Friday Faceoff – Blue oblivion, largely lit, smiled and smiled at me… #Brainfluffbookblog #FridayFaceoff

 

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 this week at least one of our covers has to be BLUE, so I’ve selected Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Book 1 of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor.

 

This edition was produced by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in September 2011. The monochrome face with that fantastic blue feathered mask is very eye-catching and I also really love the title font, which is both striking and effective. This one is so very nearly my favourite…

 

Published in August 2015 by Fischer Taschenbubh, this German cover is another strong contender. I love the shades of blue patterns backlighting the Prague cityscape. The girl looks otherworldly with the treatment to her eyes and the title font is also stylish and eye-catching. Yet another well designed and beautiful cover, wholly appropriate in tone and mood for this enjoyable fantasy adventure.

 

This edition, published by Hodder & Stoughton in September 2011, is my favourite. I love, love, LOVE those fabulous feathers with the iridescent sheen in all the shades of a sunlit starling. My choice might be influenced by the fact that this is the cover of the book that I read – I also think the title font is very well done.

 

Produced by De Boekerij in April 2013, this Dutch edition is yet another superb effort, being a variation on the design of the first cover. The mask is beautifully designed and the colours shading the title font replicate those colours, intensifying the lovely effect with the clever repetition. Another accomplished and appropriate cover for this book.

 

This Indonesian edition, published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama in September 2012, is yet another well-designed cover. If this had been a different book, I would be raving more about the restraint… the clever, subtle blue shading around the edge of the single feather… the way that colour is picked up and reflected in the stylish title font. But there are so many wonderful, classy covers for this particular book, it is just added to the list – lucky, lucky Laini Taylor! Which one is your favourite?

Friday Faceoff – Red is the ultimate cure for sadness… #Brainfluffbookblog #FridayFaceoff

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. At present it is being nurtured by Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog. This week the theme is a cover featuring red, so I’ve selected Red Rising – Book 1 of the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown.

 

This edition was produced by Del Rey in January 2014 and it is the most well known of all the covers – and with good reason as it is eye-catching and iconic. The extended red wing against a black background is very simple, but that doesn’t stop it being beautiful. The title font is a nice reflection of the story as it runs from the bottom to the top of the cover… I love this one.

 

Published in February 2015 by Сиела, this Bulgarian edition is also strikingly eye-catching. Instead of the wing, we have an image of the young rebel, Darrow, all set to rise from the life of slave-slogged drudgery he’d been born into. The image is clever as it also refers to part of the plot and I also like the way the title font fits nicely between the wings.

 

This Portuguese edition, published by Editorial Presença in March 2015, is another strong contender. I love the stylish, imaginative way the wings have been spun around and used as to depict the backdrop, while Darrow is poised at the nexus of the divided society. My one niggle is that there is too much chatter on the cover, spoiling what should be a clean, uncluttered cover to maximise the effect.

 

This Czech edition, produced by Triton in October 2016 is another beautiful effort. I love the addition of the yellow amongst the red – and the effect, which looks a wing, feather or a flame. I also like the chunkier, yellow title font which nicely pops against the red and the complete lack of unnecessary blather to detract from the effective artwork. This is my favourite.

 

This Polish cover was published in March 2014 by Drageus Publishing House and, in my opinion, is the least effective of all the covers. In contrast it comes across as muddled and overworked. It certainly doesn’t stand out as a thumbnail, so it’s fortunate that Red Rising was a worldwide best-seller and didn’t rely on this cover to lure readers to pick it up. Which is your favourite?

Friday Faceoff – The way to heaven is on horseback… #Brainfluffbookblog #Fridayfaceoff

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 theme this week features riders. I’ve selected Green Rider – Book 1 of the Green Rider series by Kristen Britain. I read this one longer ago than I care to recall, but thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

This edition was produced by DAW Books in April 2000. I love this cover – the wealth of detail with all the movement and drama of the galloping horse is beautiful. But I do dislike all that chat at the top which draws the eye away from the author name.

 

Published in April 2011 by Gollancz, this one is my favourite. Yes… I don’t think the horse has wings in the book, but to be honest – I don’t care. The illustration is absolutely stunning and just works. My one niggle is that the title and author fonts could be just a bit more decorative as they are unutterably dull.

 

This German edition, published by Heyne in December 2008, is attractive and eye-catching. And if you are wondering why there isn’t a scrap of green anywhere, the German title translates as The Magic Rider so it makes sense to have a striking red cover featuring a beautiful black stallion galloping through the middle of the cover. At last the font also is suitably dramatic.

 

This Turkish edition, produced by Kalipso Yayinlari is more about the young rider than the horse. When I saw the teeny-tiny version of this one, I confess that I sighed a little, but now it is larger, I like it more than I thought I would – though I’d prefer her to be wearing gauntlets and less eye makeup. But that sword hilt is gorgeous and I love the wonderful title font.

 

This Czech cover, published in 2012 is another strong contender. In fact, if it wasn’t for that amazing Gollancz offering, this would be my favourite. I love the fact that we are seeing the back of the rider and the horse, while that rich border gives it a suitably otherworld flavour. I love the golden light that effectively throws the rider and horse into relief, though I would personally have used a different colour other than yellow in the title font. What about you – which is your favourite?

#Teaser Tuesday – 12th June, 2018 #Brainfluffbookblog

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:
Crossways – Book 2 of the Psi-Tech series by Jacey Beford

Page 386: Though there were only a few residents in the lobby and no one seemed to be taking any interest in them, they immediately switched to silent communication.
*Any luck?* Ben asked.
Cara could see from Kitty’s expression that the answer was no.
*There’s already an investigation underway into Ari,* Kitty said. *Barb Rehling is dead.*
Cara was getting an odd feeling from Kitty. She glanced up. *There’s more.*
Kitty nodded and licked her lips. *I still have access to records. I checked on Etta Langham.*
*And?*
*She’s been transferred to sentier-4*
*As an inmate or staff?* Ben asked.
*That’s the big question, isn’t it?* Kitty kept her eyes averted from Cara’s gaze. *What do you think?*

BLURB: Ben Benjamin, psi-tech Navigator, and Cara Carlinni, Telepath, can never go home again. To the Trust and Alphacorp alike they are wanted criminals. Murder, terrorism, armed insurrection, hijacking, grand theft, and kidnapping are just the top of a long list of other charges they’ll face if they’re caught.

So they’d better not get caught.

These are the people who defied the megacorporations and saved a colony by selling the platinum mining rights and relocating ten thousand colonists somewhere safe, and they’re not saying where that is. They take refuge on crimelord-run Crossways Station with the remnants of their team of renegade psi-techs and the Solar Wind, their state of the art jumpship. They’ve made a promise to find a missing space ark with thirty thousand settlers aboard. But to do that Ben and Cara have to confront old enemies.

I really enjoyed the first book, Empire of Dust, in what is shaping up to be a really entertaining and action-packed space opera adventure. So far, this one is delivering lots of twists and more enjoyment in rebonding with Ben and Cara.

#Friday Faceoff – Just put one foot in front of the other – and keep going… #Brainfluffbookblog

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. It is currently being nurtured by Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog. This week the theme is a cover featuring footsteps, so I’ve selected Feet of Clay – Book 19 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.

 

This edition was produced by Corgi in May 1997. I love it. I love the brightness, the detail and the quirky oddness that encapsulates what Pratchett’s writing is all about. I’m also conscious that in the world where books are often sold in ebook form these days, it isn’t a cover that does well as a thumbnail. The main reason why this isn’t my favourite is that ugly blue box containing the title and author plonked right in the middle of that glorious artwork.

 

Published in February 2004 by Hartorch, this cover lacks the charm and bustling humour of the previous offering. However, I do like the footprints running up the side and the quirky title font – I just wish that blue wasn’t so drab or the head with glowing eyes didn’t look as if this is horror – Pratchett’s work can be thought provoking but isn’t remotely creepy.

 

This edition, published by Gollancz in June 2014 is another one that looks as if this book is in the horror genre. The dark figure with glowing red eyes and white swirls looks really threatening. I do like how they have handled the title and Pratchett’s name, however.

 

Produced by Turtleback Books in February 2004, this edition certainly gives a sense that this is a humorous novel. I love the bubbles, along with the footprints featured in the centre of the cover. The font is also quirky and offbeat, giving a clue about the genre. This is a better effort than the previous, gloomy offering, I feel.

 

This French cover – which hasn’t any other details on Goodreads – is my favourite. The characters draw on those marvellous Josh Kirby and Paul Kidby covers with some lovely detailed artwork that still looks effective when shrunk down to thumbnail size. The title and author fonts are also well handled. Which is your favourite?

Friday Faceoff – I’m freeeee… #Brainfluffbookblog

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. This week the theme is a Freebie, where we choose our favourite cover, so I’ve selected Traitor to the Throne – Book 2 of the Rebel of the Sands series bys by Alwyn Hamilton. I loved the story – but I loved the covers even more…

 

This edition was produced by Viking in March 2017. It’s not my favourite, but it’s still a cracking cover. The female archer featured on the cover clearly means business – I like the fact she is shooting straight at us. But what lifts this is that stunning sky and the background with the flock of birds and the city in the distance.

 

Published in February 2017 by Faber and Faber, this is my favourite. I love the eye-catching pink, with that lovely Eastern fretwork acting as a window into this exotic, dangerous world. The distant cityscape is picked out beautifully and I love the night sky with the sickle moon which perfectly complements that wonderful title font. This cover actually made me tingle when I first saw it…

 

This Polish edition, published by Czwarta Strona in July 2017, is another gem. Those lovely swirling patterns and that wonderfully detailed desertscape featuring the silhouette of our plucky heroine and her horse is simply beautiful. For me, what slightly lets it down is the title font, which is rather ordinary by comparison.

 

This Spanish edition, produced by Destino in October 2017 is certainly a lot different to the other covers. Initially I disliked it – but apart from the figures which I still don’t like all that much, the rest of the lovely detail has really grown on me. There is a wealth of lovely detail in the artwork all over the book that has me repeatedly looking at it as every time I do, I see something more.

 

This Serbian cover, published in June 2017, is another attractive, eye-catching offering. The colours are lovely and though it lacks the detailed gorgeousness of the other efforts, the stylised, more simplistic approach has been very well done. It also works effectively as a thumbnail, which is an important consideration these days. So… which of these covers do you like best?

#Friday Faceoff – I was asleep when the dinosaurs roamed the earth… featuring #West of Eden #Brainfluffbookblog #Fridayface-off

 

This meme was started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which we prefer. Lynn and Lynn’s Book Blog nurtures it at present. This week the theme is a cover featuring dinosaur, so I’ve selected West of Eden by Harry Harrison.

 

This cover produced by iBooks in June 2004 isn’t my favourite. I rather like the font, but the image looks like a still taken from Jurassic Park, rather than a specifically designed piece of artwork for a book. There is also far too much chat along the bottom of the book.

 

This edition was produced by Spectre in June 1985 and at least shows evidence of a cover having been designed with more thought. Though I really dislike those great blocks of brown that squeeze the image into a narrow strip so it’s difficult to make out exactly what is going on – which is a shame, because it looks quite interesting…

 

Published in July 1984 by Bantam, this is the first cover that I really like. We get a clear idea of what is going on. And I very much like the way the sun is gleaming through the title font, which is rather funky.

 

This edition, published by Panther Books Limited in July 1985, is my favourite. We get a clear idea that the dinosaurs featured are intelligent with some civilisation – part of the premise of this intriguing fantasy series. I love the warm colouring of the sky which gives us a sense of difference in this alternate history.

 

This Italian edition, produced by Nord in February 1989, provides another interaction between the fearsome lizards and the humans cowering in the forefront of the cover. You get a sense the dinosaur is talking to them, or is he about to eat them? I don’t like the chatter scattered across the artwork – or the border as I can’t see the point and it is particularly unappealing and drab. Which is your favourite?

Friday Faceoff – The hand that writes and having writ moves on…

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 week the theme is a cover featuring hands, so I’ve selected The Moving Finger – Book 4 of the Miss Marple Mysteries by Agatha Christie.

 

This edition was produced by HarperCollins in 1995. I rather like it – the gloved hand moving over the ancient typewriter evokes a strong period feel, which is well sustained by the author and title font. I would personally have preferred not to have that unappealing black block in the lower third of the cover, which rather spoils it for me.

 

Published in March 2007 by Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, I also like this cover. The country postbox set in a dry stone wall gives a strong rural feel, with the bright green cloud below gives a strong indication that something is very wrong… Again, the fonts are right for the period. I would have preferred the postbox to have been picked out in bright red, which would have added another splash of colour, thus giving it extra eye appeal.

 

This edition, published by Harper Collins in 2012, is probably my favourite. The black background with the classic Christie signature in red really pops, while the lettering for the title font is simple – but that doesn’t prevent it from being effective.

 

This Bengali edition, produced by সেবা প্রকাশনী in December 2016, certainly catches the eye. There is something very disturbing about that outstretched arm – it looks so horribly vulnerable… And the rose nearby also tells a story. I don’t feel qualified to comment on the font, but this is a cover that stood out in the looong list of options I could have chosen.

 

This Turkish cover, published in June 2014, is the weakest one this week. The idea is okay – but the execution is very clumsy. Why would there be a spatter of blood across a poison pen letter? What compounds this mistake is the fact it looks so false, as no attempt has been to blend it so that it looks as though it belongs on the paper in the typewriter. So which is your favourite?

Friday Faceoff – When a knight won his spurs…

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 week the theme is a cover featuring medieval times, so I’ve selected Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, who sounds as if he should be joining in the jousting with a name like that…

 

To be honest, this cover produced by Roc in December 1999 is rather underwhelming. It is very brown with an embossed emblem of something that looks as though it belongs on a shield. I’m not overly struck with the rather spindly font, either. Given this is a book about a particularly colourful time, the cover seems to be expending a great deal of energy just to blend into the general background of the shelf this book will be sitting on.

 

This edition was produced by Roc Fantasy in October 1991 and is far more attractive and lively. The gold font upon the red is much more in keeping. However, my main worry is on behalf of the long-suffering queen or princess… no wonder she is looking so grumpy. I’d be looking a tad fed up if I had an halberd handle sticking out of my left ear, too.

 

Published in April 2005 by Penguin Canada (APB), I like this one. The gold colour sings out and the distant city in the distance looks invitingly different – an impression reinforced with the two moons in the sky. I like the attractive pattern bordering the vista, which gives a suggestion that this might be an embroidered depiction after the style of the Bayeux tapestry.

 

This Italian edition, published by Sperling & Kupfer in 1992, has very much gone for the fantasy feel. The moonlit scene – featuring two moons – is beautifully conveyed and unlike the queen in the Roc Fantasy offering, this monarch is unhampered by any weaponry protruding from her ears. She is beautiful and focused – and I want to pick up this book and find out why. This is my favourite cover.

 

This edition, produced by Penguin Canada in June 2016, is another dun effort. This time we get the edge of the shield, as if we are peeping over it to snatch a view of the city in the distance – also brown. I’m not quite sure why, because it isn’t remotely appealing. However, that’s just my opinion – which cover do you like best?

Friday Faceoff – Where there’s fire there’s…

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 week the theme is a cover featuring smoke, so I’ve selected Smoke – see my review here – by Dan Vyleta.

 

This edition was produced by Doubleday in May 2016. The impressionistic view of the Houses of Parliament with the Thames in the foreground is beautiful, though feels more like fog than the sooty, unpleasant excretion caused by wicked, impure thoughts of the novel. While it is attractive, with plenty of eye appeal, I’m not sure it adequately portrays the novel.

 

Published in July 2016 by W & N, this cover is extremely effective. The black cover contrasts nicely with the wisping threads of smoke rising off the stylised S and its very simplicity sets it apart. I really like this one.

 

This edition, published by Anchor Books in June 2017, is really disturbing. The person seems to be consumed by the thick, black smoke pouring off him, leaving only his feet uncovered. This one is my favourite – another elegant and simple design, I think the image is both compelling and eerie.

 

This paperback edition, produced by W & N Books in April 2017, is a variation on the second cover, and the extra touch of colour makes it even more attractive. I like the grey cover and the deep blue curls of smoke, which look both beautiful and menacing. This cover is a very close second, to the extent that I nearly rolled a dice to see which would be my favourite this week.

 

This Swedish cover, published in September 2016 by Albert Bonniers Förlag, has taken the story as the cover’s reference. A Victorian street scene is enveloped in thick, choking smoke and the sepia tones complete the period feel, which gives the cover an extra sense of authenticity. Once more, this is a well designed, attractive cover. Quite often, I’m reasonably certain that I’ll know which cover will turn out to be the favourite – however, today I haven’t a clue. Which is your favourite? I’m very much looking forward to finding out!