Cover Theory: Putting a Face to it.

Here's a question for you: do you think it's a good idea, or a bad idea, to have character portraits - specifically clear, distinct faces - on book covers?

My current theory, which I'd welcome your thoughts on, is this:

I think I'm right in saying that readers tend (however consciously or subconsciously) to identify with the main character of the novel they're reading. In doing so - by picturing themselves in that lead role and mentally role-playing their way through the narrative - they increase their sense of identification and association with the book. Which is a Good Thing, yes?

But a face is a very strong indicator of personality and individuality. So if you put a face on a book cover, won't that create the sense of entity and persona for that character that's distinct and removed from that of the reader? And wouldn't that be a psychological obstacle to the identification of the reader with the character, and result in the lessening of the reader's involvement in the novel?

In which case, surely publishers should avoid portraying characters on the covers of their books? Particularly if it's one of the principle p.o.v. characters, and definitely if it's the main, first-person narrator of the story. Otherwise there's a risk that readers won't immerse themselves fully in the narrative, and won't form such a strong associative bond with the series, or with the author's ongoing body of work. Not such a Good Thing.

Or am I reading too much into the idea of automatic reader-as-character association?

I do know it's something that I tend to do. One of the (many) reasons I'm such a big fan of The Dresden Files (covers by Orbit, example to the right reflected throughout the series: no characters in evidence whatsoever) used to be that I just knew I'd look damn good in that duster coat... but when I read the last installment, I just saw the guy from the TV series (which creates an even bigger dissociation problem than a character on a book jacket, for obvious reasons) in my mind's eye. I was no longer reading the adventures of me-as-Harry-Dresden; I was watching a new TV episode in my head, instead.

Then again, not everyone will have the same subjective experience when reading a book as I do, obviously. And anyway, isn't the quality of the prose, the degree to which the descriptive writing evokes the sense of character, far more likely to generate a sense of deep involvement than any image on the cover?

I have to admit that it's been a personal bugbear of mine for years; one I do keep coming back to. And for now I'm still on the side of 'faces on covers = bad'.

But what do you think?

November 28, 2007 | Filed Under Books, Cover Art | 6 Comments

Daniel Abraham reports on the 'Epic fantasy Symposium'

Ed Ashby points me in the direction of some particularly interesting reading from the blog of fantasy novelist Daniel Abraham, whose debut Shadow and Betrayal [Amazon], the first part of The Long Price Quartet has recently been published in the UK by Orbit Books and is currently sitting on my to-be-read shelf, demanding my attention.

He's currently presenting the conclusions of a recent meeting-of-minds, dubbed the 'Epic Fantasy Symposium', that featured four and a half hours of conversation between George R.R. Martin, S.M. Stirling, Melinda Snodgrass, Walter Jon Williams, Ian Tregillis, Ty Franck and himself.

Plenty of deep thought (and food for more) on the foundations, tropes, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of epic fantasy (note: epic fantasy specifically, as opposed to 'fantasy' as wider genre umbrella).

November 28, 2007 | Filed Under Writing | Leave a Comment

New Arrivals - early November '07

I'm showing no respect for chronological continuity, I know, but as I was compiling the list of the last couple of weeks' worth of incoming books for the next UKSFBN Books Received item (during the England match on Wednesday, and my musings on that utter bloody fiasco are here, if anyone's even remotely interested...) I re-spotted a few titles that first caught my eye when they came in a couple of weeks ago:

The Family Trade by Charles Stross

Years ago I had an idea for a fantasy saga about a clan of merchant adventurers, which - what with me being a somewhat feckless lad and possessing little actual skill at prose-crafting - I never actually got around to writing. Still, the whole merchant adventurers concept has continued to intrigue me and I think there's some definite mileage in it. Having said that, Raymond E. Feist rather fouled it up in Rise of a Merchant Prince, but I'm hoping that Charles Stross will have made a better fist of it...

This is part one of the Merchant Princes series, and it's taken a while to come out in the UK, as Orbit have preferred to focus on Stross' science fiction, but Tor UK have finally taken the plunge. And so, on to the 'to-be-read' shelves it goes.

Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis

Okay, this one's got an intriguingly neo-noir cover by Chris McGrath, for starters. The chap in the shadows is presumably Quincey Morris, supernatural investigator, and I'm guessing that the lass in femme fatale mode is Libby Chastain, white witch, and - in the first of what will presumably grow into an ongoing series - they're trying to free a family from the curse of a practitioner of the dark arts.

Sounds familiar? Well, it probably does, because there is a lot of this stuff about at the moment, obviously. But I am partial to a bit of the old supernatural detectivery à la Jim Butcher, so if this one turns out to be anywhere near as well-written and entertaining as The Dresden Files then I'll be happy to add another to my growing list of authors to watch out for. All depends on how soon I get the chance to give it a proper perusal...

Martin Martin's On the Other Side (UK Proof) by Mark Wernham

Okay, this one has come right out of left-field. Ignoring the fact that the book is dis-graced with what has to be one the worst book covers I've seen in many a long year (I don't know what effect the designers at Jonathan Cape were aiming for, but they seem to have hit 'self-published crap' smack, bang on the head...) the premise sounds like it might have a bit of entertainment potential.

The story is set in an anarchic and dystopian near-future, a government spy is ordered to infiltrate a sinister cult. What ensues is apparently "an astonishing and crazed debut" that "breathes new life into the dystopian tradition ... a skewed and frightening vision of the not-too distant future, but also an unforgettably funny one." The prologue (just read it, only a page and a half) is suitably mysterious as well.

Okay, I'll bite. No idea when, but I'll give this one a go at some point, see what happens. Why not?

November 24, 2007 | Filed Under Books | Leave a Comment

New Arrivals - mid November '07

Here's the pick of the crop from my latest trip to the P.O. Box:

Swiftly by Adam Roberts (UK Proof)

A rather intriguing alternate history-meets-literature premise this time out from Adam R: following Gulliver's return from his well-publicised Travels, the British Empire has grown rich on the slave labour of Lilliputians; but France has enlisted the aid of the Brobdingnagians and launched an invasion of the British Isles.

I'm still waiting on confirmation from Adam, but I think the novel is an extended riff on the 'Swiftly' tale first published on SciFiction.com in 2002, which would certainly explain why the new novel has the same title as Adam's Night Shade Books anthology, in which 'Swiftly' (the story) also appears. Confused? You might be...

Shooting War by Anthony Lappé and Dan Goldman

I've been looking forward to seeing this graphic novel adaptation of the original webcomic ever since Joe Gordon heralded it a year ago and I was fortunate enough to be sent a copy by UK publisher Weidenfeld & Nicholson.

It's a vicious satire on America's war in the Middle East, set in 2011 and told from the point of view of a video-blogger who becomes caught up in the ongoing media frenzy after he captures the terrorist bombing of his apartment block on his blog and is catapulted to stardom as a result.

I read a couple of the early webcomic installments and thoroughly enjoyed them. Roll on a bit of free time.

Matter by Iain M. Banks (UK Proof)

Yes, I too have been blessed with a copy of the proof that everyone's been bragging about receiving, and which I'm jolly and properly grateful for my copy of.

Matter is the new Culture novel and I didn't realise that it's the first for seven years, so no wonder it's being billed as the 'science fiction publishing event of 2008'.

All I have to do now is find a slot in the old reading schedule for 593 pages of brand new Banks. Shouldn't be too much of a chore... :)

The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick (UK Proof)

I was first told about this one a while back by Robert's agent, John Jarrold, who very klindly sent me over a couple of proof chapters by email, which I thought were very promising indeed. Gollancz's Simon Spanton has subsequently bought the trilogy for UK publication and now the UK proofs are out...

Judging by my earlier first impressions, this weird-ish (although it could of course get much weirder) fantasy, set on a legendary, 600-year-old sailing ship, should appeal to fans of Scott Lynch, China Miéville, Alan Campbell and co. This one's heading towards the top of the 'to-be-read' list and I'll let you know when I've had a crack.

Gorgeous cover art by Edward Miller as well, which is always a bonus.

Plus:

Black Man by Richard Morgan

The UK paperback of Richard Morgan's Black Man is definitely worth picking up if you haven't already got a copy of the hardback. Highly recommended.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Good Omens is one of my very favourite comic novels, which I must have read four or five times already. Very nice indeed to see it republished in a handsome hardback edition (and a bargain at only £9.99 - less on Amazon.co.uk, of course...)

November 21, 2007 | Filed Under Books | 4 Comments

Nearly back on an even keel…

The last few weeks have been a bit intense, both work-wise and otherwise. Following the recent launch of the all-new PS Publishing webstore, as well as the Wordpress-enabled re-launch of John Berylne's Works of Tim Powers fan-site and the re-vamped version of Richard Morgan's homepage, Jo and I promptly jetted off on holiday for a week, to the quite fantastic Mediterranean island of Malta.

We had a fantastic time, but alas, we also received some sad news on our last day there; suffice to say that a family funeral ensued, which we both attended this week just gone. All of which has resulted in something of a backlog - as you'd imagine - although I think I'm pretty much back on top of things now. So much so that I managed to make time today to put together my new, personal blog site at www.darrenturpin.me.uk.

So from now on, that's where I'll be posting all my music, humour, movie and life etc. related posts, leaving The Genre Files free for more bookish material; like the pile of recommended reading that I want to post at some point. I'm also looking at my work schedule in order to free up more time to work on UKSFBN each day, which should result in more regular posts, or at least fewer content gaps. And of course, any work-related material will be posted to www.darrenturpin.co.uk.

Oh, and the eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that I've started signing posts as 'Darren' rather than 'Ariel', both here and over at UKSFBN. The reason? Well, 'Ariel' is an old nick-name from high school that stuck through University and my early days in bookselling. I always liked it, because it was quirky and memorable for folks on the other end of a phone; especially when I rang up busy publicists to blag review copies and author interviews for 'The Alien Has Landed'. But now I'm working freelance I think that using my given name is more professional. And something else happened recently to convince me that 'quirky' isn't always best.

My post on the Long Tail economics of genre fiction got a bit of blogosphere coverage; it was even picked up on by Lou Anders, a US-based editor whose work I have an enormous amount of respect for, which was naturally most gratifying... until Lou made the (not entirely unreasonable) assumption that I was a lady.

Not a problem, easily remedied, and indeed, Paul Cornell actually point out the gender-switch in the comment thread to Lou's post and Lou made the correction. But along the way, he replied to Paul's comment, saying: "next you'll be telling me Ariel doesn't have a tail and live under da sea..."

Ba-dum, tish!

You know what? When someone you respect - and whose opinion of you could potentially be quite important from a work-related point-of-view - makes 'Little Mermaid' jokes about your current nom-de-nick then that's probably a signal that it's time to stop being quite so quirky and focus on the professional instead.

So, 'Ariel' is being phased out, at least on anything that carries a public profile that could reflect on me professionally. Although of course I will still answer to my nick-name when talking to anyone that knows me (Jo won't call me anything else...), and I'll probably still sign emails as 'Ariel' from force of habit. But there you go. A lesson learned.

November 18, 2007 | Filed Under Blogging, Life, Work | 8 Comments