Book covers

Some of the recent book covers are puzzling.

A Rising Thunder shows Honor disembarking from a shuttle to the top of a skyscraper. There's lightning in the background, which fits the title, but I can't think of a scene in the book that this illustrates. What it does bring to mind is her initial landing on Haven in Mission of Honor, though if that's what it is, the lack of guardrails is especially risky.

Shadow of Freedom shows Honor looking at an image of a whole bunch of ships getting all blown up. More lightning in the background. Since there are a couple of other people with treecats, they're probably reviewing Filareta's demise. Maybe Theisman to her right, and Elizabeth and Pritchart to her left? But why is this cover on this book, rather than Thunder, where it would fit nicely. The book had to have a picture of Honor — even though she isn't in the book — or buyers wouldn't know it's "A New Honorverse Novel"?

Cauldron of Ghosts shows Victor, Anton, and three others in a slummy neighborhood. Thandi, Yana, and some guy? Nothing really wrong with it, though neither the pile of buildings in the midground nor the skyscraper in the background match the description of Neue Rostock. And apparently streetlights haven't changed much in the last two thousand years.

Excellent eye. Every good artist has their own interpretation of what they want to present and how. For example, if it was NOT left to me, (fortunately) ...

I would have each novel cover be almost the same; with a semi close up of the face, head and shoulders of Honor with a different background of various future stuff.

Then we could see the visual slight on going process of aging and wisdom of the main character ... Honor. Just me. From the start to the present. HB of CJ (old coot)

Edit; PS; I also somewhere on the cover would have the novel number so dummies like me would not buy a hard cover novel ... twice! You know, like 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4, etc.

Bill Woods wrote:Some of the recent book covers are puzzling.

Concur

A Rising Thunder shows Honor disembarking from a shuttle to the top of a skyscraper. There's lightning in the background, which fits the title, but I can't think of a scene in the book that this illustrates. What it does bring to mind is her initial landing on Haven in Mission of Honor, though if that's what it is, the lack of guardrails is especially risky.

I always presumed that it was Honor returning to the Naval Building (damned if I can remember it's official name) post-Filareta to brief the assembled multitudes.

As for the lack of guardrails, I presume that some sort of gravity catch/forcefield is in place.

Shadow of Freedom shows Honor looking at an image of a whole bunch of ships getting all blown up. More lightning in the background. Since there are a couple of other people with treecats, they're probably reviewing Filareta's demise. Maybe Theisman to her right, and Elizabeth and Pritchart to her left? But why is this cover on this book, rather than Thunder, where it would fit nicely. The book had to have a picture of Honor — even though she isn't in the book — or buyers wouldn't know it's "A New Honorverse Novel"?

I have been carping about that cover for quite awhile, it would have been an excellent cover for A Rising Thunder, but made no sense for Shadow of Freedom.

Cauldron of Ghosts shows Victor, Anton, and three others in a slummy neighborhood. Thandi, Yana, and some guy? Nothing really wrong with it, though neither the pile of buildings in the midground nor the skyscraper in the background match the description of Neue Rostock. And apparently streetlights haven't changed much in the last two thousand years.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one, since they do try and set the stage with the appropriate characters.

One problem (I think, I could be wrong) is a lot of the covers are requested before the book is even turned in, or the artist only has a bare outline to go on. So they do the best that they can.

Our friend Genkis, who does the covers for the French versions of the Honorverse, at least has the chance to read to novels first so his artwork (which is outstanding anyway) oftne does reflect the actual book.

Still, right now, I'd like to see a new book pushing the story on with any cover at all.

Bill, I'm afraid you've been spoiled. So many covers for Honorverse books have actually had something to do with the plot that you have forgotten that this is almost never true in the publishing industry.

Seriously, don't bother trying to figure out the covers. The artists generally don't know what is in the stories.

Two words. Artistic license. It also extends to book covers. And remember, a cover's rendition's main focus is to sell books. Sell. Sell. Sell. Then if accomplished, it is the author's job to repeat the sell. I'd much rather get an inaccurate cover and a good read, rather than an accurate cover, and never finish the book. How many books have the cover sold me, but the author lost me and the book was tossed.

And it does work. I bought On Basilisk Station on cover art alone. Because of the author, I've never looked back. I even forget about what's on the cover for what's in the book of a good read.