I was expecting a bit of goofy fun today. That’s what I look for in a Wheel of Time cover. Unfortunately, I was disappointed this time around.
Now, I wouldn’t say it’s an awful cover. But of the Wheel of Time covers so far, it is definitely among the weakest. There isn’t a whole lot of substance to actually analyze and it doesn’t do much to lure a reader in.
Like the last few covers, this one depicts the grand climax of the story. Standing front and center is Rand, looking weirder than ever with his sleeveless coat and short hair. He stands in Shadar Logoth during the night. To the left, we see a lurking bird Trolloc, likely trying to get the jump on the Dragon Reborn. And on the right… I’m not sure. Is that supposed to be a sand pit? Some trap set by Sammael?
The artwork itself is as impressive as ever. The detail on the shadowy city and the reflections of the moonlight on the dark stones is super impressive! Rand does look weird, but he is pretty badass looking.
But there isn’t anything here that really grabs you. It does a poor job of representing the scene it’s adapting and it doesn’t do anything to grab your attention. If I had seen this on a shelf in the library, I wouldn’t look twice at it.
Well, at least they didn’t try to adapt some other scenes from this book onto the cover. But that’s a topic for the review itself.
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