Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a new weekly meme here at Books by Proxy. Join me every Friday as I pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Welcome to this week’s Friday Face-Off – and apologies for the lack of posts, it’s been a crazy few weeks! This Friday we’re looking at covers which feature the word ‘blade’ in their title.
And there’s one book which immediately came to mind! The Blade Itself, the first book in the First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, is a firm fantasy favourite. Published by Gollancz, this week I’m taking a look at the two wonderful UK covers (as the US edition is incredibly similar to the original UK cover!) Take a look and see which one gets your vote.
Gollancz – UK Cover #1
Artwork by Laura Brett
Gollancz – UK Cover #2
Artwork by Chris McGrath
| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |
Chris McGrath’s artwork for the Dresden Files has made me a fan of his for life – and his work on the recent covers for The First Law Trilogy is unquestionably stunning. Atmospheric and full of character, this simplistic but gritty cover for The Blade Itself is an excellent addition to Abercrombie’s ever expanding repertoire. However, though the balance almost swings in McGrath’s favour, I can’t help but love the Laura Brett covers for this trilogy – every time I see the burnt parchment and blood spatters I’m reminded of the first time I opened this book and began my love affair with this bloody and brilliant world. So two wonderful covers but this week I have to reminisce – Gollancz #1, this week’s heart-shaped-trophy-thing goes to you!
Which cover wins your vote this week? Have a cover of your own? – Post the link below!
Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads
Next week’s theme is: In The Beginning There Was Nothing, Which Exploded
A cover which features an explosion
Remember to check The Friday Face-Off Feature Page for upcoming themes
| Links |
Drew @ TheTattooedBookGeek – Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell
Lynn @ Lynn’s Books – Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell
S J Higbee @ Brainfluff – The Fell Sword by Miles Cameron
DJ @ MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape – A Dance of Blades by David Dalglish
Nick V. Reys @ ThePaperDragon – Heirs of the Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Books by Proxy 
I don’t know if I’m in love with either, so tie for me! Generally, I prefer covers that feature a person on it, but I don’t know if this one really works for me.
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Of these two, I agree with your choice, but like Mogsy, I’m not in love with either.
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I think the issue with the second cover is that there’s all this white space in the upper right which feels like it needs to be filled. Like the man should’ve been moved down a bit so the title could go across the top of the cover and then the Guardian comment put beneath, right-aligned. The problem isn’t the artwork, it’s the placement of all the elements. The cover feels off balance.
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I prefer the UK #1 cover too because the parchment and blood, and the lack of a character is mysterious and leaves me wanting to know more!
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Much prefer the UK #1 also. It is very similar to the Pyr covers, but still UK #1: better font, and more detail.
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I haven’t read this book, and I’m wondering about that Guardian quote. I don’t normally think of twisted and evil things as delightful. Is there an explanation?
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I just got around to catching up on my Friday Face-Off posts and I used this book as well. I prefer that Laura Brett’s cover as well. I prefer when the cover makes me wonder what happens in the book because that makes me want to read it. Here’s my late post:
https://zezeewithbooks.wordpress.com/2016/05/30/friday-face-off-witch-bird-blade/
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I definitely prefer the UK cover.
Lynn 😀
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This is such a fun meme, oh my god! Love it. Maybe I should start doing it too 🙂
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