This meme was started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which is we prefer. This meme is currently being nurtured by Lynn’s Book Blog and the subject this week featuring on any of our covers is SPIDERS, so I’ve selected Spider Bones – Book 13 of The Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs.
This edition was produced by Scribner in August 2010. It is my favourite with that detailed scene with the river and fields providing the backdrop for that dew-beaded web. The hole in the middle where the spider ought to be somehow makes it creepier. If I have a grumble, it’s that the title font is rather plain and flat. I would have liked to have seen it embossed or at least bevelled. But I think it is effective and clear.
Published in August 2010 by Pocket, I love the brilliant yellow of the cover that glows, especially in thumbnail. The trees festooned with webs scrambling across the top of the cover gives a sense of menace. The font featuring Reichs’ name nicely pops and the lonely woman walking with the tree roots under her feet looks strikingly vulnerable. The problem I have with this one is that there is far too much chatter over the cover – otherwise it would be my favourite.
This edition, published by Arrow in July 2011, is also a good effort. I love the bones featured in the foreground with a trailing web around it, submerged under the water. But I’m particularly keen on the wonderful title font that really stands out in thumbnail.
Produced by William Heinemann in October 2010, this edition has an alternative title – Mortal Remains. I do like this effort – the title and author text contrasts well against the surface of the lake or river and looks particularly good in thumbnail. I do wonder exactly what those dear little fish are feeding on…
This edition, published by Arrow in March 2013 is a close contender for my favourite cover. I love the web of cracked glass caused by a bullet hole and the uneven title font scratched in it. Clever and effective, the forest is partially obscured by the thick dirt on the crazed windscreen. My problem with this version is that I think it looks as this is horror novel, instead of a murder mystery. Which is your favourite cover?
Brainfluff 