Groupreads Mar-Apr 2014:
Two months, two topics...please join the Sword & Sorcery Group to discuss:Topic 1) Any book with Michael Whelan Coverart : Discussion Link to Whelan-Cover Art
These links will help identify books:
Topic 2) Any Female Author: Link to Discussion on Female Fantasy Writers
...I wonder how many female Sword & Sorcery authors are "hidden" out there due to the past stereotypes (readers and publishers expected Male Authors for the specualtive fiction genres). For example, Catherine Moore used her initials (C.L. Moore), or husband's name (Henry Kuttner) ... and several pseudonyms (C. H. Liddell, Lawrence O'Donnell, and Lewis Padgett).
The Masthead Banner features three Whelan paintings made for Female Authors:
The Dreaming Tree for C.J. Cherryh
Crown of Shadows for C.S. Friedman
All the Weyrs of Pern for Anne McCaffrey
From the illustrator's website:
WEYRWORLD (1990) Pern#11: Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 27" x 36" This cover art for ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey is a wonderful dragon image for both the story and the dragon fan who hasn't read the book. After the huge success of THE WHITE DRAGON the Pern series was growing, but when it was time for Book 7 Michael had a scheduling conflict. He had to base his painting on Anne's notes since she hadn't finished the manuscript. They both planned on him showing the dragon in the cargo hold of the abandoned spaceship, but Michael told her about this image that came to him in a dream. She liked it so much, she wrote it into her story. This was to be his last cover for the Pern series, but in 2013 Michael was able to use his and Anne's "cargo hold" idea in his cover painting for DRAGONWRITER, A TRIBUTE TO ANNE MCCAFFREY AND PERN.
TREE OF JEWELS AND SWORDS (1983) Acrylic on Illustration Board - 30" x 22" A very popular Whelan cover for C. J. Cherryh from the 1980's and recently reissued for the cover of her 1997 compilation called THE DREAMING TREE.
CROWN OF SHADOWS (1995) Acrylic on Panel - 28" x 22" Cover art for the third book in the Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman. Gerald Tarrant, the tragic anti-hero whose prolonged life dominates the storyline, is prominently featured in the foreground of this stunning illustration. The power of Whelan's palette dominates, from the striking acidic greens to the regal black and gold, and once again he framed the main character with trees.
