Official AMOL Cover Art (Spoilers)

[Atan Lodorn]

I have been looking over the picture, maybe I am wanting to see things but near the top of the page, on the main stalagtite there looks to be a face. I have asked my children to look in the vicinity and tell me what they see, they say they see a face too. So maybe I ain't crazy, who knows. The other thing I noticed was the lack of black clouds and that implication. I haven't seen it mentioned about the lack of them looks a lovely partly cloudy day temps in the mid 100's in the good old blight. If Rand is using the dagger the parting of the clouds would be a alarm bell that he is there, cos shouldn't they be billowing black and silver? The knife ain't going to be any good is it?

[Durinax]

what if its egwene and nynaeve?

 

I think that Moraine would just be too weak to go into battle like this (although maybe strength of will would be more important in this case than strength in power in which case I would substitute egwene out for moraine)

[Barid Bel Medar]

I think it is more about the weaving then strength. Moiriaine is much more experienced than either Nynaeve or Egwene, and likely she has learned something important from the Finns. Remember a woman has to direct the weaves in a circle using Callandor. Also, she has her angreal, which can be used (Nynaeve uses the CK when they link for the cleansing, multiple angreal can be used)

[FarShainMael]

< picky>

 

AIUI, Shayol Ghul is a volcano, and you don't get stalactites in volcanic rock. They occur in limestone caves. There's a good image here:

 

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Stalactite

 

It's possible, of course, that the volcano erupted through layers of limestone. As Rand gets closer to the lava pit, he will first encounter marble (limestone changed by heat and pressure) and then black volcanic basalt. Assuming, of course, that the DO hasn't been messing with the local laws of geology.

 

< /picky>

 

I agree, there's a face there. The eye and mouth are quite clear.

[TristanWebb]

I'm not sure, but I think having a lava tube remain open in an active volcano is rare. It is possible if it has been sealed the magma found another way out just above it and forced small cracks into the top of the one being sealed small enough so some magma could flow into it slowly enough to form stalactites but not enough to collapse the whole thing. Unlikely, but this is the DO and he does have the Dark One's own luck.

[fikkie77]

It's neither a volcano with lava not a limestone cave with stalagtites. It's Shayol Ghul and all of it is either an illusion or is made by the Dark One.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Hahaha, yeah, it's Shayol Ghul, the DO does what he wants. He wants some kind of stalactites/mites, he gets them.

 

But being picky, Shayol Ghul was never actually a volcano. It is described as a mountain only. The lava pit is an effect of the DO, I suppose he likes the fire and such.

 

Even if it was a volcano, he created the Blight and the TP helped with creation of the Shadowspawn, I hardly think a few pointy rocks would be of any trouble

[Terez]

Dragonmount is described as a mountain only, too.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Indeed, both Shayol Ghul and Dragonmount are not exactly "ordinary", one the proverbial home of the DO, one created by LTT.

 

All I am saying is that the normal volcano rules hardly apply in this situation. It is not simply a volcano, neither are, if we are talking geologically.

 

The pressure and build up of the rocks would not be right. SG because of the DO and Dragonmount was created in less than a day.

 

I don't think either can be called a volcano in comparison to the real world volcanoes. Not in geological terms.

 

Edit: That then means that they are not stalactites/mites geologically, but it is much easier to describe than saying "spiky rocks hanging from the ceiling and pointing upwards".

 

So perhaps Shayolictites and Shayolicmites might be a better way to describe them

 

(FSM you said that is if geology applies, I didn't ignore that, I was answering, indeed, it doesn't apply. )

[FarShainMael]

Not with the DO around, no!!

[A. Pseudonym]

That is amazing. Much better than Sweets.

 

Dunno if anyone else has said this, but it looks to me like that's a dagger at Rand's waist. The dagger Aviendha said would make someone invisible to the Shadow.

 

I agree it's probably Moiraine on the left, but the hair colour of the woman on the right does not suggest Nynaeve. And doesn't she only wear green and blue dresses for Lan?

[Barid Bel Medar]

That is amazing. Much better than Sweets.

 

Dunno if anyone else has said this, but it looks to me like that's a dagger at Rand's waist. The dagger Aviendha said would make someone invisible to the Shadow.

 

I agree it's probably Moiraine on the left, but the hair colour of the woman on the right does not suggest Nynaeve. And doesn't she only wear green and blue dresses for Lan?

 

Yes, the Dull Dagger has been mentioned as a possibility, although it doesn't look like the description of it. The Dreamspike fits the drawing more, and certainly has its uses.

 

Nynaeve only wears green and blue for Lan, but I doubt Lan will be there. Nynaeve IS of the Yellow.

 

And the description says that they are two Aes Sedai, two women that have been with Rand since the beginning. Which really leaves only 3 people.

 

You can also see Nynaeve's ki'sain.

[A. Pseudonym]

To me it looks exactly like a sheathed dagger attached to his belt.

 

A dreamspike is a large, spike-like piece of silvery metal that is topped with a large metal head and set with golden inlay

 

It's got the knob on the end, granted, but the rest doesn't fit.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Read Perrin's description of the Dreamspike, it gives a bit more detail and fits more.

 

But it has already been discussed as much as it can really.

 

It could be anything really.

 

The dagger is a likely candidate. Who knows, it may be something completely different, since WoT cover arts can hardly be said to be accurate in description.

 

Both items have potential uses. And there is the possibility of it being something completely unknown.

[TootThatHorn]

To me it looks exactly like a sheathed dagger attached to his belt.

 

A dreamspike is a large, spike-like piece of silvery metal that is topped with a large metal head and set with golden inlay

 

It's got the knob on the end, granted, but the rest doesn't fit.

 

ive got to agree here. to me i really just think its a knife. i keep going back and looking at the sketches and the dagger is present in each picture, and it really just looks like a normal sheathed dagger. i think the fact that the sword on his hip showed up for the final draft is of more note, even though i think he only has the sword to stick to his roots, and as i stated waaay back in this post, the most interesting part is that his one arm is never exposed in any of the pics. could be wishful thinking as well but there is one sketch where it appears as though rand has come out of the pit holding callandor in a pretty triumphant pose, with the girls looking at him. I suppose it could look like hes about to head in and pumping himself up before he does, but i dont want to read it like that. The space between him and the girls bugs me though, in all the pics, because it seems to me as though they are only following at a distance, rather than being right there ready to assist.

another two cents of mine.

 

Edit: I would love to know the name of the chapter this scene is for

[Barid Bel Medar]

The sword = Justice. (90%)

 

I doubt Rand would carry a sword to Shayol Ghul for a bit of fun. If he does, it is stupid. He needs all the advantages he can get, and a sword hanging off him isn't going to help unless he has it for some reason.

 

It might be just to protect himself if he can't channel. The DO doesn't like channeling around him, and if there are Shadowspawn around, he wouldn't want to risk the DO picking it up, but then, why not just whack them with Callandor? It is sharp enough, supposedly.

 

Also, while the Dagger would be useful, someone else brought up a good point. If Rand's little patch of sunshine around him continues, hiding from Shadowspawn/DO would be redundant, since the DO would know immediately when a patch of sunlight breaks through the clouds. Mind you, it may not appear so close to SG.

[TootThatHorn]

ya, im assuming the sword is justice as well, but the only thing i dont like about that theory is that im almost fully convinced that justice is going to end up in the hands of the saenchan as a bargaining chip. perhaps this scene happens sooner than expected in the book, but i doubt it, so i could be wrong about that. i thought as well that why wouldnt he just cut some people down with callandor, because i agree, he probably brought justice as a contingency and he has always stressed the need to fight with a sword, i believe he even tried to make it mandatory at the BT. I dont think however that by this cover or the sketches he much considers callandor a sword, given that none of the poses look anything like a way that a sword should be held for combat. i feel like a lot concerning justice is dependant on his other hand, it really messes with me that its not visible in any sketches although like i said before, it may just be that a weakness wasnt something they wanted to depict...and his hand may not be fixed, given that justice is on the hip that he would have to draw from with the hand that is holding callandor

[Barid Bel Medar]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I agree, it is strange.

 

I agree it will be used to bargain with the Seanchan, but I am not sure about him needing to hand it over to Tuon. Him having it would be like a sign of power. Like the Amyrlin's stole. Wearing Hawkwings sword would be like "Hawkwing approves of the Dragon Reborn" type thing.

 

I really don't know, I can only go by the drawing. It was funny it wasn't added in till later, although he hasn't read the books, so it could be something he missed and Team Jordan put it in.

 

But then it could be that it was added as an afterthought.

 

Who knows. Good posts, keep the speculation rolling. We have enough time to think of just about every scenario, so why not!

[TootThatHorn]

ya he did state that he hadnt read the books, and although i stated before that the covers normally seem anything but accurate in regards to a lot of details, i feel like this is probably the one that had the most "put this detail in, add this, this should look like that, this is important" prompts from team jordan. the blood on his shirt for one thing, ill bet that was a prompt, or a note that stated this had to be in there. and ya, you could be right about rand holding on to justice...i had always assumed that the horn would be blown by mat while tuon is next to him and hawkwing would come out goin "what the hell are you doing?" and then put tuon over his knee, or something along those lines lol thats how i had thought rand would get his street cred with the seanchan, especially before justice showed up

[FarShainMael]

To me it looks exactly like a sheathed dagger attached to his belt.

 

A dreamspike is a large, spike-like piece of silvery metal that is topped with a large metal head and set with golden inlay

 

It's got the knob on the end, granted, but the rest doesn't fit.

 

Must be a wizard's staff then...

[Suttree]

Interesting post from Marie Curie over at Theoryland on the cover. Thought you all would enjoy it...

 

Marie Curie

There have been some additional details posted in the comments section of the article about the Whelan cover at tor.com. The comments appear to be legitimate, from someone (MRJackson) who knows and works with Whelan in some capacity.

 

A couple of highlights, which cover some of the criticisms regarding the accuracy of the depiction of characters (especially Nynaeve):

 

1. The length of Nynaeve's hair is correct, so something must have happened since we last saw her for it to be even shorter than it was from her test for the shawl. (He is not entirely sure about the hair color and why it is lighter than we would expect, but he speculated about the lighting.)

 

2. Nynaeve took off most or all of her jewelry before this scene.

 

3. Whelan was aware that Nynaeve favored green and blue dresses, so the choice of yellow was apparently deliberate.

 

4. Callandor is lighting Rand's way into the Pit, which seems fairly obvious, but it apparently shines brighter the further in Rand goes.

 

The first comment from MRJackson:

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRJackson

Not sure why there's still confusion. It's Nynaeve and Moiraine on the back cover. The yellow and blue dresses should make that apparent. Nynaeve's hair is obviously shorter than it used to be.

 

I spoke to Michael about the cover as he was finishing it. Since he didn't have the opportunity to read all 14 books for the assignment, I was one of the people he leaned on to fact check his work.

 

Michael mentioned there are details the readers (like me) wouldn't be privvy to yet. For example, Nynaeve takes the bulk of her jewelry off before this scene.

 

Callandor is a sword that isn't a sword, right? He's not holding it for defense. It's a source of power as well as his source of light (there's a clue about that in the lighting on his face). He's shielding his eyes as he stares in to the pit. Apparently, the deeper he goes into Shayol Ghul, the brighter it shines.

 

A little background that some might not know... Michael ha's studied martial arts, including Filipino Kali and Arnis. The forearm slash position actually has some utility in fights with bladed weapons.

 

Compositionally, the line of the sword is another element that draws you into the intensity of Rand's stare. Further, the opening of the cave is the shape of an eye; the eclipse suggests an iris. It's as if the gaze of the Dark One is falling on Rand. We see his strength and determination in response. How many illustrators can convey that kind of depth in a scene?

 

Say what you will, but I think Michael brought a lot to the plate on what was a very difficult cover assignment. He put his stamp on Rand while producing a cover that fits well with the first 13 that DKS painted.

 

The second comment from MRJackson:

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRJackson

I was just one of the people helping with the details. Obviously Michael had Irene Gallo's art direction and was in contact with editors including Harriet.

 

Michael's wife Audrey usually serves as his sounding board, but she hadn't read the books. (For the record, I'm not affiliated with TOR. I've worked with Michael since the mid 90s, primarily on his website.) I'm a WoT fan and that's the kind of feedback Michael was looking for... someone he knew who had read the previous 13 books.

 

Michael and I did discuss Nynaeve's dress color. I mentioned that she catered to Lan's color preference of green and blue. The yellow of her ajah usually came in slashes of color, accents if I recall correctly.

 

Like I said, I haven't read the manuscript for AMoL and Michael couldn't talk about it. But I distinctly recall Nynaeve taking pride in being a true Aes Sedai finally. Going into the Last Battle, I don't think it's a stretch that she would choose yellow. I suppose we'll have to RAFO on that.

 

In the background information I provided, I described Nynaeve's hair color as darker brown and referenced previous covers (among them the Melanie Delon's cover for A Crown of Swords that drew criticism for being too red).

 

I'd have to ask him why he chose lighter highlights. Just my speculation here, but Callandor is a light source. There's also illumination from the eclipse filtering in from the mouth of the cave to consider.

 

Michael got the length of Nyn's hair right, and this isn't simply opinion. Hopefully Brandon or Harriet will confirm at some point that her shoulder length hair was too short to braid.

 

Interestingly, Michael and I spoke about the challenge of pulling character descriptions from the text. If you're familiar with his illustration, he's known as a stickler for details. But it isn't always easy to translate text literally, especially when Jordan and Sanderson contradict in their description.

 

In correspondence, Michael wrote, "Major characters are described as diminutive in size, yet 'commanding' in presence. Faces are youthful, yet ageless. Or young but having eyes full of wisdom of the ages. Rand is tall and manly, yet has an almost "feminine" beauty in his eyes or mouth. It's a bit confusing how one is supposed to render such conflicting elements."

 

Honestly, I don't mind the nitpicking. Criticism comes with the territory. My point in responding is to state that Michael was mindful of details here. There's evidence of it in the painting. I can tell you that he had Moiraine's kesiera and Nynaeve's ki'sain accounted for before I even spoke to him.

 

On a personal note, I had the priviledge of meeting Robert Jordan before a signing on the Knife of Dreams tour. One of the things we talked about was the cover art for the series. I think Mr. Jordan would be pleased with this one. Obviously Harriet was when she said, "that is the Rand I have waited to see for twenty years."

[fionwe1987]

Why is the Dreamspike being brought up as a possibility. It needs to be in TAR to be active, right?

 

Also... Rand looks feminine around the mouth and eyes? Wasn't it in ToM that we were told he had hard lines around them that gave one the sense of age?

[Barid Bel Medar]

Thanks Suttree! A good post, do you mind if I edit the OP to include this?

 

Fionwe1987, the Dreamspike, we don't know if it has to be active in TAR. It is a reasonable assumption, but still unknown, they could have used it in TAR because it is easier to set there, if Graendal had tried to set it up in the real world, she would have had to go into Perrin's camp and put it in the ground. THere are several problems with this, first obviously she would be seen. Secondly, there would be a random Dreamspike in the ground, people would get suspicious and possibly move it. Third, when Perrin is moving, someone would have to keep moving the Dreamspike to follow and encompass his people. A lot easier in TAR.

 

Besides, even if it can only be activated in TAR, it could be that Rand used it in TAR to travel safely to where he wants to go (The blight doesn't appear in TAR, so he may not be able to get to SG via TAR, although SG was a real place) and then slip it though his belt while going to Shayol Ghul.

 

Point being, it really could be anything. We don't know enough about the scene to say what would or would not work or be useful here.

[Suttree]

Thanks Suttree! A good post, do you mind if I edit the OP to include this?

 

Don't see why not as long as it's sourced.

 

I am really wondering why Nyn would have taken all her jewelry off before the scene. Any guesses as to who has it?

[Barid Bel Medar]

No problem, I just quoted the whole post.

 

Re: Nynaeve. I would have to say Alivia, only because she is supposed to be important to Rand dying, and she has used them before.

 

I would have thought she would have kept them on, especially going to Shayol Ghul.

 

Possibly Egwene or Elayne would have them. The Amyrlin should be sufficiently protected in battle, and Elayne is pregnant, she needs all the help she can get.