Eye Candy Covers: The Islanders by Christopher Priest

Eye candy covers! There was no post about covers here on RoSF in two years or so, because - actually, I have no idea why. (Probably because Thrinidir did those, and Thrinidir does not contribute to this blog as much as he used to.)
Anyway, I think it's about time to resurrect this column, because everyone loves a nice cover.


The Islanders by Christopher Priest is probably my most-awaited book of 2011. (Yes, I'm anticipating it even more than ADwD, simply because I won't believe that ADwD is finished until I hold it in my hands.*) Here's the working image for its cover:


Damn. This is hardly an eye candy. As Adam noted, it's very retro; my problem is that I don't like retro at all. I like the Gollancz paperback covers of Priest's books; they are elegant and pretty:

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This one, however ... I really hope they change it. If I saw The Islanders in a bookshop, I'd walk straight past it with a cover like that - to me, it seems to scream 'BORING'. It also looks a bit like the books my mother read when I was a kid, which is in fact probably one of the reasons why I think 'boring' when I see it.


Source: The Wertzone


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* Not that this has prevented me from pre-ordering it

Eye Candy Covers XI

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BRANDON SANDERSON, if u haven't heard of him yet, is becoming one of the most recognisable names in the fantasy genre. His "Mistborn" trilogy garnered much praise from both readers and critics alike, as have his standalone novels "Elantris" and "Warbreaker". The latter was originally released under a Creative Commons non-commercial, non-derivative work license, but was recently (June 6 2009) re-realeased as a hardcopy by Tor Books. What this means is, while you can now buy a nifty hardcopy version of "Warbreaker" from a local bookstore, the rough version of the book is still available online for no fee at all. If the name BRANDON SANDERSON still doesn't ring a bell, he is the guy who will write the last three books of "The Wheel of Time" saga after the passing-away of ROBERT JORDAN. To deliver such a prominent franchise into the hands of a relative newbie is a great show of faith from the publisher, but you can be sure that their decision hasn't been incidental and I don't think we'll see a drop in quality. Quite the contrary actually. I think that SANDERSON will revitalize the series by infusing into it fresh ideas while remaining true to the spirit of JORDAN's original vision. The first of the three books, entitled "The Gathering Storm", has been completed and will see the light of day in early November 2009. The cover art for "The Gathering Storm" has been released and all I can say is that it is absolutely awful, maybe even a contender for this year's crappiest cover. Now, can you see the irony in this post? :)

The cover art I've posted above is going to adorn the first book in the UK edition of the "Mistborn" trilogy (US editions, both hardcover and paperback, were hit and miss as is to be expected by now) that was originally realeased in 2007 and 2008 by Tor Books. The cover art is stunning, if you appreciate the minimalist approach, as I do. If I could describe it with as little words as possible they would be something in the vein of: delicate, graceful, clean and unobtrusive to the senses. Good job.

Eye Candy Covers X

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Richard Morgan, a rising a risen star in the realm of the speculative fiction writers, has been outdoing himself with every subsequent novel he writes. His first sf trilogy, named after it's protagonist Takeshi Kovacs, garnered much praise and was noted for its gritty content and noir approach. His thought provoking novel "Black Man" won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2008 and his latest novel - and at the same time his first foray into fantasy genre - "The Steel Remains" made quite a few of the "best of 2008" lists. The original UK cover is absolutely stunning, but who would have thought...the forthcoming US version is just as swell :). For latest news regarding the sequel to "The Steel Remains", "The Dark Commands" you can visit Morgan's blog or A Dribble of Ink where Aidan posted his commentes on the latest turn of events.

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In the Limelight - Simmons, Kearney and Abercrombie

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Everybody's been talking about Drood these days. "Drood" is the new novel by Dan Simmons, mastermind behind many prestigious award-winning novels, such as Hyperion (one of my all-time favorites), Ilium, Carrion Comfort, Song of Kali and others. His opus spans genres, from science fiction and fantasy to horror, mysteries and thrillers (often within the same novel). His 2007 novel "The Terror" made a (lifelong) fan out of Trin as well.
Drood is being officially released later today (February 9) both in US and UK, and me&Trin are both eager to read it. If you are wondering about the meaning of the word 'Drood'; "The Mysteries of Edward Drood" is the final novel by Charles Dickens that was left unfinished at the time of his death and thus the fate of the main protagonist remains undisclosed. Simmons' "Drood" draws heavily on historical facts about Dickens to create an engaging narrative, but spices it with fictional elements, just as he did with "The Terror". And the word on the street is that it's terrific.

The other interesting news that I've come across - thanks to our fellow blogger Adam (The Wertzone) - is that Paul Kearney signed a deal with Solaris for two more books set in the world of "The Ten Thousand". Early titles are "Corvus" and "Kings of Morning". This sounds very promising, since Kearny will be given a chance to expand on the sometimes scetchy world of the Macth. At the moment I'm reading and enjoying "This Forsaken Earth" which is the sequel to [...]the very decent, but short of brilliant[...] "The Mark of Ran". A bit of advice for those who don't like to start reading unfinished series , the final book in "Sea Beggars trilogy" was written, but never released, due to the fall out with his publisher at the time. The good news is, though, that Kearny's new publisher, Solaris, supports him to finish the project, but they have to wait for the rights to the books that Bantam US is clinging to to expire, before they can give the green light for the final volume which is to be realeased in an omnibus together with the first two books.

Last but not least: a while ago I've written about the fabulous UK cover for "Best Served Cold", the upcoming novel by Joe Abercrombie, one of the most recognizable names of the new wave of epic fantasy writers, due to be released this summer. Every since the US cover leaked out, there have been heated debates over the blogosphere whether they are any good or not (I tend to agree with the argument that the UK cover looks superior by far): A Dribble of Ink: part 1 & part 2, Grasping for the Wind, Fantasy Book News & Reviews, Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews, Pat's Fantasy Hotlist to name just a few. Orbit responded to the tirade in this article, revealing all the pruposed covers, giving insight into their creative process and explaining their pick, which is all very considerate and nice, but that doesn't change the fact the cover doesn't look any prettier for it. I might be too harsh to the US cover, I've seen plenty worse, but when you have something to compare it to, well... you can't help but wonder. But I leave you decide for yourself:
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US Cover -------- vs. -------- UK Cover

Eye Candy Covers IX

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It's been a while since the last Eye Candy Cover article - Best Served Cold, remember? - and it was well past time for me to find another. I don't know how I've missed this one, since it was disclosed quite some time ago - a coincidence that it was on the same day that we've posted the cover for Best Served Cold on November 19 - but what matters is that the cover looks damn fine and if you haven't had the chance to see it before you do so now. The cover I'm speaking of is the cover for "The Desert Spear", a forthcoming sequel to one of the better epic fantasy debuts I've had the pleasure to read since...well, since Joe Abercrombie's "The Blade Itself" ("Lies of Locke Lamora" was great, but not on par with these two behemoths and I unfortunately haven't yet read "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss). The debut I'm refering to is "The Painted Man" (aka "The Warded Man" in the States) which was published in 2008 and kicked off, what I hope to be, a long and prosperous career for a young and talented author that goes by the name of Peter V. Brett. The review for "The Painted Man" will be online in a couple of days, but I'll let this beautiful cover whet your appetites until then.
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---"A war is brewing between humans and demonkind, but when another man claiming to be the Deliverer appears out of the desert, the isolated human fortress cities seem more likely to turn on one another than unite. And the demon generals have yet to reveal themselves…"

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Source.

Eye Candy Covers VIII

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Joe Abercrombie, author of the much acclaimed epic fantasy trilogy "The First Law" (you can read our review of the second book: "Before They Are Hanged"; and the double review of the last book: (1) "The Last Argument of Kings" & (2) "The Last Argument of Kings"), announced the final artwork for the UK version of his forthcoming novel "Best Served Cold" (it's scheduled for an April 2009 release) and if you don't mind me saying: it looks bloody fantastic! Joe is enthused about the artwork as well...

"Best Served Cold" is set in the same world as "The First Law" trilogy, but stands on its own. Judging from the prior trilogy we are up for some great fun! You should be adding this book to your shopping list for the next year...

Eye Candy Covers pt.VII

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I've perused Orbit's US titles scheduled for Fall/Winter 2008 - thanks for the link John - and I must say that I really like the covers of Brent Weeks' "The Night Angel Trilogy"; all three books will be released in rapid succession (from September till November) in mass market paperback editions. I admit that I never heard of Brent Weeks before, but the fact that he made a 3 book deal with Orbit as a debut author speaks for itself. Here is the premise of "The Way of Shadows", book one of The Night Angel Trilogy:
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"For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city’s most accomplished artist.

For Kyllar Stern, survival is essential. As a guild rat, he’s learned to judge people quickly-and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, he must turn his back on everything he has ever known.

The perfect killer has no friends. He only has targets."

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Another ninja/thief/assassin/shady guild-business (re)iteration of the polished fantasy convention? All looks like it, but let's give the author a benefit of the doubt. Enough talk, on with the fabled covers:

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~ The Night Angel Trilogy ~

1. "The Way of Shadows" (Sep 30, available for pre-order: US, UK)
   
2. "Shadow's Edge" (Oct 28, available for pre-order: US, UK)
   
3. "Beyond the Shadows" (Nov 25, available for pre-order: US, UK)
   

(Not So) Lazy Linkage

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While we've been really lazy for the last couple of weeks (posting-wise), that doesn't mean that our friends and colleagues from around the blogosphere took the same liberty. There is a lot of interesting stuff going on in the realms of speculative fiction, so I decided not to direct you towards everything that would otherwise deserve your attention; but I'll cull the selection down to the things that piqued-my-interest the most:
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Fantasy Book Critic reviewed Greg Keyes' short story collection “Hounds of Ash: and other Tales of Fool Wolf” (released on April 3, 2008, in US). Greg Keyes is renown for his Kingdom of Thorne and Bone series, that are often compared to GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire in style and setting. “Hounds of Ash…” sounds like a very promising collection of old-school sword & sorcery adventures reminiscent of R.E. Howard’s “Conan the Barbarian” and Moorcock’s “Elric of Melniboné”. But what really got me interested in the book is the beautiful cover art by Julie Dillon (gallery). I think I found a new Eye Candy Cover (pt.VI)...
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If this was a competition than the second place would go to Liz Williams’ new Inspector Chen novel – “The Shadow Pavilion”. The art was contributed by Jon Foster (gallery)
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Neal Stephenson’s new book, “Anathem”, is coming out in September. Check out A Dribble of Ink for more info.
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If you are a Malazan fan (there are few who aren’t) then the new Malazan artwork from the Subterranean Press “Gardens of the Moon” limited edition might interest you. Pat from Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist also reviewed the forthcoming “Return of the Crimson Guard” by Ian C. Esslemont, his sophomore effort in the Epic (yes, epic with a capital E) Malazan universe. While browsing the net I also stumbled upon Tattersail’s DeviantArt gallery, where there are some nifty illustrations portraying the characters and the events from the Malazan world exhibited. And while Tattersail’s art is not always the most professional, I believe that her interpretations and choice of themes are quite distinct and original (example: Lady Envy and the Sheguleh).
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Adam from The Wertzone reviewed one of my all-time favorites – “Hyperion” by Dan Simmons. Fantastic book.
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Sara from Jumpdrives & Cantrips got back from her short “hiatus” with some serious style and served us with another great review. She was dissecting a legend worthy of its name – Robert A. Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers”.
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Speculative Horizons posted a review of “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” that walks pretty much the same lane as Blindman’s assessment of one of this year’s fallen angels.
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Are you interested in free books?

• Cory Doctorow’s excellent YA sf novel “Little Brother” (via Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist)
• The sequel trilogy -- collected in the omnibus entitled "Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company" -- to one of the best fantasy books I’ve had the privilege to read…"Chronicles of The Black Company" (review) (via Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review)
• The Book Swede is giving away ARC of “Bloodheir” by Brian Ruckley (enter the competition), whose debut, "Winterbirth", was lauded as one of the best fantasy books in the last couple of years. You can read Trin’s review of “Winterbirth” here and John’s review of the sequel, "Blood Heir", on his blog – Grasping the Wind. (via The Book Swede & His Blog)
• Win a set of Jay Lake's "Mainspring" & "Escapement" (via Fantasy Book Critic)

---SF Reviews.net on "Mainspring":
"Mainspring is a grand and glorious adventure, an epic journey of imagination the likes of which I haven't often seen..." (more)

Paul Kearney is an excellent (fantasy) writer, but sadly overlooked by the wider audience and vastly oversold by the likes of Gail Z Martin, Trudi Canavan, Karen Miller and other, in my opinion, less deserving writers. His latest book, “The Ten Thousand” -- loosely based on the Greek legend of “Ten Thousand” mercenary soldiers, hired by the Persian prince to wrest the throne of the Persian Empire from his brother -- is being released early in September by Solaris Books. I’m doing my best to lay my hands on an advanced reading copy...so you can expect a review of the book in the (near) future. To sate your curiosity until then, read an article on Kearney at Speculative Horizons.
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Rob (Rob’s Blog o’ Stuff) really enjoyed T.A. Pratt’s “Blood Engines”, a novel he categorizes as Supernatural Fantasy / Modern Day Sorcerer.
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And while I'm mentioning the “supernatural” side of the fantasy genre, you can also take a peek at Tia’s interview with Jennifer Rardin, author of the popular Jaz Parks series, back at Fantasy Debut blog.
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If you are more deeply interested in the genre machinations you should check out SFSignal’s latest Mind Meld article; the title is self explanatory – Which Medium is Driving Science Fiction…Books of Film/TV? The Question is tackled by many prominent names in the science fiction genre (John Scalzi, Joe R. Lansdale, Lucius Shepard, Mike Resnick etc.). SFSignal also has a nice and all-encompassing review of 2008 Hugo award short fiction nominees availabe here.
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Last but not least, Larry (OF Blog of the Fallen) kick-started a heated debate on ASoIaF forum, questioning the premise that “the latest is also the greatest” - talking about debut efforts and (the veracity of) hype that builds around new authors – link. Larry also pointed out to me a brand new YA fantasy author that I’m sure to be keeping an eye on – D.M. Cornish. I implore you to read Larry’s thoughts on Colonialism, Hegemony, and Fantasy as well.

Joe Sherry from Adventures in Reading gives you an extra reason not to dismiss YA fiction. If you think that you are too mature to read YA then you need to check out "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld.
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Lazy Linkage? I don't think so :)
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~ Thrinidir ~

[title under construction]

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We've all been pretty busy the last couple of days - I'm at least pretending to be reading Bonehunters by Steven Erikson (it's a great book, but demands a lot of attention - just like a spoiled child in a way), Trin had some personal stuff going on, BlindMan is trying hard to put his students through history class without failing (in any great numbers at least) and Madwand is doing what he...I have no idea what he's doing to be honest (fiddling with World of Warcraft I suspect :). But I've stayed in touch with the rest of the blogosphere and I've found a lot of interesting things going on...

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I've stumbled upon Elena's blog Austin's Tales quite accidentally, but I really liked her witty and self assured (a bit egocentric too) blog description/introduction so I'm posting it as "Quote of the day" (week? month?). Here goes:

"I am a twenty-something with a motivation deficiency and a tendency to meander around a while before getting to the point. I have a high tolerance for alcohol and a low tolerance for stupidity. My only real ambition is to become a genius. That is, to be considered to have a "degree of mental superiority that enables its possessor to live acceptably upon his admirers, and without blame be unbrokenly drunk." The auspice under which I aspire to such heights of glory is writing fantasy/sci-fi novels. And, I suppose, convincing people to pay to read them. Hence the living acceptably upon my admirers. This blog is a chronicle of my struggles with artistic endeavors of both the short and the long variety, and also--more so?--the random interesting tidbits that catch the attention of a girl with an NQ (nerd quotient) of 180. So sit back, pop a cold-coldie or a Caucasion, or whatever your beverage of preference may be, and prepare to have your mind blown in the most elegant and only occasionally sexual of ways..."

Eye Candy Cover? Yes, I found another great one - pt.V, if anyone keeps count...I've bought John Scalzi's much lauded Old Man's War (Goodreads) a couple of weeks ago and while I still haven't got around to reading it, I found a beautiful cover of the book's 2007 hardcover edition by Subterranean Press >

Other interesting stuff I've found "littering" the blogosphere...

James at Speculative Horizons wrote an excellent article debating why you should read George R.R. Martin and while I think that one should be living on the Moon for the past couple of years (a decade or so at least) for not having at least tried to read any of the Martin's works, but I still believe that James' homage to the author is well worth reading! And because I'm tackling the sixth Malazan novel at the moment, I was thrilled to read his review of Night of Knives, the debut effort by Ian C. Esslemont, the co-creator of the Malazan universe. His second book - Return of the Crimson Guard, is scheduled for a release on 14.August in the UK as a hardcover and on the 23.September in the US market as a paperback.

Adventures in Reading reviewed A World Too Near by Kay Kenyon, book two of The Entire And The Rose, one of this year's sf highlights. He also pointed out to me a short story by Elizabeth Bear - Your Collar, with one of the most intriguing premises in my experience:

"A minotaur is freed from the labyrinth at Crete. This is not a beast, but a thinking creature which honors his commitments though Asterion cannot speak. Asterion is brought to England, to a Queen, and from that moment, knowing the legends of minotaurs, we (as readers) expect the story to go in one of two directions. Elizabeth Bear chooses another path. “Your Collar” is one of the best of all of Bear’s short fiction. The story is thoughtful, moving, intelligent, and surprising." (via Adventure's in Reading)

Another title that piqued my interest lately is Stephen Hunt's sophomore effort - The Kingdom Beyond The Waves, which is fabled for its vivid world-building with a classic Victorian/steampunk milieu. You can read great reviews by Robert (Fantasy Book Critic) and Liviu (Future and Past). They seem to have collaborated on another interesting title - House of Suns by Alastair Reynold; here is Robert's review...and on to Liviu's review here.

But the book that I'm most interested in hearing more about (and reading it) is Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. It garnered a few stellar reviews by some of the most renowned sites: SFSignal (5 star review), Rob from SFFWorld has been talking world about the book as was Robert from Fantasy Book Critic...and what is most important about this title is - that it is absolutely FREE. Go, download!

Since Little Brother is technically a YA title, maybe you are interested in some other "Young Adult SF/F Books That Adults Will Like, Too". (via SFSignal)

Audrey Sofa from Fantasy Magazine wrote an article about why she hates STEAMPUNK. Here's an excerpt:

Congratulations. You’re part of the next big thing. Take a taste of that, savor it, lick it and suck it down and swallow it. Because, in a couple of figurative seconds, it’s going to be gone. And the taste that follows is going to be bitter.

CNN interviewed the grand-master of science fiction - Iain M Banks. (via Locus Online)

Adam from The Wertzone wrote two great reviews lately - the first review is about Hyperion, that I deem as one of the greatest sf books ever written, and the second one talks about Paul Kearney's This Forsaken Earth, book two of the Sea Beggars.

Larry from OF Blog of The Fallen wrote a review about Scott Bakker's forthcoming technothriller novel Neuropath in his own special way.

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There is more, but I had to cull the selection a bit. I hope you enjoy the links.

Eye Candy Covers pt.V

(Todd Lockwood's cover illustration for R.A. Salvatore's "Sojourn" - click on the image for bigger picture)
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Among this month's new releases a cover of a certain Forgotten Realms title really caught my eye. I'm talking about Richard Baker's "Swordmage", book one of the Blades of the Moonsea. Wizards of the Coast has come a long way cover-wise throughout the years they’ve been publishing Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance and recently Eberron media tie-in novels - from the generic, often pulpish cover art (example 1, example 2) of the early years, artists such as Raymond Swanland (I urge you to check out the gallery on his home page; his art is completely out-of-this-world) and Todd Lockwood now produce some of the most exquisite cover illustrations of the fantasy genre. Here are just a few examples, you can goggle away at the rest of their cover illustrations here (Swanland) and here (Lockwood).
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(the newest Forgotten Realms novel)
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-(all cover art by Raymond Swanland)
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[title under construction]

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I'm on a really tight schedule lately. I've been trying to juggle several obligations at once, quite unsuccessfully might I add. I guess I’m just not a person for multitasking. But there are some really interesting things going on in the world of fantasy and science fiction I need to tell you about (some of the information might already be stale, but might come in handy, if you missed the news elsewhere).

The Hugo Awards
The nominees for this year’s Hugo awards are old news (you can see the full list of nominees here), but you might have missed the fact that the majority of the nominated works are available for free. With the exemption of the nominees for best novel, all the shorter prose narrative forms (novella, novelette, short story) are available as free download versions or simply published on the net. Here is the link.

The Nebula Awards
The Nebula Award winners were presented/announced on April 26 (link) and they are as follows:

• Novel: “The Yiddish Policemen's Union” by Michael Chabon
• Novella: "Fountain of Age" by Nancy Kress
• Novelette: "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by Ted Chiang
• Short Story: "Always" by Karen Joy Fowler
• Script: “Pan's Labyrinth” by Guillermo del Toro

Other presentations included:

• Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J. K. Rowling
• Damon Knight Grand Master for 2008 is Michael Moorcock

Joe Sherry from the blog Adventures in Reading, did a terrific set of articles, where Joe gives his thought on the nominated works (Short Stories, Novelettes, Novellas). His articles also include links to where you can get (read) them for free!

You might also be interested in reading the tribute speech for Michael Moorcock before he was officially named the 25th Grandmaster of the Science Fiction Writers of America. It was given by John Picacio (an award-winning American artist specializing in science fiction, fantasy and horror illustration) at the Nebula Awards Ceremony.
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Sidewise Awards for Alternate History (via SFSignal)
The nominees for the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History have been announced (see past winners):

Best Short Form: (1) Elizabeth Bear, "Les Innocents/Lumiere" (in New Amsterdam, Subterranean Press); (2) Michael Flynn, "Quaestiones Super Caelo Et Mundo" (in Analog, 7/07); (3) Matthew Johnson, "Public Safety" (in Asimov's, 3/07); (4) Jess Nevins, "An Alternate History of Chinese Science Fiction" (in No Fear of the Future, May 17, 2007); (5) Kristine Kathryn Rusch, "Recovering Apollo 8" (in Asimov's, 2/07); (6) John Scalzi, "Missives from Possible Futures #1: Alternate History Search Results" (in Subterranean Magazine, Winter 2007); (7) Chris Roberson, "Metal Dragon Year" (in Interzone, 12/07);

Best Long Form: (1) Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen's Union (HarperCollins); (2) Robert Conroy, 1945: A Novel (Ballantine Books); (3) Mary Gentle, Ilario (The Lion's Eye and The Stone Golem) (Eos); (4) Jay Lake, Mainspring (Tor Books); (5) Sophia McDougall, Rome Burning (Orion); (6) Jo Walton, Ha'penny (Tor Books)

More free reading… (via A Dribble of Ink and Pat's Fantasy Hotlist)
Tor Publishing is running a celebration campaign for their imminent web site relaunch. Every week they send out a full, free e-book to those who have signed up for their mailing list (sign up for their newsletter and get a free weakly e-book!). Aidan (A Dribble of Ink) posted links to where you can download some great titles that Tor has already shared (Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, Farthing by Jo Walton, Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell, Lord of the Isles by David Drake, Through Wolf’s Eyes by Jane Lindskold, The Disunited States of America by Harry Turtledove, Reiffen’s Choice by S. C. Bulter and The Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder), so go visit A Dribble of Ink and don’t miss this great opportunity for some quality free readin’.

“As a special gift to Star Wars fans, Del Rey will be offering Book One in the series, Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal (book 1), as a free downloadable PDF, audio book, and eBook. This promotional offer will run for two weeks, from 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 29, until midnight on Tuesday, May 13. The free download, which can be shared, e-mailed or printed, will be available on Legacy of the Force. “ (via Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist)

Eye Candy Covers pt. IV
John Picacio (the same John Picacio that gave a tribute speech to Moorcock at the presentation of Grandmaster of Science Fiction award) drew a beatific artwork for the forthcoming Pyr reissue of Robert Silverberg's classic Son of Man.

“I think you'll agree that Picacio has done an incredible job picking up on both the messianic and the sexual overtones, and has managed to get that 60s/70s psychedelic feel without feeling at all like he was going retro or pastiche.“ (via Pyr-o-mania)

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Eye Candy Covers pt.III

The first two articles bearing the same title can be found here (Tor and Nightshade Books editions of some of the Glen Cooks works) and here (Subpress limited edition of Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson). In the third edition of Eye Candy Covers I'd like to show you another set of beautiful cover art, this one originating from Gollancz publishing - we are talking about relatively fresh print of their phenomenal Fantasy Masterworks series, now graced with an even more exquisite covers. The stark contrasts and the limited use of gentle colors turns out quite to my tastes and what is more important, this covers might bring fresh attention to this well deserving works of fiction. Behold...

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Eye Candy Covers pt.II

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The new Subpress limited edition of Gardens of the Moon (Book One of The Malazan Book of the Fallen) is just too beautiful for me to resist posting it here. It’s detailed, it’s classy, it has Anomander Rake with Dragnipur strapped on his back and Moon’s Spawn with some of the Great Ravens in the background…it’s Eye Candy what it is:
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- Thrinidir -

Eye Candy Covers

Now, I've seen some pretty nifty covers out there...I've also ground my teeth at the cheesy, flashy, rushed, uninspired or just plainly tasteless covers that pollute the shelves. Since the latest trend on the web seems to be the bashing of old pulpy covers and the new North American covers for the Erikson’s “Malazan Book of The Fallen” series, I’ll take a different approach and give praise where praise is due. I’m currently reading “Chronicles of the Black Company” by Glen Cook, which is a great and rewarding read by the way (the influence on Erikson is blatantly undeniable), and the cover of this trade paperback omnibus is absolutely beautiful. It’s artistically well done and on top of that it couldn’t present “you are reading a kickass fantasy novel” impression any better. Tor and Nightshade Books deserve to be congratulated for an outstanding job.
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Here are the covers (click on image to enlarge):

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