Tor.com is pleased to present Stephan Martinière’s cover art (designed by Jason Gurley) for Shield and Crocus, the first novel in a new epic fantasy series from Michael R Underwood!

Check out the full cover for Shield and Crocus below—there’s a giant skull involved!—and see what Underwood had to say about its design.

Author Michael R Underwood was blown away by the cover:

“I’ve had an image of a possible cover for Shield and Crocus in my head basically since I started writing the novel, back in late 2007. I’d always imagined the skeleton of the titan playing a central role, looming large in the city. But when I opened Stephan’s colored rough, I got chills. Serious, ‘Holy [email protected]%&’ chills. With this cover, Stephan has depicted Audec-Hal with an incredible sense of mood and scale. From the dilapidated tenements around Aegis to the domed palaces in the background, he’s brought the haunted city to life. And to literally top it all off, we have the unforgettable image of a skyline atop Audec’s skull. This is my favorite cover I’ve ever gotten for my books, and it’s going to be hard to top.”

From the catalog copy for Shield and Crocus, which will be published in June 2014 by 47North: