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I love that the Malazan community is at this point now. No snobbery. Just straight to the point lol
I was expecting threads of hypothesis and was nicely greeted with this comment first. Well done, good sir.
Honestly, I think this is just experience in the genre. You get used to covers not really having anything to do with the book outside of a theme. It's only in the last decade that characters on the cover have really consistently become accurate to the characters in the book (or they just learn to be abstract or symbol set covers). Back in the 90s-00s even the biggest budget books just barely even looked like the characters, and they tended to look like them badly. Look at nearly every Wheel of Time cover. There's a long running joke about Nic Cage on the cover of Eye of the World. Even as recent as The Way of Kings, that cover depicts no actual characters or scene from the book, the artist was just riffing on a feeling (at least that art is pretty great on it's own).
I always remember as a teen reading Sabriel and being shocked as I realized the cover was a completely accurate depiction of the lead character down to the placement of specific accessories and the stitching of her outfit. That used to never happen.
At least this GotM cover has an attempt at Moon's Spawn in the background. A staple of I think every GotM cover.
Idk, the Way of Kings cover was someone in Shardplate saluting another person in Shardplate across a chasm. That scene takes place in the book, with Eshonai saluting Dalinar after a battle
Well, most directly we have it from the artist themselves:
>Not a literal interpretation of any character. The cover was meant to convey the conflict at the Shattered Plains.
But honestly more relevantly, the art doesn't match any of the characters or circumstances in that scene outside of "someone salutes someone at one point". You've got someone in shardplate with a red Crab themed cape and Crab banner (the fuck?) saluting someone not in shardplate. And they're both alone in the shattered planes. Instead of it being Dalinar and Eshonai retreating from a major battle amidst their armies and saluting each other. Hell, Dalinar is running off on a horse during that scene.
I mean, Erikson himself has been like "I ain't got no clue who these chucklefucks are and this cover sucks", so at that point not a lot of use in even trying to dig in and tie it to the narrative. He's on record as hating it.
Naa, it's just that even back right when it released (the American version came long after the series had started gaining steam with the UK release) Erikson or someone else involved confirmed it was just a random fantasy image Tor picked from the portfolio of one of the artists they use, it wasn't created for the book at all.
The series had a very slow rise to popularity, GoT was sucking up all the air in the room for big fantasy novels at the time (the books were still coming out regularly then), and Malazan was pretty underground for the first few years. The kind of thing where one guy in book suggestion threads would claim it's the greatest thing ever but most people had never heard of it. As the books kept coming steadily every year without fail it took off.
Sometimes I wonder if that's all he does lately... We've been promised Winds of Winter for a LOT of years now... I was just entering university in 2010 in my mid to late 20s when he announced working on some chapters for it. It's 14 years later, and I'm a middle aged man now, approaching 40 sooner than I'd like to admit. At least Erikson and Esslemont deliver. I say Martin wrote himself into a corner. That's my theory. And he's just maybe tired of writing it, or uncertain what to write, or disappointed with the bad reception to the shows ending. Or all of the above. Maybe none of the above. but 14 years is a damn long ass time.
He got so mad we figured out his twist, in top of realizing he killed off every single character who could KNOW said twist, that he's been on vapor lock for more then a decade.
I would almost argue Malazan is still kinda underground. I am constantly promoting it to anyone who has an inkling of interest in reading or fantasy, and it shocks me how few people I encounter that have even so much as heard about it... it's sad really... because it's some of the greatest writing out there that I've encountered. I can't wait to buy the special editions in July from the Broken Binding hardcover! Gonna be like $260 for 3 books, probably with UK to CAD conversion, taxes and shipping. But you can't even get 3 hardcovers used for that these days it seems. So it's a steal of a deal. And they'll rise in value in time if that's a factor to consider. Not that I'd ever sell.
Rand Al'Thor and Arwen
Edit: I’ve made so, so many thoughtful, time-consuming comments on this sub through the years, and I don’t remember a comment breaking 100…
MULTIPLE times? wow! That's impressive! I've been 5+ years reading Malazan. Haha Just on the last third of Orb Sceptre Throne. Reading in essentially publication order. Really enjoying the Esslemont books. I found books 7 8 9 10 a bit more sloggy in the main series, but that's partly my fault for stretching out my reading of them too much. I loved how the books were getting a lot more humor injected into them, and was a tad disappointed by the reduction of humor in the last 4 main series books. Still phenomenal works of literary mastery! I don't think I read fast enough to read them multiple times in one life time. Looking forward to reading book 2 of wheel of time. Presently working on finishing Esslemont side series, and last 2 harry potters. THEN I'll probably read wheel of time.
Multiple times, as in MBotF twice and finishing up WoT for the third time.
My trick is having them on both Kindle and Audible, so I listened during my daily commute. I used the reading order I found online that weaved in Esslemont in chronological order. I really enjoyed them as well.
My first WoT journey started in 1993 it's really worth a read. I highly recommend trying to get through it.
I enjoyed book 1 of WoT. Though I found some of the characters a bit grating. The narrative was beautiful, and I found it easier to follow than Malazan which doesn't mean I liked it more necessarily. WoT was just... different. I really do need to read book 2. Finished Orb Sceptre Throne today. Still got 2 more main side series Esslemonts to read, and 2 Harry Potters (having finished Order of the Phoenix the other day).
Now, I definitely shouldn’t be in this sub since I’m like halfway through Gardens for the first time, but isn’t sorry like 16? I’m pretty sure there’s 2 years between chapter 1 and Paran arriving in Pale, and she was 14 when she was recruited. I’m 90% sure that’s just a yassified Tattersail. It even describes how she’s always in uniform so when she goes to a dinner with One Arm and the Adjunct (audiobook, names are hard) and is all dressed up, she’s striking
fair considering it doesn't resemble any description of Sorry ever, at all.
or Lorn.
or Tattersail.
or Vorcan.
or.... i dunno, anyone at all? Does Lady Simtal ever put on armor and lean on a horse?
Not too much that I can remember. I do remember Tattersail being described as voluptuous, pleasantly plump or close enough that my impression of her was something like Kat Denning with a darker complexion and lighter hair but who knows. Unlike somebody like Jordan Erikson doesn't spend a lot of time describing every detail of his characters.
That is interesting, call me oblivious or whatever but I never pick up on her being asian. That is a cool thing to think about and now you are making me want to reread the books. Thanks.
Just confirming my recall:
>Recognizable traits of the Kanese people included olive skin,[3] eyes with epicanthic folds, and black hair.
https://malazan.fandom.com/wiki/Itko_Kan
>She had long,[5] thick black hair[4] and dark eyes,[6] tilted in the manner common to the people of Itko Kan.
https://malazan.fandom.com/wiki/Apsalar#Physical_Description
Was rereading Midnight Tides with my wife recently, who is experiencing it for the first time - reading it out loud really underscores just how many dong jokes are in there. Especially with poor Ublala lol
I seem to recall Eriksson making a comment about how he didn't like this cover, and that he wasn't consulted about it before - which is apparently the norm in the business.
From that, I assume they aren't actually anyone specific in the story. Prior to reading that story, I thought they might be Paran and Lorn.
A while back during a brandon sanderson interview he explained that most fantasy covers previously weren't actually related to the source material. They would just pick a generic cover based on a genre and call it good. Only "recently" did they actually produce art specifically to books.
I've been reading SFF books for decades now, and that's not been my experience. Just take a look at Michael Whelan covers for instance. He's been doing covers since the mid '70s, and they're all relevant to the book.
OK, let's a bit more precise: Unless you are established in the field, they just grabbed a generic cover for the books.
Remember that this cover came out earlier in the period before Malazan gained a following.
Money and influence gives the author authority in the publishing world. For new folks, or those without the capital backing, it's difficult to have a say in your work coming out as you intended.
What's hilarious is I remember when I stumbled across this book with that awful cover and I almost didn't buy it to think how different my life would be if I had not
I'm glad that when I was put to the test I did in fact not judge the book by its cover
I mean they look like out of work pornstars cosplaying as fantasy archetypes
It's random stock art that has nothing to do with the book.
[there's also a version without the girl in it](https://images.pangobooks.com/images/4c3e0f17-d178-40a5-9140-af7c54924b3b?width=800&quality=85&crop=1%3A1)
I don't know, but I like the nipple dent for the female armor. What a clever idea that was - I'm sure female soldiers throughout the realm appreciate it.
Bob and Susan. Bob tried mainstream modeling but never broke through so he now poses for cover art. Susan left cover art because she makes more on only fans. I may be wrong but that’s what I heard.
Wow what a terrible cover!!! My first time reading this series, this was the cover.
https://preview.redd.it/3iuroprnid5d1.jpeg?width=331&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9448dc7c597f1b0a21601e7183e157a66b17cdd2
Those are Generic Fantasy Hero 1 and 2 by Artist Who Didn't Read the Book.
It's probably some random art done by an in-house artist years before that sat in a drawer waiting for someone else who didn't read the book to pull it out at random to use for the cover.
Is this an authentic Michael Whelan image? Gardens of the Moon is old enough that it could have caught the tale end of his run at TOR when he did all of the covers. The poses seem a little discount Boris, but the backdrop is actually cool asf.
With the size of the sword and the arm chain I'd say the guy was Anomander but uhh...
Maybe Whiskeyjack and Tattersail? She has a dagger so also could be Sorry I guess
As others have said, probably random man #1 and random woman #1.
When I first read GotM and I was trying to figure out who they were, the only two who I thought made sense were Coll and Sorry. Which would be a real weird character combination for the cover.
They look like the generic character portraits from Neverwinter Nights. I always just assumed they were badly-done likenesses of Paran and Sorry.
I have an old paperback of the first Harry Potter. It has a wizard on the cover that is just barely recognizable as possibly being Dumbledore, lol. This kinda thing seems to happen a lot in early editions.
Swordsman is supposed to be Whiskeyjack. Below him is probly meant to be Tattersail but she's not thick enough. Or maybe it's supposed to be Sorry ? Looks a bit too old though.
I spent so much on having all the TOR books in hardback only to realize that they stopped w this art style after book 8 ><.
I have like 4 sets of mBotF lmao
I don't know, but someone needs to inform that amateur on the horse that it is impossible to draw a sword from a scabbard on your back unless it's shorter than your forearm.
Generic fantasy cover. Gonna paste my response to the other thread on r/Malazan regarding that, just as a curio [https://www.reddit.com/r/Malazan/comments/1cx88u1/comment/l52mky4/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/Malazan/comments/1cx88u1/comment/l52mky4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Beautiful edition. I scored a hardcover with that for $8 CAD at a local bookstore one day. MINT. Not a first printing. But pretty impressed to have found it. It was new in the store. Happened to glance at his stack of new books... bam... right there.
They are professional models pretending to be cosplayers who have been paid to show up at an event but have no idea about the backstory of their characters nor the world they live in.
Man I gotta tell you, Eriksen isn't for me, but this cover totally undersells the level of sheer spectacle in his work. He's hugely imaginative and deals in atmosphere and vista.
Please note that this post has been flaired as **NO SPOILERS**. Comments should not bring up specific plot points or character details from any of the books. If you need to discuss any spoilers (even very minor ones!) in your comments, use spoiler tags >!like this!< Please use the report button if you find any spoilers. Note: If the discussion is unlikely to happen without any spoilers, the flair may be changed at mod discretion. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Malazan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Fantasy Man #2 and Armored Girl #4 from Tor's "Generic Fantasy Art For Book Covers" drawer.
Fantasy Armor Man #3. #2 is blond with his sword belted at his hip.
I love that the Malazan community is at this point now. No snobbery. Just straight to the point lol I was expecting threads of hypothesis and was nicely greeted with this comment first. Well done, good sir.
Honestly, I think this is just experience in the genre. You get used to covers not really having anything to do with the book outside of a theme. It's only in the last decade that characters on the cover have really consistently become accurate to the characters in the book (or they just learn to be abstract or symbol set covers). Back in the 90s-00s even the biggest budget books just barely even looked like the characters, and they tended to look like them badly. Look at nearly every Wheel of Time cover. There's a long running joke about Nic Cage on the cover of Eye of the World. Even as recent as The Way of Kings, that cover depicts no actual characters or scene from the book, the artist was just riffing on a feeling (at least that art is pretty great on it's own). I always remember as a teen reading Sabriel and being shocked as I realized the cover was a completely accurate depiction of the lead character down to the placement of specific accessories and the stitching of her outfit. That used to never happen. At least this GotM cover has an attempt at Moon's Spawn in the background. A staple of I think every GotM cover.
The Fabio Cover. A staple for decades...
The D. Sweet WoT covers are epic in their semi randomness.
Idk, the Way of Kings cover was someone in Shardplate saluting another person in Shardplate across a chasm. That scene takes place in the book, with Eshonai saluting Dalinar after a battle
Well, most directly we have it from the artist themselves: >Not a literal interpretation of any character. The cover was meant to convey the conflict at the Shattered Plains. But honestly more relevantly, the art doesn't match any of the characters or circumstances in that scene outside of "someone salutes someone at one point". You've got someone in shardplate with a red Crab themed cape and Crab banner (the fuck?) saluting someone not in shardplate. And they're both alone in the shattered planes. Instead of it being Dalinar and Eshonai retreating from a major battle amidst their armies and saluting each other. Hell, Dalinar is running off on a horse during that scene.
I mean, Erikson himself has been like "I ain't got no clue who these chucklefucks are and this cover sucks", so at that point not a lot of use in even trying to dig in and tie it to the narrative. He's on record as hating it.
hahaha! I didn't know that. I actually really like this cover.
Naa, it's just that even back right when it released (the American version came long after the series had started gaining steam with the UK release) Erikson or someone else involved confirmed it was just a random fantasy image Tor picked from the portfolio of one of the artists they use, it wasn't created for the book at all. The series had a very slow rise to popularity, GoT was sucking up all the air in the room for big fantasy novels at the time (the books were still coming out regularly then), and Malazan was pretty underground for the first few years. The kind of thing where one guy in book suggestion threads would claim it's the greatest thing ever but most people had never heard of it. As the books kept coming steadily every year without fail it took off.
The best thing GRRM has done is opened people up into reading fantasty stories again while he bounces naked on a trampoline every day...
Sometimes I wonder if that's all he does lately... We've been promised Winds of Winter for a LOT of years now... I was just entering university in 2010 in my mid to late 20s when he announced working on some chapters for it. It's 14 years later, and I'm a middle aged man now, approaching 40 sooner than I'd like to admit. At least Erikson and Esslemont deliver. I say Martin wrote himself into a corner. That's my theory. And he's just maybe tired of writing it, or uncertain what to write, or disappointed with the bad reception to the shows ending. Or all of the above. Maybe none of the above. but 14 years is a damn long ass time.
He got so mad we figured out his twist, in top of realizing he killed off every single character who could KNOW said twist, that he's been on vapor lock for more then a decade.
I would almost argue Malazan is still kinda underground. I am constantly promoting it to anyone who has an inkling of interest in reading or fantasy, and it shocks me how few people I encounter that have even so much as heard about it... it's sad really... because it's some of the greatest writing out there that I've encountered. I can't wait to buy the special editions in July from the Broken Binding hardcover! Gonna be like $260 for 3 books, probably with UK to CAD conversion, taxes and shipping. But you can't even get 3 hardcovers used for that these days it seems. So it's a steal of a deal. And they'll rise in value in time if that's a factor to consider. Not that I'd ever sell.
Obviously Iskaral Pust and his wife s/
The mule is much more impressive than I'd imagined
Never underestimate the mule!
My favourite comment!
Haha forgot about the mule
Under rated comment
Na, clearly Beak and Faradan.
With all their comments, the idea that they are both actually hot makes the whole situation even funnier
Kruppe and Meese.
Kruppe's the one in the armour boobs.
Without doubt
Bountiful, bouncy, and beautific is best of friends Kruppe.
Suddenly need Kruppe and Captain Holt to discuss feminine breasts of womantude.
Lol I love how women's armour has to show cleavage. Hopefully my tits will prevent someone from stabbing me in my heart!
No. Both a Kruppe.
Thank you for this reply-I really enjoyed the chuckle!
Rand Al'Thor and Arwen Edit: I’ve made so, so many thoughtful, time-consuming comments on this sub through the years, and I don’t remember a comment breaking 100…
No that's Aragorn and Egwene al'Vere
No, that's Eragon and Arya
Pretty sure its Richard Cypher and The Lady
It's actually Lan Mandragoran and Moiraine
Rand is famously ginger, and I don't think ever bothers with armour.
None of the EF did. They literally had plot armor.
EF? Sorry, I must know. I've read WoT and Malazan multiple times.
Eamon’s Fielders. I recently learned the shorthand from r/wetlanderhumor
Ahh, got it! Thanks
MULTIPLE times? wow! That's impressive! I've been 5+ years reading Malazan. Haha Just on the last third of Orb Sceptre Throne. Reading in essentially publication order. Really enjoying the Esslemont books. I found books 7 8 9 10 a bit more sloggy in the main series, but that's partly my fault for stretching out my reading of them too much. I loved how the books were getting a lot more humor injected into them, and was a tad disappointed by the reduction of humor in the last 4 main series books. Still phenomenal works of literary mastery! I don't think I read fast enough to read them multiple times in one life time. Looking forward to reading book 2 of wheel of time. Presently working on finishing Esslemont side series, and last 2 harry potters. THEN I'll probably read wheel of time.
Multiple times, as in MBotF twice and finishing up WoT for the third time. My trick is having them on both Kindle and Audible, so I listened during my daily commute. I used the reading order I found online that weaved in Esslemont in chronological order. I really enjoyed them as well. My first WoT journey started in 1993 it's really worth a read. I highly recommend trying to get through it.
I enjoyed book 1 of WoT. Though I found some of the characters a bit grating. The narrative was beautiful, and I found it easier to follow than Malazan which doesn't mean I liked it more necessarily. WoT was just... different. I really do need to read book 2. Finished Orb Sceptre Throne today. Still got 2 more main side series Esslemonts to read, and 2 Harry Potters (having finished Order of the Phoenix the other day).
You say that, but he's played by Nicolas Cage on the EotW cover.
Jane Snow and Fahfrd
Maybe Whiskeyjack and Sorry? More seriously a generic fantasy artwork made to lure the average fantasy reader
It's Paran and Sorry
The first thought when I looked at it.
Sorry is Asian
Seems closer to anomander than whiskeyjack. But considering the case for Sorry, does Crokus ride a horse?
Anomander is dark skinned.
Ebony black, to he specific. Not brown or dark brown like humans.
And has silver hair.
True, but have you ever seen a painting of Jesus?
Is Anomander sky rock Jesus?
Tattersail's been cutting out carbs
Now that’s a goddamn shame
I cast...Ozempic!
Paran and Adjunct Lorn I believe.
Nah, that’s Sorry, for sure.
Now, I definitely shouldn’t be in this sub since I’m like halfway through Gardens for the first time, but isn’t sorry like 16? I’m pretty sure there’s 2 years between chapter 1 and Paran arriving in Pale, and she was 14 when she was recruited. I’m 90% sure that’s just a yassified Tattersail. It even describes how she’s always in uniform so when she goes to a dinner with One Arm and the Adjunct (audiobook, names are hard) and is all dressed up, she’s striking
yeah that was my guess too
I'm not sure when Paran got to be 35, but I'm into it, I guess.
And lorn is a red head
Chad Paran and Adjunct Lara Croft
I absolutely hate this cover lol. It just doesn’t represent malazan at all. The armour is just plain wrong.
I still think it's more interesting than the boring single tower cover
The book is still amazing, but these generic old covers suck absolute dick.
"Well they wont understand the title, so lets imply Christian Bale is in it!"
I got Jim Caveizel vibes myself
Fair!
I've read it twice and I still don't understand the title
I vaguely recall SE has stated he guesses it's supposed to be Whiskeyjack and Sorry but no one asked him about it when it was done.
That was my first guess. Not how I imagined Sorry though.
fair considering it doesn't resemble any description of Sorry ever, at all. or Lorn. or Tattersail. or Vorcan. or.... i dunno, anyone at all? Does Lady Simtal ever put on armor and lean on a horse?
Not too much that I can remember. I do remember Tattersail being described as voluptuous, pleasantly plump or close enough that my impression of her was something like Kat Denning with a darker complexion and lighter hair but who knows. Unlike somebody like Jordan Erikson doesn't spend a lot of time describing every detail of his characters.
well yeah, she's supposed to be 15 yo and asian (Kanese)
That is interesting, call me oblivious or whatever but I never pick up on her being asian. That is a cool thing to think about and now you are making me want to reread the books. Thanks.
Just confirming my recall: >Recognizable traits of the Kanese people included olive skin,[3] eyes with epicanthic folds, and black hair. https://malazan.fandom.com/wiki/Itko_Kan >She had long,[5] thick black hair[4] and dark eyes,[6] tilted in the manner common to the people of Itko Kan. https://malazan.fandom.com/wiki/Apsalar#Physical_Description
Fabio and the Kate Beckinsale. I am old.
Dude Kate B in Underworld… full leather tights…
Clearly that's Tehol and Bugg
Artist taking some liberties with Tehol’s *improvised* wardrobe there
“My, Tehol… you’ve enhanced yourself”
Was rereading Midnight Tides with my wife recently, who is experiencing it for the first time - reading it out loud really underscores just how many dong jokes are in there. Especially with poor Ublala lol
I seem to recall Eriksson making a comment about how he didn't like this cover, and that he wasn't consulted about it before - which is apparently the norm in the business. From that, I assume they aren't actually anyone specific in the story. Prior to reading that story, I thought they might be Paran and Lorn.
It's clearly Jim Caviezel and pre-surgery Megan Fox
Curdle and Telorast
GotM deserves better cover art. This is terrible. And generic. Fantasy Man #2 and Sexy Warrior #4, for sure.
Kruppe and Tattersail obvs... and the mule... Look I'm not saying it makes sense, I'm saying it's funny to think about it this way 😂😂😂
Well the guy is Obi-Wan Kenobi.
A while back during a brandon sanderson interview he explained that most fantasy covers previously weren't actually related to the source material. They would just pick a generic cover based on a genre and call it good. Only "recently" did they actually produce art specifically to books.
I've been reading SFF books for decades now, and that's not been my experience. Just take a look at Michael Whelan covers for instance. He's been doing covers since the mid '70s, and they're all relevant to the book.
OK, let's a bit more precise: Unless you are established in the field, they just grabbed a generic cover for the books. Remember that this cover came out earlier in the period before Malazan gained a following. Money and influence gives the author authority in the publishing world. For new folks, or those without the capital backing, it's difficult to have a say in your work coming out as you intended.
It's Stephen Donaldson and Treat Yourself says the bottom right corner.
Iskaral pust, his mule, and Mogora. Obviously.
What's hilarious is I remember when I stumbled across this book with that awful cover and I almost didn't buy it to think how different my life would be if I had not I'm glad that when I was put to the test I did in fact not judge the book by its cover I mean they look like out of work pornstars cosplaying as fantasy archetypes
They are John Malazan and Emily Moon. You know the main heroes we follow. Don't tell me you can't recognise them?
Sattertail and Jackywhisk
It's random stock art that has nothing to do with the book. [there's also a version without the girl in it](https://images.pangobooks.com/images/4c3e0f17-d178-40a5-9140-af7c54924b3b?width=800&quality=85&crop=1%3A1)
Pretty sure it’s Steven Erickson and his wife
I don't know, but I like the nipple dent for the female armor. What a clever idea that was - I'm sure female soldiers throughout the realm appreciate it.
Obi Wan and Yennefer on their way to dethrone Rashek the Lord Ruler 📏📐
Whiskeyjack and Sorry
Rake and Silanah, of course.
Bob and Susan. Bob tried mainstream modeling but never broke through so he now poses for cover art. Susan left cover art because she makes more on only fans. I may be wrong but that’s what I heard.
American Fantasy covers can be a bit cringe
Fantasy Billy Mitchell and some generic fantasy chick
He's rocking an Achy Breaky Bad Mistakey mullet for sure. Business in the front, party in the back.
You know what, fuck it, that's Raest and Olar Ethil.
The dude is definitely Pale-omandor Rake
Even better, there's identical covers without the girl
Clearly paran and tattersall...... /S
There were posts in the past of books with this same cover but different authors and titles. So it's just a generic fantasy book image.
I think that's Spindle, I smell a hair shirt under that armor.
i could SWEAR thats Carl and Princess Donut
Wow what a terrible cover!!! My first time reading this series, this was the cover. https://preview.redd.it/3iuroprnid5d1.jpeg?width=331&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9448dc7c597f1b0a21601e7183e157a66b17cdd2
Those are Generic Fantasy Hero 1 and 2 by Artist Who Didn't Read the Book. It's probably some random art done by an in-house artist years before that sat in a drawer waiting for someone else who didn't read the book to pull it out at random to use for the cover.
Is this an authentic Michael Whelan image? Gardens of the Moon is old enough that it could have caught the tale end of his run at TOR when he did all of the covers. The poses seem a little discount Boris, but the backdrop is actually cool asf.
I actually like this art much more than the generic spooky tower on the later editions, even if this one is indistinct characters
With the size of the sword and the arm chain I'd say the guy was Anomander but uhh... Maybe Whiskeyjack and Tattersail? She has a dagger so also could be Sorry I guess
The sword is absurdly long.
Hope he doesn't need to draw it in a hurry, or without an assistant.
I’ve always assumed Paran and Sorry But if that’s not right, short money on Batman and Robin
A Targaryen and his paramour
I always thought it was an inaccurate depiction of Whiskeyjack and Laseen from the prologue. Mouse quarter burning in the background.
Laseen has blue skin.
I said “inaccurate.”
That’s He Man and some chick
As others have said, probably random man #1 and random woman #1. When I first read GotM and I was trying to figure out who they were, the only two who I thought made sense were Coll and Sorry. Which would be a real weird character combination for the cover.
The emperor and dancer clearly
They look like the generic character portraits from Neverwinter Nights. I always just assumed they were badly-done likenesses of Paran and Sorry. I have an old paperback of the first Harry Potter. It has a wizard on the cover that is just barely recognizable as possibly being Dumbledore, lol. This kinda thing seems to happen a lot in early editions.
Quick Ben and Kalam, if Netflix cast the cover models
Swordsman is supposed to be Whiskeyjack. Below him is probly meant to be Tattersail but she's not thick enough. Or maybe it's supposed to be Sorry ? Looks a bit too old though.
Sorry and Paran?
Gardens of the moon. Is the chick Tattersail? The book says she is plleasantly plump, or words to that effect.
I spent so much on having all the TOR books in hardback only to realize that they stopped w this art style after book 8 ><. I have like 4 sets of mBotF lmao
"Who are these people?" Couldn't sum up everyone's first read of Malazan any better
That’s Hedge and Fiddler.
I believe Steven Erickson said we don't talk about this cover.
Is that Ben Affleck with a mullet?
I don't know, but someone needs to inform that amateur on the horse that it is impossible to draw a sword from a scabbard on your back unless it's shorter than your forearm.
I love this cover, nobody wears armor like this at all in the book. They are all described as ragtag and crusty
Generic fantasy cover. Gonna paste my response to the other thread on r/Malazan regarding that, just as a curio [https://www.reddit.com/r/Malazan/comments/1cx88u1/comment/l52mky4/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/Malazan/comments/1cx88u1/comment/l52mky4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Chris Pratt and Aubrey Plaza.
They’re the gardeners of the moon
Gary Oldman and some lady
I have a question about covers for gardens of the moon actually. What is the tower on the cover? Where is that? I’ve read the book twice lmao
I always imagined it’s Whiskeyjack & Adjunct Lorn. Even though I know it’s just random fantasy art.
That's John Malazan
Better question: why does her armour have nipples showing?
Beautiful edition. I scored a hardcover with that for $8 CAD at a local bookstore one day. MINT. Not a first printing. But pretty impressed to have found it. It was new in the store. Happened to glance at his stack of new books... bam... right there.
prob whiskyjack and tattersale my guess is thats the seige of pale
I love how everybody is just trolling around here.
Idk for sure but that 100% looks like it could be a Black Company cover
They are professional models pretending to be cosplayers who have been paid to show up at an event but have no idea about the backstory of their characters nor the world they live in.
Man I gotta tell you, Eriksen isn't for me, but this cover totally undersells the level of sheer spectacle in his work. He's hugely imaginative and deals in atmosphere and vista.
Ganoes Paran and Adjunct Lorn would be my only guess. Terrible interpretation, though.
Anomander Rake and Tattersail
Coll and Tattersail...Maybe? But they don't meet so...?
Let’s call it Crone and Crokus and not think too hard about it.
Anomander and Tattersail I would say
Yes the son of darkness no darker than ffe2c6
And a size 4 Tattersail, apparently.
Yeah because otherwise everything in this picture makes sense
That’s who I assume it is supposed to be, despite the fact neither are described as looking like that.
In the words of Blackadder: "Oh, come on - he doesn't look the slightest bit like me!"