CCamfield said:
I think that cover has many more problems than just that. Like
- the clothing, (Come on, did ANYONE get the impression from the books that the Lady would wear a big hat with a feather? And I could swear that she's blonde...)
- spiky horse armour. Why the warhorses anyway? The Black Company fights on foot.
- the guys in the background look REALLY medieval European. I'm not sure that works for me either. It's rather difficult to tell what armour's supposed to be like in the first books, I suppose, but the later books have a very Indian feel to them...
- and the big horn? Ugh.
The cover is an illustration of a scene from the original Black Company novel (first of the Books of the North, where the setting is certainly European; it's the Books of the South that bring in the African and Indian cultures). Alllow me to quote from the book. Emphasis mine:
"The Lady came on horseback, up the ramp climbing from near the Tower entrance. She rode an animal bred for the part. It was huge and spirited, a glossy roan that looked like an artist's conception of equine perfection. She was very stylish, in red and gold brocade, white scarves, gold and silver jewelry, a few black accents. Like a rich lady one might see in the streets of Opal.
Her hair was darker than midnight, and hung long from beneath an elegant white and lace tricorner hat trailing white ostrich plumes. A net of pearls kept it constrained. She looked twenty at the oldest. Quiet islanded her as she passed. Men gaped. Nowhere did I see a hint of fear."
"The Lady's companions were more in keeping with her image. Of medium heighth, all swathed in black, faces concealed behind black gauze, mounted upon black horses harnessed and saddled in black leather, they resembled the popular picture of the Taken. One bore a long black spear tipped with blackened steel, the other a big silver horn. One rode to either flank, trailing by a rigid yard."
"She honored me with one sweet smile as she passed. Her eyes sparkled with humor and invitation. . . . "