Great Cover Art
Here at ObsidianBookshelf.com, I've got to show you some great book-covers I've encountered. All these book-covers contain a lot of emotion and reflect qualities to be found in the respective novels. 

Take a look at the cover for Alex Beecroft's novel The Witch's Boy, which is set in a fantasy world reminiscent of Britain right after the Norman Conquest of 1066.  This is a subtly beautiful cover with its Norse-looking designs, its lettering that resembles flames, and its background which resembles scorched vellum. According to Alex's dedication inside the book, the cover artist is Black Hound.

Here is the cover of Lieutenant Samuel Blackwood (deceased) by Emma Collingwood with cover art and design copyright © 2008 by Amandine de Villeneuve.  It's done in the style of the 18th century woodcuts and the book includes four interior drawings (see my review for more about them). It has a beautiful peach-colored background and old-fashioned lettering reminiscent of the "penny dreadful" thrillers of the 1800s to which this story pays homage. Our hero Lieutenant Daniel Leigh holds a lantern aloft as he explores the hold of the cursed ship, HMS Privet.  Look at the detail of that wood grain in the ship's planks!  Note the historical authenticity of Daniel's elaborate garb on down to the highlights of his polished shoe. Daniel has an expression of wariness, but a bold and determined stance. It captures the excitement of this sea-faring adventure. For more art by Amandine de Villeneuve, visit her at LiveJournal and also at her website.

This is the cover of Gadarene by Tina Anderson and C.B. Potts (cover art copyright © 2008 by Laura Carboni).  I've got mixed feelings about it.   From an aesthetic viewpoint, I'm not real keen on the little ghost kids in the mirror.  They're well-drawn but just don't appeal to me as subject matter.  However, they are important to convey aspects of the story so they do belong on this cover. Where the cover really shines for me is the highly romantic pairing of Galen and Wira.  Galen is pretty hot, but – wow – look at Wira in his dress! Note the detailed musculature of Wira's arms and legs. He's gorgeous and feminine and masculine all at once!  Plus you really get a feeling of how much these two love each other and how intense their mutual sexual attraction is. It makes for an unforgettable cover by Laura Carboni.

Next, have a look at the disturbing, compelling cover art (copyright © 2008) by Barry Bulsara for Nikolai by Angelia Sparrow. This image shows Nick after he gets his head shaved in prison.  With his fingers digging into his scalp, he is an anguished sight.  Note the heavy, ragged stone-like textures hemming him in on all sides.  Or is it chunks of dirt? It suggests that he's been buried alive. In addition, the cover has a pieced-together look as if composed of overlapping folds.  The effect is extraordinary: Nick looks like the Frankenstein monster, riddled with stitches and scars.   This haunting cover art isn't pretty, but it manages to convey volumes about the story within. See more art by Barry Bulsara at DeviantART

Then there are the Delacorte Press covers for Diana Gabaldon's latest two Lord John historical mysteries, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and Lord John and the Hand of Devils.  Gabaldon is getting the royal red carpet treatment from the art department here. We're talking heavy cloth-type paper, gold-lettering, and provocative glimpses of oil portraits of Grey himself. Brotherhood of the Blade has a rich burgundy background. It features a blond man with face lit in gold tones as if by firelight, casting a wary gaze to his left.  Hand of Devils, with a forest-green background, shows the same man looking to his right. Here his expression is more concerned. The close-up portraits fill a sword-narrow strip and focus on Grey's eyes as if to emphasize his position as an observant outsider of his society.  In both cases, the book jacket design was done by Yook Louie, and the art by Robert Hunt (copyright © 2007).

Next feast your eyes on this highly emotional photograph by David Becker (copyright © 2007) for the cover art of Walking Wounded by Lee Rowan. Two guys with military haircuts are kissing passionately.  One wears a rainbow-bead necklace, the color of which contrasts beautifully with the rest of the black-and-white photo. (This isn't obvious in my small version, unfortunately.) Note the graceful and tender way one touches the other's head. 

Then there is the  cover art for The Tin Star by J. L. Langley which was done by April Martinez (copyright © 2006). Jamie is holding his cowboy hat in a slightly self-conscious way (which is good) as if to say, "What you see is what you get." 

Not as good as Martinez's version!

He has beautiful blue eyes (as in the novel), and the longish sideburns that cowboys seem to favor.  He looks very young compared to Ethan next to him (who is 11 years older according to the novel). 

Ethan's hat is a velvety black and he is posed looking down so we just get a hint of long lashes and a pensive mouth. The pose gives him a mysterious quality.  He looks protective of Jamie. His earring and gold chain suggest a nonconformist attitude!  Both guys seem sexually and romantically bonded to one another.  Click here for the full-size cover art of The Tin Star done by April Martinez

The gray-background cover shows another version of our The Tin Star heroes.  (I'm not sure who the artist is.) It's a fine cover, but not as good as the one by April Martinez.

Last, we have a look at the cover art for The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek which was done by Sarah Cloutier (copyright © 2006). It looks like a watercolor and is an absolutely stunning triptych. The left and right panels feature flowering plants, including a poppy, superimposed over a steam locomotive.  The center panel shows Kieran and Ash who have different skin tones and contrasting emotions upon their faces. The steam from the locomotive builds up in the horizon behind them like a thunderhead.  See more art by Sarah Cloutier at Elfwood.com.

If you appreciate gorgeous cover art as much as I do here at Obsidian Bookshelf, check back as I add more in the future!