Artist Spotlight: The Art Of . . . Sergey Shikin

Showcasing art from some of my favourite artists, and those that have attracted my attention, in the field of visual arts, including vintage; pulp; pop culture; books and comics; concert posters; fantastical and imaginative realism; classical; contemporary; new contemporary; pop surrealism; conceptual and illustration.

The art of Sergey Shikin.

#CoolArt: 'Wind And Truth' Book Cover Art print by Michael Whelan

'Wind And Truth' by Michael Whelan, cover art for the US edition of 'Wind And Truth', book 5 of The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson, published December 2024 by Tor Books.

Fine art giclee print in a 24" x 18" signed open edition for $60, and a 36" x 24" signed open edition for $100.

Also available in a 'The Stormlight Archive' cover art 5 print set.

On sale now through Michael's website.

Artist Spotlight: The Art Of . . . Randy Vargas

Showcasing art from some of my favourite artists, and those that have attracted my attention, in the field of visual arts, including vintage; pulp; pop culture; books and comics; concert posters; fantastical and imaginative realism; classical; contemporary; new contemporary; pop surrealism; conceptual and illustration.

The art of Randy Vargas.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'Words Of Radiance: Shallan Davar' by Magali Villeneuve

'Shallan Davar' by Magali Villeneuve.

Illustration from the 10th anniversary leatherbound edition of ‘Words Of Radiance', book 2 of 'The Stormlight Archive' series, written by Brandon Sanderson.

Artist Spotlight: The Art Of . . . Michael Whelan

Showcasing art from some of my favourite artists, and those that have attracted my attention, in the field of visual arts, including vintage; pulp; pop culture; books and comics; concert posters; fantastical and imaginative realism; classical; contemporary; new contemporary; pop surrealism; conceptual and illustration.

The art of Michael Whelan.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'The Herald Pailiah' by Magali Villeneuve

'The Herald Pailiah' by Magali Villeneuve.

Endpaper art from the novel 'Rhythm Of War', book 4 of 'The Stormlight Archive' series, written by Brandon Sanderson.

Artist Spotlight: The Art Of . . . Magali Villeneuve

Showcasing art from some of my favourite artists, and those that have attracted my attention, in the field of visual arts, including vintage; pulp; pop culture; books and comics; concert posters; fantastical and imaginative realism; classical; contemporary; new contemporary; pop surrealism; conceptual and illustration.

The art of Magali Villeneuve.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'Kaladin & Syl' by Dominik Broniek

'Kaladin & Syl' by Dominik Broniek.

Cover art for the Polish edition of 'Oathbringer: Part 2', book 3 of 'The Stormlight Archive' series written by Brandon Sanderson, published by MAG Publishing

#CoolArt: 'The Stormlight Archive' Heralds prints by Karla Ortiz

'The Heralds Chanarach & Nale' by Karla Ortiz, from Brandon Sanderson's 'The Stormlight Archive' book series, and used as endpapers art from book 4 - 'Rhythm Of War'.

Available as giclée art prints on 100% cotton rag archival paper, printed with archival inks.

On sale now from Karla's Inprnt store.

'Chanarach, Herald of the Order of the Dustbringers'

'Nale, Herald of Justice'

#CoolArt: 'Rhythm Of War' print by Michael Whelan

'Rhythm Of War' by Michael Whelan, cover art for the US edition of 'Rhythm Of War', book 4 of The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson, published November 2020 by Tor Books.

Fine art giclee print in a 24" x 18" signed open edition for $50, and a 36" x 24" signed open edition for $95.

Also available in a 'The Stormlight Archive' cover art 4 print set.

On sale now through Michael's website.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'Rhythm Of War' by Michael Whelan

'Rhythm Of War' by Michael Whelan.

Wraparound cover art for the US edition of 'Rhythm Of War', book 4 of The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson, published November 2020 by Tor Books.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'Shallan Davar' by Michael Whelan

'Shallan Davar' by Michael Whelan.

Used as front endpaper artwork from 'Words Of Radiance', book 2 of 'The Stormlight Archive' series written by Brandon Sanderson.

#CoolArt: 'The Stormlight Archive' Heralds prints by Magali Villeneuve

'The Heralds Pailiah & Kalak' by Magali Villeneuve, from Brandon Sanderson's 'The Stormlight Archive' book series, and used as endpapers art from book 4 - 'Rhythm Of War'.

Available as giclée art prints on 100% cotton rag archival paper, printed with archival inks.

On sale now from Magali's Inprnt store.

'The Herald Pailiah'

'The Herald Kalak'

#CoolArt: 'The Way Of Kings' TIMED Release print by Micah Epstein

'The Oathpact Ends' by Micah Epstein, originally painted for 'The Way Of Kings', 10th Anniversary Leatherbound Edition, written by Brandon Sanderson.

16" x 12" fine art print, in a signed and numbered TIMED Release edition for $49.

 On sale now until Saturday October 17 2020 through Micah's website.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'Shallan Davar' by Dominik Broniek

'Shallan Davar' by Dominik Broniek.

Cover art for the Polish edition of 'Words Of Radiance', book 2 of 'The Stormlight Archive' series written by Brandon Sanderson, published by MAG Publishing

#CoolArt: 'The Herald Taln' print by Donato Giancola

'The Herald Taln' by Donato Giancola, portrait of the Herald Talenel (Taln) from Brandon Sanderson's 'The Stormlight Archive' book series.

Giclee prints on Heavy weight 300gm Archival Fine Art paper, in a signed and numbered 18" x 24" limited edition of 1000 for $70, and a signed and numbered 24" x 36" limited edition of 250 for $125.

On sale now from Donato's website.

Artist Spotlight: The Art Of . . . Jian Guo

I've previously showcased a few of my favourite pop culture and vintage pulp artists, and each weekend I showcase art from more of my favourite artists.

The art of Jian Guo.

Artist Spotlight: The Art Of . . . Ina Murwani Prasetyaningrum (aka Ina Wong)

I've previously showcased a few of my favourite pop culture and vintage pulp artists, and each weekend I showcase art from more of my favourite artists.

The art of Ina Murwani Prasetyaningrum (aka Ina Wong).

Artist Spotlight: The Art Of . . . Howard Lyon

I've previously showcased a few of my favourite pop culture and vintage pulp artists, and each weekend I showcase art from more of my favourite artists.

The art of Howard Lyon.

Book Review: 'The Stormlight Archive: Book 3 - Oathbringer' by Brandon Sanderson

The return to the world of Roshar for the epic third tome in Brandon Sanderson's 'The Stormlight Archives' series.

'Oathbringer' begins with another retelling of the death of the king Gavilar, the event that started the war with the Parshendi, the main antagonists in the war that has been raging in the previous books in the series. This time we see things from the point of view of Eshonai, the Parshendi Shardbearer, and revelations as to why the events happened in the previous books fall into place.

And this book is full of revelations, twists and turns. Throughout the many pages, nearly 1300, you are certainly kept on your toes and is at times difficult to see the path that winds through the book, often doing the unexpected, yet still answering some of the unanswered questions raised over the series, and asking more. If there was ever a book where expectations were set so high that you were worried about them not being fulfilled, fear not as 'Oathbringer' delivers with aplomb!

The main point of view in this book is from Dalinar Kholin, the man tasked with reuniting the different factions of Roshar, as we flashback to the events in his life that shaped the Blackthorn into the person we see now. And some of it is grim and heartbreaking, full of death and war. His character development is superb, emotionally harrowing as to how he copes (or not in some cases) with the tragedy and death he causes, whether knowingly or not.

But its not all about Dalinar, as Adolin, Renarin, Shallan, Kaladin, the members of the infamous Bridge Four and even Szeth, the Assassin in White, and Jasnah all return and come to the fore. Again, some great characterizations, building on what has happened to these characters since we first met them and pushing them into difficult situations, especially Shallan Davar, with some of them coping better than others.

This time we also get to go away from the Shattered Plains, where the majority of the previous books were set, and see a bit more of Roshar. I like the way Sanderson explores the vast settings and details  in his world building. The illustrated maps within the pages give a sense of the epic scope and scale of the world that Sanderson has created and his characters inhabit.

I'd also recommend reading 'Edgedancer' beforehand, the novella that kind of bridges the gap between 'Words Of Radiance' and 'Oathbringer'. Featuring the awesome Lift, who also gets to appear in 'Oathbringer', the novella describes events that are alluded to in the new book. And although I've not read it yet, apparently the same can be said of the book 'Warbreaker', as a character from that book also appears in 'Oathbringer'.

The book itself is gorgeous too. Being based in the UK, I sought out the US Hardcover edition specifically for the Michael Whelan cover art. They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I do. Whelan is a legend and one of my favourite artists, so it was a must have. I'll have to go back and get US hardcover editions of the previous books too, as well as future ones!

But the gorgeous artwork doesn't stop at the cover, the endpapers illustrated by Dan Dos Santos and Howard Lyon and sublime, each features four of heralds, which I've featured on the blog before. The intermittent interior illustrations by Miranda Meeks, Kelley Harris, Ben McSweeney, Isaacs Steward, as well as Dan Dos Santos and Howard Lyon again, are all pretty great too and help flesh out the author's vision.

I was also lucky to meet Brandon Sanderson at an 'Oathbringer' book signing in London on a cold evening in November. After braving the cold, and a queue that stretched around the block and then some, it was really awesome to meet him, plus have the chance to tell him that his books are part of the inspiration for me having a dabble at writing my own stories, with him saying that was one of the best compliments an author could have!

I like my books with engaging characters, in depth world building and a compelling narrative that I can get absorbed in, and 'Oathbringer' does all this with gusto! Recommended.