Facing Front - A BAD SPELL IN YURT by C. Dale Brittain

A Bad Spell In Yurt is a fun little fantasy novel, written in 1991, featuring a somewhat bumbling magician trying to solve a magical mystery in his charming new kingdom.

The cover is a little typical of the time, well painted with some great imagery, with just enough "Get some butts in the seats" changes to the story to annoy avid fans. (The projection of the image from the telephone for the most part) But the painting fits the story well and I'm a big fan of the font they used for the title.

4/5

Facing Front - THE SENTRY by Robert Crais

 The Sentry is the latest from thriller author Crais, featuring Cole and Pike, a team of do-gooders/detectives in the Los Angeles area. I really like Crais' books, but I've never really liked his covers. Take this one, the US cover. It has a photo of a freeway, a sunset and some palm trees, all layered with varying opacity with the trademark "New York Times Bestseller" block capitals. I do like the layers of oranges though, so it gets bumped a notch.

3/5

I think this is the UK cover, but I'm not 100% sure. It's a little more creative, but I actually like it less. The figure in the foreground looks nothing like the character of Joe Pike (For one thing, he never seems to wear anything with sleeves) and so far in the novel, a bridge hasn't featured once. The weird pointy middle prong of that E bothers me too.

2/5

Facing Front - BURN by Linda Howard

US Cover

 This is the US cover to Burn. As best I can tell, it seems to be the image they used for the Hardcover and the Paperback version. (I own the paperback) There's really very, very little I can say about this image. It stinks. It stinks of typical covers for US thrillers. "Ooh, the title is fire related, and it takes place somewhere tropical. Quick, get me an image of some babe on cement and add some orange layers!"

1/5

Unknown Cover

 I found this cover on Google, but I was unable to track down what version it was. My guess is some reprint cover or something similar. This makes the book seem like more of a kidnapping thriller, but that might just be because it reminds me of the scene in the first Craig "Bond" movie. I like this cover better, but the cheeky "Edge of your seat" blurb next to a photo of a chair by some random person named Bella, and the overly bright fuchsia colors bring my score down.

2/5

UK Version

   This is more like it. Once again, I have to tip my hat to the UK cover, which seems enigmatic and a bit dangerous. The water is beautiful, the colors are odd and the outfit is... European. I'm not a fan of the strangely damaged font they used for Howard's name, but a pretty strong cover. And I'd feel a bit less silly reading it. Unless the person that saw me had read a Linda Howard novel before. Then they'd be right for thinking I'm silly for reading one.

3/5

Facing Front - CRUSH by Alan Jacobson

As I've recently dove headlong into the world of cover designs and ebook formatting, and as a lifelong reader, I've decided to expand Deeply Dapper a bit, as a kind of sister project to my review site. Now, before I start a novel, I'll post the cover (Or covers) here on Deeply Dapper, and comment on any thoughts or feelings I have about that cover. Chime in with your thoughts too!

 

FACING FRONT

CRUSH

by Alan Jacobson

Hardcover Edition (US)

 First impressions, I liked this cover. It's clear and easy to read, and the color scheme is pretty bold. It also seems to fit the theme of the novel, which is about a serial killer in the Napa Valley. Then I looked closer for this post and noticed the way the words were randomly blurred along the edges and how there was a clear liquid in the wine glass, both of which lowered my opinion pretty quickly. But still, as a cover, it isn't bad, maybe a bit simple. 

3/5

Paperback Edition (US)

 Again, I like this cover when viewed in thumbnail form. It has a ghostly feeling to it. But up close, you see little details, like the clip art blood splotch in the corner and the way everything has it's opacity at 80% so that the house is visible through the grape leaves and the gate is transparent. No wonder I thought it looked ghostly! And what's up with the hodgepodge of images here, with no apparent relation to each other? It's like the art director gave the cover artist this order - "There's a lady in a field. Behind her is an awesome house. There's some giant floating ghost grapes, and a semi-transparent gate that's sinking. Also, add some blood somewhere." It also has the words "Bestselling Author" twice within an inch. I think we all know who James Patterson is by now, don't we? But again, a cover that looks pretty good if you don't look too closely.

2/5