Shadowhawk and The Founding Fields have another cover art to share with you, for Zachary Jernigan’s debut novel No Return from Night Shade Books

“Quite possibly one of the best NSB covers to date. Magnificent.” ~Shadowhawk

Due to last minute changes, we could not bring this to you as an exclusive, but we are still quite excited to show you the cover for one of the most anticipated releases of the year. No Return by debut author Zachary Jernigan promises to be a scorcher and it seems to blend science fiction with fantasy quite well. I have an advanced copy of the book waiting to be read and I’m looking forward to it. Here is the cover for the novel, in its various stages:

Original Artwork by Robbie Trevino

I actually did use this as my desktop wallpaper for a few days! I love it. Given the blurb, the artwork gets across the slant and themes of the book very nicely. Love it.

Layout by Claudia Noble

Now we are talking! That is a really impressive cover. The blood splotches really add to the whole effect. Not to mention, that’s an excellent endorsement of No Return by Elizabeth Hand, comparing the book to a classic that I hold in very high estimation: Frank Herbert’s Dune. It is one of my all-time favourite novels, and I even consider to be the best SF novel to date. I am a huge fan of the setting. And if that’s the comparison that is being made with No Return, then my expectations have just doubled.

And here’s the cover with the full layout.

Click for a VERY high-res version.

On Jeroun, there is no question as to whether God exists–only what his intentions are.

Under the looming judgment of Adrash and his ultimate weapon–a string of spinning spheres beside the moon known as The Needle–warring factions of white and black suits prove their opposition to the orbiting god with the great fighting tournament of Danoor, on the far side of Jeroun’s only inhabitable continent.From the Thirteenth Order of Black Suits comes Vedas, a young master of martial arts, laden with guilt over the death of one of his students. Traveling with him are Churls, a warrior woman and mercenary haunted by the ghost of her daughter, and Berun, a constructed man made of modular spheres possessed by the foul spirit of his creator. Together they must brave their own demons, as well as thieves, mages, beasts, dearth, and hardship on the perilous road to Danoor, and the bloody sectarian battle that is sure to follow.

On the other side of the world, unbeknownst to the travelers, Ebn and Pol of the Royal Outbound Mages (astronauts using Alchemical magic to achieve space flight) have formed a plan to appease Adrash and bring peace to the planet. But Ebn and Pol each have their own clandestine agendas–which may call down the wrath of the very god they hope to woo.

Who may know the mind of God? And who in their right mind would seek to defy him? Gritty, erotic, and fast-paced, author Zachary Jernigan takes you on a sensuous ride through a world at the knife-edge of salvation and destruction, in this first installment of one of the year’s most exciting fantasy epics.

Shadowhawk

Shadowhawk is a regular contributor to TFF. A resident of Dubai, Shadowhawk reads, reads and reads. His opinions are always clear and concise. His articles always worth reading.