The cover art for Centaur Aisle by Piers Anthony features a congress of clashing creatures. You have a human with a sword — perhaps Dor, the novel’s protagonist — and a woman we presume to be Irene on one side of the fray. Next to them is a centaur and an ogre, and we’re not sure which side they’re on (if these are indeed Chet and Smash, as we presume they are, then they’re fighting alongside rather than against the humans here). And then there are the feathered dragons, which are attacking the protagonist. Apparently, all of this is happening in the clouds.
This is the fourth book in the Xanth series, which currently has over 40 entries. Originally, Xanth was going to be a trilogy, but fans kept asking for more until we got to where we are now.
As a side note, we have to admit that Mundania is a pretty hokey name for a fantasy setting, even if it is intended to be deliberately cheeky.
This cover art is by Michael Whelan, who’s done countless novel covers, including covers (and illustrations) for two Stephen King’s Dark Tower books.
Whelan has also done art for album covers — perhaps his most famous work is the cover of the Jacksons’ Victory.
At one point, Whelan was going to school for pre-medical biology at San Jose State University, and some of his work showed up in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. He eventually switched his major to Art, but the fact that he’d studied anatomy would be quite useful in his long career as an artist.
You can see more of Whelan’s work at his personal website.