Hmmm asked Daniel M. Ford:

Throughout book #1 of The Paladin Trilogy, Allystaire is called ugly, and is described as ugly. In the cover of book #2, it is not apparent that Allystaire is ugly, rather, he looks handsome. What's up with that?

Daniel M. Ford Hi Adrian. Thanks for your question.

I love the cover art of all 3 books of The Paladin Trilogy (by the amazing Kerem Beyit (http://kerembeyit.daportfolio.com/). It is true that the cover of Book 2 doesn't quite accurately match Allystaire's description from Ordination. In the book, he's broken nosed, his face is jagged with scars and lumpy. The guy on the cover of Stillbright is much better looking than that!

I'd note, though, that the cover of Ordination isn't exactly accurate either; Allystaire's hammer is a simple maul, and he isn't wearing brilliantly inlaid plate armor when the Goddess comes to him either, but rather riding leathers.

The point of making that comparison is to say that the role of cover art isn't so much making a 100% accurate depiction of a scene from the book, but rather to grab the prospective reader's attention and give a sense of the book and its themes.

So yes, Allystaire on the cover of Stillbright is too handsome. Idgen Marte doesn't wear her hair in that many braids (well, she might sometimes, but the book never says so. Her sword is also long and curved, not short and broad.

But I love the cover because it frames the characters and it foregrounds their relationship, with Idgen Marte at Allystaire's right hand, ready to defend him from a threat he doesn't even see yet.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy Stillbright next year.

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