Problem: create a continuing system of typography and illustrations that align with the themes throughout the story.
The endpaper on the inside of each volume is a contour map of Russia, more specifically, St. Petersburg, the cultural capital and home of several characters in the novel.
The first volume cover illustrates a shattering grandfather clockwork, chains, wealth, and family which tie directly to the themes of time, family, wealth, and control in this first part.
The bleeding olive in a Martini glass illuminates the mood of the second volume, as political intrigue stabs at love, honor, and joyous escapes from war times. The back cover is an illustration of Kazan Cathedral and the statue of the commander of the first army of the West, the largest army to face Napoleon (the main antagonist).
The final volume represents the blooming of the entire epic. In this, a bouquet of poisonous and flammable Russian flowers flourish around the neck of a French cavalry spear. The back cover resolves the grandfather clock destruction from the first volume.