Worst Cover Yet?

[HighWiredSith]

I just finished reading The Gathering Storm and as I prepared to insert my dogeared and worn paperback onto my bookshelf in its rightful spot to the right of Knife of Dreams I took one last look at the awful cover art. I know bashing the cover art is commonplace but what am I looking at? Obviously this is someone's minds-eye image of Rand, a short, squat, Irish looking fellow dressed in flowing red silk and seriously tight blue jeans whose arms are too short for his body but is that supposed to be Avienda behind him and the fire damage from the bubble of evil that burned up the guard and almost burned down the manor house? Seriously? The best this guy could conjure up was a standard, middle ages structure with a black hole in one wall? Does this guy even read the books? Should Avienda, or pretty much any Aiel, be more tanned? The man has already put a sword on Gaul (on the KoD cover). He should have been let go just for that.

[randsc]

Nah, Knife of Dreams is worse. "Random bearded guy conducts a staff meeting."

[HighWiredSith]

Maybe...but they all pale in comparison to the wretched cover art for The Great Hunt. I still scratch my head and wonder why actually reading the book is not a prerequisite for creating the cover art.

[randsc]

Maybe...but they all pale in comparison to the wretched cover art for The Great Hunt. I still scratch my head and wonder why actually reading the book is not a prerequisite for creating the cover art.

 

See, I like that cover. It bugs me that the scene pictured never occurs in the book, but the painting itself is probably the best Sweet has done. Which is a low bar, I know.

[Guest Emu on the Loose]

About that light-skinned bit, I thought the Aiel are supposed to be light-skinned. I seem to recall RJ himself saying at one point that he thought it was amusing to make his fantasy setting's obligatory desert people look Irish--pale skin, red hair, and all--rather than giving them the usual swarthy hue. Anybody got a quote for that, or am I just dreamin'?

[Smittyphi]

Just think of the Tor covers as you read them. Ironically enough, they didn't really change The Great Hunt picture, just a different artist with a better rendition. I actually didn't like The Gathering Storm Tor cover. Too blah for me and I agree, Sweet's The Gathering Storm cover is horrid.

[icspots]

The man has already put a sword on Gaul (on the KoD cover).

 

I've always assumed the man with the sword on that cover was supposed to be Aram. Granted they have him with red hair, though I can't recall if RJ pointed out his hair color when he was introduced in tEotW.

[hankscorpio]

Maybe...but they all pale in comparison to the wretched cover art for The Great Hunt. I still scratch my head and wonder why actually reading the book is not a prerequisite for creating the cover art.

 

See, I like that cover. It bugs me that the scene pictured never occurs in the book, but the painting itself is probably the best Sweet has done. Which is a low bar, I know.

 

My problem with TGH cover is that Loial looks like an Elf, not like someone that Rand mistook for a Trolloc in the previous book.

 

Honestly I can't pick a worst one. They are all pretty bad. TGH, LoC, and KoD probably compete for the worst in my opinion.

[jwillis7]

The man has already put a sword on Gaul (on the KoD cover).

 

I've always assumed the man with the sword on that cover was supposed to be Aram. Granted they have him with red hair, though I can't recall if RJ pointed out his hair color when he was introduced in tEotW.

no its gaul, its from the prologue, it is almost exactly like the scene is described. but who wants a scene from the prologue on the cover of a book. My worst cover is TGS i just cant get over the size of his hand

[Sleeper]

They need to just re-release the books but put the e-book covers on them. I would be so much happier with that.

[Agitel]

Jordan had two choices of people to do the cover art for EotW: Darryl K. Sweet and Michael Whelan. Whelan only illustrates covers for books he's read (or at least has read a draft of), Sweet doesn't. When EotW was to be published and they were looking for authors, Jordan chose Sweet because they didn't have time for Whelan to read before it was published.

 

It's something to cry over.

[HighWiredSith]

Is that how Lan ended up wearing what looks like Seanchan plate mail on the cover of TEOTW? The Seanchan weren't even introduced until the second book, right?

 

I think my worst cover is the one where the boys are sitting around the old campfire after having carjacked, or I guess wagonjacked what appears to be a Tinker's wagon in the waste and Moiraine, that's right, Moiraine Sedai (blue dress, hair is the right color, who else could it be) is cooking them breakfast whilst they have a nice mug o ale and a hearty laugh. You can almost hear one of them yucking it up and saying "Hurry it up wench, by belly wants for this fast to be broken." Maybe that stray trolloc in the rocks smells her cooking.

 

Oh, and Pat Benatar called up and wants Rand to give her her headband back.

Seriously, how can you take a book seriously with a cover like that?

[HighWiredSith]

On the other hand:

All I can say is...badass!

[Terez]

Wall mural from a Mexican restaurant in VA:

 

[Smittyphi]

Wall mural from a Mexican restaurant in VA:

 

The mural is better.

 

That is just plain sad.

[Terez]

PS - I agree that TGS was the worst cover ever. It was breathtakingly bad.

[HighWiredSith]

Wall mural from a Mexican restaurant in VA:

 

 

LMFAO!!!

Dude, you just made my friggin day!

 

I'm dying to know, who jacked who? Which came first, Sweet's cover or the wall mural???

[Sleeper]

Wall mural from a Mexican restaurant in VA:

 

 

LMFAO!!!

Dude, you just made my friggin day!

 

I'm dying to know, who jacked who? Which came first, Sweet's cover or the wall mural???

Wouldn't it be great if the mural came first?

 

Imagine it: Sweet walks in to get some Mexican food. While there, he realizes that he needs to get some artwork done for this new book he's been hired for. He looks around for inspiration, and his eyes fall on the mural.

 

The rest is history...

[Terez]

LOL, pretty sure TSR came first. The restaurant is fairly new.

[WWWwombat]

LoC is totally the worst. I never read that book in public.

[RyanL24]

My problem with TGH cover is that Loial looks like an Elf, not like someone that Rand mistook for a Trolloc in the previous book.

 

Wait... that's Loial? I'm reading it now, and was pondering on who the elf could be. I actually thought maybe a hobbit accidentally made his way into the scene somehow. Oh well, a 4'8" ogier. Now... the dudes with ram horn helmets... please tell me those aren't trollocs?

[Terez]

I wouldn't say it's the worst, but it does look like a bad romance novel. I can understand why you might feel it threatens your manliness.

[threadnecromancer]

Is that how Lan ended up wearing what looks like Seanchan plate mail on the cover of TEOTW? The Seanchan weren't even introduced until the second book, right?

 

I think my worst cover is the one where the boys are sitting around the old campfire after having carjacked, or I guess wagonjacked what appears to be a Tinker's wagon in the waste and Moiraine, that's right, Moiraine Sedai (blue dress, hair is the right color, who else could it be) is cooking them breakfast whilst they have a nice mug o ale and a hearty laugh. You can almost hear one of them yucking it up and saying "Hurry it up wench, by belly wants for this fast to be broken." Maybe that stray trolloc in the rocks smells her cooking.

 

Oh, and Pat Benatar called up and wants Rand to give her her headband back.

Seriously, how can you take a book seriously with a cover like that?

 

Are you sure that is Moiraine? I thought it was that Darkfriend Rand thought might have been Lanfear, personally I think that the Great Hunt was Sweet's best work although I think that the Path of Daggers and Lord of Chaos were pretty good by Sweet standards not that that is saying much.

[Terez]

Yeah, TPOD was the least offensive.

[Smittyphi]

A crown of swords - Rand posing, showing Sammael his guns, buying Mashadar enough time to kill Sammael.

Lord of Chaos - That is how he looks after Dumai's well?