From Tor.com:
A while ago we announced that Michael Whelan will be creating the ebook cover art for A Memory of Light, the final volume of The Wheel of Time. I am proud to announce that his artwork will also be used in the print edition.
Everyone at Tor was deeply saddened to hear the news that Darrell K. Sweet had passed away and deciding how to complete the series without him was a challenge that none of us wanted. In choosing Michael Whelan, however, the series gains an artist who has dedicated his four-decade-long career to interpreting fantasy and science fiction literature in a way that is true to the source material while serving as an inspirational centerpiece on it’s own. We are thrilled to have him on board for this series.
From Whelan himself: “I’m flattered to no end to have been asked to work on such a prestigious and popular project. My only regret is that it had to come under such unfortunate circumstances; I never would have accepted had Darrell been here to see the Wheel of Time saga to it’s completion. It will always remain a testament to his career, and I’m humbled to stand in his shadow for the work on the final volume.”
We do not have a cover reveal date yet but rest assured we will reveal it as soon as possible.
Sweet being replaced by my favourite cover artist of all time? Good deal. It’s obviously a bummer that the series won’t match, and I half expected Tor to ‘discover’ a nearly complete painting by Sweet (but actually emulated by another artist based on Sweet’s drafts) to cover the final novel. An unfortunate situation all around, but Whelan’s as good a consolation prize as any Wheel of Time fan could wish for.
AWESOMESAUCE
I’d rather they have tried to mimic Sweet’s style and just done that well. That way the final book won’t stand out so differently from all the others. Whelan is great and I’m sure he’ll do a good job, but I do like my HB books to all match.
Good deal? Have some respect, man. Wasn’t a fan of Sweet’s artwork but I’d be disappointed no matter who they got.
Luke, see my updated post with more thoughts on the matter.
I love Whelan’s work, so as an alternative choice he gets my thumbs up. Neth has a point, though. A good artist that could take Sweet’s artistic style and the direction that he had roughed out for the final and put it together might have been my personal choice.
This is so eerie. Some day, Brandon Sanderson and Michael Whelan will both die before completing the Stormlight Archive, and they’ll have to find a new writer and illustrator to finish it for them.
I’ve never read any of the WoT novels, but if Whelan’s cover for the final book is anything like the “Shadow’s Rising” or “Towers of Midnight” covers, then it should be awesome (those two are among my favourite pieces of cover art).
I’ve been loving the ebook covers. Whelan is a fantastic choice.