The Meaning Behind the Front Cover

The front cover of The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste (TDACB) depicts a sunset scene upon the dangerous Ganis River, in Hastan, where on a rowboat you see the male protagonist, Colonel Valstohl Baquiste dressed in disguise of naturalist Gulaan Dasmire, looking at an elderly boatman who is focused on steering the boat because of the powerful river currents.

In the backdrop is the intense setting sun over densely populated forests. In the foreground, above the scene, are a pair of delicate silver anklets and below, a pair of vector-crossed swords with regal hilts, the blade of the left sword dripping with blood.

The front cover is packed with meaning and themes that are prevalent in the book!

The anklets and swords are both symbolic and metaphorical in the sense that they speak to the delicate and harsh elements that impact Valstohl while the objects are also part of the story. There is a reason the blood is on the left sword’s tip. These two objects also represent male and female essences in the novel.

The intense sunset and the quiet silhouetted figures on the boat represent veiling, concelaing and a heightened sense of anticipation. Sunset turns to night. Shadows suggest mystery and disguise.

In his disguise of a naturalist, Gulaan Dasmire, Valstohl is seen quietly observing the elderly Hastana boatman. Observation is a key element in the book, including the introspection between colonel and naturalist.

The boatman, an elderly man is focused on navigating the river. His presence, like the presence of other male characters are influential to the colonel during his past life and career and particular in the delicate mission.

The river journey scene that is ultimately depicted on the cover is the initial place of identity change and identity collision for the Colonel as he begins to embody the persona of the naturalist while recalling his tragic past.

The dangerous rapids on the river Ganis threatens the life of Valstohl but he is reassured of his safety by the gentle, elderly Hastana boatman, and this reminds the Colonel of his father. It is at this point that Valstohl looks back at his life, for the very first time since coming to Hastan to fight the colonization battle for the Monarchy of Llehstanz.

The front cover’s scene in the Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste is the first moment of a silent transformation in the Colonel, consciously and subconsciously.