TARRANT'S REALM

Cover illustration for Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman

Apr 21, 2025

Establishing shot of Gerald Tarrant dressed powerfully in tabard of black and red. Deeply shadowed, his eyes hint of the same gold that accents his wardrobe. Elevated, he stands in alien woods, poised on a tier of rock that suggests a dais. The sword he grips is pointed tip to the ground. The elegantly curving blade glows blue as the same energy crackles low around Tarrant, flowing off the rock in rivulets that at first glance might be or even swirls of mist. Twisted trees rise behind him—skeletal with tops suggesting the shape of the human brain with forking branches forming ridges. A castle looms out of the misty woods, menacing in outline. The flying buttresses look built to impale with long pikes that bristle with burrs at the sides. — TARRANT'S REALM (1990), Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 32" x 20"

C.S. Friedman creates fascinating characters. Among the most complex I’ve visualized is the anti-hero Gerald Tarrant. Here is the Hunter at the height of his power for the first book of the Coldfire Trilogy.

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Additional images from TARRANT’S REALM

LEFT: Detail from TARRANT'S REALM featuring Gerald Tarrant standing on a rocky dais set in alien woods. His sword glows an blue as he holds it with tip pivoting on the ground. At his feet, rivers of bright energy stream down tiers of rock, at times holding to the contour of the slope, sometimes arching like electricity. Beside and behind him, the thin trunks of the trees meander like veins. The skeletal tops form an outline that suggests the human brain. RIGHT: Figure detail from TARRANT'S REALM featuring Gerald Tarrant dressed powerfully in a tabard of red and black. He holds a sword tip pointed to the ground as blue energy glows, arching with electricity and flowing down off the stone in rivulets. — Details from TARRANT'S REALM

Book cover for BLACK SUN RISING by C.S. Friedman, published by DAW Books — Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman (DAW)

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Open edition print of TARRANT'S REALM, conservation framed with acid-free mats, plexiglass, and wood moulding. — Available as an offset print in our shop

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AR Silver

Apr 21

I remember the very first time I saw this book cover. It took my breath away. It still does. Been on my wall for over twenty years. You can create such power in your paintings. Thank you for Tarrant and for all of your art.

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Mark S

Apr 27

The brightness of the blue has always astounded me in this one.