So here I am, writing a book, trying to stitch together a subplot, when I oh-so-innocently launch Twitter. (Always a mistake. Always.) Turns out I have just been scooped. Some blogger posted my new, not-yet-supposed-to-be-released cover. In short order, in the way of the internet, so had someone else, with mild snark added. I’m not one to begrudge a legit scoop or a free side of snark, so a tip of the hat to The Mad Hatter Review and A Dribble of Ink. My lawyers should be contacting you any minute. (Just kidding. I don’t have lawyers; I’ve only got a crazy house elf who likes to sign Esquire after his name.)
Did I ever say that the internet age has weirded publishing? (Apologies to Bill Watterson.) I’m suddenly posting things on the internet about a book I Haven’t Even Finished Writing. I had a publication date before I had a delivery date. Things get out before they’re finalized. Amazon posts the book blurb that I made up Before I Wrote the Book. So…uh, the blurb on Mad Hatter’s page and on Amazon is all wrong. And spoileriffic. Not anyone’s fault. Orbit asked me what the book was about–you know, before the bought the book–and I told them as well as I knew at the time, including spoilers.
Strangely, I like to finish writing the book before I write the back cover blurb–then I know silly little details like What The Characters’ Names Are.
But hey, I’m just The Man, tryin’ to keep you down, Internet. (See, this is why I can’t begrudge free snark.)
And no, I’m not sure why I’m capitalizing random words. Pending German release, perhaps?
Anyway, here it is, in higher definition than you can find it anywhere else! If you can’t do it first, do it better, right?
(click if you can handle the awesomeness)
Did I mention I’m taking cold medicine right now? I think posting on the internet while taking cold medicine probably isn’t covered in my contract–but it will be next time.
Some things about this cover MAY change. But that will have to wait for another post. What do you think?
I think I’d almost prefer the lawyer to the crazy house elf…
*eek*
~Aidan
this cover kicks much ass; the Color Wheel of Doom is especially worthy of capitalization. when will all the dudes in hoods be added?
Thats bad ass! i like how it is similar to The Night Angel Trilogy’s books. you know you should make those covers like a trade mark. that should be a constant on every book, one look and every person will be like “HEY ITS ONE OF BRENT’S BOOKS!!!!!!!!” it would be sort of iconic.
P.S Thanks again for signing be book in San Francisco.
This is just fantastic. I will be letting everyone know about this. Another book I’ll be dying to get my hands on. And the play of color is really what makes it work with the back and white figure. Adds so much to the mystery of the book. Black Prism, and yet he’s holding a “regular” prism in his hands. Can you wait?! Yea, me either
personally, I think the green and red is a bit much, and the character itself could use a tad more colour.
But hey, it’s interesting
And I agree. Having covers that look similar isn’t a bad thing for recognition. Plus, honestly, I’m much more interested in the story than the cover
Though I agree, it’s a selling point sometimes, if I don’t know an author yet.
No trouble there for you
So, I like the style, I’d keep the colours around the had in one colour scheme if there isn’t anything to balance it out otherwise, but that’s, I think, personal preference.
I love how this cover is similar to the other covers. The covers were how I found your books the second time I went back to buy them… I almost was side track by a book with a white cover and some wizardy guy on the front, but I was like “this doesn’t sound nearly as awesome as when I read the back last time” and I kept looking until I found your books. Which I (and several of my friends) love. LOVE.
We’re all excitedly waiting for your new one! Good luck finishing up!
No, it’s really not a sequel! Or a prequel! Really! (Up BW brand, down trilogy brand.) But hey, at least the Mad Hatter site correctly apostrophied your name–strong work!
Personally, I couldn’t care less about the cover, I just want the book to be out so I can read it! I don’t think its at all possible to read The Night Angel trilogy anymore. I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed the new book!!!
It’s pretty good for a cover with a real person.
Personally I don’t like those in the fantasy genere. (Pls dont hate. Its my bias)
Absolutely can’t wait. I prefer to avoid reading anything spoiler-esque. I want the book to catch me like a kick in the groin.
@Allison
I believe you’re referring to The Innocent Mage. It’s a good book if you enjoy reading about a guy filing paperwork until the last five pages.
I love the cover and I agree that it lets people know straight away who the author is! I also love the red, yellow and green. The guy could be a little more attractive though haha but maybe he isn’t meant to be
I love the cover i think the two colors on the hand is really interesting and grabs your eye straight away.
Kind of wish the guy had a hood on… does that sound a bit weird…maybe….
Sorry to hear that the cover was leaked on the internet early, if it’s any consolation it must have been really good for them to try and leak it so early.
Can’t wait for the next book, i couldn’t put down the last three books – i doubt this one will be any different.
x
it is a awsome cover and the color is just right i think also i agree he should be a hood
Brett.
Exceptional amount of goodness in that cover.
Chris
I love the new cover and can’t wait for the book to come out!!! I wish I could go to a signing but sadly I live way up in New Hampshire where we seldom get good book signings.
!!! Crazy house elf! I want one!
haha.
The covers are definitely important…they tell you not to judge a book by its cover, but I bought the first Night Angel novel on a whim because the cover really grabbed my attention.
Especially with fantasy novels, you don’t see a white cover that often, and I love how it stands out on my bookshelf. ^^
Your writing style is really addictive and I’m looking forward to getting my (grubby, little) hands on Black Prism.
P.S. I hope you get over your cold quickly.
The red and green makes it look a little odd with the real person. And I’m not sure, but is that an eye in the palm of his hand or is that just due to the mixture of colors?
WOW! that is one hell of a bad ass cover, I love it. can’t wait to pick it up. i haven’t even read anything on the plot or details of this one cause i don’t wana spoil anything.
I CAN’T FREAKING WAIT TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
I read the way of shadows in about 4 days. And I read Shadows edge in about a week. Still reading Beyond the shadows, just got it this morning and already got through 200 pages.
The funny thing is I haven’t liked a single book before the Way of Shadows. I never thought i would ever like reading until i read The Night Angel Trilogy. It’s a riviting tale from start to finish. Filled with Betrayal, Love, Demons, Magic and War.
I love your work Brent!
hey i loved the night angel trilogy and that picture looked awesome i am a working on my own story idea and its authors like you that inspire me and i hope some day i can be as good at writing like you
Amazing cover! I hope you don’t change too much about it. So is this the beginning of a series or a stand alone novel? I can’t wait to get it! I’m sure that just like with the Night Angel trilogy I won’t be able to put it down once I pick it up!
A stylish cover. However, the magic illustrated in that is ridiculously similar to the way I describe the magic in the novel I’m writing. If that pulsed and flickered. It would BE my invisioned magic. Unfair.
Wow. I honestly can tell you that the Night Angel trilogy kept me awake on many nights that I was supposed to be doing other more productive things. I absolutely CANNOT wait for this book. I hope it has extra’s like ‘The Way of Shadow’s’ did. I loved reading about your perspective on Vi and all the other characters.
Speaking of characters, I loved the depth you put into them. Every character had flaws but resonated with hope. To me, your books are masterpiece. Get well soon. Happy writing.
Honestly, i liked the Night Angel Trilogy covers more. I liked it how you couldn’t really see Kylar’s face. Not saying your cover is bad, its pretty freaking cool, i just like the Night Angel one better.
Cant wait to read it
wait,he’s coming out with a new book? dude that’s awsome!!!!!I so have to get it when it comes out.love the cover by the way, I hope it doesn’t change to much.oh and is it posable to get signed books up here in canada?
is this a continuation of the night angel trilogy
This is not set in the same world as the Night Angel trilogy. It’s all new. Once we decide on a series title, it’ll say that more clearly on the cover.
I cannot wait for the book to come out. Was just browsing my favourite authors to find out when their newest book are coming out and I came across yours … on Chapters.ca… The Angel Trilogy was awsome, can’t wait for the Prism Trilogy!
I really like how the cover resembles that of the Night Angel Trilogy. I marks it as a “book written by Brent Weeks, so you must buy it!”
One thing though is, for me at least, the colors greatly contrast the rest of the cover, kinda making the rest seem secondary. An example would be when I saw the cover my eyes immediately looked at the color, THEN looked at the rest. I didn’t even see the title till later on. Maybe use a darker shade to lessen the contrast?
Dropping straight into a completely new world off the back of another trilogy is no mean feat. If i wore a hat, i’d tip it to you. As soon as your new book is released i’ll be leaping elbow-first into the nearest book store. (Although i’ll probably be kicked out for that.)
whatever books you write, brent! I will buy and read them all !!! CANT WAITTTTT
Och! instead of a poor kid who’d fall asleep in math class because he read your book all night: i did the same with worse consequences! starting on your book the night before and exam is a bad bad idea.
any plans of coming to europe for booksigning?
but finished the first book of the night angel trilogy and i’m absolutely hooked!! here i was telling myself that i had no time for addictions or withdrawal symptoms(which invariably follow) and i stumbled across your book. *sigh*
keep writing! and quick too!
regards,
rya
I personally am very impressed with the cover. I think the artist is trying to capture colors that are not usual and unique together. That is the mystery of the Black Prism. And Brent, your work is awesome, I own the Night Angel Trilogy and am looking forward to this as well.
I have four complaints:
1. I would have preferred not to see his face. I like not to know what a character is supposed to look like.
2. Needs more tthan just the red and green in the hand magic thingy( if it is a plot thing then nevermind).
3. I like the fact that is resembles the covers of The Night Angel Trilogy, but I would have liked it to resemble them a little less.
4. IT NEEDS TO COME OUT ALREADY!!!
Other wise I love it and all thoughs things are pretty minor so you don’t need to listen to me aslong as this book is as good as the last three(I’m sure it will be).
I can’t spell so sorry if anything is misspelled.
That’s an AWESOME cover. I read the comments from those two websites and I agree that it shows that it’s a ‘Brent Week’s book and doesn’t really give the book an individual identity. But frankly I wouldn’t want it to change. My heart jumped when you said the cover may change. Please nothing drastic! I DROOLED at the HD cover, thanks for that!
Now to wait for the French cover!
Just got done reading the Night Angel Trilogy. Stoked to see what you have coming out next. Keep up the great work! Dug the whole tension between Kylar and Vi. I wanted to know more about how those two end up after it all… mybe some other time and place. I’m hooked and ready for more!
I’ll be blunt – the cover sucks.
The covers of the Night Angel trilogy books were perfectly fine, but something about this one irks me; it just doesn’t look good.
That aside, covers do not matter too much to me. I will live on, but…
…Hopefully the book is not as flawed as the Night Angel books were. I’ll be frustrated if a few little things prevent the book from realizing its brilliant potential and render it mundane…again.
I hope you finish it soon
I’m actually at the book store right now and I wanted to see if you had any new books out that the store just didn’t have on the shelves. I am on my phone looking over your page right now. Anyways I just reread the first book and I have read all your other books once and just from The Night Night Angel series you are now my favorite author and I mean that in no way disrespectful to R.A. Salvatore or David Gemmel (RIP) but your books are amazing they grabbed me and sucked me in. I couldn’t stop reading that night I got it. So just stopping in to say thank you so much for expanding my imagination and giving me such a great gift!
-Giovanni
love the cover. links to Night Angel but then its made individual from that series. looking forward to reading it. oh and night angel series was AMAZING!!!! i read a lot of books and urs is definatly drawing with for equal first favourite with the lord of the rings and harry potter.
I like the cover, but the purples seem to be too much on the pink side for my taste. Makes me want candy instead of fearing impending doom.
That being said, I am anxiously awaiting the new book and wish you luck jumping through all the hoops to make it happen quickly.
I think the cover looks great!
I just read the Night Angel books and you are now my favorite author, no disrespect to R.A Salvatore, David Gaider and Larry McMurtry..
Your books are pure awesomeness and you have a way of making your characters come to life. Durzo Blint is now one of my favorite characters ever!
Keep up the good work and I long for your new book.
The cover looks fine. Who gives a s#$* about the color scheme. Just make sure this book kicks as much ass as the night angel trilogy.
Well, I just finished the night angel trilogy, decided to google it, and this page popped up, what’s the black prism business?
anyway, to quote a friend of mine: “The Night Angel trilogy is so good its like something JR Tolkien wrote right before he got lv.99 Writing skills”
Assuming the same person did both covers, who is the illustrator? I love the style, though the night angel covers were slightly better looking.
This is kick ass
Love it. I like how it looks like your other book covers, as everyone pointed out (I’m just trying to fit in!). Can wait to read it!
Awesome sauce.
It is stylistically cohesive with the Night Angel books and is instantly recognizable as ‘Brand Weeks’ – and it just plain looks cool on it’s own.
I like the way that that the figure is somewhat muted in color save what’s in his hand. It screams ‘magic’ and also draws the eye to the right spot – just above the books title, thus the eye slips right into reading said title.
I can’t wait to see the French version though =P
lol this is WAAAAY up towards the top, but jonny is SO right about the Innocent mage books….only reason i finished them, was because i kept waiting for him to “Awaken” big let down….but back to the awseomness that is YOU!!!
I read all three books in about 4 days. I couldnt put them down, i actually called in sick to work so i could finish, sad right?!
Im dying for your new book and i hope there is a bit more wit in this one. there were only a few spots in the Night Angel books that were funny, but when they came i couldnt help but let a laugh burst out. you made it count while at the same time not making the characters look like idiots.
Keep up the amazing work!
I loved the Night Angel trilogy; one of the most compelling reads of this year for me. I’d say there’s a good chance I will like this one too. (The cover is pretty cool, BTW.) Bring it on!