The Blinding Knife cover reveal
by
Ooooh! Isn’t it pretty? Here is the final cover of The Blinding Knife:
I think that the colors are stunning–and with this series, that’s the most important thing. Lots of great drama here, too. Nice light and darkness to make the colors stand out even more–in my opinion, just a wonderfully striking cover. I did vote for a non-hooded man, but… well, win a lot, lose some. 😉 What do you think?
The Blinding Knife is book 2 of the Lightbringer Series, which began with The Black Prism. The Blinding Knife will be released in early September.
Oh, new poll on the right, too.
UPDATE: Doh! Forgot to give the artists credit! Big, big thanks to Lauren Panepinto, Shirley Green (photo), and Silas Manhood (photo illustration). UPDATE 2: links to artists’ pages.
The excellent use of colors allow it to transcend the “man in hood on cover” sameness to many similar covers. With chromatic magic, though, that makes perfect sense to me.
I am surprised it IS recapitulating the Night Angel trilogy books with a man in hood approach, however innovative.
I’m loving it. The intense colours of the cloud kind of bring out the whole “rainbow” appeal of the so-called magic system of Black Prism. I think I’m going to go read the first book again.
The poll is incomplete: I met the author, then decided to read his work.
Indeed- I saw it in the bookstore, but I did not judge by the cover. I make a habit of reading the back, and then the first few pages to see if it holds my interest. And I’d already read his Night Angel trilogy, so, when this came out, it was a given that I’d be reading it!! I love his work.
Stunning cover..I think the same guy widout the hood would have been better, since the intruige from the brothers.. Anyway! I think I’m going to pre-order tomorrow!
Great artwork guys.
Can’t say I am a big fan of this one, it looks like a generic fantasy cover to me.
Your world has ships, guns, awesome light based magic, kick ass female characters, twisted color wights, protagonists who are more than just boring skinny white guys, and who knows what else in this book and yet we get random cloaked guy with his back to us standing on some stairs? Really?
I know you have zero control over this which totally sucks. In my opinion Orbit really let you down on this one =(
When do your French editions come out? *duck*
Whoo hoo! Looking forward to the book!
I’m liking it. I realize you have no control over the cover, but I’m wondering if you had any input. As with most books, I try to tie a cover into a scene from the book…..Can’t wait until September
I am really excited for this one. The cover is good. I think there is a pop to the colors that really make it stand out.
I’ve been looking forward to this since I finished the Black Prism! Cannot wait for this to drop in September.
Exquisite use of color. This one will definitely stand out on the shelves.
The poll is truly incomplete;
I read the Nightangel and these series were awesome, decided to read every book which will come next.
Nice cover!
Thou I do think the cover is pretty, not breathtaking, but pretty. I have to say, I don’t really care what the cover looks like. I just can’t wait to read what is inside!
I like the use of the extra-saturation of the colors that are there and then the vignette to add emphasis to the man in the cloak. Think it would have been clever if there was no blue in it though.
Only one major thing wrong with the cover…IT’S NOT IN MY HANDS!!!!!! It looks great.
Hmm. I’d have thought there’d be a knife on it somewhere.
It’s so vibrant though! The architecture reminds me of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. I never thought there was a place in The Seven Satrapies that included that design in its culture. Maybe we’re going to discover a new place…
I’m so looking forward to the next book!!
FINALLY! New Brent Weeks is around the corner! I haven’t had a hit since the novella! I am desperate here!
Cool cover. Mad respect points for admitting you voted against the hooded character, too.
Cover looks great – colours are beautiful. I agree a man without a hood would be cooler (although is it based on a scene in the book? is the character wearing a cloak at the time?).
Massively excited for the sequel to Black Prism 🙂
Very, very nice cover. I’ve honestly liked all the covers for your books, especially the French NA covers (though I am now wishing your black-on-white Nightangel covers hadn’t been quite so effective, as just about every other fantasy series seems to be imitating it now).
One thing on this new cover: It does remind me a lot of the one of the sets of covers for the Bartimaeus books. I think it’s mainly just the vivid colouring and really deep shadows, with a solitary, shadowed figure. These ones:
http://www.turn-the-page.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/btaos-1.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6KOTTx_PSZk/TMyCTF33LrI/AAAAAAAAAzY/j9LGGOPZHEw/s1600/bart.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/60/Ptolemy's_Gate.png/200px-Ptolemy's_Gate.png
And http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/82/The_Golem's_Eye.png/200px-The_Golem's_Eye.png
I’m not sure. It is a lovely cover – just not sure if it suits the book. It doesn’t seem to continue on from book 1 – like the way all the Night Angel covers had a very similar look to them. It doesn’t really seem to say anything much either. Would I pick this up in a bookshop if I didn’t know how awesome Brent is… not sure. I’d certainly be drawn to the colours, though. They are very pretty.
Yea, kind of disappointed in the cover, but I don’t buy books by Brent Weeks because of the way they look. I buy them because they are AWESOME!!
The colors are gorgeous, as well as the stonework, and DEFINITELY spark the reader’s interest.
It’s a bit too erotic for my tastes, though. Just look at all that almost-exposed ankle–SCANDALOUS!
Also agreeing that poll is incomplete.
I got the first two books of the Night Angel as Christmas Presents 🙂
Love the cover, the brilliant use of colour will definitely make it stand out 😀
So excited for this 😀
Stunning cover! Can’t wait for The Blinding Knife 🙂
I’m not gonna lie: not a fan of the text layout. It’s not really my place to say but I also feel there should be a border/divider somewhere on there…..
That aside, the picture looks great! Instead of a sunrise, the colour looks like it originates from the cloaked figure, which really really fits. And I totally back you on the hood matter. Hood up seems more out of place than generic.
I think that sounded too negative overall. Uh….. I WANT READ BOOK NOW *sincere*
Nice cover. The colour use is exceptional.
I second the iffy text and cloak complaints.
I like this *much* better than the cover for Black Prism.
Kudos, Brent.
Don’t knock the cover to Black Prism. I still wanna buy that guy’s deoderant, aftershave and/or body wash. Those eyes and that goatee can sell just about anything!
Is it just me, but after Mages, Night Angels, Ranger’s Apprenti, and Assassins with Creeds, is there a new Trope for “hero inna hoodie”?
Don’t know mages, but the mysterious hooded figure has been around a veeerrrrrrrrrry long time. It’s just kind warped a little and skyrocketed in popularity recently as everyone wants to seem at least a little bit edgy in an attempt to differentiate themselves from everyone else, who is doing the exact same thing to try to seem original.
Stellar cover design. However, I feel it doesn’t quite compliment The Black Prism cover. One of the things I admire about the Night Angel Trilogy cover art is that it is consistent. Even if no title or author was listed on the cover, you knew what series it came from.
Regardless, I look forward to the novel.
This new cover is brilliant – totally the kind of thing I can see catching my attention in a book store enough to read the blurb. Love it.
I do, however, mirror other folk in their statements about compatibility with Prism. I guess as long as each has a slightly different style, that would be unifying enough? Only question that leaves for me, though;
Will the books be of the same hight and width so that they’ll still look purdy on my shelves?
Regarding the poll, I think you need an ‘other’ box at the least. I believe I found your work after reading an interview between yourself another of my favourite authors – can’t remember which direction it was, mind.
I must say that I am not a big fan of the cover, but I never really look at the covers myself…. I am a long haul driver and I actually buy a lot of books from Graphicaudio. They do a great job of bringing a book to life. So I actually have a question for the author; please tell me graphicaudio will be releasing their versions at the same time…. I have already melted the first book and all of the night angle trilogy….. you have any idea how boring driving 500+ miles a day can be?
I cant lie I am a huge Weeks fan. I have really liked his covers in the past. The cover is what made me look at the night angle trilogy in the first place because it stood out on the shelf at B&N. But I am not liking this new cover. It is a typical fantasy book cover. The first book has this cool looking guy that looks like a womanizing thief/killer but thus new cover is kind of typical to me. To tell the truth I am just glad I already know what kind of genus Weeks is with a novel or I would have never stopped to look at this one and would never know about weeks.
Sorry about the Bad report. B. Weeks ROCKS!!!
looks amazing can not wait for it to come out….why do you say its a man in a hood? the end of the legs look a bit femmie to me like maybe in heels or somthing, could it be the girl in the cover?(whos name escapes me at the moment)
Karris Whiteoak? Or Liv? Or someone else?
Ooooh our comments get moderated now. That’s new. Is this due to spam, flaming, or no concern in particular?
Hm. Odd. The comment above this doesn’t have the “your comment is awaiting moderation” message, but the one above that does. Wonder what’s going on there? Maybe self-replies don’t count or something. I’ll see if this one has it.
Also, triple-post experimentation ftw.
If I’ve approved one comment by you, your others go through without moderation. (Unless perhaps you get hit
by the spam software.)
Thanks for the clarification, Brent/CAPSLOCK (BrentLOCK? =P)
karris. thanks i couldnt remembe the name for the life of me, liv would be smaller, but it does look like a femmy leg
Looks awesome, can’t wait for this book. I’m a huge fan of Black Prism and especially the Night Angle trilogy. Those are still i think the best books I’ve read, love them.
Hey, Brent,
the cover is okay, I guess, although I expected something more like with Night Angel and Black Prism – close-up of some gorgeous guy with some object that signifies the book.
But, in the other news, I must say that I finally found one of the awesome songs that were used in the making of Black Prism Graphic Audiobook. (the one that playes on Karris’ and Corvan’s first meeting)
It’s called Hellwars by Pierre Gerwig Langer!
Now, I dunno if you can somehow reach the list of songs that were played in your Graphic Audiobooks, but if there’s a way if you could please share the list of songs that were in Night Angel Trilogy.
Also, here’s a quick question while we’re at music.
Do you listen to any while writing? I find myself difficult to write in silence and the music gives me a sort of rhythm, it just can’t have any lyrics in it or I get distracted. My favourite are kinds of music like Two Steps From Hell and Immediate Music produce – epic and mighty strong.
I read the Night Angel series and thought the covers of those books hinted at the ninja-esque tone of the main character. When I read the first release of the Black Prism and saw the cover I thought – oh boy! This is gonna be good! It was! Seeing the second in the series I have to agree that it reminds me of the Night Angle series of hooded/cloaked assassin and felt a little let down, especially since the cover first in the Black Prism series hinted at more than another cloaked figure darting around in the shadows.
With all that I have said in mind. I must admit the gradient colors do grab the attention, but I still wish that the mysterious cloaked figure was doing something more than just standing there. Maybe a hint of something getting ready to happen, maybe a flash of that nasty dagger that was on cover of book one, or maybe a face off.
Okay, I’ve been waiting for the sequel of the Black Prism since August of 2010 and I freely admit the cover is nice – I’m ready to start reading #2 now! I read the Black Prism a half dozen times since it’s release and just cannot wait for it! September from Barnes & Nobel? Going to be a very long wait this summer.
I hate to say it, but the airport book store + the cover of the The Way of Shadows got me reading Brent Weeks books.
First it was the Ninja. I pick up the book. “Nice”
Then the ‘The perfect killer has no friends – only targets’. “Sweet”
I notice ‘The Night Angel Trilogy 1’. “Hmmm, sounds badass”
I read the back cover. “Sold”
I have one word for The Blinding Knife cover…. “Lame”. I can’t put my finger on it, because it doesn’t have it. That being said, I’ll still read it because it’s only a cover and I really like his work.
Not liking it. Great colors, but I’m on the bandwagon with votes against the text layout and the hooded mannequin. I would have liked to see something that tied into the Black Prism layout and color scheme. This one neither entices nor conveys the feel of the series even scarcely as well as the former.
I love the colours a lot; but that’s all I love about it. The image itself while fairly generic is not bad, the text certainly needs some work.
The line at the bottom seems to indicate this is another series again, rather than a continuation of the Black Prism.
All that said, I’ll read it regardless. It’s the writing that really matters and both the Night Angel trilogy and The Black Prism (which I’m reading now; albeit just about finished. WTB: Moar!) have convinced me that all things Brent Weeks need to be read. I just worry about new readers browsing casually for something new.
was kinda hoping the same super sexy guy would be on it ;D
Me too. 😉
It’s first cover of all yours books, which I didn’t like.
But maybe polish edition will look better. 🙂
September?
Awww, I have to wait until then?
Wait, is that the international release?
Because if it isn’t, that means I have to wait for it to get to Australia as well.
That’ll be the worst wait.
Ever.
Of all time.