COVER REVEAL ROUND-UP (XXVII)

   This is a special cover for me. It is the cover for my girlfriend's debut novel. it will be out from Fox Spirit in July 2014, at EdgeLit in Derby. I've seen earlier incarnations of this cover,. Not much has changed, but I think the final version is the best one. I might be a bit biased this time, but I think it is a great cover. You can see the full wraparound underneath.

   This is the final book in the trilogy, and it will be out 10 February 2015 from Orbit. I think it is a very good cover. It does somewhat evoke Historical Fiction, but as the period is so late that only makes it stand out more in the SFF section of the bookstore. I actually bought the first book in the trilogy because the cover made me take a closer look at the book, and this nicely fits in with that. (Which makes me think that this cover is also designed by Lauren Panepinto with illustration by Michael Frost and Gene Mollica.)

   Another third book, this one coming 23 September 2014 from Thomas Dunne Books. The design here screams "East Asia", while the art says "Anime". I think this is an interesting one, and one that is likely to divide people's opinion. I've not read any of the books, but from what I have read about them this seems to be a good cover. Personally I like the art, it is a nice image.

   Art by Alejandro Colucci adorns this book, coming from Solaris in August 2015. I've had a few of Colucci's covers in these posts earlier, and they are always excellent. There's really nothing else to say, it is a great piece of art.

   This is the cover for Gollancz's Fantasy Masterworks edition of this famous Fantasy novel. It will be out in November 2014. The design is by Graeme Langorne and the art by Grzegorz Donaradzki. I think it is a lovely cover, both the art and design are great. It makes me want to re-read the book, and maybe I'll get this edition to do so as mine is still in storage back in Norway.

   Another re-issue from Gollancz, this time in their SF Masterworks series. From what I could see online this is collection that had its only publication in 1990. The cover is a really eyecatching and intriguing one. I think it is a very good piece of cover art. Certainly makes me want to get hold of this when it comes out 10 July 2014.

   This book will be out 25 February 2015 from Tor. The cover is by Will Staehle, and you can read about how it was made here. I quite like Staehle's covers, and I also like maps. So it should then come as no great surprise that I really like this cover.

   This will be out 16 September 2014 from Mullholland Books. I usually only do SFF books here, but I thought I'd me a rare exception for this Crime novel because the author is most known for his SFF. It's actually a strangely simple cover. I  have trouble deciding what I think of it. I'm not sure if it is good because it is cut down to basic, or if its basicness makes it look cheap.

   And finally a book that will be out 14 October 2014 from Orbit. This really screams Military SF, booth in image and title. What you think of it will probably be dependent on what you think of that SFF subgenre. Apart from feeling that I have seen this cover on a Military SF book at some earlier point I don't think there is anything wrong with this.

COVER REVEAL ROUND-UP (XXVI)

   First up, this cover has art by Richard Anderson. The book is the first in the series, and it is coming from Angry Robot 2 September 2014 in North America and E-book/ 4 September 2014 in the UK. I really like this image. It is a style I like, and it is really eye catching. It is somewhat reminiscent of 1990s Heavy Metal. I mean that in a good way, because this makes me want to get hold of the book.

   Last time I did the cover to the first book in the Marakand, this is the cover to the second one ( ,it's a two book series,) - also with art by Raymond Swanland. It will be out in December 2014 from PYR. I said last time that I was a fan the cover to the first volume, but I actually think this is even better. This is simply an excellent image.

   This is the cover for a movie novelisation, out in early 2015 from Gollancz. You can read a lot more about the book, and the movie, on Gollancz's blog. This cover drew me in immediately. To be frank though, I'm not sure I am as excited about the novelisation is I am about the movie, but this looks really good.

   This Horror novel will be out from Solaris in October 2014. It is done by Pye Parr, and you can read the author's thoughts about the book, accompanied by a slightly earlier draft of the cover, here. I like this. It's one of those pared down and stylish covers that work very well. Nice 3-D effect with the lightbulb too.

   Artwork by Kenn Brown adorns this omnibus coming from DAW, coming 2 September 2014. The author talks about the cover (, and you can see the original individual ones, ) here. I liked this cover immediately, even before I had any clue as to what the book was about (, other than it being SFF). It's an interesting image that compels you to take a closer look at the book behind it.

   10 March 2015 is the release date for this novel from Orbit. I've confessed earlier in these posts that I like the traditional style Science Fiction covers. There is absolutely no reason to make any exception for this one. It's a Science Fiction novel with a spaceship on the cover. I like that.

    Out from Solaris 9 October 2014 we have this anthology. That is some great dragons. Anthology covers are usually pretty generic for what the anthology is supposed to cover. This one differs somewhat from many of those it could be compared to, and I think that will make it stand out. I also like this image a lot, there's enough detail here to keep you looking for more than a few seconds.

   Will Staehle made this cover for a 26 August 2014 North America and E-book/ 4 September 2014 UK release from Angry Robot. The artist talks about the cover over on Tor.com. The image is a very nice one, cleverly done. I like the effect with the bullets and casings. It is a bit too bright though for my tastes, a little bit too much white.

   Robbie Trevino is the artist behind this one. The image has been reworked from last years Hardcover release for a paperback release from Night Shade Books 1 July 2014. The author talks about his thought about the changes here. This is an action-snapshot cover, and a very good one. The image comes more into its own here than on the HC, and I also like the design a bit better. I also can't help wondering what happens in the next second or two after what we can see here...

   Finally, we have another paperback edition. This one is coming July 2014 from Tor UK. According to the author this will be gold foiled and supermatt finished. (Do ask Mark about his feelings on supermatt finish on Twitter.) I seriously doubt it's a coincidence that we can see the name C.J. Sansom on this cover. It does resemble Pan Macmillan's Sansom covers. For me that is absolutely not a minus. I would definitely pick this up if I saw this cover, I think it's a great one.

COVER REVEAL ROUND-UP (XXV)

   This book will be out 27 May 2014 from Open Road Media/Mondadori. It is a translation from Italian, and was originally published there in 2004. It is the first of four books in this series.
   The cover immediately caught my eye on NetGalley, and a was lucky enough to be approved for an e-ARC. I think it is a great cover, the character intrigues me with her violet eyes, pointed ears, and blue hair. And the weapon she holds is an interesting one. I am really looking forward to reading this, and it was the cover that made me look at the novel.

      This one is coming from BBC Books/Ebury Publishing 31 July 2014. Really not much to say here, apart from: It's a book about The War Doctor! I mean, what's not to like? There's even Daleks there. I am really exited about this one. (You can read the cover copy here, and if this looks at all interesting you should.)

   This book is actually already out. It came out in the US on 6 May (2014), two days ago. I still wanted to feature it, since it is nice to see this in contrast to the UK one that I featured earlier. Like the UK cover, this does look interesting. However this catches my eye more and that is because it reminds me of Stephen King. Not entirely sure he's had a cover like this, but I seem to recall something not dissimilar. (Too lazy to check.) It doesn't really matter though, it is a very good cover that catches my interest.

   This cover, by Alan Brooks, is for the tenth and final book in the Shadows of the Apt series. It will be coming from Tor UK 3 July 2014. I really like these covers for this series. I've been meaning to start reading it, but want to wait until I can get all of the books (including this one). Every time I see these covers I feel bad for not having read any of it, so they are definitely very good covers.

   This anthology from Solaris will be out 27 May 2014 in North America, and 5 June 2014 in the UK. The list of authors is a really interesting one. I like this cover a lot. It pulls me in, and I am interested in seeing what is behind it. (And I have an e-ARC, so I plan to have this read before release day.)

   This is a book that will be out in August 2014, it is the first in the Children Trilogy. The top from Tor UK, with a cover by Alejandro Colucci, and the bottom from the US publisher Thomas Dunne Books, with design by Ervin Serrano. The US cover is the more stylish one, but although I like it there seems to be quite a few covers with just a sword lately, so I feel a bit meh about it. The UK one also has the sword on it. (Not the same one on the cover, but the same sword in the book from what I gather.) However this one also has a character featured, and that makes it more interesting to me. The US isn't bad, but the UK one is a clear winner here.

   Coming from Tor, 27 May. It is the first one in a new series, and you  can read an excerpt here. [A little side note here is that I have trouble not reading the authors name as Janne Lindsköld, like it was Swedish.] The cover is really interesting, and the face/star effect is very well done. I like this kind of cover, and it made me look into what the book is about. Think this would look nice on my shelf.

   From PYR, coming 10 June 2014, we have this cover with art by Raymond Swanland. The art is just stunning. This is a piece of art that would do very well on a wall in a gallery, or perhaps in the library/office room I am writing this in. I am a huge fan of art like this on covers, and I think I may have to get hold of this book just so I can have that cover.

   This cover is designed by James Annal, with design agency Crush. For an e-book release 22 May 2014 from Tor UK. It is an interesting cover. It is enough SFF that I would look closer at the book even had I not known who Sanderson is. Other than that, it doesn't really do it for me. But that is a personal preference, and not a fault with the cover.

COVER REVEAL ROUND-UP (XXIV)

   The Inheritance Trilogy from N.K. Jemisin gets an omnibus edition from Orbit. It will be out 9 December 2014. You can get more information, including the author talking about the included new novella here. I really liked the original covers for the three books (, and the books). But I really like this one too. It's more pared down than the originals, but it still evokes the feeling of the novels. Looking forward to seeing this in real life.

   From Delacorte Press comes the cover for the second book in The Reckoners, it has a publishing date of 6 January 2015. (This is the US edition.) I have not read the first book, Steelheart, so I can't speak to how the cover represents the book. But it looks kind of strange for an SFF book to me, more like a typical Action Thriller. It is eyecatching, and that is what a cover is supposed to do.

   Another sequel, this is the follow up to Robocalypse. This one will be out 10 June 2014 from Doubleday. I think this is a great cover. I've had it on my computer for a while, and it always draws the eye when I look at the folder of book covers. It's not just the green eyes, but they do accentuate the a face that is just a little bit too smooth.

   Following up, Ancillary Justice, and being the second book in the Imperial Radch, this book is out from Orbit 7 October 2014. The art is by John Harris, with design by Kirk Benshoff. As with the previous book, this is traditional Space Opera art. You can find examples of books all the way from the middle of the last century that have similar looking covers. I think that is its strength. I like those types of covers, so I think this is a very good cover.

   Art by Steven Meyer-Rassow is on this follow up to Skulk from Strange Chemistry. It will be released 2 September 2014 in North America and as an e-book, and 4 September 2014 in the UK. As with the first book's cover, I really like the symbol on this one. And I find the building very intriguing. This is absolutely a very good cover.

   This, the fifth Laundry Files novel, will be out from Orbit 3 July 2014. The design is by Crush Creative. This book at first looks cluttered, but a closer look reveals some heavy symbolism in the "blob". I've said before that I like symbols, and this is not an exception. Interesting and intriguing.

   Then we move on to a trilogy of new Star Wars covers on books coming from Del Rey Books.

   The top one is pretty awesome for Original Trilogy fans like me, in that it has Darth Vader and the Emperor on it. You can read more about that one on the author's website.

   The second on is a pretty generic Luke Skywalker in Hero Pose image that anyone who read the comics in the 1980s will be familiar with.

   At the bottom we also have a pretty standard Star Wars image. The interesting thing is of course that it has two new characters on it.

   I am a fan of Star Wars, and I really like all three of these covers. 

   Coming 7 August 2014, with covers by Joe McLaren, the release of these two will complete Gollancz's Collector's Library editions of Discworld books. When I wrote about these releases initially, I said I liked them, and that still holds true. I just need to get hold of £199.80 to get these books.

COVER REVEAL ROUND-UP (XXI)

   The UK edition of Stephen King's latest, coming in 3 June from Hodder & Stoughton, has gotten a cover. (An animated version can be found here.) It's quite different from the US one in style, but the image is somewhat similar. I really like this one. Which is no surprise. I like the Hodder & Stoughton covers for Stephen King quite a lot, and this is no exception to that.

   This should be out on 3 June also, but this time from Night Shade Books. It certainly has a very good Horror feel to it, and the art looks really great. Definitely one of those covers that would make me look twice in the bookstore. And considering what it is, I would then pick the book up.

   This is an Epic Fantasy from a debut author. It will be out in late April from South Africa's Fox & Raven Publishing. The art is by Rashieq Sasman, with cover design by Hannes Strydom. It's an interesting cover, and I like these type of covers for Epic Fantasy, so this one got me interested. If like with me this has gotten you interested in finding out more, you can do so here.

   This is the cover for the first book in a new series from Charlaine Harris called Midnight, Texas. It's out 8 May from Gollancz. You can see a nice animated reveal thingy here. I must admit that I haven't read any of Harris's previous books (, although that may change in the near future as my sister-in-law has all of the Sookie Stackhouse ones), but this cover looks interesting to me. I'd pick this up to see what it was all about if I found it in the SFF section of the bookstore.

   From Angry Robot we have this cover, with art by Alejandro Colucci. It's for the second book in The Majat Code and the novel will be out 29 July 2014. It's a very good cover, the art is excellent. This is absolutely good enough to stand out among a group of Fantasy covers, and that would definitely make me want to pick the book up.

   This, from Tor Books, is the follow up to the award nominated Blindsight, it will be out 26 August 2014. The art is by Richard Anderson. I hadn't looked up this book, or the previous one, yet. But this cover made me take a quick peek while I was writing this post. (Which is how I found out you can get Blindsight for free here.) It's a very good Science Fiction cover, one that belongs to a style that will always make me look at the novel.

   Out from Gollancz in September this year. This novel has got a cover with art by Chris Gibbs and in-house design by Jamie Tanner. This cover immediately caught my eye, there is just something about that that means I'm drawn to it. (No, not the eye in the middle.) Reading the cover copy here hasn't made me less interested, so I think I will pick this one up.

   Another novel of The Malazan Empire, this one out 3 July (on Kindle only?) with a paper release to follow 5 August from Tor Books. The art is good but I think I can spot some copy/pasting going on, and that seems a bit lazy. Other than that it is fine, but then again I am not sure I would use a cover that will put many people in mind of the Wall from A Song of Ice and Fire.

   This cover is for the final spoof/mash-up book of the Original Star Wars Trilogy. (The good one.) It will be out 1 July 2014 from Quirk Books. To be honest, I am not really interested in the book as a concept. It just doesn't hold enough of an appeal to me to be worth spending money, or time, on. The cover is however an interesting one, and I quite like that. Would make for a good poster for those that like both the Bard and Star Wars.

   I did the US cover for this last week. This is the UK one, and it is coming 3 July from Harper Voyager. I mentioned last time that I thought that cover looked more like a UK one. Well, it still does, but this one is also quite typical of some UK covers. I must say that I do like this better than the US one. It is still quite stylised, but the addition of a painting with some figures in it draws me in a bit more than the US one.