Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!
This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful covers!
It also provides information, if available,
on their very talented creators!
Here's my choice for this week!
One Realm Beyond
Donita K. Paul
Trade Paperback, 416 pages
Thomas Nelson Publishing
January 28, 2014
Christian Fiction,Fantasy, Romance,
Young Adult Fiction
My Thoughts About This Cover
This cover captures the theme of the novel perfectly, as the young man is caught between two dimensions. He half-turns to look behind him, ready for anything.
Magical vegetation swirls around and around him. Snaky vines seem ready to trap him in their clutches.....
There are several contrasting angles in the composition, which really give this cover such a sense of dynamic tension. The bodies of the young man and the dragon push and pull in different directions, as do the leaves and vines. The background seems to be stable and still, but seems ready to shimmer out of existence as the portal widens, as the young man prepares to step through.
The font used for the title is very effective. It somehow reminds me of the movie title for "Twenty Leagues Under the Sea", which I've seen on the Amazon DVD cover.
In short, this is not only a gorgeous, stunning cover, but also one that perfectly embodies the story!
Who is the brilliant mind behind this great cover? The illustration was done by British artist Steve Rawlings, and the cover design by Kris Nelson. Of course, I am much more interested in the illustration itself.
Rawlings is a graduate of the former Kent Institute of Art & Design, which is based in the UK, and eventually became the University for the Creative Arts. He works with a combination of traditional and digital photographic techniques, and has many clients worldwide, such as Lucasfilms, Scholastic, Random House, Disney, and Penguin.
What do you think of this
week's cover?
Would it entice you to buy
this book and read it?
Trade Paperback, 416 pages
Thomas Nelson Publishing
January 28, 2014
Christian Fiction,Fantasy, Romance,
Young Adult Fiction
This is such a stunning, dreamlike cover! Everything about it just mesmerizes me, from the gorgeous aqua in the background, to the dynamic, circular movement, to the magically shining sparkles of light floating and moving around the circle, to the young man's warrior stance, to the menacing dragon, poised above the young man.
This cover captures the theme of the novel perfectly, as the young man is caught between two dimensions. He half-turns to look behind him, ready for anything.
Magical vegetation swirls around and around him. Snaky vines seem ready to trap him in their clutches.....
There are several contrasting angles in the composition, which really give this cover such a sense of dynamic tension. The bodies of the young man and the dragon push and pull in different directions, as do the leaves and vines. The background seems to be stable and still, but seems ready to shimmer out of existence as the portal widens, as the young man prepares to step through.
The font used for the title is very effective. It somehow reminds me of the movie title for "Twenty Leagues Under the Sea", which I've seen on the Amazon DVD cover.
In short, this is not only a gorgeous, stunning cover, but also one that perfectly embodies the story!
Who is the brilliant mind behind this great cover? The illustration was done by British artist Steve Rawlings, and the cover design by Kris Nelson. Of course, I am much more interested in the illustration itself.
Rawlings is a graduate of the former Kent Institute of Art & Design, which is based in the UK, and eventually became the University for the Creative Arts. He works with a combination of traditional and digital photographic techniques, and has many clients worldwide, such as Lucasfilms, Scholastic, Random House, Disney, and Penguin.
Online Links
week's cover?
Would it entice you to buy
this book and read it?
Hey Maria.
ReplyDeleteThere is really a lot going on this picture.
When I first looked at it I did not like it as much as I had trouble taking it all in.
Looking at it carefully for a few minutes however I find that it has grown on me as it conveys the sense of a lot going on within a very dynamic story.
I really like the dragon as it seems to add a little sense of chaotic fun to the picture.
Hey, Brian!
ReplyDeleteThere's definitely a lot going in this cover! I think the artist was trying to give the feeling of going through a portal, from one dimension to another.
I have always loved circles, so I like the circular movement here, although perhaps it can make this image a bit confusing to look at. I think it does take some getting used to.
I like the dragon, too. He does give "a little sense of chaotic fun to the picture"! Very well stated!
Thanks for the great comment!! : )