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Jan 25

Activate the sheep drive! Wool level 3!Click for full image

Richard’s Art Direction:
“The hardback didn’t sell well, so we shortened the title, make it more time-travel-y. Can you give us something that evokes “time-loop” for the cover?”

“Hmm, what about a glaiket looking bloke and a sheep?”

“Bam!”
Published 1979

Wow.. many thanks to Richard!

Actually, that cover IS a classical work of art!I would touch it without protective gloves.I've seen worse. Far, far, worse.Interesting, but I would still read it in public.Middlng: Neither awful nor awfully goodWould not like to be seen reading that!Awful... just awful...That belongs in a gold-lame picture frame!Gah... my eyes are burning! Feels so good!Good Show Sir! (Average: 8.29 out of 10)
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32 Responses to “Chronicules”

  1. SI Says:

    It kinda looks like.. that human face space ship hybrid is pushing a sheep out it’s anus…

    Sorry I did go there and I apologise!

  2. THX 1138 Says:

    There’s an unnecessary U on that cover – and an unnecessary ewe! Bah-dum-tish!

  3. Dead Stuff With Big Teeth Says:

    According to Wikipedia, the original title was Hot Wireless Sets, Aspirin Tablets, the Sandpaper Slides of Used Matchboxes, and Something that Might have been Castor Oil. Odd that they couldn’t have any of that on the cover…

  4. Ziggy Kinsella Says:

    Excellent blog, made me laugh. If you ever fancy doing a guest blog on bad covers for the Feckless Goblin, let me know!!!

  5. Phil Says:

    Inspired by THE MARTIAN CHRONICULES, I suppose.

    That is one bad title, and one baa-aaa-aad cover.

    Actually, I thought it was quite good until I saw the sheep. That’s when the coffee went up my nose and all over my computer screen.

  6. Dave Van Domelen Says:

    From the Amazon listing of the book (and from just about every hit when searching google for this book):

    Science Fiction. A mysterious explosion, a haunting indefinable smell. Sitting quietly by a Cornish creek, reading his favorite comic book, Roses Varco hears the bang, catches a trace of the odor – and understands nothing. Which is hardly surprising, since Roses has just witnessed the death of a time-traveler lost in a limbo between worlds. Had he known the truth, it would have terrified him – for that traveler was himself. 206 Pages.

  7. Adam Roberts Says:

    I tell you what my first thought was. My first thought was that there was a breast under there, and you’d stuck a sticker of a sheep over it to spare our delicate sensibilities. But then I looked again and saw that the sheep is indeed integral to the design. Then I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

    And the publisher is Arrow! Shouldn’t it be Baa-aa-aen?

  8. Richard Palmer Says:

    @Dave

    Haha… yes, that’s what it says on the back cover, too. It’s not supposed to be that bad, though: http://iansales.com/2008/10/16/shiny-happy-science-fiction/

  9. Ian Sales Says:

    Yes, it’s actually a very good novel. It just had a silly title originally. Incidentally, it’s Chronicules in the UK edition, but Chronocules in the US edition. Which doesn’t rank up there withretitling Aldiss’s Non-Stop as Starship, but makes just as much sense…

  10. Evad Says:

    One hell of a bluetooth ear piece.

  11. Simon Says:

    @adam My thought exactly – sheep sticker to defend our delicate sensibilities (but would the breast or the penis under the sticker have made any more sense?)

    It’s a maaaaaaaad maaaaaaaad world…

  12. Kris Says:

    At first glance this cover looks kind of cool. Then…what the crap, is that a cyborg sheep?

    Really does sound like a fun story, I’ll have to look for this one.

  13. A.R.Yngve Says:

    “So what do you want on the cover?”
    “Marketing says anything with animals on the cover sells real good.”
    “What animals?”
    “Cats, dogs, cows, birds, sheep…”
    “You want cats, dogs, cows, birds and sheep?”
    “No no, not all of them. Just pick one. I trust you to make that simple decision.”
    “Be right back!”

  14. SI Says:

    Ok ok.. I just can’t get it out of my head now..

    “Straight outta Compton crazy motherfu*ker named Sheep Cube…”

    Oh NWA… I probably could have been killed for a comment like that back in the early 90’s!

  15. Pat Says:

    Extreme acupuncture and body amputation is a well-known cure for the chronicules. The sheep is necessary to keep his neck warm.

  16. David Cowie Says:

    And for those who don’t know what glaikit means, here’s what urbandictionary.com has to say:
    Scottish word meaning: stupid, foolish, not very bright, thoughtless, vacant

  17. Dalton H. Says:

    Why is the guy looking up? Is the horned sheep spaceship nothing compared to the coffee stained space?

  18. Green Says:

    I would like to request that the extraneous sheep head be the new censored image.

  19. G.K. Says:

    It’s Jason and the Argonauts in space with a timelord Hercules in search of the Cosmic Fleece.

  20. A.R.Yngve Says:

    This is so a recycled cover for Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.

  21. Phil Says:

    No, it’s John Brunner’s sequel to THE SHEEP LOOK UP. Original title: THE SHEEP LOOKS DOWN, AND SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT.

  22. Stevie T Says:

    It really makes me wonder, though, is a sheep germane to the plot, or is this just a case of “What was the artist on?”

  23. Tom Noir Says:

    The cover artist is just trying to pull the wool over your eyes.

  24. anon Says:

    Clicked to see what on earth could be hiding under the space sheep.
    Was disappointed.

  25. Dead Stuff With Big Teeth Says:

    Would’ve been a better cover for The Sheep Look Down While John Brunner Looks Up.

  26. Ray P Says:

    Chronicules: just add hot water and stir for a delicious sauce. Goes especially well with lamb.

  27. GSS noob Says:

    Is this where our beloved Space Sheep first appeared? Gosh! I clicked, wondering how there could be anything under there, and there isn’t.

    Unknown Artist, we salute you and Space Sheep.

  28. Tor Mented Says:

    I’m such a GSS fan that the first thing I did was click to see what was under the sheep.

  29. Dead Stuff With Big Teeth Says:

    POV of the cover’s photographer, with appropriate background music.

  30. GSS ex-noob Says:

    YOU GUYS!

    I looked this up on ISFDB and they say the cover artist is one David Bergen.

    So now we know who to credit for our pal Space Sheep.

    Mr. Bergen also did the cover for a book called “Manroot” near the end of his SF illustrating career. Hasn’t updated his blog in 5 years, though.

  31. fred Says:

    Pitch to the publisher – “Think Dune, only with space wool instead of spice.”

  32. Bruce A Munro Says:

    Time is not, in fact, money. It’s actually sheep.

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