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 PINK covers. I’ve selected Borne by Jeff VanderMeer – see my review.
This offering was produced by Macmillan in April 2017. This is the default cover for this book – and is… extraordinary. You keep looking at it and seeing something else every time. I think this has to be one of the weirdest designs I’ve ever featured – and not remotely like any other PINK book cover I’ve encountered. I love this one – it’s so clever and original.
Published in April 2017, by the publisher Fourth Estate, this cover is a bit more traditional. It is also beautiful. The rainbow-coloured background is lovely and I love how dear little Borne is wriggling through the title font. Another creative, clever design that grabs your attention and makes you want to pick this one up.
This Italian edition, published by Einaudi in February 2018, is another amazing offering, though I can make sense of this one. This is Borne, as he is found in amongst the fur of the bear, Mord. I love that beautiful iridescent eye and the lovely glowing colours punching out of the dark grey. And yes, I know the title and author fonts are rather underwhelming, but I do love this one. It is my favourite.
This Russian edition, published in January 2018 by Эксмо: fanzon, is another unusual offering. We have Borne in all his odd glory staring out at the reader. This one is enjoyably quirky and the colour glows against the dark brown background – presumably against Mord’s bulk. I really like the treatment of the title and author font on this one.
This Dutch edition (I think!) published by Bezige Bij b.v., Uitgeverij De in July 2018, once again depicts Borne living in Mord’s coat. This time we get to see the ruined city in the background through the thick, pink haze of the toxic pollution, which is disturbingly pretty. I love the elegant simplicity of the design and how the lettering is white against Mord’s fur and black against the pink air. That bee is just a lovely little detail, as it Borne himself becoming the O of the title. This one was so nearly a contender – in fact this week I found it very hard to choose. Which is your favourite?
Brainfluff 
I’m not going to lie, I love ALL of these. Great choice, I remember using this book for another prompt and it’s still one of my favorite Friday Face Offs😁 But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the last one.
Thank you, Tammy:). They are extraordinary, aren’t they? So very different from anything else – and all so good, too.
It’s hard to choose. All of these are stunning. I keep returning to the first one so I choose it.
They are stunning, Laura:). And that first one is amazing – I thought it was going to be my favourite – until I encountered the Italian offering… but none of them are bad.
These covers are all interesting in their own ways! The first two are almost too pretty and rainbow-ish for my taste, though. Hard to choose, but I’ll go for the last one, which is appealing to the eye and evidently tells quite a bit about the story.
Thank you, Becky. Yes – the last one applies to the story, but the remarkable thing with these covers is that they all do… But yes – it’s a great cover and so very nearly my favourite, too.
I’d definitely buy the first two from the covers themselves–aren’t they extraordinary! The others, not so much, but the Russian offering made me smile (reminded me of Aunt Beast in A Wrinkle in Time!).
Ah… yes of course allll those eyes! That’s a blast from the past, Rae:)). And they are amazing efforts, aren’t they? Have a lovely weekend!
These covers are really cool and unique!
Thank you! Yes – it was why once I’d alighted on this book, I was unwilling to change my mind – even for the marvellous Wyrd and Wonder:)).
🙂
The last one is my favorite, and not just because it’s the pink one – it makes me wonder what I’m looking at, and as someone who hasn’t read the book, it definitely makes me want to know more!
I think they are all remarkably strange – but the last one provides a bit more context, doesn’t it? It is also an amazing book!
These are all so eye catching and strange and I love the use of color. I think the Italian cover is my favorite.
They really are oddest covers – which is awesome because they really reflect the strangeness of the writing, too. And that Italian cover is especially effective:)
Wow, this might be the best selection of covers I’ve seen in a Friday Faceoff. They’re all gorgeous in their own way. The colors in those first two keep drawing me back up to the top of the post, but I honestly can’t choose.
Thank you, Suzanne:). I’m a very decisive person generally – but this week I faffed about, choosing first one and then the other, more than I ever recall doing! So I completely understand.
Your favourite and the Dutch cover are fantastic. Well done for finding those they’re a pleasure to behold.
Lynn 😀
Thank you, Lynn – it’s also a remarkable read:))
WOW. Just…wow. All these covers have such unique style and elegance and don’t detract from the story. I have to say, that last one with the cityscape is most enticing. 🙂 I suppose if I had to choose the least impressive, I guess I’d say the second one. It’s not bad by any stretch, but it doesn’t seem to have the same level of detail as the others.
They are extraordinary, aren’t they? Which reflects the remarkable book. As soon as I saw the theme, these covers were the ones that jumped into my head:)).