Wednesday 15 January 2014

Prince of Fools - UK cover "Rough"

This is the first rough of the UK cover from Jason Chan (who did the covers for the Broken Empire Trilogy)

All feedback welcome! The US finished cover is below for comparison.

Note: The Peter V Brett quote is a placeholder - Peat hasn't read the book.

(out in June)


(US cover)

And the book itself is available for pre-order, with a price guarantee so that if (as almost always happens) the price is reduced before release, the price of your pre-order goes down to match.

Pre-orders are very important to authors - they help bookshops decide whether to order and how many, they help Amazon and other retailers decide about discounts, promotion, and stock (they discount popular books, not unpopular ones).

So, click away!



Or add it to your shelf on Goodreads

Here is the blurb from the UK edition:

The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire fear her as they fear no other.
Her grandson Jalan Kendeth is a coward, a cheat and a womaniser; and tenth in line to the throne. While his grandmother shapes the destiny of millions, Prince Jalan pursues his debauched pleasures. Until he gets entangled with Snorri ver Snagason, a huge Norse axe man, and dragged against his will to the icy north.

In a journey across half the Broken Empire, Jalan flees minions of the Dead King, agrees to duel an upstart prince named Jorg Ancrath, and meets the ice witch, Skilfar, all the time seeking a way to part company with Snorri before the Norseman’s quest leads them to face his enemies in the black fort on the edge of the Bitter Ice.

Experience does not lend Jalan wisdom; but here and there he unearths a corner of the truth. He discovers that they are all pieces on a board, pieces that may be being played in the long, secret war the Red Queen has waged throughout her reign, against the powers that stand behind thrones and nations, and for higher stakes than land or gold.



19 comments:

  1. The Chan version definitely fits the title better.

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  2. Both are really good, the UK cover is more unique in style and I like it better.

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  3. The American one looks like "Medievalist's Next top Pawn Model" Coming this Fall to Fox...so todaly dreamy...and homoerotic boiled leather and erect steel. The UK cover is artistical superior as is usual and summerarily expected. The US cover is actually very good and well laid out,,its very commercial,,,very appealing and well done. amazing hair and cheekbones and of course the laurel leaves motif trick ner ceases to ensure make the casualist shelf perouser associate the book/film etc with awardation. I would make the font and wording better on the UK edition thats my say.

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  4. I prefer the UK cover. It looks more interesting and I think fits it better. Love the mask and sword.

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  5. The UK image is definitely more dramatic. I don't really like the fan behind the Red Queen's head (guessing that's who she is). But that's just me.

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  6. Hmm. The US cover seems to be following the same trend in fantasy cover art that I've been seeing for the past few years for many titles... Not to say it's a bad cover, but I wish they could switch it up a bit. I like the UK cover personally.

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  7. The US cover looks like "Chronicles of Riddick" character "Falco" to a T.

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  8. I'm going to be brutally honest: I don't like it, at all. I absolutely loved the covers of the broken empire and proudly exhibit them in my book case, but this one just doesn't do anything for me. If you hadn't told it was from the same illustrator, I would never have guessed it, I can barely recognize his style.

    Sorry to be such a downer, but that's just how I feel. At first I didn't like the US cover either, too mainstream and totally different from the broken empire style, but now I actually like it the most. And by the way, I'm pretty sure it changed since the first time you showed it, I clearly remember some kind of pattern or graphic in the background and no bodies. Once again, I liked it better before.

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  9. Prefer the UK cover, but I'll have to buy US version. The UK cover for Prince of Fools seems to fit with the Broken Empire trilogy US covers more, and I prefer a little consistency in book cover styles from authors. But, the content inside is the most important, and I'm sure I won't be disappointed!

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  10. UK Cover pops more, but I think I do prefer the US one over all.

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  11. US cover is great! Reminds me so much of a Stephen R. Donaldson book (one of my top three favorite authors) that I'd pick it up off a bookstore shelf to see if it was. Then I'd have read what it is about, and I'm quite certain, after reading, that I'd buy it all due to the thought of it being a different author's book (though I'd see your name and get it anyway). Another reason, I see a figure in boiled (?) leather armor, with hands resting on the hilt of a long sword, and a mixture of concern and determination etching his face. Why does he look like that? Why is such a powerful sword needed to dispatch whatever he might have to face? And best of all, why does he stand in a field of bones. A skull at his feet, his cloak flowing in the wind to tickle the ribcage to his right. Oh, death is wandering about, and he has every right to show just a touch of fear seen with such clarity in his eyes, though the readiness of his stance could have been taught to him by death itself. A crouching wolf preparing to rend the flesh from its pray. And now I can't wait to read it!!

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  12. US cover is great! Reminds me so much of a Stephen R. Donaldson book (one of my top three favorite authors) that I'd pick it up off a bookstore shelf to see if it was. Then I'd have read what it was about, and I'm quite certain, after reading, that I'd buy it all due to the thought of it being a different author's book. Another reason, I see a figure in boiled (?) leather armor, with hands resting on the hilt of a long sword, and a mixture of concern and determination on his face. Why does he look like that? Why is such a powerful sword needed to dispatch whatever he might have to face? And best of all, why does he stand in a field of bones. A skull at his feet, his cloak flowing in the wind to tickle the ribcage to his right. Oh, death is wandering about, and he has every right to show just a touch of fear seen with such clarity in his eyes, though the readiness of his stance could have been taught to him by death itself. A crouching wolf preparing to rend the flesh from pray. And now I can't wait to fear it!!

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  13. "So, click away." --> Done, Mark !
    For me, UK version it is. Jason Chan's cover is already telling us something of Jalan's story. In my opinion, the US one doesn't do the job quite right. Anyway... I can't wait to hold the book in my hands :-)

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  14. UK Version better.

    US version too clean cut (especially the hair!!)

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  15. How does one get a hold of one of these arcs?

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  16. Wow, so much support for the UK cover here ^_^
    I actually like the US cover better, only slightly though. I love the details and realistic looking drawing of the US cover, whereas I think that the UK cover seems to fit better to the YA genre ;-)

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