Behind the scenes, Bragelonne has been cooking up the art for the new book with the excellent Marc Simonetti. They’ve just given me the go-ahead to share, so here it is, the stunning cover for Les Douze Rois de Sharakhaï, the French edition of Twelve Kings.

That’s some amazing work right there. The thing that leaps off the page, of course, is the hill and the palaces, backlit by the sunrise. Those clouds are amazing, and I really love the hazy glow Marc pulled off around Tauriyat and the House of Kings.

And then we zoom out and hit the foreground. The slums are really well done. I love the mudbrick buildings, the tarps, the alleys, the blues playing against the earthy tones of the buildings. Really nice stuff.

Çeda clinging to the edge of the building is great. I love how she’s staring out over the city, and the viewer along with her. Much like Adam Paquette’s cover for the US version, it creates some nice mystery. What is she about to do? What’s waiting for her out there in the city?

Bravo, Mr. Simonetti!

I like the spare design as well. I really lets the art speak for itself. But it complements the piece at the same time. I like how the gold lettering of the title sort of book-ends the sunrise. This is a great package overall. I applaud Bragelonne and am really excited to see how the book takes off in France.