It’s now time for the final installment of the soundtrack for the second World Spectrum novel, Children of the Gods. Make sure to check out the first two installments if you haven’t already.

WARNING: There will be MAJOR SPOILERS this time around. I’m not even trying to hide them at this point. You’ve been warned.

9: Dawn Over Tallatzan:

Humanity has suffered terribly. The Arcanids rule much of the world. Garribis stands on the precipice of achieving ultimate power.

But against all odds, Tallatzan City has been retaken. Friends, family, and lovers have been reunited. Past wounds are still raw, and more horror awaits, but for this one moment, all is calm, and Leha’s forces have claimed victory.

I chose to pair this moment of fragile hope with Wander My Friends from the soundtrack of Battlestar Galactica. It’s a bittersweet piece that holds hope for the future, but also remembers the losses of the past.

10: Twilight:

But hope is short-lived. It’s impossible to ignore all that’s been lost. Humanity teeters on the brink of defeat, and even if they were to somehow achieve victory, the world is broken. Nothing will ever be as it was before the wars, and it’s hard to imagine the human race ever recovering.

Humanity has reached its twilight hour.

My choice for this darkest of periods is The Land Will Weep from World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. It’s easily one of the most tragic pieces of music I’ve ever heard.

11: Funeral Dirge:

“Though no one gave the order to, the Pirans worked together to reach the body of their fallen leader. Tyrom’s body was covered in grotesque, blackened scars, but they carried it like a sacred relic, singing a mournful dirge and exacting savage vengeance upon any enemies who came close. There were tears in their eyes, but their backs were unbowed.

“They were noble and majestic in their grief.”

12: The Engine of Life:

Ancient beyond compare, the Engine of Life is rumored to be the machine that gave birth to the human race. Now, it offers humankind a second chance, a rebirth.

The Engine represents a chance of redemption — not just for the Arcanids’ slaves, but for all of humanity. The war ends not in violence, but with an act of great mercy. The darkest aspects of the human race have been overcome.

To close out the book, I’ve once again dipped into the World of Warcraft soundtrack, selecting the Nordrassil theme from Cataclysm. Both tranquil and awe-inspiring, it’s a good match for the Engine of Life and its profound effect on humanity’s future.

Bonus Track:

Leha and Tyrom.

* * *

And that does it for my novel soundtracks, at least for now. Maybe someday soon I’ll be posting tracks for Human Again…

Regardless, I hope you’ve enjoyed my selections.

We now come to the second installment of my soundtrack for Children of the Gods. These songs will take us on a rollercoaster ride of hope and despair, covering events up to and including chapter fourteen, “The Promise.”

There will be spoilers. I’m trying to keep them vague, but there’s only so much I can do.

5: The Predator:

“The greatest tragedy of war is that it debases all it touches.”

As the war progresses, Leha finds herself slipping into the darkest aspects of her personality. She becomes a predator consumed by the need to slaughter all who stand in her way. To accompany her fall into this dark persona, I’ve chosen the intro music for Myth II’s “Landing at Whitefalls” mission. Grim and menacing, it captures Leha’s methodical brutality.

6: Redemption:

In humanity’s darkest hour, there comes one single source of hope. A man who could offer a chance of redemption not only for the monsters created by the Arcanids, but for the rest of humankind, as well.

I chose the Elwynn Forest soundtrack from World of Warcraft: Cataclysm as Zuruk’s theme. It’s a tranquil song that gives one the feeling there’s always hope for a better tomorrow, even in the darkest times.

7: Humanity Falls Silent:

But just as there seems to hope after all, disaster strikes. With one terrible miscalculation, the human cause is crushed, and the Arcanids stand triumphant.

Though it’s used for what is theoretically a happy scene, I’ve always found An End Once and for All from the Mass Effect 3 soundtrack to be an incredibly tragic-sounding piece, so it’s my choice for the moment when all of humanity falls silent.

8: The Promise:

All is lost. It’s all over. Humanity has fallen.

Only a handful remain free, Leha among them. She wishes to end her life, and the pain with it. But she cannot shirk her duty. And so she and her few remaining companions make one promise, one pledge to press on for the human cause no matter how hopeless it seems.

My choice of song for this moment is the intro music for “Gate of Storms” from Myth II. It’s a bleak and morose song, but there’s the subtle hint of hope at the end. The battle is lost, but the war goes on.

* * *

Stay tuned for the final installment of the Children of the Gods sountrack, featuring a number of songs from World of Warcraft and a bonus track all the way from Iceland.