Check out the Striking Cover Art of Suyi Davies Okungbowa’s Warrior of the Wind

Nigerian fantasy author Suyi Davies Okungbowa recently shared the cover design for his sixth book, and the visuals are striking.

Titled Warrior of the Wind, the book will be published by Orbit Books on November 21 in the US and November 23 in the UK. This is the second book in Okungbowa’s fantasy series The Nameless Republic and continues the stunning world-building and powerful storytelling showcased in the first book.

The cover design is done by Lauren Panepinto, while the cover illustration by Dan dos Santos. Santos, who designed the cover of the first book in the series, had said in, a 2020 interview, that he wanted to capture the epic scale of the story and an African feel to the design. The Warrior of the Wind continues some of these stylistic themes while having its own distinctive vibe. We love the stunning portrait of the woman adorned in jewelry, white facial markings, and gorgeous bantu knots. Her eyes are captivating and channel the resoluteness of a warrior, as doers her sword and metallic texture of the graphic on the image’s borders.

In a statement shared with us via Twitter DM, Okungbowa commented on the making of the cover, noting the importance of some of the aesthetic choices:

The team at Orbit and I agreed from the get-go that after featuring Danso on the SON OF THE STORM cover, it only made sense to feature Lilong for the sequel. Dan dos Santos brought his magic once again: the piercing gaze, the apt choice of colours, the vibrance of Oon’s desertlands in the background. I was quite particular about featuring Lilong’s bantu knots because I don’t think I’ve ever seen that on a fantasy novel’s cover, and I wanted to gently push back against the ubiquity of protagonists with flowing hair that doesn’t always mirror the hairstyles of the kinds of people I grew up around. Overall, it’s an exciting cover for an exciting book, character and series–if this doesn’t get you pumped and excited to add this to your To-Read Shelf, I can’t say what else will.”

We hope that fans of the series will enjoy this thrilling visual representation of Lilong on the book cover.

Enjoy the full synopsis of Warrior of the Wind below and hit the pre-order link below:

The empire has been reshaped. There is no peace in the season of the Red Emperor.

Traumatized by their escape from Bassa, Lilong and Danso have found safety in a vagabond colony on the edge of the emperor’s control. But time is running out on their refuge. A new bounty makes every person a threat, and whispers of magic have roused those eager for their own power. 

Lilong is determined to return the Diwi—the ibor heirloom—to her people. It’s the only way to keep it safe from Esheme’s insatiable desire. The journey home will be long, filled with twists and treachery, unexpected allies and fabled enemies.

But surviving the journey is the least of their problems.

Something ancient and uncontrollable awakens. Trouble heads for Bassa, and the continent of Oon will need more than ibor to fix what’s coming.