Songs of the Dead

The Strata Wars, Book 1

By: Brandon Sanderson, Peter Orullian

Narrated by: Jack Ayres

When Jack Solomon, a struggling American musician who works in London's West End, is killed, he awakens to a new reality in which light and music are used to create magic and where living eras of the past sprawl beneath modern London, layer upon layer, all the way back to recorded history.

Jack soon discovers that many of those who reside in the stratums of London's past have grown angry with the present world, and that their anger is being channelled by a powerful society of magic wielders who can cross the realms between life and death, between the present and the past. A past where the dead are sowing revolution against the living, and all of history is at stake...

Welcome to the Strata Wars.

©2026 Dragonsteel, LLC, Rock Hammer LLC (P)2026 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'Sanderson's touch is evident in the complexity of the magic system, and Jack's journey of discovery is an entertaining diversion, with plenty of conflict to drive sequels.' (Booklist)

Lot of musical references

Really enjoyed other Sanderson stories, but could not get into this one. If you are a music fan it may appeal more, but I just couldn’t relate at all.

Disappointing!

Let me just say that I am usually a huge Brandon Sanderson fan. I have joyfully learned to expect the unexpected. What happened in this urban fantasy is unexpected, but in a bad way. Firstly, I'll admit, I would not be the target audience for this, but as an avid reader of fantasy and sci-fi of all sorts, I thought it would be ok. However, it was disappointing from the outset. I didn't care for the angst-ridden character; he was irritating in the extreme. The voice (not the reader's) did not feel anything like Brandon's, I can see that he co-wrote it, apparently, but it seemed such a huge departure from his normal stuff that I couldn't identify it at all, except perhaps in the descriptions of the historic layers.

I am not used to seeing plot holes you could drive an entire fleet of double-decker buses through in Brandon's books. I've never struggled to finish anything he has written before, despite the complexity and intricacy of the storyline. This time every chapter was a slog. It felt like a metalhead indulgence piece. The only upside was that I felt it was competently read by a good voice.

Do I keep this book? I have seldom been so profoundly disappointed. The jury is out, but I so nearly ditched it several times.