Well, most of this post has been done for months, but I just haven’t gotten around to updating the blog. What a slacker I am! I’m not going to promise any regular updates, but I am going to say that I finished Nethermore finally and have moved onto the next novel on my list. Next time I post I’ll talk about the things I learned from Nethermore and how those affect how I’m approaching my next book.

Now back to the Wheel of Time cover countdown!

#3. Crossroads of Twilight

I’m putting this at #3, but at the same time I’m not sure if it accurately reflects how I feel about the cover. At this point, I’m having a hard time separating the covers from the contents of the books. This very well may be a pity award since this book is the one that catches the most flack from readers.

However, I love the design on this one. It makes it very pick-up-able. There are more identifiable characters on this cover than any of the res t of them. I can actually tell which one is Mat, Thom, and Tuon. And the purple foil letters are snazzy and magical like a big dose of Harry Potter. So this is #3 because it’s fun to look at, has identifiable characters, and has horses who are excited to be part of the story.

#2. The Dragon Reborn

This portrays one of the great moments of the series, when the sword that is not a sword is pulled from the heart of the stone in Tear. Rand, Perrin (looking more like a member of the Goonies than a blacksmith’s apprentice), and Mat are readily identifiable, as is the creepy visage of Baalzamon that peered out from the spine of this book. My biggest complaint about this cover was that it was during the time that Tor’s book binders whipped up a batch of bad glue, which had the covers falling off most of the paperback’s I bought during this era. The Dragon Reborn paperback was the poster child for this era, falling off more quickly than most. But that was nothing a little Elmer’s glue and blue food coloring couldn’t fix. (I was fifteen at the time…I don’t know why I added blue coloring to the glue.)

#1. The Eye of the World

This could have been in the generic-people-riding-horses post, but these are pretty identifiable characters. We know which ones are Lan and Moiraine and Rand. This cover holds a place in my life because of the sense of wonder that it portrays. I remember seeing The Eye of the World sitting on the end table at my best friend’s house back when I was fourteen or fifteen. I picked the book up, borrowed it from my friend’s father, read it, and then lost it in my locker at school. Moiraine and Lan still look like these characters in my imagination. Everything is right about this cover; not because the design and art are perfect, but because of the memories associated with it. Thanks, DKS, for a nice cover. And thanks, RJ, for a wonderful series full of memories.

Well, that’s it folks. I’ll definitely review the cover for A Memory of Light when it’s released. Until that time, I’m not sure how much cover reviewing I’ll do, but I will get back on track about the book writing updates. And maybe I’ll find a bit of time to update the website and add a better portfolio section. Thanks for reading, folks.