AT WINTER'S END

Cover illustration for Robert Silverberg

Mar 07, 2025

A tribe of ape-like people tentatively emerges from the darkness of a cave. With mouths agape, many cower in the shadows. One mother clutches her young, curled up in her arms. Standing tall at their forefront is a female holding a spear with a stone chipped head and a ribbon trailing down the shaft. The curves of her hips and round of her breasts mark her gender as female. An ornate helm with tendrils sweeping off covers her face. The nostril holes are set wide and a sharp beak descends over her muzzle. A long white sash crosses over her chest. Behind her another prominent figure, this one with white patterns painted on its fur, heralds her arrival. It bears a bowl in each hand in outstretched arms. A air of reverence lights its eyes. — AT WINTER'S END (1988), Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 32" x 20"

What could I possibly say about an author who has earned 5 Nebula Awards and has been recognized as a Grand Master of the genre? I have yet to read a Robert Silverberg novel that I didn't like. I have the highest respect for him.

Color concept for AT WINTER'S END featuring two ape-like figures standing tall as they emerge through a stone archway. The lead figure holds a rod in one hand and a spear pointed down in the other. A gold mask that looks insectile covers her face. The figure behind holds a bowl in each hand with arms outstretched. — Color concept for AT WINTER’S END

At Winter’s End was the first of three Silverberg covers I illustrated (not counting the Legends anthology), and I think you'll find it offers all of the inventiveness and engaging characters that readers have become accustomed to while reading him.

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