Cover Art and the Revisiting of Books Long Ago Read

Every now and then I'll see a post on other blog about upcoming books or books they desire to read/review soon.  Often these title lists will include cover art.  Without reading any blurbs, I generally can tell which type of fiction (for the majority of the blogs that I read on occasion, it's SF/Fantasy) the books are by the cover art alone.  Bold, moving characters set against a vivid landscape, with garish fonts heralding the story to come.  This seems to be the norm for these types of novels.  Yet there are other types of fictions, fictions whose cover arts may give some hints at what is within, but often the images are more muted, yet (for me at least) more pleasing to the eye.

Below are six titles that I've read at some point in my past.  A couple at least (I'll let you guess which ones) are touchstone reads that recall important moments in my personal (and reading) life.  But there are some interesting motifs illustrated in most of these, things that make me more eager to read them than any straightforward "genre" work does lately.  Feel free to give your thoughts on the covers and/or the books.  Also, I plan on re-reading these in the next 2-3 weeks.  Let me know which ones you'd like to see reviewed.

First read in 2005, right after the English translation was published.

First read in 2007.

First read in 1994.

First read in 2007.

First read in 2010.

First read in 2008.

And yes, I purposely provided no descriptions of the stories, to see if you were curious about any of these works based on their covers (or were already aware of them) without description getting in the way of visual first impression.

What's in a cover? Six covers depicting a singular novel in very different ways

Below are six covers for the fourth Witcher novel by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.  Last year, I finished reviewing all seven (or eight in Spain for the 1st editions) volumes of the Geralt series, but I did make plans to read the long-delayed (five years) Times of Contempt (why the title is plural here is beyond me, as it is singular in the other languages) in English soon after its August (US) 2013 release.  When I bought the e-book edition this weekend, I also saw that there was an Italian edition available and I thought that since I am currently working on improving my Italian reading comprehension that it would be a good idea to purchase an Italian e-edition as well.

I was struck by the differences in covers and as I searched for .jpgs of the two English-language editions and the Spanish and Italian editions, I came across images for the original Polish and French editions as well.  I found each cover to represent something markedly different from the others, enough so that I thought I would post brief thoughts on each cover:

Polish:  The Polish cover is simple, yet it captures an important scene from the story.  The unicorn perhaps is a stock fantasy beast, yet its appearance next to a (presumably) dead body seems to indicate many things transpiring within the narrative that aren't baldly spelled out.  I liked this cover for how it plays up and then hints at something different to the fantasy setting.

Spanish:  Depiction of Ciri, one of the main characters in this series.  Decent image (better than the original Spanish edition of a weapon), but the image is a bit too stiff and there isn't much of a sense of the character here.

French:  Why do I think this cover might be a good candidate for Good Show Sir?  It's so antiquated and doesn't really fit in with what actually transpires within the novel.  If I hadn't already read the series, covers like this would have likely dissuaded me.

Italian:  Now this cover is much better, as it captures Ciri and her balance of youth and later rough experiences quite nicely.  It feels like photoshopped and I like the use of colors here.

UK:  This is a reused cover from the Spanish edition of the second volume (not yet available in English translation), The Sword of Destiny.  Yennefer is pictured here.  See above comments about the Spanish cover, although this one I liked a bit more due to the prominence of the character; not as much background imagery to distract.

US:  Uh...uh...wha?  The image looks like Geralt is battling that sandpit monster from Return of the Jedi.  The lettering, however, is decent, but wow what an off-putting cover.

What about you?  Which covers did you like/like best?  Which ones should have been rejected before publication?

What I see, what some others see, and what still others see

R.A. Salvatore, The Crystal Shard

What some see:  A familiar D&D adventure, with a barbarian, dwarf, and drow trio ready to embark on adventure.

What some others see:  Yet another example of poor '80s cover art.

What I see:  What the hell is a wolf head doing on that dude's chest?

What publishers saw:  A fitting D&D adventure cover that should let D&D fans know that there's yet another tie-in novel to buy.

Jon Sprunk, Shadow's Son

What some see:  An assassin!  Must mean some adventure is involved!

What others see:  Ugh.  Another hooded dude.  Dime a dozen.

What I see:  What in the world is that greenish-ghosty woman doing and why does she have that silly look on her face?

What publishers see:  If they liked Author X's tale of hooded assassin-mage, then they'll be drawn to this one.

Lauren Kate, Fallen

What some see:  Hey, this looks just like a Twilight novel!  I bet there's a touching love story inside!

What others see:  Hey, this looks just like a Twilight novel!  I bet it sucks werewolf man-teats!

What I see:  How come she's crying instead of holding some apple, pomegranate, or other sappy fruit?

What publishers see: $$$

Brian Evenson, Altmann's Tongue

What some see:  What a boring cover!  Why isn't there a catchy cover?

What others see:  Hey, this understated cover might mean that there's some good writing inside!

What I see:  It's Brian Evenson, one of the few authors I buy sight-unseen, or close to it.

What publishers see:  It's for those who think the covers above suck, so maybe we'll see through the first printing someday.

John Norman, Hunters of Gor

What some see:  OMG!  NIPPLES! *moment of squeeing*  Gotta read this! *faps*

What others see:  The hell?  Who lets this misogynistic crap be published?

What I see:  The cover is offensive, yes, but what sort of face is that dude making?  He looks like a Robin Hood/faux-samurai cosplay idiot who is dragging his blow-up doll through a misty swamp.

What publishers see:  Well, we know it's cheesy, if not downright offensive, but believe it or not, there are some horndogs out there that buy this crap.

Yoko Ogawa, The Housekeeper and the Professor

What some see:  Cherry blossoms?  Must be chick-lit, yuck.

What others see:  Hrmm...interesting.  Blossoms and math symbols?  Could be good, I suppose.

What I see:  Intriguing mix of images, plus the Paul Auster quote is intriguing.

What publishers see:  It's for the smart set.  It will all depend on which of the bon ton read it if it's going to sell well.

Rabid Squirrel, Paradise Lost

What some see:  Stupid squirrel.  I wonder what'll happen if I throw nuts at it? *is then bitten and infected with rabies*

What others see:  Aw!  A squirrel!  It's so cute!  I wonder if it'll take a nut from my hand? *is then bitten and infected with rabies*

What I see:  Spies sent to make sure that I am being well-behaved.  *leaves them nuts, then manages to escape contracting rabies for a while longer*

What publishers see:  Dammit!  I guess we should have published their manuscript translation of Paradise Lost, shouldn't we?  *barricades set up in a futile hope to avoid the pending squirrelpocalypse*

Cover art to Steve Erickson's These Dreams of You (and a mini-review)

While several other bloggers today have been busy posting the same cover art image to a new book from some American clothing manufacturer, I thought I'd make people aware of a recently-released book by one of the best American writers of the past two decades, Steve Erickson's These Dreams of You.  This book, told in short, sharp passages that cover usually only 1-2 pages a chapter, tells the story of an adopted Ethiopian child who comes to the US around the time that President Obama is elected President.  Her story and that of her adopted family (the girl, nicknamed "Sheba," is more the object of others' points of view as she is a vivacious four year-old) struggling to make ends meet is emblematic of a whole host of cultural and social issues that Americans have confronted over the past four decades.  Erickson is known for mixing in elements of the speculative into this novel and there is a trace of that here.  Although I am more partial to his previous novel, Zeroville, These Dreams of You is a very well-written novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

More cover art to delight and fright you

Here are some books that I have bought or received over the past half-week. Some have excellent cover art, while others are trashy. Which ones do you like and which do you disdain?

The Persian edition of Sadegh Hedayat's The Blind Owl and a bilingual Arabic/English edition of Adonis' collection.

Two new books.  The first is an Edgar Rice Burroughs anthology and the other is Saladin Ahmed's debut novel.

New Mark Hodder and a reprint by Tachyon of a 2009 de Lint novel.

Ben Marcus' just released novel and a famous book by the 1951 Nobel Literature laureate.

Two French editions of Sartre and Molière.

There's a couple of jokes can could be made here.  Make them.

ARC cover for the new Kress and a really crappy cover for Tolkien's poem translations.

Very 70s to me.

Also a 70s cover, but uh...

Finally got my hands on a print edition of The Weird

Recognize the translator?

Cover art (and illustrations) you'll want to own

A few months ago, around the time that I received an ARC edition of Ann and Jeff VanderMeer's Steampunk II:  Steampunk Reloaded, I was made aware of Serbian illustrator Ivica Stevanović.  I was immediately impressed and wanted more samples of his work.

Early in December 2010, Jeff blogged about Ivica's new blog.   This blog, Edge Art, featured drawings from a book on Serbian mythology that he illustrated.  I wanted it, quite badly.  Fortunately, I know one of his students, Dunja.  Dunja just so happens to be the very talented artist who did this for me last year.   She said she would try to get a copy for me.  She emailed me a few days later saying she had acquired one and that it would be a belated Christmas gift to me.  I was quite excited.

The book arrived today and I was very surprised and elated to see this dedication.  I was feeling very ill from work exhaustion, but this has cheered me up immensely.  Many thanks to both Dunja for arranging this and Ivica for taking the time to do a personalized illustration for me.

Just thought the rest of you might want to see this very talented illustrator and just a small sampling of what promises to be a book that I'll read and re-read (once my understanding of Serbian progresses beyond elementary school-level phrases).  Hope you enjoyed these images.  If you want to see more of Ivica's work but cannot read Serbian, he is working on a few more English-language projects, including at least one (and likely more) with the VanderMeers that should see the light of day in the near future.

Cover art for those sick of new cover art for books that likely suck

Yes, I am posting images of eight Ballantine Adult Fantasy edition books from 1969-1974 that I own to act as an antidote to yet one more hooded assassin/tramp stamp were-vampire shagger/other assorted "shiny new" cover art that promises (or belies) suckitude within.

Believe it or not, I wish there were more covers like these today.  There's more of a "flow" to some of these, plus there are more pastel colors than on many Easter eggs.

Plus it helps that some of these are anthologies containing stories that I probably have never encountered elsewhere, so that is a bonus.

And some, like this Dunsany one, are just beautiful to me.  Don't you agree?

Croatian cover art for two of Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing Books

When did Darrell Sweet start doing covert art consultation for the Croatian and Serbian fantasy markets?

Anyone remember this scene in The Thousandfold Thought?  I guess Kellhus likes to blast enemies as a post-coital exercise...

Edit:  Didn't read the email carefully enough.  These books were published in Croatia, not Serbia, although the two are as similar as American and British English.

Steampunk! Brazilian style

I snagged this image off of Fábio Fernandes' Portuguese-language blog, pós-extranho. Before any ask, no, this is not a Brazilian Portuguese translation of the excellent Steampunk anthology that Ann and Jeff VanderMeer edited last year, but instead it contains stories originally written in Portuguese (I believe most, if not all, of the authors are Brazilians; Fábio is one that I know).

Very curious about this anthology and if there's some way that I could order it, I plan on doing it in the very near future (I believe the book just came out, so it might be some time before I can find it online) just to see how the stories and their themes compare to the ones found in the English-language anthology I mentioned above.

I guess this post makes for a nice complement to the one below, no?

BAF 3 Cover

This is a blowup I did of the image that now appears on Underland Press's website for the cover of the upcoming (January 2010) Best American Fantasy 3, featuring stories by Jeffrey Ford, Peter Beagle, John Kessel, and others (the table of contents haven't been released yet, I think, so I'm only quoting some of the ones on the cover that I can decipher). This certainly is an anthology I look forward to reading whenever it is released.

New cover for a book I really ought to review at length

Saw the new cover art for the reissue of Ekaterina Sedia's excellent 2008 novel, The Alchemy of Stone, just now on Bibliophile Stalker and thought I'd post it here in hopes that A) more people would go out and order this book (or any other of hers) of Sedia's, and B) That I will make the time to re-read the book and give it a proper review this time (it was one of my favorite reads for 2008, but I really do owe Kathy a full review of just what all I enjoyed about her book) before 2009 fades into memory.

US cover art for Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's The Gathering Storm

Let's see...has the main character, Rand al'Thor, decided to embrace the Black Power movement with that right fist held up high? Is he about to extend the middle finger and shoot a bird at someone? Have his legs atrophied and he really has the physique of a wheelchair basketball player who is now propped up? Is that house the ruins of the one on 1313 Mockingbird Lane? Is that a dwar...err, midg...err, little person behind Rand there?

It's been four years since some fantasy fans' favorite game, Mock the Latest Darrell Sweet Cover, has been played. Seems like this one offers up all sorts of possibilities, no? What would you describe is really happening in this cover art depiction?

Cover Art Thoughts

I just received my copy of the new Spanish edition of Andrzej Sapkowski's fifth Witcher book, Bautismo de Fuego (Baptism of Fire). As was the case for the newest edition of the second book, La espada del destino (The Sword of Destiny), the cover was illustrated by Alejandro Colucci, based on a design by Alejandro Terán.

I couldn't help but notice how the young woman is portrayed in this illustration. While I have my suspicions as to who it is (I know it's not Yennefer and probably not Ciri), what struck me about the near photo-realistic illustration is how the character represents a somewhat conflicted dualism. I first noticed that the nose is not the button-cute one, but a "stronger" one that accentuates the set jaw and the eyes, which are concentrated on some unseen prize. It is not a "hawt" woman per se, but yet an athletic but attractive one.

Furthermore, the attire, while containing elements of standard-issue sexist dress (the super-short tunic/shorts, the hint of cleavage) , is very muted in color and blends in well with the sylvan surroundings. It is as if the character was viewed as being attractive/sexy, but not presented in the expected cheesecake "sexy" pose.

I am curious what reactions readers here had when viewing this cover art for the first time. In the meantime, I'll alternate between reading this book, watching election day coverage, and writing a Powerpoint presentation for class tomorrow.

US cover art for Bakker and Morgan, plus thoughts on a fallacy

Although I've been aware of each of these cover art releases for some time now, I wanted to wait until the weekend, when I would have a bit more free time (or rather, Saturday, since it seems much of Sunday will be taken up with grading/recording). Over the past week or so, the US cover art for R. Scott Bakker's first volume in The Aspect-Emperor trilogy and Richard K. Morgan's trilogy opening The Steel Remains have been released, each with early 2009 releases. Below are images of the US cover art for each:

I personally like each of these quite a bit, especially Bakker's, which I feel keeps a connection with The Prince of Nothing cover art for the Canada/US hardcover releases, with its vellum-like vertical script underlying the author's name and book title. It is deliberately understated and the color scheme is pleasing to the eye. With Morgan's cover art, with the reddish-yellow center creating a halo-like effect around the central horseman in the image, the overall effect to me is a mesmerizing one - who is that man (or woman) and what role does s/he play in this story? Nothing too garish or attention-seeking in my opinion.








However, some feel that images such as these are "bland" or that the UK version of the cover art to Morgan's book is superior. Some have even gone so far as to claim (even after admitting that the US version of Morgan's book is decent to good) that UK cover art is almost always better than that of its American counterparts. While I cannot deny that there are some travesties that have been released here in the US, I have seen quite a bit of very good cover art that I haven't seen matched by British counterparts. For example, take the aforementioned Bakker cover art for his previous series, as well as for the upcoming US release of his SF thriller, Neuropath. The art there just was more pleasing to my eyes and apparently to many others. Or how about the cover art that tends to adorn works from authors published by Night Shade or Prime, for example? Those are often very visual and beautiful books, but yet their names never really get mentioned in the occasional forum discussions on cover art. Perhaps it is due to the smaller scale nature of their publications or due to audience reading habits, but if one is going to make the claim that one country is tending to produce "better" cover art than another, I would like to think that more than just a few big-market releases in only one or two subgenres would be cited as evidence. Then again, the people whose opinions I'd rather hear, those of the artists themselves, too often are not consulted whenever such discussions arise.

But what about you? What do you think about these covers or about the points I raised above?