Desert Spear UK Cover Art
You may have seen my post a while ago about the mock-up for the cover of The Desert Spear, which is the sequel to The Painted Man. I showed the production rough that was being sent to artist extraordinaire Larry Rostant, who did the first cover, who then hired a model and did the actual painting.
Well I am pleased to announce that not only are the results in, they are awesome! So have a little sneak peek at it, since it won’t be on shelves until August 2009:
A war is brewing between humans and demonkind, but when another man claiming to be the Deliverer appears out of the desert, the isolated human fortress cities seem more likely to turn on one another than unite. And the demon generals have yet to reveal themselves…
Pretty flarfin’ cool. He’s like “My name is Jardir. I’m a BAMF. I keel yo demon ass.”
They should have used your spear, though that ones does have a nice aged look to it….
Now just imagine what the Japanese covers will look like…
Badass.
Demon generals????!!!!
*Dies from having to wait till August*
This looks terrific. And the little introductory paragraph is really exciting. Man, this seems so far away…alas.
God that looks amazing, can’t wait!
Peter
That looks stunning. Will the Demon Generals reveal themselves in book 2?
They show up on page 1.
And they are not pleased.
are the demon generals the human form like demons drawn on the wall in the desert tomb
Shhh!
The demon generals actually take the form of fluffy pink bunnies. If that doesn’t scare the pants off of you, I don’t know what will.
I purchased The Painted Man when it first hit, I loved it and cannot wait for the Desert Spear so much so, I’ve pre-ordered it over a year in advanced!! The cover looks perfect!
However, not sure what the hell to read in the meantime!!
That cover is so cool! God-damn I want to see (or read) some kick-ass Arlen vs. Jadir action!
this looks so amazing i love the painted man and cant wait until desert spear arives in england how can i get a look at the designs for the book covers for desert spear ?
has to be written faster
Is there any difference in the text between the Painted man and the Warded man or is it just the title thats different. I loved the painted man, a very interesting set of characters.
The differences are all surface-deep. In addition to the title changes and cover/formatting differences, the UK version has my original title, a kickass portrait of the title character for a cover, and an awesome map. it was the first edition published, as well, so it set a high bar.
However, the US version has a handsome author photo of yours truly, an equally good title, a unique and very recognizable cover, and the character avatar pictures I drew for the chapter headings, so you can tell at a glance whose POV the chapter is in. That was how I originally designed and presented the manuscript to my agent and for general sale to publishers. Every editor who bought the book in 12 countries read a version that had the avatars. Which I think adds a nice effect to the reading. I was disappointed when the UK format and layout could not accommodate them, and I’m really pleased that the US designers included them. The UK deluxe version will include them as well.
From a text perspective, the scripts were identical up to copyedit, where the UK anglicized their version (changed “color” changed to “colour”, etc.), and the US changed the Painted Man to the Warded Man. Any other changes are stylistic, and do not affect the story in any way.
The Desert Spear will be the same way.
this is honestly one of the best books i ever read i love it so much ive read it 5 times and im still not bored wit it i think ill start it agian tonight pete your a fcukin legend cannot wait for the next one take as long as you need mate the wait will be worth it. JAMES
I loved the painted man . It kept me interested all the way, from beginning to end. i just had a question, will it only focus on Jadir and his companions, or will it still have Arlen and his companions in it?
Thanks, Dharmik. The Desert Spear will continue to have sections from the point of view of Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer, in addition to the new POV characters, Jardir and Renna.
It’s a long book. Room for everyone.
Cool,Renna has a role now?Anyway,the person on the cover is Jadir right?Great job on the Painted Man.Kept me hooked till all I did was read it till the end.
Yes, Jardir is on the cover, and he and Renna will be the primary protagonists of The Desert Spear, although there will still be chapters from the perspective of Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer.
Glad to hear you liked TPM. I hope you like Desert Spear even better!
Looks far better then the mock up.
Oh one more thing. This dude looks like he’s fighting or something. But, since it’s so bright around him one would assume he is “fighting” in daylight. Does that mean he’ll be fighting other humans in this book?
You might want to be careful with the white from that background leeching into the persons clothes and turban, unless that is the effect you are shooting for. The helmet almost looks like it’s part of the spear because of the white turban and white background mixing together.
Hey Pete,
I have read TPM so many times i know it off by heart, and i seriously can’t wait for this new addition to the series!
I just wish i had a time machine so i could go to August and read this book over and over again. If only 🙁
Bah, or April as i look at the new release date. 🙁
Great book. Been reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy for 30 years or so and your book “world” was as captivating as any.
Will definitely pickup Desert Spear on my Kindle (though I will have a hard time respecting Jardir).
Looking forward to all your future works.
Thanks, Dyre!
All I ask is that everyone listen to Jardir’s side of the story before they make a final call on respect. You never know, the man might surprise you!
I Just finished reading The Painted Man.
Brilliant book Peat… never finished one so quickly!
I have a one question though 🙂
The theme of fear being an overriding human emotion was powerful and held a lesson that is relevant for people living in the world of today…
Will the new book continue this theme? Or will you be moving away from it for the sake of the new book?
LOL… I guess I’m luckier than most of the posters on this forum: I only have to wait a little less than a month before the next book! (Hope it doesn’t hit our shelves in South Africa any later than the UK or US)
i loved painted man it was awesome! but ive seen 2 different release dates for desert spear – whens it acctually coming out? ive seen august 09 and april 10
TantoJack: In the first book, Fear itself was the primary antagonist, and the driving force behind the story. As the series progresses, this will continue to be a major theme, though each book will have its own personality and antagonist.
Jamie: I’m sorry to report that the later date is the correct one. April 2010. I am just finishing edits to the manuscript now. In the meantime, The Great Bazaar, a collection of short stories about Arlen and Leesha, will release in January from Subterranean Press.
Thanks so much for reading!
Cover looks amazing!! Can’t wait for The Desert Spear. Amazon says that the paperback is released 3rd of August 2009, i.e. 2moro, but is currently unavailable! Damn them.
Hey, Peter! whats happening. very dissapointed that the release date for the desert spear has been pushed back until Apr 2010. Have been looking forward to it for months!!
Why is it that UK editions of covers are often so much cooler than US editions? I see this time and again.
I’m really looking forward to his, however I can’t seem to find the paperback. I can’t understand why Amazon hasn’t updated their listing yet, only the hardcover is available direct.
Does anyone know where, or indeed when, the paperback is available? As previously mentioned it’s still listed as ‘unavailable’ on Amazon.
Desert Spear is just coming out in hardcover this month (or large trade paperback if you’re in Australia or South Africa). It won’t be in mass market paperback for a few months at least.
just finished reading the book today! At 5.30 in the morning (pulled an all nighter) It was amazing i never put it down. I will recommend it to everyone i know!!!
Amazing!