You saw it here first: the cover for Overthrowing Heaven
Artist Steve Hickman created an amazing painting, one the small JPEG image below hardly does justice. Cover designer Jennie Faries did a great job with the design; the real dust jacket will have silver foil on my name and gold foil on the title, so it should really grab book browsers.
Here's a low-res JPEG that shows the result of their labors:
Awesome, eh? I think this is one of Steve's best paintings, and I love it.
Staring at this book, you might wonder about a few things, so I thought I'd spare you any turmoil and answer some of the more obvious questions right now.
This is a Jon & Lobo book, right?
You bet. That's Jon in the beautiful chair. I think he's clearly recognizable from the covers of the other books.
So has the series turned fantasy?
Absolutely not! This is SF through and through.
Uh, isn't that a dragon?
Sorta; technically, it's a wyvern, or, to be even more precise, a rather elaborately colored wyvern.
I just scanned that wikipedia entry, and the wyvern is a legendary creature, not a real one. Doesn't that make this book a fantasy?
Nope. It's SF all the way.
So what's a legendary creature doing in the book?
That would be telling. You know I don't do that.
Does this scene actually occur in the novel?
That's a tricky question. At this red hot moment, the most accurate answer is that this scene occurs but it does not look exactly like the cover. By the time I finish the book, however, the book and the cover will be in sync--one of the few benefits of being a bit late to turn in the ms.
That's it for questions today, I'm afraid. I have to say again, though: Awesome!
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12 comments:
Ooooo, what a gorgeous cover -- congratulations!
Lisa
WOW!!!! Excellent. I can't wait to dive into this one.
"Does this scene..."
There's an amusing bit, either a direct quote by Ringo or somebody quoting him on "There Will Be Dragons". Dragons only appear on, what, one page? Somebody complained about that. His reply was something like "The title is 'There WILL BE Dragons', WILL BE, WILL BE!"
Looking forward to it!
STUPENDOUSLY BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!
Thanks. I'm very happy with it.
Thanks, Michelle. I can't wait to finish it!
Fred, it's not quite that bad in this book. The wyvern does in fact appear, and it's not alone. That's all I'm going to say for now.
Thanks, Maria!
While it is beautifully drawn, if I were scanning in the bookstore, I would skip this book. I found the first Lobo book on a day when I was skimming the shelves looking for something new. I avoided the fantasy book covers since I do not enjoy the genre.
It looks nice, but isn't there a business consideration?
I want to read Jon & Lobo #15, but if #3 doesn't sell will it get that far?
Yikes! I'm sorry to hear that, Andrew. You raise a fair point, and one that all involved did consider. I certainly hope to get to write many Jon & Lobo books, and I very much hope you'll still read them. I know the publisher and the artist put on the spaceships and the gun so that it would be very clear this was science fiction--but science fiction set on a very unusual place indeed. I do hope you'll give it a try, and I also hope that many folks will pick it up.
I'd like to clarify that my comment was related to the cover content alone.
I will continue to read and spread the word about your books.
You got me excited to reading sci-fi again. Jon and Lobo are fantastic characters, and your writing style is wonderful.
No worries on my buying your books in the future. It was just some unsolicited critical feedback.
I am sure I speak for many when I say... write faster. Thanks.
No worries, Andrew; I was not in any way offended. I take your comment quite seriously, and I've worried about the very same thing. I am hoping the spaceships, the gun, and the book's position in the bookstores make clear it's SF.
I really appreciate your kind words. I'm writing as fast as I can manage!
Take care.
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