Cover art - "The Voyage of the Basilisk" by Marie Brennan

Marie Brennan’s “A Natural History of Dragons” is a gorgeous little novel, one of my delights of this reading year. I know I keep saying that I need to find a little time to put my thoughts of my readings in a proper form, so nothing new there I am afraid, but hopefully that would finally become true sooner rather than later. Anyway, “A Natural History of Dragons” is not only a wonderful reading, but also a very attractive book because of its cover artwork and interior illustrations. As a matter of fact, after I finished reading Marie Brennan’s “A Natural History of Dragons”, I returned with great pleasure several times to view again all its illustrations. Responsible for the situation is none other than the master Todd Lockwood. And since “A Natural History of Dragons” is the first novel in the “Memoirs of Lady Trent” series, not only that I’ve welcomed with delight the sight of the second novel’s cover, “The Tropic of the Serpents”, released on March (I am waiting for my copy of the novel so I can lose myself within the interior illustrations too), but also thrilled by Todd Lockwood’s artwork for the cover of the third novel, “The Voyage of the Basilisk”. This artwork follows wonderfully the line of the previous covers, but also adds something extra this time. The feeling of a scientific treaty, the true sense of a journal keeping track of a naturalist’s studies, is increased this time by the image presenting the dragon in length comparison with other species, a picture fit for any excellent zoological atlas, real or fictive. Even more, this cover holds the promise of adventure as well, the presence of the rowing boat next to the dragon hints at Isabella Camherst’s new extraordinary exploits. A gorgeous piece of art by Todd Lockwood, one we can admire at comfortable leisure since Marie Brennan’s “The Voyage of the Basilisk” is out in March 2015.