Book covers

**alison** · March 20th, 2005, 11:44 PM

This one's for Rad - though others might be interested.

Here are the three different covers of The Gift, in order (Australia, UK, US) - sorry, I can't seem to control the sizes!!

And for good measure, the covers so far for The Riddle (Australia and UK):

**Radthorne** · March 21st, 2005, 12:16 AM

Ooo, thanks! Yes, quite different concepts, aren't they?

I have to say I think the UK covers are quite striking - I like 'em a lot! I don't care quite as much for the title font on them (I'd probably have gone more with the style on the Australian editions), but the images are very vivid. I think your name on the Australian covers also looks really good in that particular font.

Do post The Riddle's U.S. cover when it makes it's way to these shores...

**Evil Agent** · March 21st, 2005, 12:17 AM

Those are all really nice! I especially love the red one for 'The Gift', and the matching blue one for the next book.

(I've never actually read anything of yours though!)

**alison** · March 21st, 2005, 12:37 AM

Thanks Rad and Evil Agent - I am fondest of the UK covers (those lovely colours and beautiful objects) but perhaps it's not a coincidence that they're the ones I had probably most to do with. It was quite interesting; when the designer, Patrick Insole, asked me what the lyre looked like, I realised I had very little idea. We settled on an Anglo-Saxon lyre crossed with the traditional Greek shape, but it made me realise something about how I imagine things - I knew enough details to be able to write about it in detail, but not enough to actually draw it. Patrick also designed the Treesong Runes for me - what a darling that man is! - he gets a credit in the Appendices and Introduction as Professor Patrick Insole of the Department of Ancient Languages at the University of Leeds, expert on the scripts of Edil-Amarandh, which certainly amused me, and I hope amused him!

**Rocket Sheep** · March 21st, 2005, 01:59 AM

I was amused.

I quite liked the icebergs etc on the cover of The Riddle that I was sent but the figure in the cape annoyed me. I have an aversion to capes and cloaks in fantasy... far too extravagant a garment for an adventurer and overused by fantasy writers.

I have heard from fantasy writers who've had dragons or flying horses put on their book covers just to highlight them as fantasy when the book contains no dragons or flying horses. That must be annoying.

**Gemini** · March 21st, 2005, 02:43 AM

I like the British Riddle cover better, i don't know what it is about the Australian one, it just gets to me, it doesn't seem very....melded, it sort of looks like they just stuck a few random pictures together, almost like they couldn't decide what to put on there. Though i do like the Australian Gift cover, it's very mysterious lol

I have an aversion to capes and cloaks in fantasy... far too extravagant a garment for an adventurer and overused by fantasy writers.

too true, one should never underestimate the quality of a good old jacket.... of sorts. I guess cloaks and the like are used alot because it just fits with the whole medieval/ fantasy thing, that and some writers are to scared to deviate from tried and true methods. I wish i had the American cover for the Gift on my book now, sigh, oh well.

**Lirva** · March 21st, 2005, 05:29 AM

i think capes and cloaks are perfectly acceptable, very useful piece of clothing and can give a dramatic touch (i am a hopelessromantic at heart and have a soft spot for cloaks

)

**Gemini** · March 22nd, 2005, 04:56 AM

Originally Posted by Lirva

i think capes and cloaks are perfectly acceptable, very useful piece of clothing and can give a dramatic touch (i am a hopelessromantic at heart and have a soft spot for cloaks

)

but really....don't we all.....

**Lirva** · March 22nd, 2005, 06:45 AM

embrace the cape then it's great!!!!

**Kibeth** · March 22nd, 2005, 11:58 AM

Capes Are All Part Of The Atmosphere!!!!!

**Fionnoula** · March 22nd, 2005, 02:56 PM

i love the english ones the best...they're very striking

**alison** · March 22nd, 2005, 03:03 PM

Capes/cloaks are certainly beautiful items of clothing, and not so impractical (warm, and you can use them as blankets). I like 'em, but I'm rather fond of all those tropes. All the same, I know what Rocket means by the fantasy kneejerk visualisation. That funny imp creature on the front of the US edition of The Gift comes close to something like that, since it took me quite a while to work out what it might be (and I'm still not sure, since there's nothing like it in the book). It must be a wer, but in their winged form they're not at all humanoid.

The Riddle cover still looks to me like a modern pier - which the original photo actually was - I don't know why they didn't take out the painted stripes. It looks like Geelong! I quite like the scribble/graphic stuff under the title, though. But authors are notoriously picky about their covers and although publishers listen patiently and politely, they seldom change things just because the author says so.

I think another reason I like the UK covers is the Map! They made the maps a fetish through the whole book, they did close-up maps for each part, so I had to draw some new ones.

**Fionnoula** · March 22nd, 2005, 03:45 PM

yeah i love the maps..i also love Maerad's brooch on the front cover of the gift...can't say i like the US one at all really..

**Lirva** · March 23rd, 2005, 03:31 AM

well being english i obviously have a soft spot for the english covers. can't wait for the riddle.

**Tari** · March 25th, 2005, 03:21 AM

Originally Posted by Fionnoula

yeah i love the maps..i also love Maerad's brooch on the front cover of the gift...can't say i like the US one at all really..

I agree. i dont really like the Us cover for the Gift, much either. but i think cloaks are quite practical for a character to wear in the book but i'm not too sure if they suit the actual cover. i own a black velvet medieval cloak and they are warm and handy.

in all honesty i'm not particularly fond of any of the Riddle covers although i own a copy of the aussie cover of both the Riddle and the Gift. but i dont really like the UK cover of the Riddle either.

~ Tari