Friday Faceoff – The Year of the Rat… #Brainfluffbookblog #FridayFaceoffratcovers

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 being nurtured by Lynn’s Book Blog and this week the theme for finding covers is RATS in honour of the Chinese New Year, which is the Year of the Rat. I’ve selected a book from a sci fi classic book series The Stainless Steel Rat’s Revenge – Book 4 of the the Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison.

 

This edition was produced by Ace Books in November 1986 and I just love that rat! Sadly, the rest sums up a lot of what I HATE in cover design. Someone went to the trouble of producing a really cool image. Then stuffed it in the bottom third of the cover, ensuring the rest of the cover is covered in a lot of chatter, interspersed with an uninspiringly pale blue title and author font.

 

Published in 1976 by Sphere Books, this edition is a far better effort. I love the horde of aliens sprinting towards us – an unusual tactic – but so very effective. The spaceships just add to the drama and incident, drawing my eye and keeping me riveted. And that isn’t the best thing about this one – it’s the wonderful bright colouring that sings out. The greenish hue around the alien warriors, looking threatening and the brighter orange shading around those ships – it’s so cleverly done. When looking down the list of covers, this one shouted at me. This is my favourite.

 

This edition, published by Bantam Books in July 1989, is another really striking effort. Again, I think the use of colour is both clever and effective in snagging readers’ attention. That bright yellow background is a fabulous contrast to the strong red title font. It’s interesting to note the ‘Bladerunner’ vibe in the styling of the cover design, particularly the figures.

 

This edition, produced by Berkley in February 1973, is frankly weird. Again the bright colouring pops, but what draws the eye here are those odd shapes. The man emerging from the mirrored metal female torso seems more disturbing, than anything else… I haven’t read this one, so I’m not sure what it is supposed to denote. Though many sci fi covers from that time made a point of featuring naked women, so perhaps this was as close as they could get…

 

This edition, published by Faber and Faber in 1971, is so nearly my favourite. I love the rat, looking suitably ferocious with a wind-up key in the side that adds an offbeat tone to the whole thing. And that funky font is clearly futuristic. This whole cover gives a sense of the genre with a strong humorous overtone – which as far as I can gather, is spot on as far as the book is concerned. What tipped the scales against it, is the rather dreary monochrome treatment – I would have appreciated more colour in this cover.

What strikes me is how remarkably different these covers all are, given they are for the same book! Which one is your favourite?