More musings on cover art

[Albertosaurus Rex]

Yes it does give off an entirely different "feel." Much more like a classic fairy tale than an accurate representation of the story so in this case it could be misleading to a first time reader. They do lend an air of "timelessness," though, which I think can also be appreciated. On the other hand, many book covers don't convey what the book is about anyway.

That's an interesting point you bring up there. Being a marketing tool, isn't the cover artwork supposed to A) Draw in as many readers as possible and B) Convey the tone of the novel? If novels never meet the expectations that the artwork inspire, readers will lose faith.

This is the novel I'm currently reading, and the artwork is spot-on (Low quality scan, though. Sorry):

[Image: 51lMjADXwaL.jpg]

Okay, so the main character wears a yellow robe at the beginning of the story, but the look on her face tells you everything you need to know about the tone of the novel, while the city in the background relates the eastern-inspired setting. By the way, I'm only about 70 pages in yet, but so far it's pretty good, if quite dark and brooding.

EDIT: Oh, and I liked the Boudica covers.