Michael Whelan

DRAGONQUEST (1978)
Acrylic on Masonite - 20" X 30"



The primary menace to the planet Pern is "Thread," a corrosive and devastating alien life form which falls from the Red Star and burrows its way into the soil, destroying all life and making the soil unusable. Only the dragons who are able to burn the Thread out of the sky can save the inhabitants. 1/3

#sciencefiction #illustration #annemccaffrey #pern #dragon #delreybooks

Mar 23 at 1:57pmWeb
Show threadMichael WhelanMar 23
This seemed like a great scene to illustrate and it made an exciting cover, but I found out later that I goofed. Anne visualized Thread falling as straight strands of spaghetti, whereas I painted it as squirming ribbon-like things descending in clumps and tangles. 2/3
Show threadMichael WhelanMar 23

Cover illustration for DRAGONQUEST by Anne McCaffrey (Del Rey)

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/dragonquest/

Show threadKatzedecimalMar 23

@MichaelWhelan
Well, she described the Threads as doing just that, in later stories, & it led to a few plot points, so she took inspiration from your goof.

Pern was another of the "series I got into because of a Michael Whelan cover" 😄

Show threadMichael WhelanMar 24
@Katzedecimal It wasn't the only time Anne took cues from the art. The meeting in the clouds in ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN was written into the story based on my cover!
Show threadKatzedecimalMar 24
@MichaelWhelan
When art feeds art ❤️
Show threadJoelBarrMar 23
@MichaelWhelan I absolutely bought that book for the cover when I was young.