Shi Xiu #2

Shi Xiu returns in "Allianties," the second volume of this Dutch-language historical adventure series from Dark Dragon Books. The cover, rendered with striking detail by Qing Song Wu, places a bold, determined young woman front and center — dressed in layered, jewel-toned garments — while a group of weathered figures flank her against a harbor filled with tall-masted sailing vessels. It's a composition that speaks immediately to shifting loyalties and the kind of uneasy coalitions that define life on the high seas.