Book cover discussion

Use this forum to discuss the February 2019 Book of the month, "The Warramunga's War" by Greg Kater.
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Re: Book cover discussion

Post by pixiestyx »

I haven't read the book, nor do I really plan to, since historical/WWII fiction isn't my cup of tea. But looking at the cover, it is a curious thing. If set in Australia, I am wondering why there are pyramids there as well. I assume there is some significance, but it is a little odd.
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Post by Kishor Rao »

The pyramids do have a role to play as half the portion of the book takes place in Cairo, Egypt. I think the book cover is fine but I also agree with you that it's not great too.
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Post by magnoparisi »

The picture itself makes sense, but i don't like the typography, the title look dangerously out of place. Chunk Five would have been a better option.
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Post by eastandalchemy »

I know exactly what you mean. Although the cover makes a bit more sense once you dig into the book, from an outsider's perspective, it doesn't make you really want to pick it up off the shelf.
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Post by KCWolf »

jemgirl202 wrote: 24 Mar 2019, 13:22 Covers definitely make an impression on me. I have read so many amazing books that have mediocre covers. I think the authors really need to spend the time making it stand out.
Exactly. They say "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." Some books have failed to make a good initial first impression on me due to the cover. Other covers have drawn my attention and urged me to read that book first and foremost in my reading list. ;)


I am more turned off by ones that are poor quality and/or totally bland.

This cover intrigues me but the subject matter and commentary do even more. Not all book covers provide a real depiction of the content. Some, like this one, are more symbolic.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

KCWolf wrote: 15 May 2019, 14:12
jemgirl202 wrote: 24 Mar 2019, 13:22 Covers definitely make an impression on me. I have read so many amazing books that have mediocre covers. I think the authors really need to spend the time making it stand out.
Exactly. They say "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." Some books have failed to make a good initial first impression on me due to the cover. Other covers have drawn my attention and urged me to read that book first and foremost in my reading list. ;)


I am more turned off by ones that are poor quality and/or totally bland.

This cover intrigues me but the subject matter and commentary do even more. Not all book covers provide a real depiction of the content. Some, like this one, are more symbolic.
Agreed, though I'd argue that this is half and half. It does indicate the setting and such, but it is also pretty much symbolic rather than realistic in terms of a kangaroo in Egypt.
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Post by Essie_Reviews »

Raja28 wrote: 24 Mar 2019, 09:12 The cover of this book, at the first look, is intriguing. However, after reading the brief about the story, the cover makes a lot of sense as the story, or a major part of it, takes place in Cairo and the protagonists are Australians.
I was thinking the same though the pyramids in the picture are most likely the pyramids of Giza and Giza isn't in Cairo so I thought that was a bit of cheap shot, generalizing Egypt like that. I like that the cover takes a surrealist approach to create a visual amalgamation of the world the book encapsulates though. The fact that it has people talking is a good sign.
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Post by janinewesterweel »

It is very true that many of us readers will judge a book by its cover! But unlike some of you have mentioned, I am more inclined to read a book if I'm intrigued by the cover in a why-is-that-depicted-there kind of way. Once you read this and Greg Kater's follow up novels in the series, you'll realise that his stories run across continents and many different cultures, and then I think it should make sense. :) As a matter of interest, have a look at the cover of his latest in this series, "Conflict on the Yangtse." That one, I think, is stunning.
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Post by SavannaEGoth »

Honestly, based off the cover alone I'd be a little confused and would assume it was sort of non-fiction or historical fiction piece, obviously from many decades ago. I'm not sure that the cover alone would pull me in. It looks like one of the countless tomes sitting dusty and tattered on my grandmother's many bookshelves.
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Post by Kelsey Fulton »

The cover makes the book look very historical, in my opinion. I agree with the above that it almost gives me the impression of a book one is required to read in school. The kangaroo sets the scene in Australia, but the pyramids do throw me off a little. However, I like the color scheme!
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Post by Ghost11111 »

I can sorta see the connection between the kangaroo and the pyramids in the cover since its Australians fighting in Africa; however, the cover makes the book look drastically older than it actually is since the background color and the vintage photo are so worn out and faded. If I was just looking at the cover I would pass on reading this book.
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Post by vivalatianne »

Hello, I saw this discussion and decided to leave some opinion on what I thought about the cover. I am not a professional layout artist but I had a fair share of doing few designs. I personally don't think the cover design is appropriate to sell. It is more like for me a book of something we avoid in grade school.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

Ghost11111 wrote: 25 May 2019, 13:05 I can sorta see the connection between the kangaroo and the pyramids in the cover since its Australians fighting in Africa; however, the cover makes the book look drastically older than it actually is since the background color and the vintage photo are so worn out and faded. If I was just looking at the cover I would pass on reading this book.
It really does. I think the author was going for a desert effect, maybe? It does look dusty, but at the same time, it doesn't catch the eye all that much.
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Post by Sam Ibeh »

I think the Pyramid was there for a purpose. The book covered after war events in the USA, Australia, and South East Asia. That also explains the Kangaroo in the picture. The ambiance is typical of a community that just came out of ruins. The design could have been better, but it isn't bad.
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Post by Gracedscribe »

I didn't mind the elements in the cover, just the way they were represented. It was not at all visually appealing. It looked like one of those books from a previous decade when people didn't have too much in terms of choice. It does no justice to the brilliance inside.
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