It’s a fairly common practice for authors to come up with “soundtracks” or playlists for their novels, lists of songs that fit the story. I’ve decided to hop right on this bandwagon, and I’ve dug into my favourite soundtracks from movies, TV, and video games to create complete soundtracks for both Rage of the Old Gods and Children of the Gods.

I’ll be releasing the songs in installments over the coming weeks, roughly paralleling my readers’ journey through the stories.

These first four songs cover the events up to and including chapter six, “No Sleep in the City.” I’m going to try to avoid posting any big spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read that far yet, but a few vague hints about the story are bound to slip through.

1: The Fall of Eastenhold

If you’re putting together an epic soundtrack and you don’t include Bear McCreary’s iconic Prelude to War from Battlestar Galactica, you are doing it very, very wrong.

Honestly, this song could have easily fit just about any part of this book, or anything else I’ve written. Rather than agonize over which part of the book to tie it to, I decided to simply throw it out at the beginning.

I think it’s a good fit for the fall of Eastenhold, though. It’s epic, and it’s intense, and it fits that terrible conflict very well, but it also hints of greater struggles to come. The fall of Eastenhold is just a shadow of the true cataclysm that will befall Barria — just a prelude to the true war.

2: The Other Worlds

Sy’om and Tyzu are surreal, alien places. Even the fundamental laws of reality don’t function normally on these long forgotten worlds. For the theme of these places, I chose the music of Tanaris from World of Warcraft’s Cataclysm expansion.

The haunting vocals and eerie ambiance capture a spirit of mystery and adventure. This song fits especially well with the lonely glacier fields of Sy’om. I’ll admit it doesn’t capture Tyzu quite as well, but the soundtrack would have been too cluttered if I’d given it its own song, I feel. And this does capture the exoticism and alien feel of Tyzu very well, if it not its frenetic intensity.

3: Wrath of the Old Gods

When I came up with the Old Gods, I designed them to be as bombastic and over the top as possible. They’re like a force of nature — terrible, vast, uncaring, and unconquerable. Few pieces of music could capture the raw terror of facing the Old Gods in combat, but Druids of the Flame, from World of Warcraft’s Firelands content, manages it.

Listen to this song while reading the Battle of Heart, and understand why “wrath of the Old Gods” is a curse spoken in only the most dire situations.

4: Night in Marlhem

When you’re writing an epic story with lots of intense violence and emotion, I believe it’s also important to include moments of peace every now and then. It allows characters and readers alike to sit back, catch their breath, and remember what’s at stake.

The night in Marlhem depicted in chapter six is one such moment. Terrible things have happened by that point, and the Old Gods are closing in, but at that moment, all is relatively calm.

To capture the fragile peace of that cold Tor night, I’ve picked a song from the MMORPG The Secret World. It’s most commonly heard in London, but it appears in other parts of the game, as well. It’s a gentle, slightly sad song that captures the shaky calm of that night where Leha stood upon the battlements and looked up at the stars.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed the first installment of the book soundtrack, and stay tuned for more updates in the future!