A Songbook of Sparks

Sing a tale in a different key . . .

“Tam Lin.” “Tom O’Bedlam.” “The Cruel Sister.” Ballads both well known and obscure lie behind this collection of folklore-based short stories from award-winning author Marie Brennan. Whether set in historical Scotland or a modern nightclub, an academy for mages or a psychiatric hospital, these tales strike chords with the past and the present, resonating long after the final page is turned.

This collection of stories based on traditional folksongs will be out in September 2025!

Table of Contents

• “And Ask No Leave of Thee”
• “Then Bide You There”
• “Vīs Dēlendī”
• “What Still Abides”
• “Mad Maudlin”
• “Cruel Sisters”
• “The Twa Corbies”
• “Oh, My Cursed Daughter”
• “Any Rose My Mother Raised, Any Lane My Father Knows”
• “The Ballad of Tam Lin and Mulan”
• Song lyrics
• Story notes