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/lit/ - Literature

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File: 98 KB, 877x1300, 1Brooks-Sword-cover.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3381675 No.3381675[DELETED]  [Reply] [Original]

Why do fantasy books tend to have such shitty covers? How can they expect to be taken seriously like that?

>> No.3381762
File: 260 KB, 933x1424, game of thrones.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3381762

>"What's this? Game of Thrones?"
>"I certainly do like Games"
>"Written by George R.R. Martin"
>"I wonder if he's a relation of J.R.R. Tolkien"
>"Oooooh look, there's swords in it. It must be good"
>"Good morrow Ser Shopkeeper, I would like to purchase from you one item, namely this book"

>> No.3381992
File: 97 KB, 300x498, sentencedtoprism.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3381992

Sci-fi is worse

>> No.3382016

I don't think anyone takes Terry Brooks seriously regardless

>> No.3382026

Lower budgets?
A readership that is more inclined to visual elements?

>> No.3382062

>>3381992
Oh god, that title is incredible.

>> No.3382072

>>3382016
He's regularly found on lists of the greatest fantasy authors ever
That's how shit the genre is

>> No.3382076
File: 942 KB, 1193x884, 1356516104892.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382076

>implying

>> No.3382077
File: 51 KB, 231x382, Wolfe-Shadow-of-the-Torturer.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382077

>>3382076

>> No.3382078

>>3381675
> t-brookz
9/10, classic oldie trolling.

>> No.3382172
File: 28 KB, 288x475, eye-of-world.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382172

These versions of The Wheel of Time covers are rather nice.

The original one is disasterous, tho.

>> No.3382193
File: 356 KB, 700x1117, titus groan.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382193

If you're asking why the Brothers Hildebrandt and their ilk specifically, they built up a bizarre level of support among the first generation of Rings-worshiping hippies, and so made a natural choice to affix to Brooks' watered-down genre trash when publishers decided to start hawking it to that market's children.

If you're asking why not better artists, then it's because there's only so many artists out there and you have to pick the most starving if all you want is a cover for The Elf Bitches of Zordon 12 - and because most trash fantasy does not create images that are above this level, providing small opportunity for even marginally decent artists to produce anything but dreck. But there are exceptions.

>> No.3382198
File: 224 KB, 492x800, small-gods-2.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382198

Most of Pratchett's books have covers drawn by Josh Kirby, who is notoriously horrible and bases the book covers around a very, very, very cursory skimming of the book, if that. For example, in the first few books, there's a character described as a four-eyes, as in he has glasses. Josh Kirby drew him as a monster with four eyes.

>> No.3382203
File: 14 KB, 257x400, small gods black.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382203

That's why I always use late 2000s/early 2010s covers from the latest reprint that have tasteful covers when arranging my ebook metadata.

>> No.3382212
File: 229 KB, 1200x1600, an adult fantasy.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382212

I actually kind of like shit genre-novel covers. You wouldn't want your daughter to bring one home, but they have a certain charm when they go all-out into the realms of the ridiculous and the self-parodying. Case in point.

>> No.3382223
File: 49 KB, 337x500, bakker.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382223

C'mon, they're genre books. Be realistic, they're not going to be all minimal and highbrow, are they?

Besides, they're not all bad - pic related - though it's true that I do scan Amazon, BD, and eBay to see which version I can get with the least crappy / best cover.

>> No.3382284

>>3382198
I've always thought the Kirby covers were pretty much in keeping with the whole Discworld-being-comedically-literal schtick.

>> No.3382294

>>3382212
>not sure if wingèd steed or wingèd ass

>> No.3382298
File: 220 KB, 380x640, hollowearth.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382298

>> No.3382314

>>3382284
It might just be me having an axe to grind then, since I hate Kirby's art style anyways.

>>3382298
What even the fuck

>> No.3382331

>>3382314
Oh they're crap, but y'know, appropriately crap.

>> No.3382332

>>3382298

That's quite the blurb.

>> No.3382336
File: 226 KB, 786x1208, eye-of-the-world-5_786_poster.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382336

Well I do like the Wheel of Time covers. It's what attracted me to them in the first place. At least I like them. I don't mind minimalism but the trend of having one object to reflect the content of the book kind of pisses me off. I see it on so many books nowadays. GoT, Hunger Games, etc.

>> No.3382376
File: 79 KB, 406x600, abouttowhat.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382376

I feel bad for the author. I wouldn't want to be associated with this.

>> No.3382423

>>3382212
I feel like this novel must have a lot of bondage and torture type scenarios to deserve that subtitle.

>> No.3382429

sword of shannara was rather lame yo. wishsong was cool. i heard elfstones were coolio too, foolio foo.

>> No.3382467

>>3382172
See I disagree. Too minimalist. I love the wrap around cover and art. Covers are too minimal anymore.

>> No.3382500

>>3382467
Personally I only read fantasy as ebooks these days, and I find that a lack of shitty derivative cover art is a big plus, assuming descriptions in the text are good enough to let you imagine something that's actually kinda cool.

>> No.3382507

>>3382376
Is that cameltoe actually showing through armoured underwear?

>> No.3382509
File: 611 KB, 1600x897, mk_animation.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382509

Kind of unrelated, but I liked what they did with the book covers in Moonrise Kingdom.

Like, I swear every library has hundreds of these kind of prepubescent fantasy books, with those weird plastic dust jackets and terrible art.

>> No.3382551

>>3381675
The Harry Potter books actually had some decent cover art, come to think of it.
They were still very much in that cartoony fantasy vein, but actually didn't look so bad.

>> No.3382573
File: 204 KB, 700x500, harry-potter-uk-covers.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3382573

>>3382551
Honestly that is one series where I prefer the minimalist cover than the actual cover. Also the regular US covers were just way better overall.

>> No.3382591

>>3382573
Holy shit... US fag here... never saw the UK covers. That's pretty awful.

>> No.3382611

>>3382429
Sword was pretty lame. Elfstones was ok. Wishsong was actually really neat, I thought.

>> No.3382617

>>3382591

the early US covers were well shite also, if you recall (and Order of the Phoenix is the only one I recall looking quite good). The minimalist ones aren't that good either - the locket on that Deathly Hallows one there is tacky as fuck.

>> No.3382660

>>3382617
They certainly weren't the best, but they were a lot better than most of the examples I've seen ITT.
I liked the Goblet of Fire cover except for the depiction of Harry; he looked like a 14 year old girl who was experimenting with other girls.

>> No.3383117
File: 112 KB, 320x439, what the fuck was the end about.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3383117

>>3382077
>japan

>> No.3383153

>>3383117

haha oh wow

>> No.3383175

>>3381992

That cover is awesome and really makes me want to read it - why has the guys mechanical suit fallen over? How will he deal with this predicament?

9/10 would read

>> No.3383180

>>3382198

I'm pretty sure it's an intentional rhy jab at contemptible book covers in fantasy...

>> No.3383181

>>3382072
Now, that's how shit mainstream fantasy critics are. Logic, people.

>> No.3383201
File: 173 KB, 297x426, tumblr_google_images_everything_is_from_tumblr.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3383201

>>3383117
Looks like the guy from Death Note

>> No.3383203

>>3383117
>>3383201

Is that suppose to be Severian? I thought he was jacked as fuck.

>> No.3383215
File: 29 KB, 308x480, 308px-Normal_books_bookcover_france_deathlyhallows_01.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3383215

>>3382573
I like the French covers, the later ones look like they they escaped from something written by Camus.

>> No.3383217

>>3383203
Japan cannot handle a male protagonist that looks over 16.

>> No.3383228

>>3383217
I mean c'mon, he has BITCH HIPS

>> No.3383245
File: 720 KB, 1021x1599, 1.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3383245

>>3383117
Japan clearly has the best cover art.

>> No.3383248
File: 229 KB, 958x607, doyouevenpose.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3383248

>>3383217
You take that back.

>> No.3383298
File: 257 KB, 1600x332, image.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3383298

>>3383215
Japan's Harry Potter covers were pretty sweet