Michael Whelan (1) (1950–)

This large format book features Whelan's cover art for the works of Anne McCaffrey, Alan Dean Foster, Isaac Asimov, Piers Anthony, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and more, and really shows the amount of care that went into every detail of each painting. He is a favorite artist of authors for a reason: he reads every book and takes great pains to be adhere to the descriptions within, even working in symbolism that might go unnoticed (or even unseen, when reduced to book cover size) by the casual reader.

A nice feature of this volume is that alongside the full page "clean" art, we get a reproduction of the final book cover design. The Lovecraft diptych (possibly the only cover work that doesn't represent the contents -- Whelan was simply commissioned for a horror piece) is particularly interesting in this regard. The artist also discusses each work in detail.… (mer)

Whelan's first collection features a good deal of early work, which of course isn't as good as it would be in years to follow, but it is still interesting to see the evolution of style. And, quality aside, it is nice to go back to a time when book covers weren't all stock photography. The book is divided into genre sections for science fiction, sword & sorcery, horror, etc. and has introductions for each by Poul Anderson, Anne McCaffrey, Alan Dean Foster, C.J. Cherryh, and Gerald W. Page. Most of the cover art (there are a few personal pieces as well) I have never seen on books in hand.… (mer)

The largest Whelan monograph to date, and I don't think there is any overlap with the previous two, amazingly. This volume features work both old and new, and for the first time, a great deal of personal (non-commissioned) pieces. We don't get the final book cover designs this time, but we do get sketches and preliminary art, and Whelan again discusses each piece. There are also a few interviews. My favorite Whelan work, "Periwinkle" (for [b:The Changeling Sea|77354|The Changeling Sea|Patricia A. McKillip|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1239499673s/77354.jpg|2085180]), is contained herein.… (mer)

Published in the ascendency of Michael Whelan's domination of the professional artist category of the Hugos, this book is a joy. Lovingly produced with a definite "art book" feel, the book has heft. The art itself brings back memories: Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series, Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders (more illustrations than Wonderworks had), Isaac Asimov's Elijah Baley and Foundation series, the Del Rey Lovecraft covers, and Edgar Rice Burrough's Martian series. The descriptive text adds a "behind the scenes" look at the art, from how it was composed to symbolic elements in the art. A truly delightful addition to my science fiction/fantasy art collection.… (mer)