huge heart. The action begins right away with this book and keeps going. However, you jump from task to task so quickly that the pace and change of scenery had me feeling a bit disjointed at times. It has a super unique view of the afterlife and a very creative way of world building using the strata - which contains different levels and eras of the past that the main character is able to walk through. The world building at the beginning is a bit heavy but the dump of information fits with what Jack is also going through along with you and I felt it made sense for the story.
The book felt more YA than Adult Fantasy to me during moments when the main character seemed to miss some things that seem obvious or when certain things were suddenly revealed to the reader though dialogue instead of showing it happening through the scene. That being said, I appreciated the underlying heart of this book and the message it sends about love, forgiveness, music, censorship and authoritarianism.
Includes:
Found Family
Mental Health Rep
TW: self harm
Songs of the Dead is an urban fantasy based in London with a unique magic system based around music. If you love music, history and fantasy you will love how they collide in this book. However, if you do not have much musical knowledge (as I do not) it is not necessary to enjoy it.
The main character - Jack - is a metal singer with a huge heart. The action begins right away with this book and keeps going. However, you jump from task to task so quickly that the pace and change of scenery had me feeling a bit disjointed at times. It has a super unique view of the afterlife and a very creative way of world building using the strata - which contains different levels and eras of the past that the main character is able to walk through. The world building at the beginning is a bit heavy but the dump of information fits with what Jack is also going through along with you and I felt it made sense for the story.
The book felt more YA than Adult Fantasy to me during moments when the main character seemed to miss some things that seem obvious or when certain things were suddenly revealed to the reader though dialogue instead of showing it happening through the scene. That being said, I appreciated the underlying heart of this book and the message it sends about love, forgiveness, music, censorship and authoritarianism.
Includes:
Found Family
Mental Health Rep
TW: self harm
Did Not Finish
June 12, 2026Time of death: 11%
This was one of my most anticipated 2026 releases. I'm woefully behind on the Cosmere, and the idea of finally being on time for a Sanderson release felt like a milestone. Unfortunately, this one didn't work out, and I think it's important to be upfront about why.
First, some context that I think every potential reader needs going in: while Sanderson's name is front and centre, Songs of the Dead is very much Peter Orullian's book. Sanderson developed the original worldbuilding and outline years ago, but Orullian wrote this draft and will be writing the remaining two books in the trilogy solo. That's not a knock on Orullian, he's a musician as well as a novelist, and that background is clearly the heart of this project, but I think a lot of readers picking this up expecting Sanderson's voice and pacing are going to be disappointed, and that disappointment isn't really the book's fault so much as how it's being positioned.
I didn't get far enough to give a fully rounded opinion, but I want to be honest about what pushed me to DNF at 11%.
The novel is set against London's rock and metal scene, which was actually one of the things that drew me to it. Unfortunately it became the main reason I put it down. The constant musical name-dropping felt less like worldbuilding and more like someone trying very hard to prove how much they know about music. The kind of energy where you brace yourself every time someone clocks your band shirt, ready to be asked name me three Metallica songs. It got laborious fast, and the portrayal of the music scene itself leaned heavily into parody, which made it difficult to take seriously or invest in.
The London setting itself also felt strangely thin. The protagonist moves through named streets and locations with no real sense of place, for someone who's never been to London or that part of London, "I turned onto [insert street name]“ means nothing without some sense of what it looks or feels like. For a story so rooted in a specific city, I wanted to feel that city.
My biggest issue, though, was the handling of self-harm. It's referenced twice in the portion I read, once regarding the protagonist's own scarring, and once involving a minor side character, both tied directly to characters in the rock/metal/emo scene. This felt less like meaningful representation and more like an unexamined stereotype, one that risks normalising self-harm rather than treating it with the care it deserves. It felt unnecessary. Do better.
And then there's Jack himself. By 11% I already didn't like him, and the moment that sealed it was watching him manipulate one friends grief of another friend's death, someone close to them, almost a father figure, as creative fuel for a song he was struggling to finish, while actively grieving. I think I was meant to feel sympathy here. I felt the opposite.
I do think this book will find its audience, and I don't doubt Orullian's passion for the project. But I think leading with Sanderson's name sets up expectations this book isn't trying to meet, and that mismatch is going to cost it readers who might otherwise have approached it on its own terms.
Thank you to NetGalley and The Broken Binding for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was one of my most anticipated 2026 releases. I'm woefully behind on the Cosmere, and the idea of finally being on time for a Sanderson release felt like a milestone. Unfortunately, this one didn't work out, and I think it's important to be upfront about why.
First, some context that I think every potential reader needs going in: while Sanderson's name is front and centre, Songs of the Dead is very much Peter Orullian's book. Sanderson developed the original worldbuilding and outline years ago, but Orullian wrote this draft and will be writing the remaining two books in the trilogy solo. That's not a knock on Orullian, he's a musician as well as a novelist, and that background is clearly the heart of this project, but I think a lot of readers picking this up expecting Sanderson's voice and pacing are going to be disappointed, and that disappointment isn't really the book's fault so much as how it's being positioned.
I didn't get far enough to give a fully rounded opinion, but I want to be honest about what pushed me to DNF at 11%.
The novel is set against London's rock and metal scene, which was actually one of the things that drew me to it. Unfortunately it became the main reason I put it down. The constant musical name-dropping felt less like worldbuilding and more like someone trying very hard to prove how much they know about music. The kind of energy where you brace yourself every time someone clocks your band shirt, ready to be asked name me three Metallica songs. It got laborious fast, and the portrayal of the music scene itself leaned heavily into parody, which made it difficult to take seriously or invest in.
The London setting itself also felt strangely thin. The protagonist moves through named streets and locations with no real sense of place, for someone who's never been to London or that part of London, "I turned onto [insert street name]“ means nothing without some sense of what it looks or feels like. For a story so rooted in a specific city, I wanted to feel that city.
My biggest issue, though, was the handling of self-harm. It's referenced twice in the portion I read, once regarding the protagonist's own scarring, and once involving a minor side character, both tied directly to characters in the rock/metal/emo scene. This felt less like meaningful representation and more like an unexamined stereotype, one that risks normalising self-harm rather than treating it with the care it deserves. It felt unnecessary. Do better.
And then there's Jack himself. By 11% I already didn't like him, and the moment that sealed it was watching him manipulate one friends grief of another friend's death, someone close to them, almost a father figure, as creative fuel for a song he was struggling to finish, while actively grieving. I think I was meant to feel sympathy here. I felt the opposite.
I do think this book will find its audience, and I don't doubt Orullian's passion for the project. But I think leading with Sanderson's name sets up expectations this book isn't trying to meet, and that mismatch is going to cost it readers who might otherwise have approached it on its own terms.
Thank you to NetGalley and The Broken Binding for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a tough one to review.
I was incredibly excited for this title! I mean...what an author combo powerhouse. Unfortunately most of this fell flat for me. The premise was intriguing, fantasy and music (albeit not my genre) but I recognize most of the references. The execution of that idea just didn't work. The magic system felt forced and sadly, the way the characters were written just didn't connect with me.
The absolute saving grace was the incredible voice performance by Luke Daniels. His delivery was masterful and it made me complete the entire listen. Most of this 3 star is for him (he's a 5!!)
Thank you to NetGalley, Bolinda Audio and the authors for the opportunity to listen and review this title. My thoughts are my own.
I was incredibly excited for this title! I mean...what an author combo powerhouse. Unfortunately most of this fell flat for me. The premise was intriguing, fantasy and music (albeit not my genre) but I recognize most of the references. The execution of that idea just didn't work. The magic system felt forced and sadly, the way the characters were written just didn't connect with me.
The absolute saving grace was the incredible voice performance by Luke Daniels. His delivery was masterful and it made me complete the entire listen. Most of this 3 star is for him (he's a 5!!)
Thank you to NetGalley, Bolinda Audio and the authors for the opportunity to listen and review this title. My thoughts are my own.
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