CROWN OF SHADOWS

Cover illustration for the Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman

Jul 14, 2025

An elegant man with shoulder length blonde hair and eyes glinting gold strides between a pair of trees barren of leaves but colored by alien lichen creeping up the trunk. He holds aloft a black sword drenched in purple flame. The edge rides a sinuous curve peaking high then retreating to upturned quillons and a curved grip tapering thin in the middle. The modest flames stand in contrast to shaded greens that tint the mountains behind him. His bearing is regal; his clothes made of fine black leather with gold trim and filigree. A purple sash runs beneath his long jacket, which sways trailing his motion. Behind him ephemeral spirits rise—the most prominent female with one arm and one knee raised. A volcano dominates the background, billowing smoke as it roils with electric green flame. — CROWN OF SHADOWS (1995), Acrylic on Panel - 28" x 22"

There's something in the complexity of an anti-hero that grabs the attention of readers. Such rich characters naturally provide an illustrator with opportunity to revel in the shadows.

LEFT: Alternate tonal concept featuring Tarrant facing left instead of right. The bare trees are set wider. At his feet is a young man with a sword. Behind him is a female form rising with arms out at an upward angle A smoldering volcano serves as backdrop. CENTER: Rough color concept featuring the cover layout. The photo was shot behind glass so the color contrast isn't as delicate as the original. RIGHT: Alternate tonal concept featuring Tarrant hold down on one knee with black sword held upright. One of the trees is in front of him while the other is behind. A silhouette is shadowed lower right just beyond the drape of Tarrant's cloak. Captured at an angled perspective between the trees, a female spirit rises with both arms out wide. The volcano is off center right with billowing clouds flowing up and curling left. — Preliminary concepts and color rough for CROWN OF SHADOWS

So it went with Gerald Tarrant in C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy. His prolonged life, gained through tragic means, dominates a dark fantasy set on an alien world more than a millennia after colonization.

LEFT: Alternate color concept for CROWN OF SHADOWS featuring Gerald Tarrant leaning against the tree to the left. His sword arm crosses his forehead with the blade falling downward. The volcano is off center left with smoke billowing up and swirling right. The female spirit floats distantly on the right. CENTER: Detailed color concept for CROWN OF SHADOWS featuring the cover pose minus the spirits in the background. RIGHT: Alternate color concept for CROWN OF SHADOWS featuring Gerald Tarrant from behind holding his sword aloft. Framed between the trees floats the female spirit with arms out to the side. The volcano glows with green flame and billows smoke in the background just behind her. — Color preliminaries for CROWN OF SHADOWS

Surrounded by an energy field sensitive to human thought and subject to constant seismic activity, the planet Erna itself serves as antagonist as detailed in the hostile alien environs on each cover.

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