Wednesday, February 10, 2016

I Have Ian Rankin Covered!


With no clouds, typical bright Arizona sunshine, and temperatures in the 80s, I'm finding it a bit difficult to focus on books and reading-- especially since a lot of my time has been spent with necessary (boring) appointments. I'm going to have to do something about that because not only is a good chunk of the end of this month being taken up with something else, I have several advance reading copies to focus on.

Be that as it may, I couldn't restrain myself from comparing the US and UK book covers of a crime fiction novel. This week I chose Ian Rankin's latest Even Dogs in the Wild. How could I choose anything else since I enjoyed seeing him at The Poisoned Pen so much? Let's take a look!




Even if I couldn't see the author's name on these covers, I don't think it would be assuming too much to say that this is a "manly book." No fetching fashions, no fonts with flourishes, and not a woman in sight.

Pretty bog standard graphics, too, aren't they? The only concession to attention-grabbing for both is the bright colors of the boxes that contain the author's name and the title of the book. 

You can tell that Ian Rankin is one of crime fiction's greats, can't you? No real blurbs to be seen. The only thing we're told is that this is the new John Rebus book. The UK cover comes right out and says so while the US cover gives us the title of the last Rebus book, Standing in Another Man's Grave-- which is more helpful than merely saying it's the new Rebus.

If I were a writer, this is the stature of writer I'd want to be: known by my name and having no need of blurbs or mentions of awards, etc. But... I would hope for covers with a bit more oomph! To be quite honest, neither of these covers make me want to pick up the book. If the author's name wasn't big and bold, I'd walk right on by. If I absolutely, positively had to choose one of them, it would be the US cover. The statue is a bit more visually interesting, and there's more contrast between light and dark.

So this week, I'd say thumbs down to both. But what about all of you? Which cover do you prefer? UK? US? Or are you on the SS Neither One like I am?

Inquiring minds want to know!       


7 comments:

  1. I agree with you, Cathy. I think the US cover is a little better. Neither really 'sends' me, though, to be honest.

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    1. No. Neither is going to win a beauty contest.

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  2. I think the U.S. cover is more striking, but neither are outstanding.

    But my question is where are the wild dogs? That's what I'd look to see, a photo or graphic that relates to dogs in the wild.

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    1. I don't think they wanted to mislead anyone, since this book isn't about wild dogs.

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  3. If forced to choose, it would the the US cover, but I don't think either would send me to the cash register to part with any money.

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    1. So... is it a blessing or a curse to buy books with no regard to their covers? ;-)

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  4. But the book isn't about flying birds either and I would doubt that it's about that statue. The title is a metaphor anyway. It's not literal.

    I still would have expected some dogs howling in the wild.

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