A Book And Its Cover…

We all know the old cliché about judging books by their covers, but two weeks ago I was perusing the sci-fi and fantasy genre sections on the First Floor and the cover of Tim Lebbon’s The Island caught my eye. Here it is:

Something about this cover grabbed me. Maybe it was the mix of colors, or the striking font used for the simple two word title? Not sure. I checked the book out and I am just finishing it today, and it has been riveting. Lebbon’s brand of gritty, humanistic fantasy (no elves or dwarves here) hit just the right tone for me. He builds his world almost casually, effortlessly–the way great fantasy writers do.

Before picking up The Island I was ignorant of Lebbon’s work. Had it not been for the striking cover, I might never have given The Island a try. Now I think I will move forward and read some more of his work. The fantasy prison break tale Dusk sounds particularly good, so I may try that one next.

For more about Lebbon, visit his web site here.

So, have any of you had any recent successes selecting books solely on the basis of an engaging cover?

–Scott