Gorgeous. Like, really gorgeous. And a step up even from the impressive early version that leaked a few weeks ago. I say this despite the hooded figure on the cover, which is saying something. It’ll look even more sharp if they end up using the foil-stamp technique that we saw on the paperback edition of The Black Prism. Good job to Lauren Panepinto, artists Shirley Green, Silas Manhood, and the Orbit Books crew.
And it came to pass in those days, as it had come before and would come again, that the Dark lay heavy on the land and weighed down the hearts of men, and the green things failed, and hope died.’ From Charal Drianaan te Calamon, The Cycle of the Dragon.
In the Field of Merrilor the rulers of the nations gather to join behind Rand al’Thor, or to stop him from his plan to break the seals on the Dark One’s prison – which may be a sign of his madness, or the last hope of humankind. Egwene, the Amyrlin Seat, leans toward the former.
In Andor, the Trollocs seize Caemlyn.
In the wolf dream, Perrin Aybara battles Slayer.
Approaching Ebou Dar, Mat Cauthon plans to visit his wife Tuon, now Fortuona, Empress of the Seanchan.
All humanity is in peril – and the outcome will be decided in Shayol Ghul itself. The Wheel is turning, and the Age is coming to its end. The Last Battle will determine the fate of the world..
Can’t really comment on the synopsis, given that I’ve only read the first seven volumes of the series, but it was written by Harriet McDougal, Jordan’s widow and Wheel of Time overlady, and will appear on both the Tor and Orbit Books editions of A Memory of Light.
The cover itself is pretty, and fitting for the title of the novel, after all the previous volumes were black. It’s simple and classic, if predictable. Good enough for me.
It’s a little underwhelming for a Whelan cover, and, frankly, wouldn’t stand out from the crowd if not for being a Wheel of Time novel, but it’s still one of the better covers in the series. I also hold Whelan to the highest standards in the industry, so it’s not unreasonable to expect his style to be somewhat constrained trying to work inside the rules established by the previous thirteen volumes of The Wheel of Time. Compared to the art for the rest of the series, it stands out not only for its quality, but for the stylistic differences. It will never look quite right sitting against the Sweet covers, regardless of how much I love Whelan as an artist. For reference, you can see the mockup that I created using the original Darrel K. Sweet artwork. The full artwork is gorgeous: Read More »
So, this is amazing. I was first introduced to Charles Vess through his collaboration with Neil Gaiman on Stardust, wherein I fell immediately in love with his art. I’ve previously shown off some of this Wheel of Time sketches, but I wasn’t aware that the full-colour cover for The Eye of the World: From the Two Rivers was ever revealed. So pretty. Vess’s renditions of Rand, Perrin, Mat, and Elayne(? or a red-haired Egwene?) are as whimsical and full of character as I’ve come to expect from him. How have I not seen these before?
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The Prisoner of Heaven returns to the world of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop, where Daniel, and his old friend Fermín Romero de Torres, are tending shop. Daniel is now married with a son, and Fermín is soon to follow. Both men lead relatively happy and quiet lives. Enter an enigmatic visitor–a grim old man with a piercing gaze–who inquires about Fermín’s whereabouts. When told he is not in, the old man proceeds to buy the most expensive item in the store, a first edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, adds a dedication and leaves it as a present for Fermín. When Daniel reveals the details of this unsettling encounter to his friend, Fermín reads the dedication, turns pale, and at Daniel’s insistence, decides to open up about a past that has come back to haunt him…a story that will leave Daniel questioning his very existence.
A direct sequel to my favourite ever novel? With a gorgeous cover? Returning to Sempere & Sons and The Cemetary of Forgotten Books, sidling in alongside an older Daniel Sempere and an always gregarious and charming Fermin, just can’t come soon enough. After hitting a bit of a road bump with The Angel’s Game (REVIEW), I have the utmost (to a silly degree, perhaps) faith that Zafon is back in the playground he’s meant to play in.
For more of my thoughts, see the post I did about the Spanish cover for the The Prisoner of Heaven.
