IN DAI CHIKIZA

Cover for THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR by Tad Williams

Aug 26, 2024

With face etched in concern, a red-haired young man emerges through a circular archway into ancient ruins. In his arms, he cradles a small man with an arrow piercing his stomach. The man is slight in stature and has a youthful face—he could be mistaken for a child. Trailing behind is another figure outfit in wilderness garb and pack. The architecture has a distinctly elven feel, slightly overgrown. In the foreground left, a wolf howls as if acknowledging their approach. Deeper int he background, a series of ornate pillars obscure a larger facade, hinting at the depth of the ruins. — IN DAI CHIKIZA (1988), Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 18" x 46"

Creating the cover for the first book in a proposed epic trilogy can be a daunting task for an illustrator. They have to help the author gain an audience for a new fantasy world with a whole new cast of characters.

No matter how intriguing, when a manuscript is especially long and complicated it's hard to choose one scene that will be faithful to the story and grab new readers.

Tonal painted concept for IN DAI CHIKIZA featuring a man cradling a wounded companion in his arms. He's flanked on one side by a wolf and on the other by a female. Hidden in the background left of the forest is a rider on horse in silhouette. — Alternative preliminary concept for *The Dragonbone Chair*

Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy went on to become both a commercial success, with a long stretch on the New York Times bestseller list, and a critical hit with lasting impact on the genre.

George R.R. Martin cited the books as an influential in his own smash hit A Song of Ice and Fire. He praised Tad’s work as “one of the great fantasy epics of all time.”

Tonal painted concept for IN DAI CHIKIZA featuring a smaller man with an arrow in his hand climbing down from a tree limb. His companion is taller and in a wide stance with his foot braced on a rock. A large wolf perches next to him. — Alternative preliminary concept for *The Dragonbone Chair*

The jacket art for the first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn features Jingizu (the Sithi word for “Sorrow”). It was a blade forged by the Storm King. Inspiration for the design came in these ominously detailed passages:

“…in a sheath at [King Elias’] side was the sword with the strange crossed hilt…there was something queer and unsettling about the blade…[It] had a strange double guard, the cross pieces making; with the hilt, a sort of five pointed star.”

“…[the blade] was no mere weapon, but a blasphemy against the earth that had yielded both iron and witchwood. It was a hole in the tapestry of creation, and life leaked away through it.”

LEFT: Original jacket illustration depicting a collage of maps that leave an opening on the front and back cover for the illustration to show through, but it is white here. The spine has a sword with a unique hilt that forms a 5 pointed star with the handle. RIGHT: Published dustjacket. — Original illustration and published dustjacket for *The Dragonbone Chair* by Tad Williams (DAW)

When Tad returned to the kingdom of Osten Ard for a new story arc a few decades later, DAW Books asked me to provide illustrations of the swords that had decorated the spines of the original hardcovers. This time they would be placed front and center on the reissued covers.

The order of the swords was corrected to reflect the name of the series, the first being Minneyar, which translates to “year of memory.” I can’t say much more than that as spoilers abound—even decades later for some fans!

LEFT: **SPOILERS** - MINNEYAR (2016), A rough nail is bound to the straight blade just above the hilt which curves back slightly toward the grip. The arc of hilt is golden with branches of brambles decorating it. The handle is intricately carved in a knotwork-like pattern and there is a small bone set in it. The pommel is simple and rounded. RIGHT: Book cover for THE DRAGON BONE CHAIR by Tad Williams, reissued by DAW Books in 2016 — MINNEYAR and the cover of the 2016 reissue of *The Dragonbone Chair*

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Additional images from IN DAI CHIKIZA

LEFT: Detail of Seoman, a red-haired young man, emerging through a circular archway into ancient ruins. In his arms, he cradles a small man with an arrow piercing his stomach. RIGHT: Detail of an ancient Sithi city. The architecture is elvish. Delicately carved in pale green stone, the accents are elegant, balanced an symmetrical on the columns in the background, sweeping strokes over a window. IN the foreground a wolf arches in a howl. — Details from IN DAI CHIKIZA

Framed print of IN DAI CHIKIZA with warm silver moulding and a dark green mat — Signed print of IN DAI CHIKIZA is available in our shop

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Troy Church

Troy’s Substack

Aug 27Liked by Michael Whelan

Shonto’s garden is so beautiful. You get to work with so many talented writers. Do you get to choose what the cover will be or does the author/ publisher have input too? Also do you read any of the book to get a feel for the setting before you create the cover? Sorry for all the questions Michael. I’m just curious about the whole process.

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3 replies by Michael Whelan and others

Your covers are amazing. I was wondering if you have a favourite one , and if you would share that?

1 reply by Michael Whelan

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