These are the covers:
I almost really like these; I can't quite say why they don't quite work for me. I can even overlook the presence of the appalling Stephen King in the set since they've seen fir to include excellent books from George R. R. Martin, Graham Joyce and Dan Simmons. Perhaps it's just that they pale a little in comparison with these covers.
There's no quite about it: these just don't work. I dunno, Gollancz try so hard, but I get the impression they do their covers in-house rather than farming them out to somebody decent. I'm reminded of those sci-fi classics they put into plain coloured covers with simple illustrations and rounded corners a few years ago (here's one, and here's another). Nice idea, and almost there, but the design is just not good enough.
ReplyDeleteI kome of those sci-fi books are great, but was glad I already had them in better-looking editions.
ReplyDeleteIt's not odd to include Stephen King, like him or not (I'm more a not)he is rather a giant in that field, it is a bit odd to include a work of his that isn't actually horror though.
ReplyDeleteThe covers don't work though, I'm not quite sure why, there's a Hammer House of Horror vibe that doesn't quite match the material (Song of Kali for example is I think a much more skilled novel than that cover implies). Perhaps they're simply a tad ugly.
The sf ones you link to (as opposed to those John linked to) are I think quite good. I was interested to note you didn't like Altered Carbon (the text, not the cover), I thought it very good but I agree with you that the cover was well matched in any event.
Looking back, I was probably a bit harsh on Morgan's debut--it just seemed a bit lacklustre compared to the book which followed it (I read them out of order). And yes, Hammer House of Horror is exactly what these look like.
ReplyDeleteI also see my earlier response here was mangled by Blogger. I think it's meant to say "I know what you mean--some of those..." etc.