This is a new meme started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which is the better. This week’s topic is to find two nifty covers relating to war – and it was no contest for me. I had to track down two of the prettiest covers from an interesting series…
This delightful UK cover of Stormdancer produced for the UK edition by Tor books was one of my favourite covers of 2012. I love the sense of movement in the figure and the intricate detail of the waterfall and buildings, contrasting with the beautiful red leaves.
And here is the US offering. Another absolutely fabulous cover, designed and drawn by Jason Chan. The dramatic reds and smoky grey/black… the approaching griffin… and the wonderfully depicted warrior in the foreground. Which one edges it?
I went into this faceoff convinced it would be the UK cover – BUT… it has to be the US version this time around. The sheer artistry and strong design just ticks all the boxes for me. What about you? Do you agree?
Brainfluff 
I actually really like both covers. They contain some of the same elements but portray them with different tones (UK = graceful, elegant; US = bold, exciting). But if I had to choose… I’d say the US one, mostly because that’s the version I have at home (and hope to read in the next couple months!).
Looking forward to seeing the future Cover Wars you post here! It’s really interesting sometimes, to see the differences between covers for the same book from different parts of the world.
It is, isn’t it? Have you any favourite war-related covers?
Hmmmmm… That’s a tough one. My first thought was The Return of the King, which has all kinds of covers at this point. *lol* Mine is one of the mass market paperbacks that came out around the time of the ROTK film, and has Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Gandalf the White (Ian McKellan) on the cover.
The other one I thought of was Ruin & Rising, the final book in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy. Most of the international covers resemble the US cover, but here’s a link that shows what they look like: https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/19699754-ruin-and-rising
Ooo… that cover is scrumptious! All that brooding red and the threatening skyline and gothic lettering… Many thanks for the link – and have a great week-end:)
Isn’t it? It’s in the same style as the previous two colors, yet the color choices reflect the story perfectly. 😉
Hope you have a good weekend too, Sarah!
Thank you:)
I like the UK one best.
It is certainly beautiful:). I read the book because I was seduced by the cover…
Yes, a good cover snags me, too. 🙂
The US has a little too much of a YA feel to it for me. The UK thought, reminded me slightly of ancient Chinese scroll artwork – which I love! – with the gray backdrop, mountain castle in the background, and flowers on the side.
I take your point – the UK version was certainly one of my favourite book covers of 2012 and I STILL love it. But I have to confess to succumbing to the charms of the US version when downloading it:). Quite often, it’s a no-brainer – but this time around I think both covers are very, very good.
I LOVE the US cover in fact I think when I first read this book I put both covers in my post at the time and compared them. For me, the US version is so vibrant and full of flair. It’s absolutely stunning and I could look at it for ages.
Lynn 😀
It is beautiful… in fact – they are both stunning. But I do think it is spot on it capturing the mood of the book, including the steampunk element introduced in the lettering…
I absolutely love both of these covers – I don’t think I could choose a favourite! The UK cover is really elegant and has quite a zen quality to it whereas the US cover packs a punch! Love the vibrancy and illustrative style. Definitely a draw for me!
I certainly wouldn’t quibble if I had covers of this quality surrounding a book of mine!
I just just bought this book!! 😀 I have the US cover, which looks great, but I prefer the UK one because it reminds me of old Asian paintings. It’s almost minimalist because it doesn’t contain too many details and I like the light background.
Thank you for taking the time to comment – and you’re right, there is a real feel of the old Japanese artists in the UK version of the cover, I think. Do let me know how you get on with the book when you’ve read it:).
Will do! 🙂