a critique site for book lovers, hosted by author Jude Hardin
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Scourge by David H. Burton
What's the genre? What is it you like or don't like about this cover? Does it make you want to know more about the book? Does it make you want to BUY the book? Discuss.
My first impression is, "Wow, that's a really busy cover for a steampunk novel." I really like the colors. Green, blue, and gold all mix together very well. It's definitely a cover that you need to see the full sized version to get all of the details , which I learned recently to be a detractor of eBook covers.
A lot of the details will definitely get lost in the thumbnail version, but at the same time I do appreciate just how rich the cover is. The author's name gets lost in the graphics near the bottom and could probably be resized. The subtitle is also something that might get overlooked or lost in a thumbnail, as well as the fly and spider bots.
First impression: It has a clear Steampunk / Time travel look. I like the title font, it works with the image and stands out nicely against the blues and the artwork has a clean, professional look. The author's name is a bit harder to make out, especially at thumbnail size; perhaps a less detailed font would work there. And at thumbnail size the dirigible against the blue looks much like a large silvery fish and the circular elements resemble bubbles, which might give the impression that 'Scourge' is a horror/thriller about killer fish. Thumbnails are such a headache that way, but I believe the same artwork would work well on that scale if the mechanical aspects stood out more, and a background color other than blue or green might take away the aquatic look.
I think this is a VERY interesting use of iconography and texture. The details fade in thumbnail leaving the key elements (title, author, airship) but click rewards the viewer with additional content.
Re cegrundler, i kinda like the blue but shifting it to a sepia might be a good way to fight the watery look. To me the blue says sky and even in thumbnail, that's an airship to me, but I'm that kinda guy. :D
I'll be honest. The original background was a different colour (more sepia looking), but my son (age 10) told me to go with blue when I tried it. Since this is a kids' book, I thought I'd take the advice.
Who doesn't like a good zeppelin? The cover is busy, but I like it. It also has a kind of "pulp" air about it. I almost expect to hear about Doc Savage and his crew. Two thumbs up.
It makes me think of "1000 Leagues Under The Sea". Could this be a Steampunk/Time Travel Adventure?
I think it is a flying machine on the cover. However, once I made the Jules Verne connection in my mind, it made me wonder if it could be a fancy looking submarine. It doesn't matter to me, my interest is totally peaked! I'll be downloading the sample as soon as I'm done here.
As a thumbnail, the flying machine looks like a fish but I love this cover so much that I wouldn't change a thing about it.
My impression changed betw2een thumbnail and full-size. At various times I thought either steampunk or sci-fi (I got a real 1000 Leagues Under the Sea vibe).
But I definitely think steampunk now and think it's an effective cover. Not my genre, but I think it will appeal to those who like that.
I really like the layout, but the shading on the blimp looks a bit off, like there should be a light source somewhere between the o and u. Adding a lighting effect wouldn't look right, so I'd play around with the blimp layer and try to tone down the highlights on the envelope and gondola.
Wow! Very Jules Verne. Alot going on, but really fun. Not my genre, but if I saw this in a bookstore I'd pick it up to have a closer look and would probably read the blurb.
The cover is good because it screams steampunk. However, the busy background make it a bit hard to read the text. The last name, in the lower right hand corner is very hard to read.
Is there a way to simplify the background in anyway? I might suggest trying to fade back the background a bit.
Another cover I can't find any significant fault with--this isn't any fun! I may have to go buy the book.
Let's see? Maybe you can revise the layout so the title is a bit taller and fills closer to the top of the book, only important if there is a physical version and it gets stacked in a rack that hides the bottom two-thirds of the cover. It's a consideration for comic books, but I don't know if matters for prose books--it's been a couple of years since I've been in a regular book store.
The spider in the upper right makes me wonder if it is an obscure reference to Kevin Smith's story about his Superman script and the mechanical spider that ended up in the Wild Wild West movie.
Thanks everyone for all the comments and feedback!!
Here is the blurb for the book:
Two dads, five siblings, and goggles!
Grim Doyle has always known his life was not exactly "normal", and things get even more curious when he discovers a set of stones that sweep him and his family to the fantasy, steampunk world of Verne - a place they had escaped from years ago. Now that they've returned, Grim and his siblings hide from the evil Lord Victor and his minions. And while learning about Jinns, Mystics, and the power of absinth they try to discover who is trying to kill them with the deadly Scourge.
I really love this one. What's incredible is that it works great as a thumbnail because of the title and the zeppelin, but it's also amazing at a larger size because of how much is going on in the background. Bravo!
This is steampunk for sure. I don't think it's too busy, since the color contrast makes the shapes good and clear. The typeface, while suggesting Victorian fussiness, is good and clear also.
My first impression is, "Wow, that's a really busy cover for a steampunk novel." I really like the colors. Green, blue, and gold all mix together very well. It's definitely a cover that you need to see the full sized version to get all of the details , which I learned recently to be a detractor of eBook covers.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the details will definitely get lost in the thumbnail version, but at the same time I do appreciate just how rich the cover is. The author's name gets lost in the graphics near the bottom and could probably be resized. The subtitle is also something that might get overlooked or lost in a thumbnail, as well as the fly and spider bots.
First impression: It has a clear Steampunk / Time travel look. I like the title font, it works with the image and stands out nicely against the blues and the artwork has a clean, professional look. The author's name is a bit harder to make out, especially at thumbnail size; perhaps a less detailed font would work there. And at thumbnail size the dirigible against the blue looks much like a large silvery fish and the circular elements resemble bubbles, which might give the impression that 'Scourge' is a horror/thriller about killer fish. Thumbnails are such a headache that way, but I believe the same artwork would work well on that scale if the mechanical aspects stood out more, and a background color other than blue or green might take away the aquatic look.
ReplyDeleteIt is a good cover. For a print book. My suggestion would be to focus on the spider, and change the background.
ReplyDeleteClearly Steampunk.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a VERY interesting use of iconography and texture. The details fade in thumbnail leaving the key elements (title, author, airship) but click rewards the viewer with additional content.
Re cegrundler, i kinda like the blue but shifting it to a sepia might be a good way to fight the watery look. To me the blue says sky and even in thumbnail, that's an airship to me, but I'm that kinda guy. :D
Thanks for the feedback!!
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest. The original background was a different colour (more sepia looking), but my son (age 10) told me to go with blue when I tried it. Since this is a kids' book, I thought I'd take the advice.
Looks good. The only change I'd make is to increase the size of the author's name and move it up a bit so it doesn't get tangled up in the border.
ReplyDeleteSteampunk, for sure. I really like it!
ReplyDeleteBarbra Annino
Who doesn't like a good zeppelin? The cover is busy, but I like it. It also has a kind of "pulp" air about it. I almost expect to hear about Doc Savage and his crew. Two thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think of "1000 Leagues Under The Sea". Could this be a Steampunk/Time Travel Adventure?
ReplyDeleteI think it is a flying machine on the cover. However, once I made the Jules Verne connection in my mind, it made me wonder if it could be a fancy looking submarine. It doesn't matter to me, my interest is totally peaked! I'll be downloading the sample as soon as I'm done here.
As a thumbnail, the flying machine looks like a fish but I love this cover so much that I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Cheers,
The extra large version is here:
ReplyDeletehttp://davidhburton.com/scourge.jpg
My impression changed betw2een thumbnail and full-size. At various times I thought either steampunk or sci-fi (I got a real 1000 Leagues Under the Sea vibe).
ReplyDeleteBut I definitely think steampunk now and think it's an effective cover. Not my genre, but I think it will appeal to those who like that.
I really like the layout, but the shading on the blimp looks a bit off, like there should be a light source somewhere between the o and u. Adding a lighting effect wouldn't look right, so I'd play around with the blimp layer and try to tone down the highlights on the envelope and gondola.
ReplyDeleteWow! Very Jules Verne. Alot going on, but really fun. Not my genre, but if I saw this in a bookstore I'd pick it up to have a closer look and would probably read the blurb.
ReplyDeleteThe cover is good because it screams steampunk. However, the busy background make it a bit hard to read the text. The last name, in the lower right hand corner is very hard to read.
ReplyDeleteIs there a way to simplify the background in anyway? I might suggest trying to fade back the background a bit.
Mystical steampunk?
ReplyDeleteAnother cover I can't find any significant fault with--this isn't any fun! I may have to go buy the book.
Let's see? Maybe you can revise the layout so the title is a bit taller and fills closer to the top of the book, only important if there is a physical version and it gets stacked in a rack that hides the bottom two-thirds of the cover. It's a consideration for comic books, but I don't know if matters for prose books--it's been a couple of years since I've been in a regular book store.
The spider in the upper right makes me wonder if it is an obscure reference to Kevin Smith's story about his Superman script and the mechanical spider that ended up in the Wild Wild West movie.
Thanks everyone for all the comments and feedback!!
ReplyDeleteHere is the blurb for the book:
Two dads, five siblings, and goggles!
Grim Doyle has always known his life was not exactly "normal", and things get even more curious when he discovers a set of stones that sweep him and his family to the fantasy, steampunk world of Verne - a place they had escaped from years ago. Now that they've returned, Grim and his siblings hide from the evil Lord Victor and his minions. And while learning about Jinns, Mystics, and the power of absinth they try to discover who is trying to kill them with the deadly Scourge.
I really love this one. What's incredible is that it works great as a thumbnail because of the title and the zeppelin, but it's also amazing at a larger size because of how much is going on in the background. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThis is steampunk for sure. I don't think it's too busy, since the color contrast makes the shapes good and clear. The typeface, while suggesting Victorian fussiness, is good and clear also.
ReplyDelete