This is the Orbit (US) cover of the new Joe Abercrombie book, it's out in hardcover in November. I think the cover is OK, but the font is pretty big and obscures much of it. You can read more about this cover in a post by Lauren Panepinto here.
NOTE: The UK edition will be out from Gollancz towards the end of September.
This i an omnibus edition of Maurice Broaddus' trilogy, coming in September in the US and October in the rest of the world from Angry Robot Books. The cover is by Joey HiFi, and like the rest of the covers I have seen by him this is a really good one.
A new Culture novel by Ian M. Banks, coming in October from Orbit. I really like Banks' Culture novels, and am excited that there is a new one coming this year. With luck, and maybe a time-turner, I will be caught up with the series when this one comes out. The cover looks pretty good, suitably futuristic.
This cover by Ana Juan is for the second Fairyland novel by Catherynne M. Valente. It looks great, and will fit in perfectly with the cover for the first book on my shelf. The style of both these covers are really great, and as I have the first one I can attest that these look even better in real life than they do as a photo.
From Night Shade Books we have the cover for The Book of Cthulhu II, edited by Ross E. Lockhart. The Cthulhu silhouette in the background is just awesome. Really shows off the best side of Cthulhu, at least the one you can see without going crazy in the process.
I shall comment briefly on each one:
ReplyDeleteAbercrombie: It's a book, not a movie - but it's not that bad. Sort of.
Broad(d)us: Eh.
Banks: Simple, but not bad at all. Not great, either.
Valente: Hm. Maybe. Sort of. Little creepy.
Cthulhu: An anthology without Orson Scott Fuck-Off-You-Bastard Card? PRAISE CTHULHU!
Oops! Fixed the typo, thanks for pointing it out :-)
DeleteCard isn't in the first anthology either, so it's safe to get that too if you want some Cthulhu fiction.
That's good, but... NSB have a hard-on for OSC and it means I "can't" (i.e. won't even consider) buy them because of it.
Deletein order of like (by cover art alone, that is):
ReplyDelete1. Broaddus - very exciting, makes me want to read it
2. HPL - like the text as much as anything else
3. Valente - creepy and weird, in a good way
4. Abercrombie - think I preferred the art rather than the photos
5. Banks - yawn
I checked just before posting, and the Gollancz cover for A Red Country (, yep - it has an added article,) hasn't been revealed yet. Expect that to be in the same style as the others.
DeleteIn a moment of pedantry: I like the picture on Abercrombie cover but the artist has the hand / sword-hilt proportions wrong. The hilt's a bit smaller than it should be, or the hands are massive, because a typical military sabre should have room to put the thumb along it. I won't go far as saying the character is holding it wrong because that adds to the air of desperation - he's obviously going for some wild, swinging moves. End of pedantry :)
ReplyDeleteIt's actually a photo cover. If you click the link I provided you can see some more pictures from the shoot.
DeleteInteresting. Smaller sword plus large hands, then, then? *runs off to look*
DeleteFollow up: ooo! Pretty rapier hilt on the other cover!
Another great round up! I'm enjoying your cover posts! I think I prefer the cover from the first Cthulhu anthology, though...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the praise :-)
DeleteI think I have to see the two Cthulhu books together in front of me to decide. But the cover for the first one is a good one.