This one’s another Xanth cover, so I’m tempted to excuse it. Then I see that the damsel on the right is posed so that she’s not accomplishing anything except showing the inside of her thighs. Good art direction, sir!
It’s probably a fool’s errand to question physics in a scene that features a butterfly winged mermaid with righteous sideburns and riding a purple unicorn… BUT how is that wooden cart supporting the weight of a statue that no doubt weighs thousands of pounds? It also looks extremely top-heavy. With a 2-wheeled cart it would never stay balanced.
This being a Darrell K. Sweet cover it is generically unrealistic and what not, but still…the yoke is so short the man who is actually trying to move said unbalanced cart would have to take tiny little steps. Even then the wheel would probably catch his heel. While the two women make things even more difficult.”What? Not heavy enough. Here, I’ll jump on the cart while she pulls sideways upon it.” How long ddo you think it was before he used that huge sword of his to bring the journey to a tragic but personally satisfying end?
Just out of curiousity..are there any DKS illustrations involving non-white humans? If so, do they llook like all his other people with a change of paint/skin tone?
I’ve figured it out. It’s a normal(ish) human woman on the back of the unicorn, but she is being attacked from behind by a giant butterfly. And is carrying a dead fish with her. For some reason.
The mermaid simply is not balanced. If the tail were her right leg and she had a left leg to match, then yes, she’d be seated comfortably – straight on, that is, not side-saddle. (And indeed, my guess is the pose is stolen from reference of a woman seated on a horse.) As it is, she’s hopelessly lopsided and not even fluttering her rather skew-angled wings at speed is going to prevent her from falling off immediately.
I have no idea how side-saddle riding works, but my guess is it’s not like that.
December 4th, 2012 at 9:02 am
A mermaid butterfly? How does that work? Does she just flail around in the water? Good old DKS.
December 4th, 2012 at 9:17 am
The sequel to Knots Gnlanding.
Showing my age with that gag, I know.
December 4th, 2012 at 9:49 am
A mermaid butterfly I can take, but a GINGER mermaid butterfly on a BLUE unicorn? Preposterous!
The lady on the right is the least help in this picture. Not only pulling the cart the wrong way – sideways – but with her feet tied together.
December 4th, 2012 at 9:55 am
I wonder how the butterfly mermaid manages not to slide off that unicorn.
Not surprisingly, the grumpy Easter Island moai has covered its eyes with leaves in embarrassment.
December 4th, 2012 at 10:50 am
“I am your host Robert Stack, and this is Unsolved Mysteries. Tonight: Were the Easter Island statues built by elves and mermaids?”
December 4th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
@Phil: she’s adopted. 🙂
This one’s another Xanth cover, so I’m tempted to excuse it. Then I see that the damsel on the right is posed so that she’s not accomplishing anything except showing the inside of her thighs. Good art direction, sir!
December 4th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Whoa, is that the unicorn from the ‘Apprentice Adept’ series? Could this be a crossover book?
December 4th, 2012 at 1:02 pm
‘Couldn’t lift it, couldn’t even shift it, we was getting nowhere, and
so
we
‘adacuppa tea…’
December 4th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Two questions:
a) Why does butterfly-mermaid-girl need to ride a unicorn? Couldn’t she just… flutter along?
b) What is up with her GINORMOUS SIDEBURNS?!?
December 4th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
“… I WEEP … I WEEP TEARS OF LEAVES …”
December 4th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
“Do you know, I can’t remember why we brought this now.”
December 4th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
It’s probably a fool’s errand to question physics in a scene that features a butterfly winged mermaid with righteous sideburns and riding a purple unicorn… BUT how is that wooden cart supporting the weight of a statue that no doubt weighs thousands of pounds? It also looks extremely top-heavy. With a 2-wheeled cart it would never stay balanced.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Knot gneiss? Tuff!
Pun said Fred.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
Yoss @12: A heavy statue? Hah, I see, you think it’s gneiss. But don’t worry, it’s knot.
December 4th, 2012 at 7:06 pm
This being a Darrell K. Sweet cover it is generically unrealistic and what not, but still…the yoke is so short the man who is actually trying to move said unbalanced cart would have to take tiny little steps. Even then the wheel would probably catch his heel. While the two women make things even more difficult.”What? Not heavy enough. Here, I’ll jump on the cart while she pulls sideways upon it.” How long ddo you think it was before he used that huge sword of his to bring the journey to a tragic but personally satisfying end?
December 4th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Just out of curiousity..are there any DKS illustrations involving non-white humans? If so, do they llook like all his other people with a change of paint/skin tone?
December 4th, 2012 at 9:17 pm
I’ve figured it out. It’s a normal(ish) human woman on the back of the unicorn, but she is being attacked from behind by a giant butterfly. And is carrying a dead fish with her. For some reason.
I still haven’t worked out the sideburns, though.
December 4th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
Looks like they’re hauling a load of schist.
December 6th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
@Phil you forgot to mention that she has no clothes on….maybe the butterfly stole her clothes and knitted a sweater with the material?
December 10th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
The mermaid simply is not balanced. If the tail were her right leg and she had a left leg to match, then yes, she’d be seated comfortably – straight on, that is, not side-saddle. (And indeed, my guess is the pose is stolen from reference of a woman seated on a horse.) As it is, she’s hopelessly lopsided and not even fluttering her rather skew-angled wings at speed is going to prevent her from falling off immediately.
I have no idea how side-saddle riding works, but my guess is it’s not like that.
February 26th, 2013 at 3:54 am
Something tells me this is high fantasy.
March 9th, 2020 at 6:46 pm
Today, at long last, I FINALLY got the pun. “Knot Gneiss”… “Not Nice.”
And now I wish I hadn’t.