Weird of Hali Update -- and a contest

[ecosophia]

I'm very pleased to report that the revised and corrected second edition of my seven-volume epic fantasy with tentacles, The Weird of Hali, is coming along well; many thanks to everyone who helped chase down typos and other mistakes in the original printings. The publisher is gearing up to commission cover art -- no, the image on the left isn't one of the covers. (That's just Asenath Merrill saying a little prayer after Sunday school.)

The question the publisher and I have is what would be the best scenes from the novels to illustrate for the cover art, and the suggestion was raised that, since I have the best commentariat on the internet, I should toss it to you. So we're going to have a little contest among those who've read one or more of the volumes of The Weird of Hali. 

What image from each book would you like to see illustrated on the cover of each of the seven volumes? 

Here are the rules: 

1) Each contestant can propose one scene from each book. 

2) If the scene has already been proposed, attach your comment to the original proposal in this comment thread. 

3) If you're the first one to post a given suggestion, either post it via a Dreamwidth account or include some identifying info in the post, because...

4) The person who proposes the image that gets the most votes for each book will get a free copy of the new edition of that book, straight from the publisher.  

One more note -- this is just for the seven volumes of The Weird of Hali. The four additional novels -- The Shoggoth Concerto, The Nyogtha Variations, A Voyage to Hyperborea, and The Seal of Yueh Lao -- will be published a little later, and I'll do another contest when their turn comes to get cover art commissioned. 

So there you are. I'm delighted to see the new edition coming along, and I think you'll be pleased with them also. 

Comments

Glad to hear it!

[(Anonymous)]

I already have the whole set but am happy for the sake of future readers (best Lovecraftian spinoff EV-VER, extremely highly recommended).

Sadly, some of the best scenes would be difficult or impossible to illustrate (perhaps someone should ask DALL-E to do some versions of "Yog-Sothoth manifesting inside a parking garage"). However, I think it would be nice to see Nyarlathotep on one of the covers, at least a glimpse - maybe the scene from book 1 with him and Owen meeting on the bridge in Arkham? And for Kingsport, maybe the scene with the gathering before the King?

And for Providence, perhaps the scene where Owen meets Phauz and there are a bunch of cats hanging around, prominently including the tuxedo cat who [SPOILER CENSORED]? Because, cats are always good. And you can see, I think it would be nice to have more face time for the Great Old Ones - so long as your publisher has an artist who can do them justice, anyway.

-Translucent Jejune Octopus

Re: Glad to hear it!

[scotlyn]

I would second the "Providence - Phauz - Tuxedo Cat" suggestion.

first book

[(Anonymous)]

he is in the water, under the dock, grabbed by tentacled woman hybrid while shots ring out from people on the dock ( this way not giving too much away, who is the good guys and bad guys)

Atmoshperic River

Re: first book

[(Anonymous)]

I'd really like that as a cover for Innsmouth!

Nachtgurke

2nd book

[(Anonymous)]

I was conflicted with 2 different ideas, Here is the first. Since the story is a mystery in an old maansion, then some kind of cut out view of a mansion interior, mysterious dark basement and other shadows under, a library with books and mysterious items on shelves, a formal room with classic dressed people readdy for dinner, vague bedrooms upstairs, a full moon and the toad god with his enigmatic smile not smile peering down from the sky on the other side

Atmospheric river

Re: 2nd book

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, yes! Because Kingsport is also a classic English Country House Murder in ones sense, and a Gothic one at that, nicely subverted (the heroine creeps down to the cellar at midnight - and nails the villains flat.)

For Innsmouth, I think Nyarlathotep should feature prominently. But maybe with a Deep One in the background.

more

[(Anonymous)]

I forgot to say, then the amsion goes to back cover, but that wing is just shown outside view, not cut out and hte back cover words are over that

Atmospheric River

Dreamlands

[(Anonymous)]

Dreamlands. Cats to the moon and back. on the right, cats on ground, leaping, a wide arc of cats that get more individually indistinct and merge to a single milky cat profile touching the distant moon, On the left on the page, our 2 adventurers on the ground in the barren city outskirts, the arc from the moon to them just milky indistinct. Around the corner on the back cover, less detailed dead city leads away, with the back cover workds over it

Re: Dreamlands

[(Anonymous)]

that is from me, Atmospheric River

7th book

[(Anonymous)]

Last book. Color out of time. grey children. Front cover, frozen still grey children,including a mom whose tentacles hold the infant, 2 young teens, one with a krymi on her lap, hand over the boys next to her, and others indistinct in background, grey above them moving to nebulous color under title. As it goes around to back cover, grey to nebulous colors hints of the color out of time

Re: 7th book

[(Anonymous)]

I forgot to put my name on this one too, sorry, that is from Atmospheric River

chorizon

[(Anonymous)]

Chorizon. The hill, elk hill, with the standing stones and the swirling clouds that seem to have a face or presence in them above, thorns up side of hill of course

Atmospjeric River

Re: chorizon

[iprescott]

Seconded, but I would like to add the face be of Youndeh

red hook

[(Anonymous)]

The cave under red hook. water, the 2 heads of Justin and ( ...my mind is drawing a blanK on name), stone platform with Tnje and the "cat" . If you want how they look more in the imagination, they can be shadowed a bit, otherwise have them done is full monsterous glory

Re: red hook

[(Anonymous)]

that is from Atmospheric river

The set

[vitranc]

I loved the books, so let me give it a try:

Innsmouth: Owen meeting a shoggoth for the first time
Kingsport: Jenny scrying in the library
Chorazon: Storm (maybe soem elk or antlers in the lightning or clowds) over the standing stones
Dreamlands: Miriam talking to Nyarlathotep
Red Hook: Justin Bea and the throne of Eibon
Providence: nothing, the original is just perfect
Arkham: nothing, the original is just perfect

[(Anonymous)]

Innsmouth:

Orwen Merrill walking the moon path with the Voor shimmering in the distance.

Kingsport:

Jenny looking at the King in Yellow.

Or just the Ring of Ebon.

Chorazin:

Orwen and Justin drinking tar beer in Chorazin's pub.

[scotlyn]

For Innsmouth, I would love to see the scene where Owen and Nyarlathotep are hurrying along the train tracks toward Innsmouth, spot the radiance team, and Nyarlathotep releases the HOUNDS...

[(Anonymous)]

I thought you were proposing doing illustration through the book, or chaps... which could be used for a future tarot deck.

Murmuration and I love our cards.

X


Erika

[ecosophia]

I'd love to see a version of Sallie Eagle's favorite card deck...

This is actually totally off topic

[(Anonymous)]

But the headline sure made me sit up for a moment...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-may-have-found-something-unfathomably-massive-living-under-antarctica/ar-AA14qvTI

-Translucent Jejune Disappointed Yet Relieved Octopus

Re: This is actually totally off topic

[ecosophia]

Ah, I see they found the shoggoths. ;-)

[(Anonymous)]

For Kingsport – Scene: Jenny, seen from behind, standing, with suitcase in hand, at the gate in front of the mansion on Green Lane, as described in the last three paragraphs of Chapter 2. The mansion pictured as described dwarfs the small, but mighty Jenny.

Will1000

[(Anonymous)]

For Chorazin – Scene: Owen and Justin (with Robin) encountering the eight stones at the summit of Elk Hill, with the summer lightning flash, as described midway through Chapter 4. (This may have already been proposed?)

Will1000

[(Anonymous)]

I agree, that sounds good!

-Translucent Jejune Octopus

[(Anonymous)]

For Dreamlands – Scene: Miriam and Carter at the entrance to the vast pillared hall in the Temple of Flame with the "forest of columns stretching away into the distance ahead, carved with enigmatic bas-reliefs and hieroglyphic inscriptions" as described midway through Chapter 10.

Will1000

[(Anonymous)]

I am huge fan of these books so I am going to do each one as seperate posts so it will be easy for people to reply and support (if they want).

Innsmouth: Any scene with Nyarlathotep and his car.

[(Anonymous)]

Kingsport: Any scene with Jenny in the library.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes! Great library!

[(Anonymous)]

Chorazin: A street scene with Justin and Owen looking very "road trippy." Maybe in front of their car or in front of one of the notable locals.

[(Anonymous)]

Dreamlands: This is a toughy. Part of me likes the idea of seeing Mitriam in her cluttered oddly shaped office surrounded by ancient tomes. That would just be a slice of heaven. But, on the other hand, how can you pass on a scene from the dreamlands? But that asks the obvious question - what scene? Like I said, a toughy.

[(Anonymous)]

Providence – Scene: In Providence, after getting off the bus, Owen briefly greets the woman with uncombed taffy-colored hair and in unkempt clothing perched at the foot of the monument, feeding tidbits to three lean and ragged cats, as described near the beginning of Chapter 2.

Will1000

[(Anonymous)]

How much change are we talking? Just typos? Just minor wording corrections? Small changes to fix minor plot points? More?

Also, any word on hardbacks? I'd buy the whole series and the stand alones in HB if they are issued that way.

[ecosophia]

Typos and minor wording corrections. No changes to plot points at all; the novels are what they are.

As for hardbacks, I've already mentioned that to the publisher. No word yet.

[(Anonymous)]

For Innsmouth a hand lovingly holding a tentacle. The interspecies stuff really surprised me, and it could draw a whole new crowd. Whether you want that crowd or not is a good question, but it's not like they aren't going to find you anyway.

[(Anonymous)]

Red Hook – Scene: Justin shining a flashlight down the “stairway slanting down into unknown depths. The size and proportions of the steps made him doubt that they had been made for human beings.” As described midway through Chapter 10.

Will1000

[(Anonymous)]

For Arkham – Scene: similar to the original cover. However, this time, Jenny turns away, while Owen looks over the incomprehensable mounding of the sea and the “third wave was on its way. Once again the sea rose up, but this time it didn’t stop rising... he realized that the great gray-green shape rising at the horizon’s edge curved away to either side.” As described near the end of Chapter 12.

Will1000

[(Anonymous)]

I agree that the original scene on book 7, the altar scene, was the ideal one (though not ideally executed), but disagree with the suggested addition. When a new reader was reading the book, it would take something away from the suspenseful moments if they could say "Fortunately, the cover already told me exactly how this is going to come out."

-Translucent Jejune Octopus