Books by Proxy

Mogsy @ The Bibliosanctum

Steve @ Books and Beyond Reviews

Tammy @ Books, Bones and Buffy

The Friday Face-Off: Hubble Bubble

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 | proxyfish

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

Welcome to the Friday Face-Off where this week we’re comparing covers featuring potions!

And if we’re talking potions, there is only ever one set of books I would want to include: The Witches of Lancre sub-series from the Discworld universe. Fortunately, this series features covers with cauldrons, broomsticks, pumpkins and witches aplenty!

This week’s offerings are the Corgi 2012 cover with classic artwork by Josh Kirby and the Gollancz Collector’s Library edition with artwork by Joe McLaren. Take a look and see which one is your favourite!

Corgi 2012 | Cover #1

Josh Kirby

Gollancz 2014 | Cover #2

Joe McLaren

| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |

Josh Kirby’s artwork is stunning and his cover for Wyrd Sisters is no exception. As ever, this cover displays a cacophony of interconnecting people, places, objects, animals and elements in a riot of colours. I love the swirling fog, the typeface and the bats in the aquamarine, and I will never stop enjoying the feeling of getting lost in one of these covers.

But the Gollancz Collector’s Library editions are something else. There is nothing I would love more than every single edition of this collection sitting happily on my bookshelves; fabric hardback covers in bright colours with beautiful illustrations staring down at me. I love the spindly trees, the bright moon and the gaggle of witches around the cauldron. I love the elongated shadows, the crackling flames and the looping handwriting. As much as I admire Josh Kirby’s artwork, I just adore these covers!

The Witches of Lancre Gollancz Collector’s Library Editions

Which cover wins your vote this week? Have a cover of your own? – Post the link below!

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Next week’s theme is:

The Road Goes Ever On and On

A cover featuring a dark road

Remember to check Lynn’s Books for upcoming themes

| Links |

Mogsy @ The Bibliosanctum

Steve @ Books and Beyond Reviews

Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy

Mareli and Elza @ Elza Reads

Kristi @ Confessions of a YA Reader

The Friday Face-Off: If They Are Wearing An Ugly Hat

June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 | proxyfish

Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a 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 Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

Welcome to the Friday Face-Off! This week we’re comparing covers which feature hats!

And never mind ugly hats – this week I’ve trawled through an assortment of weird – but always wonderful – hattish creations which seem to proliferate across fantasy fiction to come up with the goods. And two of the most stunning I found in Scott Lynch’s Republic of Thieves, both designed by the outstanding Benjamin Carré. With the UK and US edition published by Gollancz and Del Rey respectively, and the French edition published by Bragelonne, take a look at this week’s offerings to see which is your favourite.

Gollancz – Cover #1

Cover Art by Benjamin Carré

Bragelonne (French) – Cover #2

Cover Art by Benjamin Carré

| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |

With the former emphasising the splendour and pageantry of costume and the latter making the backdrop of a city its theme, these two beautiful covers are incredibly difficult to choose between. The UK/US edition is dark and dangerous – the grey watercolour backdrop, the knife dripping in blood and the expressionless menace of the masque – all point to the darker aspects of this novel. The French edition however removes this menace and replaces it with one of the most prominent characters of The Gentleman Bastard Sequence – The City. The touch of golden light on the rooftops, the subtly reflected figures and the detailed backdrop pay homage to the eloquence of Lynch’s darkly humorous novels which makes the Bragelonne cover equally worthy of winning.

So doff your caps ladies and gentlemen, this week I officially declare it a draw!

Which cover wins your vote this week? Have a cover of your own? – Post the link below!

Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

LyNext week’s theme is:

All that is gold does not glitLter

A cover which features gold

Remember to check The Friday Face-Off Feature Page for upcoming themes

| Links |

Mogsy @ The Bibliosanctum

The Friday Face-Off: It Shuffles Through The Dry, Dusty Darkness

June 9, 2017June 10, 2017 | proxyfish

Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

Welcome to the Friday Face-Off! This week we’re comparing covers which feature mummification!

Lucky for us speculative fiction lovers there are numerous books in the fantasy world which have been inspired by Egyptology but those pesky mummies seem to be few and far between. Mr. Pratchett of course can never disappoint and threw Pyramids into my lap to aid in this week’s cover exploration. With mummies tearing their way out of the original cover and lying soundly in the sarcophagus for the Russians, these two covers go head to head in this Friday’s Face-Off!

Original – Cover #1

Cover Art by Josh Kirby

Russian – Cover #2

| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |

From chaos, colour and action to sombre, creepy and mysterious, these two covers for Terry Pratchett’s Pyramids could not be more different. As with all the original Discworld covers I love the vibrancy and detail, the riot of figures and the wonderful humour reminiscent of the novels. This is a cover which demands attention and further exploration; a cover you can get lost in as much as the book.

By comparison the Russian cover for Pyramids is startlingly simple. The typeface is elegant and uncomplicated and the single, mysterious image on a dark background allows the plume of dust and wispy wrappings to bring a hint of mystery and darkness to the fore. However, the beauty of Kirby’s art is that it captures Pratchett’s humorous writing incredibly well – you see it and you know it’s Pratchett; something that sadly the Russian cover barely even hints at.

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:

You Couldn’t Not Like Someone Who Liked The Guitar

A cover which features a guitar

Remember to check The Friday Face-Off Feature Page for upcoming themes

| Links |

Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy

Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Productions