Did Robert Jordan like the WoT covers?

[Frost Wynters]

Does anyone have info about RJ having commented on the WoT covers?  I ask because I've always thought they looked rather mediocre.  The first WoT book i bought was ACoS in paperback, which stands out from the other books.  Had IT, been a similar cover as the others, I might not have discovered the WoT.

I can't imagine me being the only one to not like the covers (the American ones anyway), so I was wondering if RJ endorsed them and wanted this particular artist(sorry I don't have his name, and I'm too contemptuous of his work to make the effort to reach over and grab a WoT book to find out) doing them, or if Tor is responsible for the choice of cover and artist.

[Samuel]

From a 1999 interview with Robert Jordan:

"Someone asked how he chose the cover artist, and we got a nice long spiel with some previously unknown information. Jordan and his wife went through bookstores picking out books based on their (if they liked it) cover art and finding out who did the cover. It came down to two artists, Darrel K Sweet and Michael Whelan. The deciding factor was that Whelan wants the manuscript to read for a year before he will deliver a cover, and they just couldn't wait that long.

 

They are apparently considering a later reissue of the entire series withdifferent covers, perhaps by Whelan, once it is complete."

 

Sweet Criticism and General Commentary

• Rand is NOT tall enough.

• The Path of Daggers details are mostly right, at least.

• Rand has a different face on each cover.

• DKS has never done the trollocs right: "They are NOT hairy men with animal-like helmets."

• Detail problems with Sweet are due to communication difficulties; there is not much time or opportunity for input.

• Path of Daggers: "The Elvis cover."

• A Crown of Swords: "The pugilist cover."

• Lord of Chaos: "Take my room key, please!"

Personally, I quite like some of the Sweet covers-I'm fond of A Crown Of Swords, Lord Of Chaos and a Path  Of Daggers. I don't think Sweet deserves how the fans treat him but yes,  he isn't in his prime anymore. Imagine Wheel Of Time with Michael Whelan covers...that would be awesome.

 

Sounds like Tor will reprint the whole series sometime after A Memory Of Light is complete, with new artwork (possibly the eBook artwork, or artwork all done by one of the eBook artists?).

[farthammer]

The covers are pretty much designed so that anyone actually pulling one off the shelve at barnes and noble may as well just start screaming one in the aisles

 

Edit - Language

[Jillain Sanche]

It's not like he's a bad artist, but he seems to have not actually read the books?

 

Barbara Remington's Ballantine Books Lord of the Rings paperback covers (1960s-70s) were more accurate than Sweet's WoT covers, I think! And she was pushed to deliver when she had not been given time to read (like an extra week of her likfe as they were already in hard back).

 

[kivo]

Not a fan of some of the covers but I hope they don't replace him before the series ends.  To be fair, I picked up The Eye Of The World because the cover intrigued me.  So props and many thanks to DKS for that.

[Malruhn]

• Lord of Chaos: "Take my room key, please!"[/i]

 

That evoked a full out guffaw!  The problem was that I had a mouthful of coffee at the time.

 

Computer monitors don't like coffee...

 

My first thought when I saw the LoC cover was torn between "Take my room key," and "Can I get your autograph?"

 

I've always thought the covers were crap and had nothing to do with what was going on inside.  A dear friend posed for a painting that became a book cover (Heinlein's, Friday)... she looked nothing like the character, and the painting was modified to give her a "futuristic" jump-suit (she posed nude... at the tender age of 14), so I know that cover art means almost nothing most of the time.

 

If it weren't for the synopsis on the inside cover, I would have never picked up EotW so many years ago.

[Stanley the Bugman]

Speaking of the covers, did anyone get to see the actual whole cover (The one without the black bar) for Towers Of Midnight yet? If not, here's a link: http://aidanmoher.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/towers-of-midnight-by-robert-jordan-brandon-sanderson-nobar.jpg

 

Got that link off of Brandon Sanderson's Facebook. Overall, I think it's okay, (Definately better than the artwork for The Gathering Storm) but I'm still not really a fan of it.

 

[Agitel]

Speaking of the covers, did anyone get to see the actual whole cover (The one without the black bar) for Towers Of Midnight yet? If not, here's a link: http://aidanmoher.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/towers-of-midnight-by-robert-jordan-brandon-sanderson-nobar.jpg

 

Got that link off of Brandon Sanderson's Facebook. Overall, I think it's okay, (Definately better than the artwork for The Gathering Storm) but I'm still not really a fan of it.

 

 

You think they could tell the author that (at least, I haven't checked) two of the characters are off the cover of Crossroads of Twilight. Then maybe we could have some consistency and, to be honest, Mat and Thom looked pretty good in it.

[Cillian]

Speaking of the covers, did anyone get to see the actual whole cover (The one without the black bar) for Towers Of Midnight yet? If not, here's a link: http://aidanmoher.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/towers-of-midnight-by-robert-jordan-brandon-sanderson-nobar.jpg

 

Got that link off of Brandon Sanderson's Facebook. Overall, I think it's okay, (Definately better than the artwork for The Gathering Storm) but I'm still not really a fan of it.

 

 

Better than TGS'a cover but still pretty terrible.

 

I'm so happy I have the UK covers.

[Tel Janin]

I'm so happy I have the UK covers.

 

Silly question: is the text in the UK version converted to "The Queen's English"?  (Hopefully, no one's offended.)  What I mean is, words like armor, color, flavor...is the Queen's 'U' added to those?  And are the 'Z's replaced with 'S's?  I served in Australia for four years but never really got used to "The Queen's English"... I know.  Damned Yank.  ;)  Please don't call me a Yank, though.  I'm a good ole Southern Boy.  My kin wore gray in the War Between the States...

 

Wow.  Sidetracked.  Anyway, I prefer the UK covers; if the text isn't converted, I may buy them...unless anyone of you blokes wanna send me your dust covers?  ;D

 

 

[Stanley the Bugman]

I don't really hate all of the covers of the books, but the e book covers are so much better. I think the cover for Lord Of Chaos is probably my favorite.

[Mr Ares]

I'm so happy I have the UK covers.

Silly question: is the text in the UK version converted to "The Queen's English"?  (Hopefully, no one's offended.)  What I mean is, words like armor, color, flavor...is the Queen's 'U' added to those?  And are the 'Z's replaced with 'S's?  I served in Australia for four years but never really got used to "The Queen's English"... I know.  Damned Yank.  ;)  Please don't call me a Yank, though.  I'm a good ole Southern Boy.  My kin wore gray in the War Between the States...

 

Wow.  Sidetracked.  Anyway, I prefer the UK covers; if the text isn't converted, I may buy them...unless anyone of you blokes wanna send me your dust covers?   ;D

Alas, no, if we wish our words spelled correctly we must do it ourselves. They are still written with American spellings. And when you say the Queen's 'U', am I the only one who imagines the Queen "txt" talking? "1 iz feeling well good 2day."