The cover art- RJ's fault?

[RAND AL THOR]

Let me start by stating quite explicitly that IMO, the WoT covers are exceptionally disappointing for so great a novel. I try not to judge a book by its cover, but interesting covers do draw the eye nevertheless.

 

I had always been under the assumption that authors get to design their covers to a great extent and so wondered why RJ decided to go for such weak covers (possible exception book 3).

 

Hoever, I just realized that the author gets practically no say whatsoever in the cover of their book. You may want to look here for more info on that:

 

http://readingunderthecovers.blogspot.com/2007/07/i-hate-my-book-cover-5.html

 

So it seems that RJ most likely wasn't directly responsible for the awful covers. But then again, maybe RJ was satisfied with them? Its seems impossible to me.

[Tiyger]

Honestly, I like the WoT book covers. Very vivid colors, beautiful to look at, though some I admit I do like better than others. The characters are not always accurately pictured, etc, but the artwork itself is stunning.

And as for the author not being able to choose their own artists.. for most, yes, that is true. Unless they become so popular and have enough freedom in their contracts with publishers.. the publishers have their own artists. Unless the author has enough influence to say "use these pictures or else I go somewhere else." Most publishers will just say 'Alright then, don't let the door hit you on the way out. bye bye."

Robert Jordan MAY have had enough influence to choose his own artists, but honestly I'm not sure. Book art is USUALLY all the fault of the publishers.

[Jambo]

I don't know I kind of like the cover art for most of the books even if they tend to be a little inaccurate and inconsistant. The one thing that bothers me is the blurb on the back (or lack there of). That's the most important part of a book especially if you are new to the auther or series and to be honest when I started reading these books it was because I thought the cover of EoTW was cool, not because I had any idea what the books were even about  :P

[Sabio]

Like the book covers better then most of the drawings in the big White Book.  Besides some of the orginal covers didn't even have drawing on them.  Crown of Swords just was red with gold lettering and a small crown.

[xWolfBrother]

to be honest when I started reading these books it was because I thought the cover of EoTW was cool, not because I had any idea what the books were even about  :P

 

Lol thats what I did I was sitting there in study hall and I saw it!  I grabbed that sucker and threw it in my bag, couldn't read it at school though. ^^

[Elgee]

The book covers are certainly eye catching, with vivid colours etc, but the quality of the artwork is atrocious. I’m talking about proportions, depth, etc. It looks like it was done by someone with one eye and no depth perception, or otherwise the models were freaks of nature. I find it incredibly disappointing that a series of this magnitude and popularity seems to, in the eyes of the publishers or whoever has control over these things, only rates a 5th rate artist. It looks cheap.

[Vemynal]

andlet us not forget book 2 the great hunt, possibly the worst book cover (the other being book 6) in the series.

 

I had Loial looking like he shouldnt and a bunch of "Trollocs" that were just normal guys in metal animal helmets.

[Majsju]

Thank goodness for the UK versions, those covers are awesome.

[Elgee]

Really ?? Where could I see examples, Maj ?

[Leopoled Boothe]

I have been know to poke fun at the cover art a time of too but I must admit it was the cover art that first drew me to the series.  I was in a books store in Colorado looking for something to occupy my time on an upcoming bus ride to Kentucky and the cover of "The Dragon Reborn" happened to catch my eye.  I quickly grabbed it up but then came to realize that it was the third book in the series so I bought "The Eye of the World" instead.

 

And I agree that the cover art is very inacurate but to be fair you must realize that a book's cover art must be ready at the time of publication so the cover artists often have only a brief synopsis of the plot to go on.

[Thorum]

Really ?? Where could I see examples, Maj ?

 

 

This is Eye of the World. The black stays black, the other color changes. New spring looks a bit differently though. (here you can see them all).

[Elgee]

But yet they can manage it for most other fantasy / scifi books?

[Majsju]

Really ?? Where could I see examples, Maj ?

My private library...:P

 

The only artwork is the wheel&snake symbol, and different background colours depending for different books. I am not a fan of cover illustrations, so I love the UK covers.

 

Edit: Ninja'd by Thorum

[Elgee]

*smacks Maj upside the ear*  ::)

 

thanks for the pic, Thorum  :D

[RAND AL THOR]

Wow the UK covers are excellent!!!!! I just saw some similar covers here in my local bookstore but they are actually almost twice the price of the others so I can't get them.  :(

[Guest The Thin Inn Keeper]

Honestly, I like the WoT book covers. Very vivid colors, beautiful to look at, though some I admit I do like better than others. The characters are not always accurately pictured, etc, but the artwork itself is stunning.

Uhhhhh....

 

Case in point, the US cover for Crossroads of Twilight:

http://www.amazon.com/Crossroads-Twilight-Wheel-Time-Book/dp/0312864590

 

It's a total mash of dynamic movement ... and then not so dynamic movement. Some horses moving around, obviously quickly, and others rooted to the spot. Who's the archer in black? Can't remember an archer in black. I take it the old white-haired man is Thom?! It's got to be, because the guy with the chubby face has got to be Mat ... assuming noone else wears a black hat and carries a sword-spear... And who are the two in the bottom left corner?!

 

The artwork is middling to bad in the majority of cases, in my opinion. I'm just glad the majority of mine are UK covers.

[RAND AL THOR]

Whoever designed the covers, did a wonderful job of picking the most boring possible part of the story to paint. Exception book 3 of course.

 

1- Alright I guess.

2- Can't remember what its like. My cover's off by now. I love that book.

3- Best one out of all 11.

4- Wagons? How dull

5- Somewhat alright, but I don't like it when characters are protrayed in images because I usually have completely different images of them in my head. My fault.

6- I'm not even going to comment about this one.

7- no idea what that is (http://www.amazon.com/Crown-Swords-Wheel-Time-Book/dp/B0000VZEJ6/ref=pd_sim_b_4/102-1968940-4505746)

 

8- This one was good. But once again, MC character protrayal

9- Not very attention grabbing

10-...........................

11-Out of all the scenes in the book, the artist (or editor or RJ or whoever) decides to pick the one where Perrin is talking to Galina. O-M-G

12-I can only pray.

[Majsju]

Right now I do not really care about the covers, since my collection is a mix of paperback, hardcover with US cover and hardcover with UK cover.

 

I expect that there will be a more collectable edition once AMOL is out, so I can get something more coherrent, and then I will donate all my old books to my local library.

[Hybrid]

It's a total mash of dynamic movement ... and then not so dynamic movement. Some horses moving around, obviously quickly, and others rooted to the spot. Who's the archer in black? Can't remember an archer in black. I take it the old white-haired man is Thom?! It's got to be, because the guy with the chubby face has got to be Mat ... assuming noone else wears a black hat and carries a sword-spear... And who are the two in the bottom left corner?!

 

IMO, archer is Harnan (the only Redarm using a bow, the others use crossbows).  Not sure why he's there, though.  The bottom left two are Tuon and Selucia (remember, Tuon has short hair and dark skin).  It's still terrible artwork though.

 

I really like those UK covers.  The dignified serpent icon works wonders for WOT's image.  I only wish I'd found those before buying my American versions.  Damn you Darrell K. Sweet.

 

On that note, here is a funny link to the usenet group ripping each cover apart point by point:

http://linuxmafia.com/~pam/cover_art.html