Novel Playlists from Fantasy Novelists treats each fantasy novel like a feature film and encourages the author to put together their own dream soundtrack. After setting the world afire with her debut The Court of Broken Knives, queen of grimdark Anna Smith Spark seeks to burn down what’s left with The Tower of Living and Dying, the second in her Empires of Dust trilogy. Listen to her soundtrack here.

Marith has been a sellsword, a prince, a murderer, a demon, and dead. But something keeps bringing him back to life, and now there is nothing stopping him from taking back the throne that is rightfully his.

Thalia, the former high priestess, remains Marith’s only tenuous grasp to whatever goodness he has left. His left hand and his last source of light, Thalia still believes that the power that lies within him can be used for better ends. But as more forces gather beneath Marith’s banner, she can feel her influence slipping.

Read the second book in this “gritty and glorious!” (Miles Cameron) epic fantasy series reminiscent of Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence where the exiled son of a king fights to reclaim his throne no matter the cost.

You can order The Tower of Living and Dying on Amazon US here and Amazon UK here.

The Playlist

La Colombe – Judy Collins 

Why did you pick it: The intoxication of war, in the most beautiful of voices.

A Private Future – Love and Rockets 

Why did you pick it: Sexy young men in black.

Long Snake Moan – PJ Harvey 

Why did you pick it: Do you think her only a love-struck fool?

Red Right Hand – Nick Cave 

Why did you pick it: Murder song.

Song to The Siren – This Mortal Coil 

Why did you pick it: Longing, and peace, and grief.

Pink Orange Red – Cocteau Twins 

Why did you pick it: A brief moment of happiness.

Assimilate – Skinny Puppy  

Why did you pick it: They’re singing the paean.

Fetish – Scott Walker and Sunn(((O))) 

Why did you pick it: This is pain.

Allegory – In the Nursery 

Why did you pick it: I will live and live and live.

Anna Smith Spark lives in London, UK. She loves grimdark and epic fantasy and historical military fiction. Anna has a BA in Classics, an MA in history and a PhD in English Literature. She has previously been published in the Fortean Times and the poetry website www.greatworks.org. Previous jobs include petty bureaucrat, English teacher and fetish model.

She can be found online at www.courtofbrokenknives.org, on Twitter @queenofgrimdark, or on Facebook as Anna Smith Spark.