We really like Sam Sykes. Him. His novels. His Tweets. His Pugs. There isn’t really anything not to like in all honesty. Well, earlier this week Sam announced that he is going to be adding a comic book to that list of ‘things to like about Sam Sykes’. We were all pretty excited about that, but then came another treat: the fully finished American cover for The City Stained Red. Check it out:
If you saw the original design a few months back, you may not notice immediately what has changed. Indeed, in terms of ‘what is actually there’, it isn’t too dissimilar to that early version the publishers put out (to your right). However, when you put the two side by side it becomes apparent that the minor details that have been changed really take this from being ‘a decent cover’ to a ‘totally fricken awesome’ one. The contrast between the reds, the oranges and the grey is beautiful and really helps the model to stand out. In addition, the sword is more deadly looking, the old one was slightly too ‘pretty’ for a book written by an author who writes like Sam and suggested the protagonist was more a fencer than a man who knows how to handle a sword, such as Lenk. The blood splatters fit with the title and style of Sam’s books significantly better too and the font has been totally nailed – I feel like stealing it for any posters I need to make in the near future!
In addition to the cover, we can share the official blurb with you too:
Every city has its secrets, every man has his demons.
The city of Cier’Djaal has grown rich from the silk its horse-sized spiders spin. From their unimaginable wealth, the fasha ruling class built a city the likes of which legends strain to capture: spires that glitter gold in the desert sunlight, streets choked with people carrying burdens of coin and silk, a world where the differences between thieves and nobles are so small that an outsider might not even know.
And where there is wealth, there is war.
A radical upstart cult has risen from the slums and sewers of the city, intent on toppling its wealthy masters and spilling their gold upon the streets for the downtrodden. The ruling thieves’ guild has come to meet them with fire and blade, intent on preserving the rule of their own bloody law. Foreign armies intent on conquering the city and their opportunity to use the violence as an excuse to seize the city’s vast wealth for itself. And beneath human heels, the tribal shicts and ferocious tulwar clans seethe, waiting to strike back against the society that has trampled them underfoot.
And into this, Lenk comes seeking a new life. A life where he can set his sword down and leave the violence of his adventuring life behind him.
But there are whispers of something darker behind the wars, a sinister hand moving pieces across a board, intent upon ushering in a new world, free of gods, of fear, of humanity. And its gaze has just settled upon Lenk.
If ever anyone was to put a list together of ‘things that aren’t so good about Sam Sykes’ they’d probably end up heading that list with the covers of his first series. Of course, that is a bit unfair: the publishers decide the covers and it wasn’t Sam’s doing (some people may even like them), but we at Fantasy-Faction never felt Sam got enough attention for his original trilogy – which was plain fun, truly unique and the dream read for any young woman or man who grew up enjoying fantasy – and we still blame them for that (sorry designer of said covers!).
The good news for people who were put off by those original covers or who just weren’t reading fantasy back then is that Sam promises that: “If you’ve never read The Aeons’ Gate series, you will have absolutely zero problem getting into The City Stained Red. There’s no infodump backstory, no lengthy exposition, nothing to keep you from enjoying the book. But old readers will still have a lot to see. I think it’s going to be fun for new and returning readers alike.”
That said, we’d recommend you go pick ’em up anyway, they’re pretty cheap on Amazon and you can just get the eBook version anyway, right!? Make sure you keep up with the latest developments on Sam’s blog.
Geoff Matthews
Julia Kitvaria Sarene