The Best Fantasy Art Book Covers

Sometimes the books I read are good, but not so good that I want to blog on them. That gives me the opportunity to blog on the gorgeous art that covers fantasy books! This weeks post is on that one thing that will sell me a book no matter how bad the blurb--the cover. Since Christmas we have seen some really wonderful  covers go through here...and some not so wonderful covers, but we only say nice things here, right?  All of the books I read that make it here are really wonderful reads that I enjoyed, in some cases despite the bad blurbs and dismal cover art! For me, the book is what counts, and an indie author 's resources often don't stretch to include purchasing fine art for the cover!  Some, however do, and a few of those covers on books I've seen since January are featured today's post.


The two best covers of the year so far for me are on Jeffrey Getzin's wonderful novellas, Shara and the Haunted Village, and  A Lesson for the Cyclops. The artwork for both novellas is by the amazing Carol Phillips.

Both covers really represent the stories well and the attention to detail in the artwork is amazing.  For an indie author to put his resources into such fine covers for novellas is quite unusual, and I applaud his decision to do so.

>>><<<

Next on my list of eye-candy book covers is The Fire Rose, by Mercedes Lackey. This is a book published by Baen, so one would hope the art would be lovely, and it is. It has been out since the mid-nineties.

>>><<<

Another book that I bought for it's cover was The Winds of Khalakovo, by Bradley P. Beaulieu. It is a debut novel and bodes well for this author. The art represents the tale beautifully, and creates just that hint of mystery that sells books to people like me!

>>><<<

Another book that was intitally purchased for the cover was Magnus Opum by Aussie author Jonathan Gould. I LOVED this cover, because the stark simplicity reminded me of J.R.R. Tolkien's original artwork for his Lord of The Ring series.

The amazing simplicity of of Gould's cover hints at Magnus's story, and just as the picture by Tolkien of Bilbo on the Barrel coming to the huts of the Raftelves, it entices to you just look at it and think about the story.

>>><<<

Of course, A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson gets a gold star for the cover. TOR publishing never fails us when it comes to great fantasy artwork.

>>><<<

My final offering today is the cover of Tad Williams wonderful fantasy, The War of the Flowers.  I was moved to buy this book off the rack just by seeing this cover, and the book more than lived up to it. It was mysterious, and made me wonder about the tale.

>>><<<

For me, good fantasy does not have to be covered with great artwork. Many times indie authors don't have the resources to invest in art for covers; I should know! But if there is a fine picture on it, even if the blurb is bad or nonexistent, I will always buy the book for its cover.

Winds of Khalakovo, Bradley P. Beaulieu

 

I am going to begin the year with a book that is not written by an indie author, but is a debut novel of great promise. Published in 2011, Winds of Khalakovo is an adventure from page one until the very last word.  I expect to read great things from the pen of Bradley P. Beaulieu in the future.

Khalakovo, a group of seven mountainous islands is center of trade and is serviced by amazing windships. Khalakovo stands at the crossroads of trade, making them prominent as a world power. Unfortunately, conflict exists between the ruling people, the Landed, and two other cultures, the Aramahn who are indigenous and the Maharraht, a strange, fanatical sect. Making matters worse, a terrible wasting disease has become epidemic.

A meeting of the nine Dukes is planned, but an elemental spirit attacks the windship carrying the Grand Duke, murdering him and all his retinue.

The heir to the scepter of Khalakovo is sent to discover the child who is believed to have performed the summoning, and discovers that the boy is an autistic savant. More importantly, Nikandr believes he holds the key to lifting the blight.

Nikandr suffers from the wasting disease, and the only known possible cure is both illegal and disgusting.  He cares about one woman, but is to be married to another for political reasons. He is not sure how he feels about his intended bride. He knows much intigue goes on in his society, but he knows nothing of what swirls around him, or of what the people he loves are really up to.  Still, he trusts few people, and he keeps many secrets of his own. The way Nikandr handles the various situations he finds himself in is real and honest, and I really liked the way he is written.

Revenge, magic, love, political intrigue and great plot twists – this book has it all.  The scenes are beautifully imagined, and the characters have been given a breath and life that makes them believable. I especially enjoyed the smoothness of the narrative, and found myself reading the book to the exclusion of everything else!  

It is not cheap – even the kindle download is $7.99. But every now and then I will splurge and buy a download that costs a bit more and I am glad I did. The New Year weekend was well spent reading this book. I give it four and a half stars!