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 we are featuring ROMANTIC covers. I’ve selected Club Dead – Book 3 of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.
This edition was produced by Orbit in May 2006 and is quite quirky – and evidently before the True Blood TV series, which focused less on the comedic aspect of the story and ensured the bedroom scenes were far more graphic than Harris wrote them. Not sure I like this one all that much – I think the vampire looks odd. But I do like the font and think this effort captures the tone and feel of the book far better than the True Blood tie-ins.
Published in April 2003 by Ace Books, this cover is essentially the complete version of the previous offering and as such, works a lot better, I think. Again, the tone and feel of this cover very much reflects the book. My grizzle is that that mood and quirkiness is undercut by the chunks of chatter scattered about the cover – but despite that issue, this one is my favourite.
This edition, published by Ace Books in June 2010, is clearly in the wake of the True Blood series, and while it certainly reflects the tone of the TV series, I question whether it is an accurate portrayal of the book. I don’t like it much, to be honest. If I hadn’t already been a solid fan of the series, I wouldn’t have touched this with a bargepole, based on this cover, which gives the impression this is a dark fantasy book with a strong horror element.
This Spanish edition, produced by Punto de Lectura in May 2009, is also significantly influenced by the True Blood series. I’m trying to work out why you’d want to kiss someone with blood all over their lips – all I thought was, “Eww!” But perhaps I don’t have sufficient vampiric tendencies…
This Swedish edition, published by Månpocket, takes the design of the 2010 Ace Books and turns it into a drawing, rather than featuring the actual cast of the True Blood series. I prefer the effect on the design, which I think gets nearer to the tone and mood of the books, rather than the TV show. Which is your favourite?
Brainfluff 