3D! -- The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn

As another brief change of scene from the standard sketches-from-books, today I offer you a rough clay maquette of a book character -- Ixil (plus one of his outrider ferrets, Pax) from Timothy Zahn's The Icarus Hunt. 

The Icarus Hunt is one of my all-time-favorite books. You can bet that eventually I'll make a post with sketches from it!

The Last Command by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn Trilogy, Book 3)

Luke on Honoghr

Noghri commando

   Isn't it great to revisit a book you love -- after a long enough period that you've forgotten all but a few major plot points / characters -- and find that it's just as good as the last time you read it? That's my reaction after this most recent read through the Thrawn Trilogy.

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I'm not quite satisfied with any of the depictions I've seen of the Noghri thus far. My attempt draws from several different versions, and it's at least... closer.

Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn Trilogy, Book 1)

Joruus C'baoth (booo! hiss!) aboard the Chimaera, coordinating Thrawn's multi-pronged attack

   [Pellaeon] turned to look at C'baoth's strained face, an icy shiver running up his back. He'd never really bought into Thrawn's theory as to how and why the Fleet had lost the Battle of Endor. Certainly he'd never wanted to believe it. But now, suddenly, the issue was no longer open to argument. 
   And with the bulk of his attention and power on the task of mentally communicating with two other task forces nearly four light-years away, C'baoth still had enough left to do all this.
   Pellaeon had wondered, with a certain private contempt, just what had given the old man the right to add the word Master to his title. Now, he knew.

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Here, enjoy a sketch of one of my least favorite characters from one of my favorite book trilogies. He's not a bad character, mind -- rather, he's one of those villains you love to hate... I feel that way even more so after reading Timothy Zahn's Outbound Flight, which is set many years before this.

Cobra Slave by Timothy Zahn (Cobra Rebellion Trilogy, Book 1)

I actually read this last month. Started and finished in two days flat, then picked up another book just a day or two later. Hence when I first sat down to sketch something from this... my mind was blank. I went too fast for any particular picture to stick in my mind. Oops. Normally I'd count it a loss at this point, but the book has been sitting in my studio for weeks now, waiting for me to open it back up and find something to draw. I did give it a try a while ago, attempting to design the Troft, but... it wasn't a sketch worth seeing the light of day.

Instead, I leave you with one simple sketch of a scene I found amusing...

Lorne jumps into an arrowcrest tree to avoid being dragged off by the Dominion Marines

Cobra Gamble by Timothy Zahn (Cobra War Trilogy, Book 3)

Secret Djinn base

Cobra Smitty climbing a snake trail

Merrick destroying the jormungand (a giant armored snake)

Cobra Guardian by Timothy Zahn (Cobra War Trilogy, Book 2)

Lorne leaps over the streets of occupied Capitalia

Lorne launching Nissa up to the Tlossie ship

Freylan protecting Jody from the tree wolves

  

Cobra Alliance by Timothy Zahn (Cobra War Trilogy, Book 1)

Haha, you can't cuff a Cobra.

   

Merrik firing at Trofts

  When I set my mind to picturing one of the many Cobra fight scenes in this book, I was momentarily stymied by the antiarmor laser. It's implanted in the leg. Talk about an awkward weapon to fire! I'd love to see an animated sequence of a Cobra in action.

  The narrative doesn't really help me picture this. It tends to say something along the lines of "he lifted his leg and aimed at the ship..." Well, okay then. That's all there is to it, hm? I get that the Cobras are a force to behold, yes, but with visuals, I think that idea would have way more, shall I say... punch

 

Daulo & Fadil with Qasaman soldiers fighting back against the Troft invaders

Merrik gets most of the cool action shots in this book. Thus the scene I end up doodling that shows Jin using Cobra abilities... is of her closing a bulkhead door in the Qasaman underground. Exciting, huh?

Cobra Bargain by Timothy Zahn (Cobra Trilogy, Book 3)

Wrapping up the first Cobra trilogy.

Daulo Sammon

Jin & Akim with an unconscious Daulo, dropping into the Troft side of the Mangus compound

Cobra Strike by Timothy Zahn (Cobra Trilogy, Book 2)

     Inspired by the background of the original cover... here's a  sketch of a random Qasaman guard with his mojo (the bird).

Frankly, I didn't do the mojo justice. Those things are supposed to be the quintessential birds-of-prey. They're the Qasamans' bodyguards. Don't even think about shooting a weapon in their presence. The result can be absolutely horrific. Just look at what happened to York:

 York shifted his aim to the mojo on the dying man's shoulder and a second dart found its target . . . but as he brought the palm-mate to bear on Moff's mojo all hell broke loose.
  They were smart all right, those birds. The dead Qasaman hadn't even fallen to the floor before the remaining five mojos were in the air, sweeping toward him like silver-blue Furies. He got off two more shots, but neither connected--and then they were on him, talons digging into his face and gun arm and slamming him hard into the seat.  . . .

It was like a scene out of a nightmare -- York under attack by mojos.

Cobra by Timothy Zahn (Cobra Trilogy, Book 1)

   A sudden rustle of cloth brought Jonny's attention back to the priest. The service was drawing to a close, he saw, and the crowd was kneeling for the final prayer. Hastily, Jonny dropped to his knees, glancing around as he did so. Challinor's Cobras were still on their feet, whatever feelings of respect they might have overridden by the tactical necessity of keeping close watch on the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Almo hesitate and then, with a glance in Jonny's direction, kneel with the rest of the people around him. Between the coffin stands Father Vitkauskas had himself knelt . . . and as he began the requiescat, Jonny's eyes sought Chrys, saw her hand slip under the hem of her long skirt to the device strapped to her leg . . . .
   And MacDonald sat up in his coffin.

MacDonald sits up in his coffin . . . and subsequently unleashes a wild spray of laser beams into the unsuspecting Cobra rebels. YESSS.

The Conquerors' Saga by Timothy Zahn

It's a meager offering today, and old stuff, I'm afraid... but from one of my favorite trilogies ever (top three if not first!), from my favorite author: The Conquerors' Saga by Timothy Zahn. Reread through the whole thing a few months back, and I believe I relished it just as much as I did the first time. It deserves a whole series of images, for sure. In fact, there's even one particular scene I have in mind for a mini-comic... someday.

Trying to picture Zhirrzh eyes. Three pupils?! I don't even...

Fibbit, an arachnoid alien