Is it just me, or do these covers just keep getting sillier? Like, this one is just a straight-up comedy, dudes! Look at this!
Of the Wheel of Time covers we’ve analyzed so far, this is by far the simplest. It depicts the moment near the end of the book, where Rand claims Callandor and is officially recognized as the Dragon Reborn (hey, that’s the title of the book!) in the Stone of Tyr. Watching this event happen are his old friends Mat and Perrin.
There are a couple of problems with that. For one: their outfits. Mat looks fine; a little too noble-like, given how much he seems to disdain those. But Rand’s outfit looks nothing like the red nobleman’s coat he’s often described as wearing. And what the fuck is Perrin wearing? Is he supposed to be a Barbarian from Dungeons and Dragons? And since when did he have a shield?
Problem two: Mat and Perrin weren’t even there! Mat was in the Stone, sure, but he was off rescuing the girls. Meanwhile, Perrin was back at his room in the inn trying to rescue his new lady friend from an evil dream. Neither one even saw Rand until it was all said and done, save for when Mat saw someone climbing the stone and dismissed it as his imagination.
Thirdly, the sword itself. Callandor is described as ‘the sword that is not a sword’, as well as being a weapon seemingly made from glass. The weapon that Rand holds overhead is a sword of flame. Granted, this one is the most forgivable, since Rand frequently uses a flaming sword conjured by Channeling. That, or Rand is Channeling through Callandor, which is making it look like a flaming sword?
Actually, I kind of like how ambiguous it is. Forget that I called that an issue.
In terms of art quality, there’s nothing to complain about. The artists who actually put the piece together did a fantastic job! Just look at the detail work on the backgrounds! God damn dudes, that shit pops! As cheesy as these covers are, the art quality is always a 10/10!
Still, this cover is goofy as hell and I love it. It may not do a flawless job at depicting the epic climax of the book, but it does do a good job of looking fantastical and entertaining. If I saw this on the shelf as a kid, I’d probably have read it.
Seriously, is every cover going to look like this? Cause if so, I am so excited!
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