To celebrate the release of The End Crowns All, her stunning new sapphic romantasy Trojan War reimagining, Bea Fitzgerald shares her personally curated playlist inspired by the book.
Start a War by Klergy featuring Valerie Broussard
This has to be first, it’s such an epic song about the horror and futility of war as well as the aspirations and desire to play god of those who desire it
History of Man by Maisie Peters
Need I say more than ‘men start wars yet Troy hates Helen?’
Girls Against Gods by Florence and The Machine
A tough one because Florence literally has a song called Cassandra but this encapsulates the rage and heartache and feeling of being pushed to the very brink that you’ll also find in The End Crowns All
Everything by MUNA
This song is technically sung following a break up but it’s pining incarnate and so completely the vibe of the book. Helen and Cassandra are so head over heels that yes, everything is about the other, they see them everywhere, and everything always boils back down to each other.
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Honey by Kehlani
If you know you know aka honey is Helen’s favourite food and it recurs throughout the book, in part as a symbol of how deeply Helen and Cassandra know each other, and how to be loved is to be known
Labour by Paris Paloma
Honestly show me a book I’ve written that doesn’t have this song as an anthem
Now I’m In It by Haim
I see this song fitting in a few ways but mostly I think it really fits a certain point of Cassandra’s despair, where she’s been so caught up in the prophecies and tyring to see a way out
Sofia by Clairo
It’s just such a soft, yearning song. The End Crowns All features the forbidden romance trope, and I really didn’t want to centre that in homophobia – that their love is impossible because it’s queer. Instead, it’s the war raging in the name of Helen’s marriage that prevents it. So even though the context is different, I think a song about sapphic forbidden romance is perfect, especially that almost pleading refrain of ‘I think we could do it if we tried’
Nothing’s Real by Shura
I was conscious of the way Cassandra’s visions are clear metaphors for aspects of mental illness or neurodivergence. I love the way this song nails so much: the feeling of being disconnected to the world around you, of everyone telling you you’re fine – and still being an upbeat song, which in the context of Cassandra feels very similar to the way she suffers but remains fiercely hopeful.
Death Stranding by Chvrches
There’s so much here that I love, including references to truth and wondering about how the future – a far off very distant future – will reflect on you. But where I think it becomes truly perfect is, amongst all that fear, there is love – that no matter what happens, the act of giving you my heart matters.
Get your copy of The End Crowns All by Bea Fitzgerald here.