I've been following the Riders of the Apocalypse books since the beginning, so I was thrilled to get the chance to read the third book in the series, LOSS. LOSS is different than the first two installments in that it takes the fantasy element much further. Instead of seeing a teen gearing up to take on the mantle of a rider, we have a teen trying to get the current rider (in this case Pestilence) to return to his job. We get to see more of the mechanics of the concept (fascinating stuff) and take a decidedly dreamlike journey into the mind of a very troubled entity.
I have Jackie on the blog today, and she's here to talk covers. Give her a warm welcome!
By Jackie Morse Kessler
Most authors who are published by commercial publishers don’t get a lot of say in their covers. Well, no, they get plenty of say—just usually not until after it’s too late to change anything. Sometimes, authors get lucky and are asked for their input or advice. Other times, they get no say in the matter and don’t see covers at all until after production. It’s a toss-up, and it will change from publisher to publisher, and even from author to author.
I got very, very (very) lucky with the Riders of the Apocalypse books. I love my covers. Huge love. Serious love. The incredibly talented Sammy Yuen {{LINK: http://www.sammyyuen.com/ }} designed the covers of the three books in the series so far, and I couldn’t be happier.
Each of the novels in the series focuses on a teenager suffering from a specific issue, and how the teen tackles that issue once she or he becomes one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. On the cover of Hunger, which is about an anorexic teenage girl who becomes Famine, an old-fashioned set of scales is front and center. The scales, also called a balance, is absolutely perfect—not only is it a nod to the topic of eating disorders, it’s also Famine’s symbol of office. The second book, Rage, is about a teen girl who self-injures and becomes the new avatar of War. That cover shows a sword—which is War’s symbol of office—tinged in red, as if the blade were stained with blood.
LOSS, which is about a bullied teenage boy who is tricked into becoming Pestilence, is different in that there isn’t one symbol in the book but two. In the story, Pestilence—also known as the Conqueror—wears a crown, but he also has a Bow that shoots arrows of disease. On the cover of LOSS, the crown is displayed prominently, but inside of it is a cluster of arrows. The colors are fantastic—the silver of the crown, the hints of purple that to me speak of royalty.
And all three books have a foil treatment, making them all shiny—and that’s in both the literal and the Firefly sense. :) I really am so very lucky to have been blessed by the cover gods for this series. I’m in awe of Sammy’s talent and so very grateful that my publisher hired him.
What are some of your favorite covers?
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
LOSS by Jackie Morse Kessler comes out March 20, 2012!
GIVEAWAY: One lucky commenter below will win a small cover poster of LOSS—and will be entered in the grand prize drawing! The grand prize winner will receive signed copies of HUNGER, RAGE and LOSS—and will get to name a character in BREATH, the fourth book in the Riders of the Apocalypse series. The grand prize winner will be picked on Sunday, April 1, 2012. No foolin’.
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Riders of the Apocalypse by Jackie Morse Kessler
Hunger (Harcourt Graphia, October 18, 2010)
Rage (Harcourt Graphia, April 4, 2011)
Loss (Harcourt Graphia, March 20, 2012)
Breath (Harcourt Graphia, TBA)
http://www.jackiemorsekessler.com
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10 comments:
What an awesome giveaway! I haven't read any of these yet but I think they'd be perfect for me.
Yay, a cover post! These are my very favorite posts to read. I adore the covers for this series. Like you, I'm an early reader. The cover and the series title were the first two things that got me excited. I picked up HUNGER the day it came out and have been happy ever since :)
Thank you so much for hosting Jackie's post about design. I love seeing these!
I find it so interesting that authors usually have no say in the covers of their books, and it makes me a little confused because aren't they the ones who know which images would perfectly fit their words? I guess it is all about marketing, but it's sort of silly that an author can't choose. I need to read these books!
I think it's too bad that authors don't have any say in the cover art. It makes sense then when you read a book and the cover has nothing to do with the story.
moiraethefatesATgmailDOTcom
I do have issues with authors not having a say in the cover. So many lost meanings along the way.
Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
I enjoyed your post. Great cover! I like Amanda Hocking's Switched cover.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
I appreciate these covers much more now that I know the background of their creation. These covers remind me of the covers for Cinda Williams Chima's books. (extemter at hotmail dot com)
I think that the covers for these books are really pretty, and I think it's awesome that the artwork ties in so nicely with what's going on.
Hmm... Favorite covers. I particularly like the covers of the Tiger Saga books. The detailing on the edges, the way that the colors seem to shine in the light, etc. I think Wither also has a really well done cover. The amount of little details that tie in symbolically and the color contrast are both really striking.
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
isis_willowsong (at) hotmail (dot) com
I had never realised before that authors may not have any say on the covers that come with their book. That makes me a little sad. And yet, this post makes it sounds as if the covers fit the series really well. The description of the symbols and the themes in the series make me anxious to read them. Thanks.
I haven't read this yet, but I've been stalking the series on Goodreads and I would love to take the story in! It's super awesome, and I absolutely loveeee the covers. The author is really cool too. I adore the description! Thanks for this! :)
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