tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post748565984263557515..comments2024-02-20T07:06:56.933+00:00Comments on THE SKINNER: Fantasy CoversNeal Asherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13933911904170752700noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-78377409715369314032010-04-27T23:47:24.678+01:002010-04-27T23:47:24.678+01:00I'm almost ashamed to admit I was put off from...I'm almost ashamed to admit I was put off from reading Dune for many years, on the strength of the cover art. Superficial of me, I know, but hey, we are what we are. On reflection though, good cover art, has led me to many well loved authors, (Michael Moorcock, for instance) whom I might otherwise never have been aware of.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01343475288210331835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-62864255186443823082010-03-29T19:06:38.765+01:002010-03-29T19:06:38.765+01:00I generally dont pay attention to covers and I'...I generally dont pay attention to covers and I'm not a fantasy fan myself but I did enjoy David Eddings's Belgariad series and the coveres on those were nice!LarryShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17723096857163954170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-76852730211623361652010-03-27T20:58:48.054+00:002010-03-27T20:58:48.054+00:00I hadn't even heard of Wolfe until recently, b...I hadn't even heard of Wolfe until recently, but I decided to work my way through the "SF Masterworks" series,and "Cerberus" came up. I really enjoyed it and think he's a good writer, and I'd like to read some more of his work.Tony Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07651739764248786020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-62905320451939395222010-03-27T19:35:09.960+00:002010-03-27T19:35:09.960+00:00Loved 'The Book of the New Sun' and that c...Loved 'The Book of the New Sun' and that collection of short stories you mention, TJ, but haven't read 'The Long Sun'. If it's the same universe etc as New Sun then I'd argue that it isn't really SF.Neal Asherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13933911904170752700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-25724773512563142492010-03-27T18:23:36.629+00:002010-03-27T18:23:36.629+00:00I've never really been interested in fantasy. ...I've never really been interested in fantasy. I gave Lord of the Rings a go, enjoyed it immensely at the beginning but then got bored and forgot about it. At the moment though I am working my way through some classic sci-fi including Gene Wolfe, Cordwainer Smith, Larry Niven, Roger Zelazny, Brian Aldiss etc.<br /><br />From what I've read on Amazon some of Gene Wolfe's more recent stuff (I read "The Fifth Head of Cerberus" last week) is as much fantasy as sci-fi; I'm interested in the Book of the Long Sun - would anyone here recommend it?Tony Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07651739764248786020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-60483386981821826862010-03-27T15:14:27.121+00:002010-03-27T15:14:27.121+00:00Graeme, it is, admittedly, a quite old book.
Vari...Graeme, it is, admittedly, a quite old book.<br /><br />Variant13, I'm guessing that better covers in the SFF world are a result of publishers finally admitting that adults read it. Though admittedly there are many in publishing who still think the readers are retarded adults.<br /><br />jpurdie, it often depends on who is running the SF section in whatever shop you go into. Whilst some are enthusiasts, some haven't a clue.Neal Asherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13933911904170752700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-55823395007594498942010-03-27T13:56:37.426+00:002010-03-27T13:56:37.426+00:00Maybe SF needs more covers like the fantasy book c...Maybe SF needs more covers like the fantasy book covers to drive sales up,hmm? It didn't do any harm when the pulps had covers of monsters abducting pneumatic women.<br /><br />Incidentally Neal, I wouldn't plan any visits to Kirkcaldy; the book shops there don't like you. I posted on Larry's blog about the lack of your books in Waterstone's (Fixed now, they have four books on the shelves including a hardback and I bought Prador Moon last week) but today I bought The Gabble and other stories in WH Smith and the book wasn't recognised. The assistant tried typing in the ISBN a few times but nada; it finally went through as 'unknown bks' after consultation with a senior assistant.j purdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07141166257366384474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-91774164748388885512010-03-27T12:13:01.293+00:002010-03-27T12:13:01.293+00:00I think you hit the nail on the head when you ment...I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned 10 year old boys. Different books attract us at different times in our life. I think younger readers are looking for 'heroes' and as a result are drawn to the books that show archetypal heroes and heroines on the cover. As we grow up we realise that life aint so simple, we want to read more complex stories and look for more 'complex' and less obvious covers. I still read fantasy but would be drawn to the latest Abbercrombie cover rather than the one in your picture. However, I would still pick it up and have a look just for nostalgias sake! :-)Variant13https://www.blogger.com/profile/11443300530111717540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-79517538627222109742010-03-27T11:13:00.489+00:002010-03-27T11:13:00.489+00:00This cover is why I don't read fantasy. They a...This cover is why I don't read fantasy. They are so fucking naff it makes my teeth ache.Grim's Realityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15141927678427787365noreply@blogger.com