Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian Team Up for Strata Wars Fantasy Trilogy (Exclusive)

Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian have a new book series on the way.

The authors are joining forces for a new contemporary fantasy trilogy entitled The Strata Wars, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal. The books will be published by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

The series follows Jack Solomon, a struggling musician who, after his death, wakes up in a new reality, where music and light are considered magic and past eras play out underneath the streets of London.

Songs of the Dead, the series’ first book, will be co-written by Sanderson and Oruillian, and published in summer 2026. Orullian will write the trilogy’s remaining titles.

Sanderson and Orullian initially came up with the idea for the series in the early 2000s. Sanderson has been teasing the long-awaited trilogy to his fans for years through his blog.

“Songs of the Dead is a long-time passion project of mine that I’m eager to finally see emerge from the shadows of half-finished outlines and worldbuilding documents into a fully-fledged novel,” Sanderson says of the trilogy’s first installment.

“Peter is the ideal steward of the series,” he continues. “I’m pleased to have found someone to give the story to — and am excited to see what he does with it in the coming years.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

For Orullian, also a musician in the group Symphony North, collaborating on a novel that centered music was the perfect combination of both of his passions.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“When Brandon and I began discussing a collaboration for The Strata Wars, it made perfect sense — he had this amazing new idea involving music; and as a musician who’s lived and breathed rock and metal culture, I could give that idea punch and authenticity,” Orullian says in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

“We had a blast building an epic story to tell in this new world, wrapping it around music and history, and setting the stage for a massive conflict between the present and the past,” Orullian continues. “Our goal was definitely to turn this one up to eleven.”

Sanderson is the bestselling author of a variety of books, notably his Mistborn trilogy and The Emperor’s Soul, for which he won a Huge Award in 2013. He also completed late author Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time high fantasy series.

Orullian is the author of several novels, including The Vault of Heaven. He’s also collaborated with other musicians, including Grammy-winning band Dream Theater, to novelize their music.