I think that it is time for me to stop tweaking and get my stakeholders together to consider the winner. I do not want to keep the three of you waiting very long after the competition closes. After all of the effort that you have put in, that would just be wrong.

One thing. You may have noticed that I have reversed the spelling of my name by a few hundred years. In doing so I have ommitted the e on the end of my surname. If from now on it could read Chisholme that would be fantastic. Cheers.

Excellent work from everyone involved, especially the three of you that have been chosen to go through to the final round.

To the others, it was a very difficult choice, as you all put your own stamp on a direction that may not otherwise have been followed. Much gratitude to you all. Thank you for your designs and your skill.

Good morning everyone. Apologies for the delay, there is a meeting of various people to vote upon the designs. That takes place around noon today. Once I return from that in the afternoon the selections will be made. Regards & Thanks. - Angus (Aenghus)

Thankyou from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you. These stunning efforts have made my job extremely difficult. I need to decide which direction to take and they are all equally enticing. I shall probably not sleep tonight weighing up the pros and cons of each idea. Nevertheless, I shall make a decision to move forward and post that decision tomorrow. Once more, you all have my heart-felt gratitude.

Inspiring. You are all doing very good work, and there are a number of directions being followed, all equally as evocative in their own way. If we could abandon 21st century Hair cuts that would be lovely. Many thanks for your hard work.

The Merlin figure in the 4 star design is excellent. The beard needs to be shorter and more neatly trimmed though.

The font in the 5 star design is outstanding.

Here are some characteristics of the main protagonists.
Merlin 59 grey shoulder length hair.
Morgan Le Fay 24 Blonde Blue Eyes.
Arthur 20, Dark shoulder length tangled hair
Gwenhwyvar, 19, Green eyes, Red long hair
Hellekin, Dark hair, dark eyes, very handsome, quite self-absorbed.
Nimue, Flawless complexion, long brown hair, brown eyes.

Stonehenge is mentioned more than once. Even in the 5th century this is an ancient structure having been built thousands of years before.

Arthur's sword Excalibur is given some attention in the story.

Choose a series of the strong images and incorporate them into your designs.

I have no book covers in mind. I have come to this forum with no pre-conceived notions of how it should look.

It is important that the cover be eye-catching as a thumbnail, equally as in full colour print on the paperback.

Merlin's scrolls feature quite a bit in the storyline. They are written in a mixture of Latin, Ancient Greek, and of course primarily in the Runic Alphabet.

The faeries in the story take on the form of birds quite a bit. Owl, Pigeon, Falcon.

Try to avoid 21st century hair cuts and styles, GHD straightening wands were not available in the 5th century. This story is set in the Iron Age. Rome has de-occupied the Britons about 40 years prior to the story taking place. Nevertheless it pervades the lives of the locals. They are seeking to return to the old ways now that Rome is no longer dictating their way of life.

Saxons are trying to solidify their land holdings, as are the Angles and the Jutes. They are all considered to be invaders that have taken up residence now that Briton no longer enjoys the protection of the Roman empire. The local Britons do not want them around, especially King Arthur.

Knights wore chain mail in the 5th century. Leather and woven cloth. But the colour purple was not available in the 5th century as it was sourced from sea urchins not found in the waters of the British Isles.
Merlin is 59 years of age in this novel.
Although magic features it is not as romaticised as current TV series and other TV and Movie iterations of the legend have previously portrayed.