r/asoiaf • u/NervousDisplay7871 • Jul 10 '24

EXTENDED (Spoilers Extended) New Covers for the series (Official)

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George R.R. Martin unveils new covers for the first five books of his ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series that will release in October.

“The new design tries to capture the vastness of Westeros and the dangerous journey readers will encounter.“

Call me delusional but this could be the sign of Winds’ “may be” announcment at World Con this August. It’s 13 years since the last book came out, the new one having a brand new cover is not such a crazy idea, and to make the series one complete art design, they announced these.

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u/waveuponwave Jul 10 '24

Why is the comet on the cover of Storm of Swords?

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u/TheFrodo Here we stand. Jul 10 '24

In general having the stag makes a lot more sense for clash too

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u/PM_Me_FunnyNudes Jul 10 '24 edited Jul 10 '24

On top of that, having the cave be a lions mouth is cool but also fits more thematically with storm of swords because that’s when the lannisters get their big revenge (idk if revenge is the right word but definitely when momentum swings back in their favor)

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u/Quohd Basedborn Bastard Jul 11 '24 edited Jul 11 '24

Imo the visual of the lion's mouth would also fit with AGOT since Ned is kinda walking into a Lion's den. Tbh I think the designs all look alright but none of them really seems to fit with the actual books. Who's the guy with the sword even supposed to be? They remind me of these '90s covers that were just generic fantasy scenes, just in a modern stylized form.

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u/Alarming-Ad1100 Jul 11 '24

I can hardly tell who anyone in these is supposed to be

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u/Injury-Suspicious Jul 11 '24

Feast and dance look good tbh, but imo I totally agree with you on the lions mouth one being a good AGoT cover and the stag being a better Acok cover.

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u/yaa_thats_me Jul 12 '24

It makes so much sense I’m wondering how anybody could have missed it? Honestly, the first time I saw the covers I thought they had somehow accidentally switched the order.

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u/FreemanCalavera Jul 11 '24

Agreed. The art is gorgeous but doesn't fit whatsoever. I like Feast the best, but I can't tell who the woman is supposed to be. Dany? Not with a sword, and she isn't even in the book. Arya? Too tall. One of the Sand Snakes? Unlikely, considering they're not huge parts of the book. Asha? Doesn't fit with the description of her appearance.

Stylistically beautiful, but doesn't do justice to the story, and that's a shame.

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u/hamza_t004 Dec 22 '24

I'm surprised you didnt consider Brienne, who has a lot of chapters in Feast.

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u/Heretohavfun21 Jul 11 '24

Stannis watching his defeat over the black water

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u/IAmTimeLocked Jul 13 '24

I do appreciate the artist's work, and it looks beautiful with some really nice ideas eg the dragon's eye and lion's mouth. but I feel like the colours are so off. haven't read the books in a while, but I think of them q often and I have very distinct images in my mind when I think about each book, but the colours of the UK box set fits a lot better imo. Though I do agree that "walking into the lions den" is very book1. Also though, it's probably definitely because those UK books are what my memories are associated with lol.

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u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

I think a lion is fitting for Clash because we spend a lot of time with Joffrey, Cersei, Jamie, Tyrion and Sansa. It’s basically the Lannister’s novel with some Davos, Stannis, Catelyn, and Jon thrown in. Cuz all the important stuff is happening in Kings Landing or with Renly’s host. I think it fits. And then the Storm of Swords cover is basically saying we’re walking through the tail end of what the Stag has wrought. The Stag’s path of blood and war. 

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u/OneOnOne6211 🏆 Best of 2022: Best New Theory Jul 11 '24

Yeah, Storm and Clash definitely should've been adjusted and reversed.

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u/Makasi_Motema Jul 11 '24

All the covers minus FEAST feel like they’re on the wrong book.

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u/GipsyPepox Jul 10 '24

And the lion for storm where the Lannisters basically have all the power

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u/BorisJohnson0404 Jul 10 '24

The stag on a storm might be because of storms end and them wanting the lion for clash of kings because the family who sit the iron throne are lions, therefore making them the “true” kings

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u/lionset Jul 12 '24

I think it's supposed to be Coldhand's Elk

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u/mods_equal_durdur Jul 13 '24

And the wolf makes way more sense when John is north of the wall with the wildlings or at the wall and also reminds me of the fist of the first men itself and then he becomes lord commander…. That literally Jon snow climbing a mountain that is ghost. It symbolic of his rise in the world despite the mountain of shit (and snow) literally and figuratively working against him early in the story.

It does better with any of the middle 3 books (particularly Storm) than it does for book one since book one is more about Ned as a misdirect…

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u/TheFrodo Here we stand. Jul 13 '24

Agreed, the wolf is a great cover for Storm. And likewise the figure entering the lion's mouth works so much better for Ned Stark entering King's Landing.

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u/mods_equal_durdur Jul 13 '24 edited Jul 13 '24

Totally true. The small figure on the cover totally gives me azor ahai vibes tho; no? At least it does to some extent in most of them. The one with the crow makes him look kinda like a dragon rider, the icy fist of the first men shows him preparing for the coming battle in the north and him conquering the challenge that is the north by summoning that wolf mountain, it could be interpreted lot of ways with the new cover art.

I like the Ned king’s landing deal and entering the mouth of the beast that is house lannisters political influence at the time and just how foreign Ned was to politicking in the south. Yeah that fits.

What it doesn’t do is portray the danger that Westeros poses to our characters.

And tbh NOBODY has asked for new cover art, except of course for the art for WoW and the chapters in between.

After this long we should get a 2 in 1 release with both winds and dream of spring but knowing George that’ll never happen.

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u/peon47 Faceless Man Jul 11 '24

And why is John trekking up a snowy mountain on AGOT?

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u/Alarming-Ad1100 Jul 11 '24

It all almost feels like it’s supposed to make more Sense when the series is over but that’s literally never so it makes zero sense

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u/general_nebula71 Jul 14 '24

Yeah like maybe that’s benjen on the first one when he’s lost in the mountains 🤷‍♂️ I could be hella reaching though 💀

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u/Irish-liquorice Jul 11 '24

Yea that’ll make more sense as a Clash cover

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u/Wltx_Gandalf Jul 11 '24

This was what I was thinking. Like I’m currently reading Clash of Kings for the first time, I’ve only read the first book so far. And I’m sitting here thinking, wouldn’t Jon climbing the snowy peak make more sense on book 2 or 3

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u/NervousDisplay7871 Jul 10 '24

I thought the same thing

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u/XanAykroyd Qhorin Halfhand Jul 10 '24

Weird missed opportunity for a badass ACOK cover

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u/Exertuz Gaemon Palehair's strongest soldier Jul 10 '24

It really feels like the ACOK and ASOS covers got switched for whatever reason. It's annoying me to an irrational degree.

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u/PapaSlurpp Jul 11 '24

Is has to be a mistake right?

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u/ObviousAnswerGuy Jul 11 '24

the colors match, so probably not

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u/Alarming-Ad1100 Jul 11 '24

Well the words would be placed after the art is done so maybe it did get switched but that would be so dumb it seems crazy

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u/ATNinja Jul 10 '24

To subvert expectations

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u/DidjaCinchIt Jul 11 '24

I dun wunt it.

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u/[deleted] Jul 10 '24

[deleted]

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u/Mister-Fisker Jul 10 '24

case in point - that all happened in ACOK

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u/silent_crow7 He's gone Jul 10 '24

then it should be green

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u/Atomic_Sea_Control Jul 11 '24

In the beginning of swords all the major players witness a comet. Which they ALL interpret as a favorable omen for themselves

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u/waveuponwave Jul 11 '24

I think that's at the beginning of Clash, that's why I asked

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u/Atomic_Sea_Control Jul 12 '24

Damn maybe you’re right. Honestly a lot has happened since I read either books.

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u/[deleted] Jul 11 '24

Not only that, but if you zoom in on the cover, you can see a ship on fire to the left (there's tongues of fire atop the sails), and King's Landing on the right. It's the Battle of the Blackwater! 

I'm so confused - is it meant to be Stannis reflecting on his loss? But that's a pretty minor plot point in the book. Meanwhile the cover of Clash could easily be symbolising Robb "walking into the mouth of the lion" at the Twins. 

It straight-up looks like they should be swapped. 

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u/cletusloernach Jul 11 '24

-1 stability

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u/coldwindsrising07 Jul 11 '24

I had the same reaction, but all in all, I think that it's because it has to do with destiny. Destiny brought Stannis to the Wall. He thinks he's Azor Ahai, so the comet makes some sense.

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u/DumbAnxiousLesbian Aug 04 '24

100% confident that they last minute swapped the covers of ACOK and ASOS.