Why are the US covers so awful?

[Ace Sedai]

99% of Fantasy artwork is terrible imo.

The WOT cover art is like an Aryan Nation teenage boy's wet dream.Incredibly White ,chauvinistic and tacky.

Thank god by the time I got around to WOT I had learned not to judgea book by its cover.

[Kopekemaster]

I actually quite enjoy the US covers... EotW is probably my favorite. The eBook cover for The Shadow Rising is really awesome.

And I'm not sure why people think the French covers are terrible. I like The Dragon Reborn one especially. (Sure, it looks like it is about eight centuries, old, but still.) The Eye of the World one, though... :/

Edited March 5, 2014 by Kopekemaster

[dawnflower8]

The Dragon Reborn cover and a lot of others is actually a really nice picture, but it isn't at all related to WoT. I mean, it has an ACTUAL DRAGON ON IT. And there are some even worse ones than that. 

 

The eBook covers are all really nice~

[wotfan4472]

I have to say, the Gathering Storm cover for the U.K version is awesome!!! Towers of Midnight showed the Darkness and A Memory of Light was good to balance the previous. I love the snake wheel symbol, even if it is backwards. Really cool to spot the books on the shelf or someone on the bus reading one, while others have no clue what it means. Now THAT is the way to read a series.

[Kopekemaster]

The Dragon Reborn cover and a lot of others is actually a really nice picture, but it isn't at all related to WoT. I mean, it has an ACTUAL DRAGON ON IT. And there are some even worse ones than that. 

 

Well, yeah, but I wouldn't say that they're ugly.

[hankscorpio]

Once all the trade paperbacks come out with the ebook covers, I'm rebuying all the books. Those covers are great and most of my older mass market paperbacks are in pretty rough shape anyways.

[mb]

The Dragon Reborn cover and a lot of others is actually a really nice picture, but it isn't at all related to WoT. I mean, it has an ACTUAL DRAGON ON IT. And there are some even worse ones than that.

My copy of Dragon Reborn has Rand reaching for Callandor with Perrin & Mat watching from a distance.  I guess you are referring to the French cover.

 

 

Once all the trade paperbacks come out with the ebook covers, I'm rebuying all the books. Those covers are great and most of my older mass market paperbacks are in pretty rough shape anyways.

I recall seeing physical Wheel of Time books with e-book covers at a physical store; I think a Barnes & Noble, Colorado Springs, December.  Do not remember all those books, but one was Eye of the World; a portion of them I think were paperback.

[dawnflower8]

 

The Dragon Reborn cover and a lot of others is actually a really nice picture, but it isn't at all related to WoT. I mean, it has an ACTUAL DRAGON ON IT. And there are some even worse ones than that. 

 

Well, yeah, but I wouldn't say that they're ugly.

 

No, they're not, but they don't go with the book series.

[Josephine_Puck]

At barnes n nobles they have the e-book covers for sale now, I would like them but am not willing to buy all new books when I have all the paper backs and a few hardcovers that I have found at dollar stores randomly.

[dawnflower8]

At barnes n nobles they have the e-book covers for sale now, I would like them but am not willing to buy all new books when I have all the paper backs and a few hardcovers that I have found at dollar stores randomly.

WAIT....dollar stores sell WoT hardcovers? *runs to the dollar store*

[Nick Trano]

The US covers look like fantasy books. Ain't really a bad thing. 

[dawnflower8]

Yeah, they're not that bad. Most of the other versions of the covers are worse.

 

 

Although Perrin's headband on the TDR cover is just awful.

Edited March 20, 2014 by dawnflower8

[ga2014]

Once all the trade paperbacks come out with the ebook covers, I'm rebuying all the books. Those covers are great and most of my older mass market paperbacks are in pretty rough shape anyways.

 

This. The books are still popular and with a new cover, a new set, a new font I would be the first in the line to buy them. oh, I didn't saw that "trade paperbacks". They are too big. Like the hardcovers. I prefer the simple paperbacks.

[dawnflower8]

i just saw those today at the store...the new paperbacks ARE huge. *still wants them though*

[Cosmic Champion]

worst by far though is the cover for WH, which completely ruined my veiw of perrin.

 

 

...oh and perrin... which yeah kinda ruins it.

.

Yep, I agree. Plus the KoD version of Perrin also.

 

In fact, I was very seriously considering using a Sharpie to remove Perrin's mug from my paperback covers, they are that bad.

 

When reading WoT now, I just generally picture Perrin's look as a rough combination of Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Huntsman.

.

But my least favorite US cover has got to be LOC.

 

.

But..........that 2nd gen cell phone that Rand is wearing on his belt from AoL is pretty boss. 

.

Once all the trade paperbacks come out with the ebook covers, I'm rebuying all the books. Those covers are great and most of my older mass market paperbacks are in pretty rough shape anyways.

.

It looks like this is the way that I will be going soon, as my less than 2 year paperbacks are starting to wear out, mostly due to some of the page printing being so close to the damn binding, that the binding on some of them is starting break. 

 

 

Also, regarding Sweets covers, what's with the weird horse saddles that he creates? Do any exist like that at all in the real world? And if they do, are they for punishment or some form of torture for the poor riders? At my first glance of Winter's Heart, I was wondering why Perrin was the ONLY one walking. But after looking at his saddle, I can see why. Also, the look on his face is like he is out for an afternoon stroll. Not a care in the world.  LOL

 

.

[Orderofolde]

 

worst by far though is the cover for WH, which completely ruined my veiw of perrin.

 

 

...oh and perrin... which yeah kinda ruins it.

.

Yep, I agree. Plus the KoD version of Perrin also.

 

In fact, I was very seriously considering using a Sharpie to remove Perrin's mug from my paperback covers, they are that bad.

 

When reading WoT now, I just generally picture Perrin's look as a rough combination of Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Huntsman.

.

But my least favorite US cover has got to be LOC.

 

.

But..........that 2nd gen cell phone that Rand is wearing on his belt from AoL is pretty boss. 

.

Once all the trade paperbacks come out with the ebook covers, I'm rebuying all the books. Those covers are great and most of my older mass market paperbacks are in pretty rough shape anyways.

.

It looks like this is the way that I will be going soon, as my less than 2 year paperbacks are starting to wear out, mostly due to some of the page printing being so close to the damn binding, that the binding on some of them is starting break. 

 

 

Also, regarding Sweets covers, what's with the weird horse saddles that he creates? Do any exist like that at all in the real world? And if they do, are they for punishment or some form of torture for the poor riders? At my first glance of Winter's Heart, I was wondering why Perrin was the ONLY one walking. But after looking at his saddle, I can see why. Also, the look on his face is like he is out for an afternoon stroll. Not a care in the world.  LOL

 

.

 

It's not a cell phone, it's a Ter'angreal!

[dawnflower8]

Where is this cell phone you're talking about.

 

Also, I ride horses and have never seen a saddle anything like those on the covers. Weird.

[Cosmic Champion]

@ dawnflower8

 

Its very hard to see it on the paperback due to the high contrast of the cover, but here is a better pic of it-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And.....

 

 

 

Yes, I know that's really his belt dangling there.  

 

 

 

 

.

[VincentAsaro]

The original U.S. covers are my favorites :) 

[Asuras]

Since 1990 those original covers defined the series for me. While the ebook covers are artistic, they are like close up, zoomed in digitally enhanced images of someone's face for the most part. The UK covers are boring. There is nothing to them. For me they're designed like self-published covers I've seen, simple, because they can't afford an artist. 

 

Sweet's covers have landscape, characters and a scene depicted. The Eye of the World stands out as one of my favorite fantasy covers of all time. It's too bad Tor didn't realize how great they are for the most part. A few of the later books aren't as favored, but many of the digital ones don't really grab my interest with the exception of a few that were done fairly well, but that's only a few. 

 

 

[Asuras]

Since 1990 those original covers defined the series for me. While the ebook covers are artistic, they are like close up, zoomed in digitally enhanced images of someone's face for the most part. The UK covers are boring. There is nothing to them. For me they're designed like self-published covers I've seen, simple, because they can't afford an artist. 

 

Sweet's covers have landscape, characters and a scene depicted. The Eye of the World stands out as one of my favorite fantasy covers of all time. It's too bad Tor didn't realize how great they are for the most part. A few of the later books aren't as favored, but many of the digital ones don't really grab my interest with the exception of a few that were done fairly well, but that's only a few. 

 

 

[MauricXe]

On 11/20/2010 at 3:49 PM, smileyman said:

 

OK, you win. The French covers are absolutely the worst.

By several miles haha

 

I like the original covers.

Edited July 4, 2019 by MauricXe

[Witless Looby]

That EotW cover made Jordan and Tor a ton of $$