IN DAI CHIKIZA (1988)Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 18" x 46"
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Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy went on to become both a commercial success, with a long stretch on the New York Times bestseller list, and a critical hit with lasting impact on the genre.
George R.R. Martin cited the books as influential in his own smash hit A Song of Ice and Fire. He praised Tad’s work as “one of the great fantasy epics of all time.” 3/8
The jacket art for the first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn features Jingizu (the Sithi word for “Sorrow”). It was a blade forged by the Storm King. 4/8
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The jacket art for the first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn features Jingizu (the Sithi word for “Sorrow”). It was a blade forged by the Storm King. 4/8
It was a blade forged by the Storm King. Inspiration for the design came in these ominously detailed passages:
“…in a sheath at [King Elias’] side was the sword with the strange crossed hilt…there was something queer and unsettling about the blade…[It] had a strange double guard, the cross pieces making; with the hilt, a sort of five pointed star.” 5/8
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It was a blade forged by the Storm King. Inspiration for the design came in these ominously detailed passages:
“…in a sheath at [King Elias’] side was the sword with the strange crossed hilt…there was something queer and unsettling about the blade…[It] had a strange double guard, the cross pieces making; with the hilt, a sort of five pointed star.” 5/8
“…[the blade] was no mere weapon, but a blasphemy against the earth that had yielded both iron and witchwood. It was a hole in the tapestry of creation, and life leaked away through it.” 6/8
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“…[the blade] was no mere weapon, but a blasphemy against the earth that had yielded both iron and witchwood. It was a hole in the tapestry of creation, and life leaked away through it.” 6/8
When Tad returned to the kingdom of Osten Ard for a new story arc a few decades later, DAW Books asked me to provide illustrations of the swords that had decorated the spines of the original hardcovers. This time they would be placed front and center on the reissued covers. 7/8
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The jacket art for the first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn features Jingizu (the Sithi word for “Sorrow”). It was a blade forged by the Storm King. 4/8
@MichaelWhelan Oh my gosh I love seeing this separate layer of detail, isolated like this.
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When Tad returned to the kingdom of Osten Ard for a new story arc a few decades later, DAW Books asked me to provide illustrations of the swords that had decorated the spines of the original hardcovers. This time they would be placed front and center on the reissued covers. 7/8
The order of the swords was corrected to reflect the name of the series, the first being Minneyar, which translates to “year of memory.” I can’t say much more than that as spoilers abound—even decades later for some fans! 8/8
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When Tad returned to the kingdom of Osten Ard for a new story arc a few decades later, DAW Books asked me to provide illustrations of the swords that had decorated the spines of the original hardcovers. This time they would be placed front and center on the reissued covers. 7/8
@MichaelWhelan i tend to prefer this *kind* of cover. maybe because i'm british? i noticed years ago (don't know if still true) that british SF/F covers tended to be more symbolic or metaphorical and american ones were like a still from the nonexistent movie version. don't know if that reflected a geographical cultural difference, or if it still exists?
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The order of the swords was corrected to reflect the name of the series, the first being Minneyar, which translates to “year of memory.” I can’t say much more than that as spoilers abound—even decades later for some fans! 8/8
@MichaelWhelan One of the things I love about these descriptions of your cover art is that you've clearly read and enjoyed the works in question, and picked up on all the textual details.
There are some pieces of cover art where the artist has clearly only read the blurb for the book, or skimmed the text lightly, and missed important things.
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“…[the blade] was no mere weapon, but a blasphemy against the earth that had yielded both iron and witchwood. It was a hole in the tapestry of creation, and life leaked away through it.” 6/8
@MichaelWhelan "there was something queer and unsettling about the blade"
*draws blade in rainbow colors*
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IN DAI CHIKIZA (1988)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 18" x 46"Creating the cover for the first book in a proposed epic trilogy can be a daunting task for an illustrator. They have to help the author gain an audience for a new fantasy world with a whole new cast of characters. 1/8
#fantasy #illustration #tadwilliams #memorysorrowandthorn #dawbooks
@MichaelWhelan Thank you so much for your insights. 🥰
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