Favorite Fantasy Series and Covers

Ooh, good topic. As both a writer and an illustrator I think this is a very worthwhile area to delve into: what covers we like and why.

I'll have to pop back in with some of my favs later.

I like a cover that's not only attractive, but showcases some of the things you'll expect to find in the book.

Joan D. Vinge's Catspaw immediately came to mind when I saw this thread.



Things I like about this cover:

The background and clothing gives an indication of what sort of world/technology the reader can expect--planetside (city background), futuristic (digital console, data band on wrist) but still identifiable and familiar (leather jacket, concrete stairs with handrail)

2) The zoom-in on the character lets the reader know this is a character-focused story. Catspaw is told in first person and the unique perspective of the protagonist is one of the book's main appeals.

3) His cat-like pupils shows that the protagonist is not quite human, also suggesting what sort of story this is (A different stylistic choice could have shown the protagonist so zoomed the pupils aren't noticible) The arched eyebrow, punk hair, and young face also accurately tell what sort of protagonist he is.


The image on the cover draws in a reader with its intriguing details and by being aesthetically pleasing. More importantly, it tells a lot about what sort of story this is. I picked this book up and greatly enjoyed it, because it was character-focused with a not-quite-human POV just like I'd hoped.

By contrast, I would never pick up a book with a picture of a planet, a ship, or a space station on it because it's so "zoomed out", I assume the story has a larger scale and a more omniscient POV. Since I prefer character-driven stories, I expect to see the characters showcased, especially in their natural environment and in a way that gives an inkling of their personality.

I absolutely loved the original UK paperback covers for Tamora Pierce's Wild Magic series. This is the first one:


I wish I had kept mine in better condition, but I was very hard on books back then.
You can see the others here: http://tamorapierce.com/galleries.html

ETA: I'm not sure why I like it besides... it's pretty! I loved how classy and "grown-up" it looked, and that they included all her study paraphernalia in the border. And I guess they managed to capture a very active feel to the main picture as well.
And it's pretty.

The Sword Dancer series, story and covers, hands down.

Tad Williams always seems to have the most gorgeous covers. For example, this one (which looks better in the flesh because the blues are more intense and mysterious-seeming):


Unfortunately, I really didn't like this book.

Great topic! I have a huge collection of pictures on my hard drive saved from cover artists and things I use as inspiration for my stories, that and I just like purty pictures. My favorite series is the Fern Capel Trilogy by Jan Siegel, and the covers for the American Editions are love, introduced me to my favorite artist EVAR. Thomas Kidd.








-WHAT I LIKED...about the covers... besides the colors? (With Regards to Prospero's Children, the first book)The details are the thing that drew me to the book in the library and pick up the inside cover. This is a glimpse from a scene described in the book and it perfectly reflects the tone of the novel, simple barn with a doorway into somewhere, the bright light casts shadows brilliantly in the barn and the small glowing key on the floor (a major plot point in the novel, that key is) and the golden dome through the door and what looks like a school of fish swimming by? Oh do I love Thom Kidd's eye for detail. that "doorway" is one of those novels that has a hole cut into it where you can look directly onto a picture done on the cover. I love those <3 What you don't see from this picture is on the side we get a glimpse of the mermaid who is the viewpoint character of the prologue, done in complete elegance and it actually resembles the mermaid as described in the novel. On the hardcover section of the book is the mermaid herself, the fallen city and a skeleton rotting on the sea floor. Absolutely brilliant cover for a brilliant book. I feel the same way about the rest of the covers in this trilogy, though I (I reviewed under this online handle on amazon.com) wasn't as fond of the other two novels in the trilogy I can appreciate her writing style which was elegant enough to make me reread the series frequently.

Funny, I read Jordan (although I accept and agree that he went downhill quickly and stayed there) I absolutely cannot stand his cover art. I am glad that someone likes it, though!

oooooo.... Marumae those are so pretty. I'm a sucker for glow, and there is a lot of glowing going on there.

I love the cover art of Patrick Rothfuss's Novels



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If I had to choose between the two I'd choose Heir Apparent even though I love GOT. I just love the colours and the dichotomy present in Heir Apparent's cover.

I cracked up just from seeing this cover. Ugly hat, ugly pants, he is holding a letter and is posing like he is Luke Skywalker.

I won't put up individual covers but my favorite cover artist is Tim White http://www.tim-white.co.uk/

Some references on why I like the Going Postal cover.
http://thegamerwithkids.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/starwarsposter.jpg
http://eu.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/24/MPW-12111

You forgot about his ugly shoes and the stupid expression on his face.

This 'parody' style of Pratchett cover always saddens me a little -- it riffs so much on the ground-floor comedy (ugly shoes, stupid expression), that readers unfamiliar with Pratchett never have the chance to learn what else is important about Pratchett's Discworld books. Like, their humanism, complex satire, worldbuilding, and deep ethical discussions. Do I make them seem pretentious? They're not, since the humor ties everything together beautifully.

I actually like the covers that Harper Collins is putting on the US hardback Pratchett editions. They're more artistic and literary, while still conveying the feel of the books.

I'm a big fan of James Clemens (aka James Rollins) new fantasy series (which is currently on hiatus in favor of his non-fantasy series *sadface*)

I think the twisted covers of the Discworld books are a good thing because the books themselves are full of twisted humour. I am annoyed by the fact that Twoflower literary have four eyes when he was only meant to have glasses.

A more serious cover I like is this


It is so good you kind of get a sense of the plot from just looking at the picture.

Frank Frazetta's covers for the CONAN series pretty much captured me in my teens and never let go ...

Luv'd those all, too many to put here, but well worth a study! His use of atmospheric effects and colours, of capturing a peak dramatic moment ... great art!