Aug 09
FluffyGhostKitten Art Direction: Gimme a ripped blinged-out Viking lion-centaur blowing a hunting horn. Throw in a couple random moons and a giant pulsar, and we’re good. No, I’m perfectly sober, someone else stole your shrooms.
Published 1988
You might remember this from here.
August 9th, 2017 at 10:48 am
Chug! Chug! Chug!
August 9th, 2017 at 11:12 am
Pipe Smoker of the Year 3017.
August 9th, 2017 at 11:29 am
Interesting, sometime between the foreground and the background I seem to have given myself a severe migraine.
August 9th, 2017 at 11:30 am
Poul Anderson: Once, every thousand years, comes.
I think we’ve found the problem, if not its source.
August 9th, 2017 at 12:10 pm
Since that centaur has vaguely human shaped legs at the front a video of him trying to gallop would go down a treat on Youtube.
August 9th, 2017 at 12:57 pm
If the horn was properly made you wouldn’t have to strike such a pain in the neck pose to use it. Don’t think this planet has any marching bands, you would go right over the nearest cliff during the first practice.
August 9th, 2017 at 1:44 pm
This guy has a spear, a dagger, a sword, arrows, plays the battle horn and is his own steed. That’s like the warrior’s version of a one man band.
August 9th, 2017 at 2:04 pm
@DSWBT – I don’t think one is supposed to abstain for that long. Also, I read the title as ‘Free Time’ Is that how Poul Anderson spends his free time once every millennium?
August 9th, 2017 at 3:29 pm
He seems to be standing on tiptoe. Hope he’s been using the spit key on that horn, otherwise, gr-oss!
August 9th, 2017 at 3:41 pm
A moon in that close an orbit would be a ring-system by now. This is a planet in dire need of a dermatologist.
August 9th, 2017 at 4:44 pm
With covers like these I can’t believe they’re firing the artists only once a millennium…
August 9th, 2017 at 6:28 pm
I find this cover to be well composed and the art competent.
But HAHA! CENTAURS!
August 9th, 2017 at 7:16 pm
“PLAY SOME SKYNYRD, MAN!”
August 9th, 2017 at 8:40 pm
How does he put those ankle bracelets on?
August 10th, 2017 at 1:14 am
The foreground and background appear to be two entirely different paintings mushed together for no reason except BAEN! trumpet
But both are competent enough that I’m afraid the combo (and font) (and Centaur!) makes this GSS-worthy. It’s at 5.67, so none of us are too horrified.
@JuanPaul: maybe one of the other lion centaur! men puts the ankle bracelets on him and vice versa?
(Poul only had one kid. Make of that what you will.)
August 10th, 2017 at 3:18 am
@DSWBT(#13):
The horn says to me Stand and Deliver!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B2a6l6wM2k
August 10th, 2017 at 6:09 pm
Being a feline centaur he’s probably flexible enough to do all kinds of things.
August 11th, 2017 at 5:16 am
That centaur ought to be more concerned by how close his planet is to that black hole. The time dilation must be absolutely horrid.
August 12th, 2017 at 5:47 am
So, 1000 years to us, but Fire Time comes every 5 minutes to him?
August 16th, 2017 at 1:47 pm
What’s that font called?
August 16th, 2017 at 9:48 pm
@A.R – I believe that font is called “Problema”.
August 18th, 2017 at 1:23 pm
“Guys, look at Thrag. Tooting his horn again… I swear, one day I’ll toss him into the black hole and put a stop to that infernal tooting!”