Feb 12
Click for full UNSHEEPED image
Daniel Comments: Bought this gem in an second-hand bookshop last year. I was slightly embarrassed taking it up to the counter. It’s rubbish on a number of levels: it’s a literally awful bit of artwork; it’s artwork that bears pretty much no relation to the story; and said story is a sombre dystopian yarn by Christopher Priest, a renowned purveyor of genre-crossing, award-winning novels that have more recently been reprinted by Gollanz with classy covers.
Published 1978
(Average: 8.18 out of 10)
Loading...
(9.27 out of 10)
February 12th, 2013 at 9:57 am
I have the hardcover first edition of this book (with this cover: http://www.amazon.com/Fugue-Darkening-Island-Christopher-Priest/dp/0571097944 ), and am taken aback by this monstrosity! It’s not a bad piece of artwork in itself, although gunman looks a bit funny of face, but it is so far adrift from what the novel is about.
I normally would only use the “Gaah my eyes are burning” score for a piece of artiwork that literally makes my eyes sore. This one is really more of a “Gaah my brain is melting”.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:02 am
Cellar flooded? Call SHOUTING ZOMBIE CLUTCHING NAKED CHICK PLUMBERS INC. For all your dystopian plumbing needs!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:47 am
Leaving aside the melty face, the artist quite obviously painted the model with his fist clenched, then tried awkwardly to wedge a gun in between the fingers. As well as, the foreshortening is off on the left arm. It makes it look as though the bloke has half a forearm…which, given his melty face, he might very well.
Lastly, something looks off about the pose, as though it would be hard to support such weight with your legs pigeon-toed.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
It’s a 70s dystopia. Every movie-goer knows that 70s dystopias star Charlton Heston, some guns and assorted naked women. But this is mid-70s Britain, so Chuck’s been replaced by that guy from The Wurzels.
But, as Dead Stuff observed, they tried to keep faith with the Heston screenplay by blowing the entire effects budget on matting a rifle into his fist: you’ll have to take it from his cold, undead hands.
February 12th, 2013 at 4:15 pm
Edvard Munch himself couldn’t have painted a scene more anguished! Er… lose the neckerchief, though. Looks a bit camp.
February 12th, 2013 at 6:34 pm
The gun seems to lack a magazine. No wonder he’s so upset.
February 12th, 2013 at 6:42 pm
And another thing: I notice that both covers feature waves and a naked woman. Could someone who has read the book expand upon this?
February 12th, 2013 at 6:44 pm
WOLVERINES! (1984)
Dude doesn’t have an ammo clip in his carbine thingy.
Both a bubble and fog machine seems a bit much. At least there isn’t a mirrored disco globe.
February 12th, 2013 at 8:40 pm
@fred: KHAAAAN! (1982)
February 12th, 2013 at 10:39 pm
@ fred and Dead Stuff: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (2005)
February 13th, 2013 at 2:26 am
Are her legs all melty too? What, is that acid they are standing in? A bit of which splashed onto the face of anguished awkward fist man?
Liking the skull on the stairs though.
February 13th, 2013 at 7:30 pm
I’m sorry, Mr Priest, but if you insist on having your full name on the cover, we will have to eliminate the dot over the i in your surname. There just isn’t room for both, I’m afraid, and that’s my final word on this subject.
Nothing personal, you understand. That nice Mr Ellison agreed to similar terms just last year, see: http://www.goodshowsir.co.uk/2010/05/the-beast-that-shouted-love-at-the-heart-of-the-world
Mr Aldiss, on the other hand, was eager to retain the dotted i, and therefore agree to drop his first name: http://www.goodshowsir.co.uk/2013/01/the-eighty-minute-hour/
February 14th, 2013 at 8:20 pm
Why, I think the zombie is singing:
“Aaannd I-III… wwwilll aaalways lllove braa-aaa-ains…”
February 16th, 2013 at 11:15 am
Christopher Pr1est, no?
Or maybe the author previously known as Christopher Pr1est?
March 17th, 2013 at 8:39 pm
Buttocks and thighs a bit overdone, rest of female body not fully-fledged… Not a pedo-novel, I hope!
March 18th, 2013 at 5:59 pm
And since we’re talking fonts elsewhere, did you know that i-with-no-dot (lıke thıs) is a Turkish letter?
Christopher Prıest is Turkish. Who knew?
June 8th, 2013 at 9:45 pm
SPOILERS
KHAAAAN! (2013)
August 25th, 2015 at 3:32 am
Clearly, in the world depicted in this cover, his girlfriend was killed by the villains and he’s angrily and hammily declaring his vengeance. Why the girlfriend’s corpse is starkers is unknown.
March 6th, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Nice section F panic
Her crisp poet shirt
LUNA FORKS A NAIF GINGER DUDE
March 6th, 2016 at 2:14 pm
“Pan Science Fiction”? Is that a brand, or an instruction?
April 24th, 2025 at 4:44 pm
This is actually an interesting cover for the publisher Pan, who generally used boring and off-putting nonsense to chase readers away from good science fiction. Relative to other publishers, it is dull and uninteresting, but for Pan this is a blockbuster effort.