L' Épée d'Ardenois #2

The second chapter of Étienne Willem's charming Franco-Belgian fantasy series, L'Épée d'Ardenois, subtitled La Prophétie — Livre II, arrives with a cover that sets a wonderfully adventurous tone. Under a star-filled night sky, a cloaked fox warrior and a young rabbit companion stand ready, swords drawn, before the stone walls of what looks like a fortress or ancient keep. Willem's warm, painterly style gives these anthropomorphic heroes real personality and weight, making this 2012 Paquet release feel like an invitation into a richly imagined world of prophecy and peril.