Pulp/Sf/Fantasy Paperback Covers

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I've the 1979 Pocket book version, they were apparently the Canadian editions of the book.

This is Baen's cover:

Thanks for posting Baen cover--I couldn't find a good image of it. As it happens, I have the Pocket Book version myself.
Some of the translations of the book have neat covers too; I'll try to get around to posting them later.
 
So, some covers to translations of The Dying Earth:

An omnibus of Dying Earth + The Last Castle, from Meulenhoff (1974), art by C.G.A. Bruynel, and the 1978 J'ai Lu edition, by Philippe Druillet:
DSTRVNDRDH1974.jpgNMNDMGQDTS1984.jpg

The 1978 Heyne edition, art by Karel Thole and the 1981 Meulenhoff edition, cover by Kay Nielson. The Heyne cover is actually re-used, more or less, from a translation of Lord Darcy published in 1974.
Sterbende Erde-1978.jpgDSTRVNDRDV1994.jpg

The 1981 Heyne edition cover by Gervasio Gallardo and the 1992 J'ai Lu edition by Michelangelo Miani. I don't know what Gallardo's cover is supposed to be.
DSTRBNDRDZ1983.jpgNMNDMGQNSZ1992.jpg

The 1994 Meulenhoff edition, cover by Michael Whelan, and the Spatterlight Press 2016 e-book, cover by Konstantin Korobov. The Whelan cover is adapted from When True Night Falls, published in 1993.
DSTRVNDRDN1994.jpgStervende Aarde.jpg

The 2003 J'ai Lu cover by Armaud Cremet:
NMNDMGQZTL2003.jpg

I find it interesting that the French decided the title should be Magic World when other languages go with more literal translations of the title. There is a French edition of the Dying Earth series, also published by J'ai Lu, that gives it a more literal title. This is the cover of vol. 1, from 2012, by Marc Simonetti:
LTRRMRNTLZ2012.jpg
 
So, some covers to translations of The Dying Earth:

An omnibus of Dying Earth + The Last Castle, from Meulenhoff (1974), art by C.G.A. Bruynel, and the 1978 J'ai Lu edition, by Philippe Druillet:
View attachment 27978View attachment 27979

The 1978 Heyne edition, art by Karel Thole and the 1981 Meulenhoff edition, cover by Kay Nielson. The Heyne cover is actually re-used, more or less, from a translation of Lord Darcy published in 1974.
View attachment 27981View attachment 27982

The 1981 Heyne edition cover by Gervasio Gallardo and the 1992 J'ai Lu edition by Michelangelo Miani. I don't know what Gallardo's cover is supposed to be.
View attachment 27983View attachment 27984

The 1994 Meulenhoff edition, cover by Michael Whelan, and the Spatterlight Press 2016 e-book, cover by Konstantin Korobov. The Whelan cover is adapted from When True Night Falls, published in 1993.
View attachment 27985View attachment 27988

The 2003 J'ai Lu cover by Armaud Cremet:
View attachment 27989

I find it interesting that the French decided the title should be Magic World when other languages go with more literal translations of the title. There is a French edition of the Dying Earth series, also published by J'ai Lu, that gives it a more literal title. This is the cover of vol. 1, from 2012, by Marc Simonetti:
View attachment 27990

These Vance covers really are fantastic!
 
Well, here are the first batch:
A Travel Through Memories.jpgGrey Road 1.jpgKing Eagle.jpgSword, Power and Magic.jpgSwords in the City.jpg

Left to right:
A Travel through Memories is a guy I know (OK, that can be said for many of those) who has written a book that reminds me of Planescape: Torment. A guy who has been ultra-powerful fantasy hero/antihero/villain, is trying to remember who he was and to set things right.
I'm still to read this one.

The Grey Road: no doubt the most experienced author, Lubomir Nikolov, a.k.a. Kolin Wollemberry, a.k.a. many other names from the gamebooks thread, a..k.a. the guy who did the best-known translation of GRRT in Bulgarian. It's not his first book, either. Nor, I think is it the tenth.
Note from myself: the man is very influenced from "optimistic SF", so if you're looking for blood and gore, that's probably not going to be the book for it. Surprisingly...I haven't read it yet: I'd somehow missed its release!
But then I'm ordering it as I'm posting. Working in two tabs is an art:grin:!

"15 centuries after the First Armageddon, a Second One is incoming - and only an ancient prophecy gives some hope".
So, post-apocalyptic apocalypse...who wants to play this:devil:?

The King Eagle (yes, it's a king, not a tsar, I'd assume this is intentional) is a book about magic, learning magic, and so on. It's good IMO, but hard to convey in short. So I won't try.
I'm just telling you that it's using the old narrative approach "a wizard approached me and told me stuff, I'm just retelling it in our language". Complete with "and it even helped me put my own life in order", which is always assumed in this kind of books:shade:!

Sword, Power and Magic is a standard fantasy which won't surprise you with much, had you been able to get a translation - but wouldn't disappoint, either, I believe. Then again, my memories of it are murky, since I've read it like over a decade ago.

Swords in the City is an antology of Bulgarian authors writing urban fantasy. As such, I don't think I can really give you a synopsis. Some are, of course, better than others...but that's kinda to be expected, isn't it?
 
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And then it gets hairy...because we get to Russian* authors.
Actually, my favourite SF/Fantasy authors are two Ukrainian uuys who write under a common pseudonym: G.L. Oldie. These are actually Dmitriy Gromov (sp?) and Oleg Ladigensky (sp???) who write together. G.L. are actually their family names, and Oldie comes from OL+D, as in, OLeg & Dmitriy.
AFAIK, they write in Russian...though I might have been misinformed, and it might be a political question by now:shade:. Either way, I'm reading them in Russian whenever I can.
The intro was necessary, because there's no contest who is my favourite SF/Fantasy/Urban Fantasy author: G.L. Oldie.
(Well, it's quite likely that I'm not the only one of such opinion. AFAIK, the printings of each new book from G.L.Oldie starts at 100 000 and is usually sold out within weeks. Given the number of their books, they should be well into the millions of sold copies. It's quite likely they're outranking Sapkowsky...and he's quite popular in Russia and the rest of the former USSR.
Mind you, I have no hard data, that's all hearsay from other fans).
So, without further ado: Covers!
Oykumena.jpg

Oykumena (SP???) is the only space opera, ever, that has managed to beat Dune in my personal rankings. I have read it like several times...and it's the setting I want to play in. Various planets with unearthly abilities and psychology; unexpected clashes of law systems; military actions and espionage: it's all there, written more beautifully than I've ever seen...:heart:
Do I want to play in this setting? You bet!
In fact...
I've just noticed that there's a Guide to Oykumena written by some other guy. I need to get a hold on this, and then I can start work on adapting it for Cepheus Engine. If I disappear from the forum in the next week, I've probably managed to get it faster than I expected:thumbsup:.


*I believe there are more people on this forum who know French - not to mention Spanish - than the combined numbers of Russian and Bulgarian speakers; subsequently, I'd restrict myself to those two. Because I can write about this for weeks.
A good portion of my library is in those two languages, as you can guess. And I admit to liking Russian fantasy in original.
 
Way of the Sword

First and best of the Kabir(ean?) Cycle, Way of the Sword turns your expectations on your head.
You think it's about a swordsman who kills people, right? Yeah, right...

It's about swords who are having their own Wearers. And it doesn't stop here.
Way of the Sword.jpg
And since Wearers are precious, and Swords are courteous, they've taught the Wearers to fence without hurting. They cut off some clothing, and the matter is resolved.
But then some Weapons got...sociopathic. So their Wearers are now killing. And the book is also raising the question: is it a good idea to teach people to never be violent? Is it ethical to teach people to kill if said people don't want it - even if the goal is to teach them to defend themselves?
 
patriarch.jpg
The Patriarchs' Vitrages
It's a fantasy about a world where magic is based on poetry (spells are called vitrages). And what happens if a poet gets in this world? Well...you can guess how well it goes!
Or maybe you can't...

Please note: in Russian and Bulgarian, Patriarch is a word without negative connotations, unlike the way some people use it in English. Most of us consider such people...mistaken, in the most charitable readings; usually a less charitable reading is applied.
I'm not going to talk more about it on this forum, since it would be against the rules:shade:.

OK, one more post about Oldie, and I'll switch to other authors from tomorrow. Hey, you don't expect me to NOT shill my favourite author, right:grin:?
 
Way of the Sword

First and best of the Kabir(ean?) Cycle, Way of the Sword turns your expectations on your head.
You think it's about a swordsman who kills people, right? Yeah, right...

It's about swords who are having their own Wearers. And it doesn't stop here.
View attachment 28051
And since Wearers are precious, and Swords are courteous, they've taught the Wearers to fence without hurting. They cut off some clothing, and the matter is resolved.
But then some Weapons got...sociopathic. So their Wearers are now killing. And the book is also raising the question: is it a good idea to teach people to never be violent? Is it ethical to teach people to kill if said people don't want it - even if the goal is to teach them to defend themselves?
So sentient swords that Mindcontrol people that wield them? That's pretty metal!
 
Black Agitator, Odysseus, Hero Must Be One/Alone, Perseus' Grandson:
Those are mythological books. Black Agitator is a "new reading" of Indian myth; the other three, as you can guess from the names, of Greek myth. Oh, and the one where it's not quite clear is about Hercules/Herakles:thumbsup:.
Odysseus is probably my favourite of the bunch. It must be read after the other one, though, because the biggest plot point - though it's a plot point hidden within a plot point hidden within a plot point hidden within...you get the idea - the biggest plot point in it builds on something that becomes clear in "Hero Must Be One".


*Actually a better translation might be "There must be one hero", but it's a case where you'd lose the double meanings of the title: Initially you're lead to believe it's about the hero being alone...
Then you realize why the real translation is "There must be one hero". But it's revealed much later:shade:.
 

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Also: a Witcher cover you might not have seen (the first) and the cover of The Eye of Yrrhedes..a Polish RPG written by nobody but Sapkowsky.


Anyone else wonderingwhen the KS us coming:grin:?
 

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Oykumena (SP???) is the only space opera, ever, that has managed to beat Dune in my personal rankings. I have read it like several times...and it's the setting I want to play in. Various planets with unearthly abilities and psychology; unexpected clashes of law systems; military actions and espionage: it's all there, written more beautifully than I've ever seen...:heart:
Do I want to play in this setting? You bet!
In fact...
I've just noticed that there's a Guide to Oykumena written by some other guy. I need to get a hold on this, and then I can start work on adapting it for Cepheus Engine. If I disappear from the forum in the next week, I've probably managed to get it faster than I expected:thumbsup:.

I assume Oykumena is a Russianization of the Greek ecumene (inhabited territory)? Ursula LeGuin also used that as the name of an interstellar polity, the Ekumen, in her Hainish novels.

AsenRG AsenRG is putting me to shame not just with his covers but with his board-posting skills. I have no idea of how to upload images so that they are thumbnails which then pop out as these do.
 
I assume Oykumena is a Russianization of the Greek ecumene (inhabited territory)? Ursula LeGuin also used that as the name of an interstellar polity, the Ekumen, in her Hainish novels.

AsenRG AsenRG is putting me to shame not just with his covers but with his board-posting skills. I have no idea of how to upload images so that they are thumbnails which then pop out as these do.
Yes it is:thumbsup:.

Also, you hit the "attach files", attach a file from your PC, then hit "thumbnail" which is displayed next to the picture.
 
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One thing I've learned from this is that covers are often re-used, sometimes in surprising ways.

For example, Leigh Brackett is one of my favorite authors of Planetary Romances. Gollancz published a nice collection of her stories about 15 years ago as Sea Kings of Mars and Otherworldly Stories. I thought the cover, by Les Edwards, was quite atmospheric, though not related directly to any story. It turns out it is a slight adaptation of a cover he did for Parlainth: The Forgotten City, an Earthdawn supplement by Robin D. Laws (1994).

Sea Kings of Mars.jpgparlainth-half.jpg
 
54222364_1468287163308824_3770071169433075712_o.jpg
 
So today...
Let's start with Maria Semyonova.
You might have heard about her "Guarddog/Wolfslayer of the Grey Dogs" series. She's best known for it, having written the first issue in 1995.
(Translating the title would be a bitch, and I'm not saying it easily. First, Volkodav can mean "wolfslayer" or "guarddog that deals with wolves" Iit's . In various parts of the books the main character plays on both meanings. Since he is "Greydogskin", or "of the Grey Dogs" - but really, the word choice requires you to keep both, somehow - you'd have some choices to make. Personally, as a translator - which I am - I'd go for "Wolfslayer: Kin of the Grey Dogs" which is not an exact translation, but, I feel, preserves the feel best).
Please note: the character and his fate is not for the faint of heart. Let's just say that the prequel - which was written later - reminded me of Soljenitsin's works... except the character is like 12 at the time. Possibly younger at the start. I'm pretty sure he first killed a man when he was 12, though: he mentioned it later.
And in the first book - which starts after he's out of he penal colony (diamonds mine), he is fighting consumption. With various degrees of success.
BTW, I seem to remember the author mentioned in an interview she's used accounts of her relatives who have survived Gulag. So the similarities aren't exactly random...:shade:

Volkodav.jpg

However, I'm granting you the cover of one of her other books. I love Volkodav, but it's actually taking the focus off of her other works...which actually deserve attention.
Valkyrie.jpeg

"Valkyrie: The One (Man*) I've Always Been Waiting For". The main character is a woman who has always been looking for...something else.
So she runs to join an warrior brotherhood. Yes, she's the only woman. And she kinda fancies the leader...but there are, let's say, trials. And I mean "trials that kill off the unworthy".
If you're wondering whether that's made up: the list of people the author is thanking for their help in the intro, reads like the list of an institute of history at a Russian university:devil:.


*Please remember: Russian is a gendered language (like most of those I know). And since the main character is an warrior-woman-in-training, the fact that she's been waiting for a man that's worthy of her...well, it kinda means something that would otherwise be lost in translation.


Also: a Witcher cover you might not have seen (the first) and the cover of The Eye of Yrrhedes..a Polish RPG written by nobody but Sapkowsky.


Anyone else wondering when the KS us coming:grin:?
So, any info on the KS yet? Whos the biggest fan of the Witcher here, maybe Voros Voros :tongue:?
 
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Fun fact: the aforementioned Semyonova is, AFAICT, a major part of the reason why readers in my region (and even more so in the former USSR) are used to women writing fantasy...and suggesting that they aren't as good as male authors would probably be cause for ridicule.

In fact, I remember how, near the end of the 90ies I had the following conversation:
(Major figure in the local SF/Fantasy fan community): "Women can't write fantasy...Marion Zimmer-Bradley is proving that again."
Me: "MZB sucks, no discussion*, but then how many male authors suck? I mean, Marian Semyonova is an woman, too. And if you tell me she's not writing great fantasy, I'm going to laugh at you."
Him, after I tell him more about it**: "OK, sounds real nice. But seriously, that's like one example..."
Me: "And MZB is one example to the opposite. Who's to say which one is the exception? Besides, you can't speak about 'women in general' and discard an example like this."
I actually left him thinking and reassessing his position. What I know for a fact is that he never raised the matter with me again, or with anyone else in my hearing range.
And I suspect similar conversations have been conducted in many places in the former USSR zone of influence after 1995 - when Volkodav appeared. I've had the exact same one at least twice.


*An opinion I still hold to. I had blissfully - and intentionally - forgotten who MZB was...I blame the Pub for reminding me how hard (and with teeth:devil:!) she sucked...:shade:
**I can't blame the guy, Volkodav wasn't translated back then and my Russian was better than his - besides, I had a smaller reading pile than him for financial reasons. I suspect he did purchase Volkodav, though.
Now, keep in mind: Semyonova herself had stated in an interview that she objects to her works being labelled Swords and Sorcery. She preferred "Slavic fantasy".
Why?
Because, in her words (paraphrasing, you can't expect me to quote an intereview I've red over 2 decades ago): "Conan and the others of his ilk are performing daring deeds for money, pride, and to get women into bed - before leaving them, not caring whether they've engendered offspring. My characters, the characters that reflect the Slavic mentality, are equally strong men who perform daring deeds so their women - wives, daughters, sisters, other relatives, friends, and even simply 'other women in their community' - could live in safety and security and give birth to their kids, continuing the line of generations.Volkodav is wandering, but he's wandering because he has no kin to go back to - and he feels that's setting him apart, and ain't normal, and it weighs on him".

Compare with the typical protagonist...


So why am I saying this?
Because the next book is "Guardian Witch" (by Olga Gromyko) which reminds me of nothing but "Operation: Chaos".
Guardian Witch.jpg
I mean, she's "professional witch" who's in a battle against evil forces...because she was looking for adventures after graduating from the School of Sorcerers, Herbalists and Haruspexes.
"Whoever said 'hard in training, easy in battle' should be sent in the battle" - from the cover description. Obviously an IC conclusion she had reached:shade:.
Sounds familiar?
 
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So, some covers of Avram Davidson's great The Phoenix and the Mirror:

Diane & Leo Dillon's for the Ace 1969 original paperback and Jim Burn's for the Mayflower (1975):
PNXMRR1969-Ace-Dillon.jpgTHPHNXNDTH1975-Mayflower_JamesBurns.jpg


Two versions of Steve Hickman's for Ace, 1978 and 1983. I have the 1978, myself, but I think I like the 1983 better:
1THPHNXNDTH1978-Ace_SteveHickman.jpgTHPHNXNDTH1983-Ace_SteveHickman.jpg

The Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks cover by Mark Oliver (2013):
PhoenixMirror-Gollancz.jpg
 
It's strange; I'd forgotten all about that Worlds of Poul Anderson collection. I used to own it, a long time ago. The cover is immediately familiar.
 
So, some covers of Avram Davidson's great The Phoenix and the Mirror:

Diane & Leo Dillon's for the Ace 1969 original paperback and Jim Burn's for the Mayflower (1975):
View attachment 28189View attachment 28190


Two versions of Steve Hickman's for Ace, 1978 and 1983. I have the 1978, myself, but I think I like the 1983 better:
View attachment 28191View attachment 28192

The Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks cover by Mark Oliver (2013):
View attachment 28193

I have the Ace SF Special edition.
 
The Italian magazine Urania had some great covers in the 1950s. All of those below were done by Curt Caesar. The magazine apparently specialized in printing translations of SF from other countries, mainly the U.S. and U.K., though I've seen some French titles also.
Urania 10-52.jpgUrania 11-52.jpg

Urania 1-53.jpgUrania 6-53.jpg

Urania 9-53.jpgUrania 7-53.jpg
 
Today is Leigh Brackett's birthday, so let's have some of her covers:

The first appearance (1946) of "Lorelei of the Red Mist," cover by Chester Martin, and a republication cover (1953) by Frank Kelly Freas:
planet_stories_1946sum.jpgtops_in_science_fiction_1953fal.jpg

Allen Anderson's cover for the initial publication (1949) of "Queen of the Martian Catacombs," and StarTwo's cover for a 2019 reissue:
planet_stories_1949sum.jpg51fM8TcmwNL.jpg

The 1977 J'ai Lu translation of "The Secret of Sinharat," cover by Philippe Caza, and a 2008 anthology, cover by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach:
LSCRTDSNHR1977.jpgLGRNDLVRDM2008.jpg
 
Love that Caza cover! Sometimes I pick up the French editions of sf just for the covers.
 
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Love that Caza cover! Sometimed I pick up the French editions of sf just for the covers.

It is nice! He did a cover for A. Merritt's Ship of Ishtar--here it is with some others:

The first book publication, in 1926 (artist uncredited) and the first Avon cover in 1949 by Paul Stahr. It looks like the artist had Clark Gable in mind.
THSHPFSHTR1926.jpgTHSHPFSHTR1945.jpg

Two Avon covers: 1951 (uncredited) and 1956 by Richard Powers:
THSHPFSHTR1956.jpgTHSHPFSHTR1966.jpg

Philippe Caza's cover for the 1975 J'ai Lu translation, and Sanjulian's for the 1977 Pabel publication:
LNFDSHTRFF1975.jpgSCHFFDRSCH1977.jpg

Front and back of the 1976 Avon edition, by Stephen Fabian:
THSHPFSHTR1976.jpg

Jonathan Earl Bowser's cover for the Blitz edition of 1999 and Kieran Yanner's for Paizo (2009):
NSLDRZBRRK1999.jpgIshtarPaizo2009.jpg
 
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It is nice! He did a cover for A. Merritt's Ship of Ishtar--here it is with some others:

The first book publication, in 1926 (artist uncredited) and the first Avon cover in 1949 by Paul Stahr. It looks like the artist had Clark Gable in mind.
View attachment 28348View attachment 28350

Two Avon covers: 1951 (uncredited) and 1956 by Richard Powers:
View attachment 28351View attachment 28352

Philippe Caza's cover for the 1975 J'ai Lu translation, and Sanjulian's for the 1977 Pabel publication:
View attachment 28353View attachment 28354

Front and back of the 1976 Avon edition, by Stephen Fabian:
View attachment 28355

Jonathan Earl Bowser's cover for the Blitz edition of 1999 and Kieran Yanner's for Paizo (2009):
View attachment 28359View attachment 28361
I have a copy of the '76 Avon edition. That one and the '56 Avon are probably tied for which one of these I like the most.
 
I have a copy of the '76 Avon edition. That one and the '56 Avon are probably tied for which one of these I like the most.
I have to make the shamefaced admission that it's one of those classics I don't own and have never read. I need to rectify that. I actually have a fondness for the simplicity of the original hardback cover, which just shows the ship. The Bowser cover from 1999 is kind of interesting, too; I guess because they retitled the story 'Isle of the Sorcerer' they did not want a ship on the cover.
 
It's cool to see some German covers of Perry Rhodan. I think I've only ever seen the covers from English translations (and not many of those).
 
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