Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
The Vorkossigan books suffer from generic covers and always have.
I wonder if they have a problem depicting Miles himself (a hyperkinetic 17year old that can pass for 30-something would be hard for most artists) since Ekaterin and Ivan do resemble their in-book profiles.
The Honorverse covers also suffer, ocassionally even featuring starships that look nothing like they are supposed to. And the treecats...
The Vorpal Blade series does have appropriate covers, garish though they may be.
In general BAEN covers have been bland and generic which is why the second Vorpatril cover and the Flandry covers stand out. But not in a good way. Maybe I was spoiled by my early paperback experiences back when Michael Whelan was doing covers all over the place. 
http://www.paperbackfantasies.jjelmquist.com/whelan.htm
Even when Whelan did the stereotypical cover it worked:
http://www.paperbackfantasies.jjelmq...ersonAgent.JPG
Of course, that was also the time when Frazetta and Boris were all over but, ahem, no need to add gasoline to the fire.  |
It isn't just the depiction, it's the overall feel. Like I said, they have a certain branding, and IMO, it just isn't a good one. I know individuals will get hung up on whether a character looks right or has the right dress on and things like that. But there is a general ... lack of overall "attractiveness" to the covers. The blending (when there is any) is odd. The fonts sit on top of the cover. They're blocky. And I'm NOT saying the characters have to be "attractive."
Every culture and period of time has certain characteristics when it comes to art that are "popular" or "conventional." The Baen covers are stuck in the past when it comes to that. I'm not saying they have to have covers like everyone else. In fact, they do have original art which is become more and more rare. I just find the covers somewhat tired.