Good Show Sir

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Tom’s Art Direction: Listen you lot, it’s supposed to be a DRAGON. This just looks like some sort of blue lizard. It needs more pointy bits! Don’t come back until you’ve absolutely peppered that thing with spikes. Oh, and draw the world’s most awkward swordsman beside it, you know, for human interest.
Published 1985

(Average: 6.87 out of 10)

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Scot B’s Art Direction: OK, I see a redheaded woman wearing overalls, but still half-naked, being gnawed on by ghost wolves while a dragon explodes from her crotch. The dragon’s chasing a guy with a flaming orange on his jumpsuit. And a purple polka-dotted gnome fortune-teller! It’s a masterpiece I tell you! What’s that, you say the name of the book is what? Well, just throw a spiderweb around everything, that’ll work.
Published 1980

(Average: 8.51 out of 10)

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This covers have all been sent in by River and I thought they might all make an excellent mega post. Thanks very much to River who has also provided some information about each!

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Contains 100 short stories by Hungarian authors.
Published 2003

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This third hardcover reissue contains two novels written by a Hungarian author under English pseudonym. Writing fantasy and science fiction stories under English pen names was very popular in the 90s. And many readers really thought that these writers are from abroad.
Published 1999

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Translating the Hungarian title to English was also a strange tradition in these books just like the English pen names for Hungarian writers. You can read inside that, A szellemlt, means, The Spiritseer. Hardcover.
Published 2005

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j Galaxis is a science fiction magazine published twice a year in Hungary. Guess which years product is this one. 1988? You slipped twenty years. This issue is only three years old.
Published 2008

(Average: 8.22 out of 10)

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Danielle Comments: This is about brain-snatchers from another planet. That makes sense. Oh, who am I kidding?
Published 1970

Many thanks to Danielle!

(Average: 6.14 out of 10)

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Ashton Comments: Uh, no comment.
Published 1982

Amazing find! Thanks to Ashton!

(Average: 8.44 out of 10)

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Carolyn Comments: You can probably analyze this better than I! I assume the artist just read the jacket blurb.
Published 1977

“Imagine: Gorilla-shaped bismuth junkies who stack their dead ancestors like cordwood in the living room; gentle souls who can touch with a touch or a thought. A throwback fiefdom on a planet where huge poisonous bats rule the night sky, where serpents the size of semi-trailers slither though the rotting jungle. A sarcastic mansized beetle that’s a Talmudic scholar and swears like a longshoreman. And claims to be immortal. All in a life’s work for Otto McGavin: Prime Operator for the TBII, undercover guardian of the rights of aliens and humans under the Confederacion.”

Mmm… uhh… seriously? That snake doesn’t look too happy.
Outstanding! Good Show Carolyn!

(Average: 8.63 out of 10)

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Ah May! How I love you with two bank holidays in one month and the final one falling on, my birthday. That’s right exciting stuff! So here to celebrate is a strange random collection of honourable mentions. And they are a random collection I assure you.

These covers break our well kept and hard hitting rules. There are some who even complain they are almost too hard. But these covers are generally excluded because they are part of a franchise or comedy.

Again thanks to everyone who visits the site and those who are submitting covers. Some of them are simply amazing, we’ll get to them eventually. Enjoy these great covers and to those who gain from it, have an amazing extended weekend!

As a bonus check out a vague picture of CSA (known in certain circles as ‘The Troll’)
Trolling through books to help me find covers at Christmas

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(Average: 7.90 out of 10)

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Jen Comments: A warlock and his robotic horse battle a carnivorous tree who collects stuffed animals and leprechauns, while farting evil smoke into the mouth of a nearby menacing castle. Meanwhile, a knight and his lady ride past, oblivious. Sadly, a surprisingly accurate depiction of the book. And yes, I paid $5 for it.

Insane thanks to Jen!

(Average: 7.45 out of 10)

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Giles Comments: I love the Taltos novels, but these covers actually stopped me buying the books several times – they’re so cheesy. True, the artist gets some credit for getting the jhereg (the winged reptile) approximately right, but that doesn’t really offset the general awfulness.

Tache-tastic! Thanks to Giles!

(Average: 8.16 out of 10)

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And now for the real cover:

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You might remember seeing this previously on Good Show Sir: Sunrunner’s Fire

Stutzman comments: So here is the Australia cover for that very same book (found in a used bookstore in the US), which is hideous beyond words. Same general elements: dragon, wizardly dude in robes, rocks. The execution, however… oh, my eyes.

Thanks very much to Stutzman!

(Average: 6.73 out of 10)

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