Great book covers are hard to come by. Folks say we shouldn’t judge books by their covers, but let’s be honest we all do it. Readers appreciate an eye-catching cover and cover artists rarely get a shout out. That ends now; I’m shouting out book cover artists and the fantastic work they do, and telling you exactly what makes these book covers the best.
So far, the books I’ve reviewed are:
- Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
- Flood Child by Emily Diamand
- The Last Policeman and its sequels by Ben H Winters
Whenever I can, I will link to the artist’s website so be sure to click their name and check out their other work!
Cover by Steve Wells
An oldie book with a goldie book cover. It’s time to some love to the design of Emily Diamand’s Flood Child. This cover is a masterclass in how to show exactly what kind of world the book is inviting you to. A girl in a boat sailing towards a flooded Big Ben. Perfect. I especially love the subtle detail of the shorter buildings being visible through the water.
We instantly know without reading the title, the blurb, or a single line from the book itself that this book takes place in a dystopian world where major cities have been flooded and people are living a sea-faring life. I’m not sure if its just not the trend anymore or if this kind of effort is only put into middle-grade and YA books, but I wish more covers took advantage of a book’s great concept. This is what happens when an artist honours the book they are designing for.
Kudos to Steve Wells!
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