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 A Court of Broken Knives and The Tower of Living and Dying, the queen of grimdark Anna Smith Spark closes out her Empires of Dust trilogy with The House of Sacrifice. Her playlist is below, and you can listen to it in Spotify here.

Marith Altrersyr has won. He cut a path of blood and vengeance and needless violence around the world and now he rules. It is time for Marith to put down his sword, to send home his armies, to grow a beard and become fat. It is time to look to his own house, and to produce an heir. The King of Death must now learn to live.

But some things cannot be learnt.

The spoils of war turn to ash in the mouths of the Amrath Army and soon they are on the move again. But Marith, lord of lies, dragon-killer, father-killer, has begun to falter and his mind decays. How long can a warlord rotting from within continue to win?

As the Army marches on to Sorlost, Thalia’s thoughts turn to home and to the future: a life grows inside her and it is a precious thing – but it grows weak.

Why must the sins of the father curse the child?

Playlist: The House of Sacrifice

In My Mouth – Mantra

Why did you pick it: When darkness comes, I’ll tell you the tale of fields and flowers.

Anger – Skinny Puppy

Why did you pick it: The sound of war.

New Mind – Swans

Why did you pick it: Marith’s mind.

Living By The Water – The Unthanks

Why did you pick it: A brief beautiful moment of something better

Silent Hedges – Bauhaus

Why did you pick it: What happens when the intoxication of success has evaporated?

Beautiful Child – Swans

Why did you pick it: What he is and was and will be.

Tooth and Claw – Sol Invictus

Why did you pick it: A king in his kingdom.

One More Nightmare (Trees Come Down) – Fields of the Nephilim

Why did you pick it: Burning the fields.

In the Blink of a Star – Sol Invictus

Why did you pick it: See the empire fall.

The Golden Journey – In the Nursery

Why did you pick it: We Poets of the proud old lineage, who sing to find your hearts, we know not why.

About the author

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, and on Facebook as Anna Smith Spark.