# Godawful book covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2007, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608 "2007-04-11T05:05:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2007, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/41 "2007-04-12T18:59:13Z")
> [@](#): > > I assume they’re reaching up to strangle him? Hell no. It is a probably futile attempt at a Vulcan Mind Meld. ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/42 "2007-04-12T19:19:45Z")
In the same vein of “The Little People” by John Christopher cited above, I give you an early cover of Norman Spinrad’s “**[The Iron Dream](http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/normanspinrad/irndream.jpg)**”. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/43 "2007-04-13T02:39:15Z")
Dave Duncan’s books are darn good adventures, with a tiny bit of romance thrown in once in a while, but the covers for the King’s Blades books are just [embarrassing](http://www.daveduncan.com/blades/index.html). They look like trashy romance novels. I wonder how many people who would like his writing have been turned away by the horrible covers? ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b782af/32.png) [@Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_And_Candy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/44 "2007-04-13T02:45:33Z")
This [book](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0671319590.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS500_.jpg) takes the cake, I think. Though perhaps it’s more of a God_awesome_ cover. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/45 "2007-04-13T04:09:02Z")
Here’s [one for you](http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0930926269/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-4040963-9668046#reader-link), although I still think the Fox Woman outdoes this. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/46 "2007-04-13T05:11:30Z")
[QUOTE=Lsura] For bad covers, I’m a particular fan of the [cover snark](http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/C12/) over at [Smart Bitches, Trashy Books](http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com), Comments like: make my day sometimes. [/QUOTE] I clicked your link, and have found my new favourite page. I did not read your quotes, because I became instantly absorbed by my new favourite page. When I got to the part that you quoted, I had to shut everything down, because I was _dying_, choking on my own laughter. My god, that was brilliant. Between that and _Gnazis_, my day has been _made_. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/47 "2007-04-13T11:54:33Z")
[Dara Joy](http://www.officialdarajoy.com/MarketPlace/that_familiar_touch.html) has gone from a above average fantasy-sci-fi- romance writer to a complete hack. She even does her [own artwork](http://www.officialdarajoy.com/) on the last two books because she is in a battle ( o r something) with her publisher and has to self publish. The second cover makes me think of Travis Tritt. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/48 "2007-04-13T15:41:21Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] For an actual published book, I always felt the original cover for **[The Dispossessed](http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/ce/d3/a3ea124128a083dabc145010._AA240_.L.jpg)** by Ursula K. LeGuin was spectacularly ugly. Ugly red planet, crude art, and the diagonal text is offputting. [/QUOTE] Hey, for a 1970s SF novel, that cover is actually surprisingly good. I occasionally think there must have been some sort of law passed that required any science fiction or fantasy novel published between 1968 and 1975 to have the worst cover art imaginable. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/49 "2007-04-13T15:51:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Hey, for a 1970s SF novel, that cover is actually surprisingly good. I occasionally think there must have been some sort of law passed that required any science fiction or fantasy novel published between 1968 and 1975 to have the worst cover art imaginable. What I’ve found is that sf art from 1950 to 1970 or thereabouts frequently had nothing to do with the contents of the book. I suspect they didn’t have much of a budget, bought potential cover material in bulk, and put covers on willy-nilly, sometimes matching it approximately with the work. (I can’t accuse them of not knowing or liking the subject matter, so there has to be some other reason). I suspect Powers’ abstract blobby artwork was really popular because it would go with damned near anything. But most of my SF books from back then have such generic weird covers – anstract images, or collages of garage-sale stuff, or vague pictures of alien things. The original cover for Larr Niven’s “World of Ptaavs” shows a shadowy alien thing that sure as heck ain’t a Thrint. My Robert Sheckley book covers are almost all totally unrelated to the work inside. None of the artwork on my Arthur C. Clarke books pre-2001 have anything to do with the guts of the book. (And after 201 came out, all the covers looked like spacecraft from the movie, even if it had nothingh to do with the story. ) There were exceptions to this, but they were in the minority. Come the 1970s, almost all book covers started being correlated with the contents. Even Powers did a cover that, while still blobby, at least related to its subject : Heinlein’s “Friday” (the hardcover version, bot the Whelan paperback cover.) ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/50 "2007-04-13T17:10:19Z")
For a Forgotten Realms fantasy novel, this one was decent, story-wise. But you wouldn’t guess it from the [cover](http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0786918713/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-4365726-5980655#reader-link). Ugh – that has got to be the dorkiest looking monster ever. ---
**Author:** ![Aioua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@Aioua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aioua)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/51 "2007-04-13T18:29:10Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] [Dara Joy](http://www.officialdarajoy.com/MarketPlace/that_familiar_touch.html) has gone from a above average fantasy-sci-fi- romance writer to a complete hack. She even does her [own artwork](http://www.officialdarajoy.com/) on the last two books because she is in a battle ( o r something) with her publisher and has to self publish. The second cover makes me think of Travis Tritt. [/QUOTE] Good… Lord… Is this kind of… sick joke? I could do a better job in MS Paint. So could my 8 year old cousin. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/52 "2007-04-13T19:17:19Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] I’m probably going to get bonked by the Scone of Stone for a heretic, but I’ve never really been crazy about Josh Kirby’s work–the style is just _too_ weird for me. Paul Kidby’s okay, though. [/QUOTE] Kirby’s (RIP) not for everyone but I just love the amount of detail that he put into his covers. You could tell that not only had he read the book, he’d highlighted seemingly inconsequential passages that would make for a great background addition. Kidby’s stuff is good too, but I’ll always be a Kirby fan. The American covers _are_ hideous though. I always buy my Pterry from Amazon UK. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/53 "2007-04-14T00:04:31Z")
Attracitve or scary? [You decide.](http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0940642239/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-6045781-6707136#reader-link) ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/54 "2007-04-14T03:03:17Z")
[QUOTE=Monstre] For a Forgotten Realms fantasy novel, this one was decent, story-wise. But you wouldn’t guess it from the [cover](http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0786918713/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-4365726-5980655#reader-link). Ugh – that has got to be the dorkiest looking monster ever. [/QUOTE] Great expression though: “_Doo de doo_… yep, I’m the monster, you betcha… got my magic sword right here… don’t even try nothin’… _doo de doo_…\* girl from Ipanema goes walkin’\*…” Even the guy on the ground can’t manage to keep a straight face. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/55 "2007-04-14T03:16:27Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] [Dara Joy](http://www.officialdarajoy.com/MarketPlace/that_familiar_touch.html) has gone from a above average fantasy-sci-fi- romance writer to a complete hack. She even does her [own artwork](http://www.officialdarajoy.com/) on the last two books because she is in a battle ( o r something) with her publisher and has to self publish. [/QUOTE] Did you _read_ the excerpt below the picture?!? I have a hard time believing that the person who wrote that glop could ever have been above average at anything. > [@Dara Joy](#): > > Soosha… Okay, hold it right there. _Soosha_?!? Already I’ve thrown up in my mouth a little. > [@](#): > > Soosha stared wide-eyed at the white stone city before her. The brightness of the buildings almost hurt her eyes. > People bustled back and forth, some on the backs of strange animals. She felt sorry for the animals; they should not have to bear such a burden. It did not seem right to her. > And some of the people did not seem very friendly. OMG! I’ve never read more plodding and leaden writing in my life. Is it just me, or does this sound llike it’s being spoken by a slightly retarded eight-year-old? ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/56 "2007-04-14T04:12:58Z")
Man, somebody has _got_ to introduce that Soosha chick to Grignr. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608/57 "2007-04-14T04:23:07Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] [Dara Joy](http://www.officialdarajoy.com/MarketPlace/that_familiar_touch.html) has gone from a above average fantasy-sci-fi- romance writer to a complete hack. She even does her [own artwork](http://www.officialdarajoy.com/) on the last two books because she is in a battle ( o r something) with her publisher and has to self publish. The second cover makes me think of Travis Tritt. [/QUOTE] Wait… she had a publisher?! The intro sounds like out the “dark and stormy night” contest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godawful-book-covers/399608.md?page=2)