(urth) Wolfe covers

Sat Jan 1 11:32:40 PST 2011

The Long Sun 2 volume edition covers are brilliantly executed in all the ways you seem to be asking for. They seem like rich historical paintings and not cheap SF scenes. The individual Long Sun covers not so much.

I have many issues with the Short Sun covers. The most complicated books get the most simplistic covers. Though, less would be even more here.

The first Don Maitz Shadow cover is excellent. I suspect Wolfe wrote in a detail based on a design 'error' of Maitz's. The journeyman is depicted with a multi-coloured brocade on the inside of the cloak. This is so wrong. Yet, when Severian is jailed in UotNS and lays the basis of the New Sun myth, he is wearing a fuligin cloak with a 'particlored brocade' interior.  So, the guild cloaks are inspired by this cloak Sev chose seemingly because it reminded him of his guild cloak.  Great stuff.

The best New Sun covers are by Bruce Pennington. They are remarkable, and would be a very saleable choice for Tor to use if they repackage the books any time soon. They are excellent illustrations. 

I've got lots of design sketches for New Sun covers. Someday I'll realize them. I'd also like a crack at The Wizard Knight covers. I have sympathy for anyone trying to tackle Wolfe in illustration, it's not easy to nail things down with certainty.

~sonofwitz

On Jan 1, 2011, at 10:26 AM, Daniel Petersen <danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com> wrote:

> Gerry Quinn <gerryq at indigo.ie> wrote:
> Still, I think it's an interesting point that we are apt to consider these images terribly naff in visual form and yet they are pretty much exactly what is described in the text.  
> 
> No, no, that's the whole point.  They are not at all 'exactly what is described in the text'.  To do that you would need a rather genius, innovative, subtle, knowledgeable artist who knows the history of 'fantasy painting' as it were and visually 'describes' these scenes in a way that does justice to the way Wolfe treats traditional fantastic material.  His prose is seriously some of the very best anyone is ever going to read, his ideas and twisting of ideas are so thought-provoking.  The covers should bring at least *something* of that out - or at the very least not point in the exact opposite direction so that people expect... not just 'standard fare' but *sub*standard fantasy tripe and trash!  I am utterly mortified to be seen reading a book with the cover of OBW!  
> 
> I mean, if one of Wolfe's biggest fans, Neil Gaiman, can have tasteful, well-designed, stylish covers, why can't Wolfe?
> 
> By the bye, I would have no problem with the covers looking *intentionally* kitschy and pulpy in a self-aware naff way that has some fun and ironic class and... SKILL.  They could at least look like old Edgar Rice Burroughs or Robert E. Howard or Michael Moorcock covers.  That would be an improvement!
> 
> DOJP
> 
> On Sat, Jan 1, 2011 at 6:09 PM, Gerry Quinn <gerryq at indigo.ie> wrote:
> I think IGJ is the one I would be most embarrassed to be seen reading on the train - I'd sooner have a sexy mermaid on the cover than that ridiculous Neighbour falling over his feet!   RTTW is fine IMO.  The Knight/Wizard covers are at least fairly monotone and don't jump out.
>  
> I admit I would also prefer something more abstract or less exotic.
>  
> Still, I think it's an interesting point that we are apt to consider these images terribly naff in visual form and yet they are pretty much exactly what is described in the text.  Perhaps we should not be so precious about them.
>  
> Anyway, embarrassment at SF covers has a long and honourable history, though perhaps the advent of e-readers will before long bring it to an end...
>  
> - Gerry Quinn
>  
>  
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Daniel Petersen
> To: The Urth Mailing List
> Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2011 5:30 PM
> Subject: Re: (urth) Wolfe covers
> 
> Gerry Quinn <gerryq at indigo.ie> wrote:
> On the other hand, people have objected to the Short Sun covers - but are they not, essentially, very faithful and literal representations of the contents of the books?
> 
> Em, not so sure about that.  Is Seawrack's hair colour wrong?  Horn's hair doesn't look balding at all.  Babbie and the Neighbour would require much speculation on the part of the artist and these are not particularly impressive.  And the godling looks more giant than I    remember him being described when he's holding Silk-Horn.
> 
> But that aside, even if they depict accurate content from the stories, they are terrible 'unicorns and rainbows' fantasy drawing styles, not particularly skillful or tasteful or interesting.  They're some of the worst and most embarrassing fantasy kitsch I've ever seen.  (RttW is not as painful as the others - OBW is the worst.)   Is it even a good idea to try to depict some of the most pulp-fantastic elements of Wolfe's stories on his covers?  That can be so susceptible to misapprehending the literary excellence and subtlety of the writing that simultaneously celebrates, subverts, and transfigures the subgenre(s) Wolfe is drawing from (alongside his 'mainstream' influences).  Why not try something more subtle or quite clearly 'beautiful'?  If it has to be straightforward representational figurative paintings of events in the stories, then AT LEAST GET AN ARTIST WHO HAS A CLUE ABOUT GOOD REALISTIC PAINTING.
> 
> These paperback covers for The Knight:  http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/gene+wolfe/the+knight+28ebook29/6515022/
> 
> and The Wizard:  http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/gene+wolfe/the+wizard/5596395/
> 
> are just the worst!  Looks like they would be the Twilight of heroic fantasy!  Yech!
> 
> 
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