I'm confused — you've said Dalinar will be on the cover, but now that we've seen the reveal in color, the man standing atop Urithiru (presumably) is clearly blond. Dalinar has black hair, greying around the temples. If it is Dalinar, surely the wrong hair color would be too big of an oversight to have been missed...?
Your description is accurate in past books. Here it is white, not blonde, surrounded by the golden glow of sunset. I haven't read the manuscript and only had a limited perspective on the art direction from Isaac, but I suspect this is going to fall under RAFO like Nynaeve on the back cover of A MEMORY OF LIGHT.
There was an interview that accompanied the cover reveal on Brandon's site which includes the art brief in case you needed further confirmation that it is Dalinar:
“Dalinar stands on the top of the tower of Urithiru looking west toward the oncoming Everstorm. In his hand is a copy of The Way of Kings. Below, in the distance, and around him are snowcapped mountains. The sweeping view of these mountains and the oncoming Everstorm takes up most of the sky.
“We were aiming for a tone that echoed how Dalinar might be feeling in that moment, like he’s the only one standing between the storm and the rest of Roshar.”
We'll post the full art this weekend (probably tomorrow) so stay tuned for that.
Good morning Mr Everett! Wonderful article! I just recently discovered this Substack platform, which is wonderful for me and I’ve just recently started learning more about artwork - and Cosmere artwork is my favorite. I got into reading fantasy 30 years ago in middle school with The Dark Tower novels. I find it neat to look back at that incredible art now knowing that the artist is also creating “my” Stormlight art.
At any rate, thank you for the article. We are all very excited for the Wind and Truth reveal!
So excited for Michael's new Stormlight cover reveal! Congratulations to both of you on this fantastical journey! (And thanks for the coupon - heading over to look at the prints now 😁)
Final cover, yes. We'll see if he's inspired to work on anything Stormlight on his own.
I'm sure he'll be talking about future plans more in-depth soon. We were chatting about that yesterday, and I know he's been on the fence about commercial assignments for the last few books.
When you look at the math, it makes sense. He's been on the series for 15 years now and is currently 74 years old. Five more books is a lot to ask when he has so many ideas for his own work waiting.
I'm confused — you've said Dalinar will be on the cover, but now that we've seen the reveal in color, the man standing atop Urithiru (presumably) is clearly blond. Dalinar has black hair, greying around the temples. If it is Dalinar, surely the wrong hair color would be too big of an oversight to have been missed...?
It always comes back to the hair. 🤣
Your description is accurate in past books. Here it is white, not blonde, surrounded by the golden glow of sunset. I haven't read the manuscript and only had a limited perspective on the art direction from Isaac, but I suspect this is going to fall under RAFO like Nynaeve on the back cover of A MEMORY OF LIGHT.
There was an interview that accompanied the cover reveal on Brandon's site which includes the art brief in case you needed further confirmation that it is Dalinar:
“Dalinar stands on the top of the tower of Urithiru looking west toward the oncoming Everstorm. In his hand is a copy of The Way of Kings. Below, in the distance, and around him are snowcapped mountains. The sweeping view of these mountains and the oncoming Everstorm takes up most of the sky.
“We were aiming for a tone that echoed how Dalinar might be feeling in that moment, like he’s the only one standing between the storm and the rest of Roshar.”
We'll post the full art this weekend (probably tomorrow) so stay tuned for that.
https://www.dragonsteelbooks.com/blogs/the-cognitive-realm/wind-and-truth-cover-reveal-stormlight-archive
Fantastic and thanks for the coupon - just placed an order!
Wonderful to see so many, and I love how you shade into surrealism.
Good morning Mr Everett! Wonderful article! I just recently discovered this Substack platform, which is wonderful for me and I’ve just recently started learning more about artwork - and Cosmere artwork is my favorite. I got into reading fantasy 30 years ago in middle school with The Dark Tower novels. I find it neat to look back at that incredible art now knowing that the artist is also creating “my” Stormlight art.
At any rate, thank you for the article. We are all very excited for the Wind and Truth reveal!
Best,
Kevin Dush
Thanks so much! We'll have a lot more to show in the coming weeks.
Today is my birthday! What an excellent gift! Congratulations on the official launch!!
Happy belated birthday! And thank you!
What a treat to see Mr Whelan’s recent works. Thank you
Love the sketches on the desk!
So excited for Michael's new Stormlight cover reveal! Congratulations to both of you on this fantastical journey! (And thanks for the coupon - heading over to look at the prints now 😁)
😊 🙌
This is great news! But hold on, you said this is Michael’s *final* artwork for Stormlight? I thought he was going to do all 10 🥺
Final cover, yes. We'll see if he's inspired to work on anything Stormlight on his own.
I'm sure he'll be talking about future plans more in-depth soon. We were chatting about that yesterday, and I know he's been on the fence about commercial assignments for the last few books.
When you look at the math, it makes sense. He's been on the series for 15 years now and is currently 74 years old. Five more books is a lot to ask when he has so many ideas for his own work waiting.
That’s perfectly understandable. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
Beyond excited for the reveal. Thank you for these fun posts as well!